Colombia gave the U.S. all they could handle in a 5-1 beating at Commanders Field in Landover, MD. A crowd of 55,494 showed up for the first of three friendlies (most of them Colombia fans) before the start of the first-ever Copa América tournament on American soil. Tim Weah scored the lone goal for the hosts in the second half. Colombia boasted five different goalscorers in Jhon Arias, Rafael Santos Borré, Richard Ríos, Jorge Carrascal, and Luis Sinisterra.
Gregg Berhalter made three changes from the lineup that started the Concacaf Nations League Final against Mexico on March 24, inserting defender Joe Scally, midfielder Johnny Cardoso and forward Folarin Balogun. Tonight’s match marks the first time the back four of Joe Scally, Chris Richards, Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson started together.
The first goal came from Colombia in the 6th minute. Colombia lost the ball in attack but the U.S. fumbled the clearance. Antonee Robinson’s clearance attempt was deflected and fell to the feet of Jhon Arias. Arias quickly gathered possession and fired a rocket past Matt Turner to give the Colombians the lead.
Folarin Balogun tried to get the Americans back in the match after he dropped goalkeeper Camilo Vargas to the ground but seasoned veteran Davinson Sánchez slid to clear the ball off the goal line. The U.S. tried their luck again when Christian Pulisic penetrated the 18-yard box but his effort was blocked by Daniel Muñoz.
Los Cafeteros made things worse for the red, white, and blue after Rafael Santos Borré scored in the 19th minute. The crowd erupted after Borré scored via bicycle to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Danger struck again just before halftime as Colombia continued to pressure the U.S. A cross came in across the box to an unmarked Mateus Uribe who practically floated in the air for a header but it was misdirected out of bounds for a goal kick.
In the 57th minute, the Americans struck back thanks to a goal from Tim Weah. Colombia was close to striking back Immediately when Luis Díaz penetrated the box on a counterattack. He beat Turner with a low effort across goal but the ball hit the crossbar and rolled out for a goal kick.
A moment of madness came in the 68th minute when Turner grabbed a live ball just outside of his 18. After earning a yellow card, the U.S. defense was fortunate to ward off a lofty cross from James Rodriguez. After the ball was cleared, Turner appeared to have picked up a knock (possible cramping) but stayed on the field.
For sure that’s what it is. We were nowhere near the level we need to play at if we want to win games at Copa América.”
USA’s Christian Pulisic on this match being a wakeup call before the tournament
Things got worse for the U.S. as Colombia pulled back another goal to place their lead back to two. Richard Ríos was waiting at the top of the box, unmarked, and when the ball was played to him he sent a one-timed shot to Turner’s far side and beat him.
In the 84th minute, Colombia’s Jorge Carrascal scored his first goal of the match and his second internationally. A beautiful ball was laid off down the left flank, on yet, another counterattack, and Carrascal was there to slot it home past Turner. Just moments later, another USA giveaway turned into a goal by Luis Sinisterra. The man from AFC Bournemouth increased their lead to four goals and showed no signs of slowing down even as the game inched towards 90 minutes.
“Tonight they played better than us, but this is what friendlies are for,” said USMNT’s Tim Weah after the match. “Our strong points are pressing, we needed to press them a bit more, but obviously today our gameplan didn’t work.”
This type of thumping is what the USMNT needed. They are known for scheduling light friendlies with subpar competition. Colombia is on a 21-game unbeaten streak and is ranked 12th in the FIFA rankings, right underneath the hosts, the USA. If Berhalter wants to stand a chance in Copa América, he’s going to have to make adjustments quickly. He only has two chances left to test his current squad — Brazil and Bolivia.
-Jon Jones