Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic insist that USMNT are contenders to win this summer’s Copa America.
Gregg Berhalter’s side hold home advantage for this year’s tournament — the U.S. reached the semi-final stage when they most recently hosted the tournament, in 2016.
Defending champions Argentina and Brazil are the favourites to win this year’s Copa America, with Uruguay, Colombia and Mexico among the nations with hopes of advancing deep into the tournament.
Despite having never lifted the trophy, Juventus midfielder McKennie, 25, and Milan winger Pulisic believe that the American team has the potential to win the final at Miami Gardens on July 14.
“Our goal in any tournament is always to win,” McKennie said on Friday.
“We want to come out with the trophy. We have players in big clubs and as a team, we are not far off the best in the tournament. We have a great opportunity to grow and develop as a group ahead of the World Cup.”
McKennie believes the U.S. are contenders for the Copa America title (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
U.S. captain Pulisic — who has scored 28 goals in 66 international caps — also believes the team are challengers for the title.
“We want to win the tournament, that is why we are playing in it,” 25-year-old Pulisic said.
“We want to go as far as we can, get out of the group, then go game by game from there and at the end of the day we want to win the tournament.
“With the tournament being in the U.S., this is perfect for us to showcase our abilities in a big tournament. We want the big crowds against the big teams in the big stadiums. That is what you live for as a soccer player.”
McKennie added that the U.S. enjoying home advantage was “important” and believes it can provide the momentum ahead of World Cup 2026, which the nation will co-host alongside Mexico and Canada.
“One of our goals from five years ago was to change how the world views American soccer, and now it is to change how soccer is viewed within America and how we can change it forever,” McKennie said.
“Playing against these teams in our home stadiums is a good starting point to bring new fans and new types of people to the games, to experience these matches and become attached to the sport.”
The U.S. play Colombia in a pre-tournament friendly on June 8 before playing Brazil five days later to conclude their preparation for the Copa America.
They get their campaign underway against Bolivia on June 23, before taking on Panama four days later and finalising their group stage campaign against Uruguay on July 1.
(John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Read the full article here