The game started quietly in front of a sell-out crowd (60,016) at the Camping World RV Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The venue was predominately blue and canary yellow, the famous, vibrant colors of the Brazilian National Team.
The U.S. Men’s National Team came into the game with a lot to prove after suffering a heavy 5-1 loss against another South American powerhouse in Columbia. With continued doubts around coach Greg Berhalter’s position and ability to lead the team, the U.S. wanted to send a strong message that they could compete at this year’s Copa América.
The game came alive in the 17th minute when Rodgrygo was played in behind with a pass from Raphinha. He made no mistake with his first touch then shooting to the bottom left corner to make it 1-0.
Brazil looked casual and attempted to raise the tempo of the game but still looked off-pace with several missed passes. With Rodgyo looking the most involved, he gathered possession in the 20th minute on the half line, beat his man, and played Vinicius Jr. in behind. He sent a cross into the box that found Raphina but his shot went wide. In the 21st minute, he did well on the defensive side where at times he took up the right back position.
Moments later, Rodrygo found himself 1 v 1 with U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner who did well to force his first touch wide. With such a tight angle to force a shot, the low effort deflected off Turner and went out for a corner kick.
The Americans didn’t waste any time amping up the intensity of the attack and quickly found the deadlock. On a free kick at the top of the box, the U.S. pulled two of their players from the wall and Christian Pulisic essentially followed their path as a gaping hole appeared. The captain put power behind a grounded effort that soared through the wall and past Brazil’s goalkeeper Alisson.
Later in the second half, Rodrygo was fouled right on the edge of the box or so we thought. VAR would determine that the Real Madrid star dived. He didn’t get discouraged and almost scored moments later with a bicycle kick that went just over the crossbar.
15 minutes into the second half and it was all Brazil. Vini and Rodgryo continued tearing down the left half of the pitch at will. This time the Champions League winners played a one-two but Turner once again closed them down and made himself big to stop the shot.
The crowd had all been waiting for Endrick to enter the match and they got their wish in the 65th minute. The future star man for Los Blancos has already scored three consecutive game-winners in his short career. It took only a few moments before he got on the ball down the right side but he couldn’t get enough force behind his shot to faze the keeper. The low, wide shots that had cursed Matt Turner in the previous match against Colombia failed to fluster him against Brazil.
The U.S. seemingly created a brilliant chance from out of nothing in the 67th minute when Weston McKennie did well to play in Pulisic. The captain forced Allison into a brilliant save and kept the scoreline 1-1.
The match ended 1-1 after a few minutes of added time. Brazil wasn’t as dominant as we’ve seen them in the past few matches but they still brought that their historical flair and technique. This was their last test before the start of their Copa América journey on June 23 when they face off against Bolivia. Their second match will see them against Concacaf opponent Panama and they’ll end group stage play against Uruguay. Brazil will take on Costa Rica on June 24, Paraguay on June 28, and a highly anticipated matchup against in-form Colombia.
-Mike Brown