Christian Pulisic celebrated with arms wide and a big smile, eager to locate the coach in the stands who devised the quickest goal plan ever against a South American team for the U.S.
There was plenty of emotion in the match against a weaker opponent, in a tournament that Americans consider their toughest challenge before co-hosting the 2026 World Cup.
Pulisic scored in the third minute and assisted on Folarin Balogun’s goal in the 44th as the United States comfortably defeated Bolivia 2-0 in their Copa America debut on Sunday night.
“I’m always pretty pumped up after I score,” Pulisic said. “This is a big moment. It’s a major tournament.”
Pulisic joined Clint Dempsey as the only U.S. players to score a goal and provide an assist in a Copa America match and reached 30 goals in just 69 international appearances, the fastest among Americans.
“We came out with a lot of intensity right from the start. Obviously, that early goal gave us a big boost,” Pulisic said. “It was a dominant performance. We could have finished more of our chances and scored more goals.”
Among the six guest teams at South America’s championship, the U.S. is expected to advance from Group C to the quarterfinals along with Uruguay.
“It’s a huge start for us. It builds our confidence,” American defender Antonee Robinson said. “If we’re being critical, we could have been more clinical. We could have scored another two or three goals.”
Bolivia lost its 13th consecutive Copa America match dating back to 2015 and has only one win in its last 31 matches.
“I’m not satisfied because I believe we can do better. We played against an opponent that had better physical performance,” Bolivia coach Antônio Carlos Zago said through a translator. “They scored in the third minute, and from there it was an uphill battle.”
The 11th-ranked U.S. team will face Panama on Thursday in Atlanta and wrap up their group stage against Uruguay on July 1 in Kansas City, Missouri. Bolivia, ranked 84th, will play Uruguay on Thursday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and then face Panama on July 1 in Orlando, Florida.
The match at AT&T Stadium drew a crowd of 47,873 under the retractable roof of the 80,000-seat venue, which will host a World Cup semifinal in 2026. Despite a scorching 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 Celsius) outside the stadium, the indoor environment was comfortably air-conditioned for the game, home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner, playing a day before his 30th birthday, made three saves to secure his 25th international shutout. The U.S. extended their perfect record at AT&T Stadium to 6-0 as they began their fifth Copa America appearance, their first since reaching the semifinals as hosts in 2016.
In the first half, the U.S. had 18 touches inside Bolivia’s penalty area, while Bolivia had none in the U.S.’s attacking zone.
“I’m pleased with the performance,” said U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter. “A lot of players experienced their first Copa America game, first Copa America win, and first Copa America shutout. We’re in a good position.”
Christian Pulisic scored just 2 minutes and 23 seconds into the match, marking the fastest goal for the U.S. in 34 competitive matches against South American teams.
After playing a short corner kick to Tim Weah, Pulisic received the ball back, took a touch, and curled a right-footed shot from just inside the area past goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra’s outstretched fingertips into the far upper corner.
After scoring, Pulisic slowed down the celebration to locate Gianni Vio, the U.S. set piece coach hired to improve their restarts following their ineffective performance in the previous World Cup cycle. Once he found Vio in the stands, Pulisic pointed with both arms in his direction.
“He helped us with our set-piece strategy,” Pulisic explained. “He told me beforehand, if I find myself in that position, to aim for the back post. So I wanted to acknowledge his contribution.”
Balogun increased the lead when he received a pass from Pulisic, took a few touches, and sent a low, left-footed shot along the ground, past defender Jesús Sagredo and into Viscarra’s far post. It was Balogun’s fourth goal in 13 appearances.
Balogun appeared to score again in the 53rd minute after receiving a pass from Weah, but Weah was ruled offside when he got the ball from Weston McKennie earlier in the play, a decision upheld after a video review.
Midfielder Tyler Adams, returning from a back injury, played the first half in his first start for club or country since March 30.
Adams and Balogun were included in the starting lineup instead of Yunus Musah and Ricardo Pepi, who were in the lineup for the 1-1 exhibition draw against Brazil on June 12. Musah replaced Adams at the start of the second half, and Pepi came in during the 65th minute.
Viscarra deflected Pepi’s shot over the crossbar in the 79th minute, then saved Pepi’s close-range effort in the 90th minute and another on the rebound.
