United States 1-1 Brazil: Pulisic free-kick caps Copa America warm-up

The United States capped their Copa America preparations with a 1-1 draw against Brazil on Wednesday, with Christian Pulisic scoring a fine free-kick.

USA captain Pulisic drilled a low effort beyond Alisson 26 minutes in, after a mazy run ended with him being chopped down by Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes on the edge of the area.

A full-strength Brazil side had gone ahead nine minutes earlier when the lively Raphinha split the hosts’ defence with a fine pass for Rodrygo, who beat Matt Turner at his near post.

Rodrygo went close with an acrobatic effort shortly after half-time, but neither side was able to find a second-half winner, primarily due to the performances of Alisson and Turner.

The Liverpool goalkeeper made a great stop to deny Pulisic shortly after the hour mark, and Turner responded by tipping Rodrygo’s outside-of-the-boot effort to safety.

11 – Matt Turner’s 11 saves vs. Brazil are the most by a #USMNT goalkeeper since Tim Howard made 15 saves vs. Belgium in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Stopper. pic.twitter.com/hRRIERTrGI

— OptaJack (@OptaJack) June 13, 2024

Vinicius Junior fired across goal and off-target deep into stoppage time as the Selecao were made to settle for a draw 12 days out from their Copa opener against Costa Rica. The USA open their campaign against Bolivia in Texas on June 22.

Data Debrief: Captain America strikes again

If the USA are to enjoy a successful Copa campaign on home soil, they will need Pulisic to be right at it after an encouraging first season with Milan.

He is developing a taste for scoring against CONMEBOL opponents, having now netted versus Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Venezuela.

He is just the third American man to achieve that feat, after Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.