There is a clash of the heavyweights in Group C of the 2024 Copa America when the USA face Uruguay for a potential top-spot decider on Matchday 3. 

It is a truly massive encounter when the 11th-ranked side in the world takes on Uruguay who are only four places below. 

This may be the first competitive meeting between USA and Uruguay with two previous friendlies both ending in a draw, but there is little indication that this would be the same.

The Stars and Stripes are in their fifth Copa America and this is the second time hosting after reaching the semi-final when the Copa America Centenario was held on home soil in 2016.

Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s contract expired after the World Cup in December 2022 and his assistant, Anthony Hudson, was placed in caretaker charge until he stepped down at the end of May. 

Under B.J. Callaghan, the Yanks successfully defended their Nations League trophy by winning 3–0 against Mexico in the semi-final before defeating Canada 2–0 in the final.

Brandon Vazquez equalized in the 88th minute of their opening Gold Cup game against Jamaica while both Saint Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago were thrashed 6-0. The USA got through a thrilling 2-2 draw against Canada and won the quarterfinal on penalties after extra-time. 

However, they failed to repeat the trick against Panama three days later and bowed out on spot-kicks in the semifinal. There were three wins over the first four friendly matches of Gregg Berhalter’s return and they defeated Trinidad & Tobago 4-2 on aggregate in the Nations League quarterfinal. 

The semi-final against Jamaica was the first thing on the agenda for 2024 and they recovered from an early opener to send the game to extra time before winning the tie 3-1. Tyler Adams and Giovanni Reyna scored in the final as the Yanks lifted a third consecutive CONCACAF Nations League. 

They would be desperate to carry that confidence and belief into another major tournament where their every move would be cheered being on home soil. Berhalter’s men have some momentum on their side which they can harness even further for an inspired run this summer.  

Nevertheless, the USMNT would have faced Bolivia and Panama and this final group game represents their first test against a big opponent.

Uruguay are two-time World Cup winners and they have won the Copa America a joint record 15 times with their most recent title coming in 2011. La Celeste comes into this tournament with a lot of pedigree and talent on and off the pitch with Marcelo Bielsa at the helm.

The Argentine was appointed in May 2023 to become only the second non-Uruguayan manager to coach the national team, yet he led them to record-breaking wins against Brazil and his native country.

14 new players were called up for Bielsea’s first batch of friendly matches against Nicaragua and Cuba with veteran names such as Edinson Cavani, Fernando Muslera and Luis Suarez all dropped from the squad.

The tactician was indeed vindicated as he led the team to a 4-1 victory over Nicaragua and a 2–nil win in the latter game. Bielsa stuck to his big calls in the opening FIFA World Cup qualifier at home to Chile which ended in a 3–1 victory.

Another win against Ecuador followed and they drew 2-2 with Colombia thanks to Darwin Nunez’s late penalty equalizer. A historic victory was witnessed at Estadio Centenario when Uruguay defeated Brazil 2–0 to end their 22-year winning streak against them as well as hand the Samba Boys their first loss in qualifiers since 2015.

Lightning struck twice for Uruguay as they also defeated Argentina at La Bombonera the following month thanks to goals from Ronald Araujo and Nunez. This brutal defeat of the world champions was their first against Uruguay in 10 years and their first in 25 straight qualifiers. 

A 3–0 home victory against Bolivia ended 2023 on a high but they will be cautious after registering a draw and a defeat against Basque Country and African champions, Ivory Coast.

Uruguay are one of the most in-form teams in South America and they would be regarded among the favourites, hence they must put on a good showing against the tournament hosts.

Match tickets

This Copa America showdown is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 2 July 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 2 AM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on the websites of both national federations as well as the Copa America organizers so you can hurry to purchase yours.

The Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri is the venue for this match with a majority of the over 76,000 seats expected to be filled by home supporters. Therefore, the Uruguayan players could be up against a hostile partisan crowd and tickets for travelling fans could be scarce.

To beat the long waiting list on official match ticket sources, away fans can purchase their USA vs Uruguay tickets on a resale site.  

Team news

Gregg Berhalter had a fully fit squad to choose from for the March international break and he will hope that stays the same by the time Copa America kicks off. The fitness of Tyler Adams is also important as the influential midfielder has been out injured for most of the season and he must be conditioned carefully until the summer. 

On the other hand, Uruguay had the likes of Matías Vecino, Facundo Torres, Ronald Araujo, Rodrigo Zalazar and Bruno Méndez all return to their clubs after the first match of their friendly series in March 2024. They hope to still have a fully-fit squad to choose from when the tournament nears. 

Line-ups

Christian Pulisic is perhaps the first name on the USA team sheet with the captain having revitalized his career since moving to AC Milan. The forward is more consistent due to the continuity of playing time at club level and he holds the key to his team’s hopes of finishing ahead of Uruguay.

USA: Turner; Dest, Richards, Robinson, Robinson; Musah, McKennie, Adams; Weah, Balogun, Pulisic

Darwin Nunez is the spearhead of this Uruguay team with his tireless work rate and selfless presence up front. He makes a lot of crucial contributions on and off the ball and he would love nothing more than to find the net against their biggest group rivals. 

Uruguay: Rochet; Araujo, Gimenez, Caceres, Vina; Valverde, Ugarte; Pellistri, De la Cruz, Araujo; Nunez

Prediction

This game is likely to determine who wins the group so both sets of players would be fired up to get the result. This means we are certain to see a high-quality game between two of the best teams at this year’s Copa America.  

America playing on home soil may just turn this game in their favour and see them safely through to the next round. 

USA 2-1 Uruguay