USA vs Uruguay: the clash of the big guns in Group C of the Copa America 2024!
by Azadeh Ghavidel | by Azadeh Ghavidel
Faced with the potential of exiting the 2024 Copa America competition early, the USMT will wrap up their group stage campaign against Uruguay at the Kansas City Arrowhead Stadium. Group C has proven to be quite challenging for the USA, who lost their second game 2-1 against Panama. The team is currently in a precarious position where they need a victory against the unbeaten Uruguay to book a spot in the knockout stages.
Uruguay heads into this game full of confidence after recording consecutive victories against Panama and Bolivia in their group-stage campaign. However, no Group C team has qualified or gotten eliminated from the tournament yet. That means there’s everything to play for in this group stage finale for both sides.
Here’s a preview of this Group C clash between these big guns in the Copa America tournament.
USA vs Uruguay match preview
The USMT have got themselves in a slight mess after losing their second game 2-1 against Panama last week. Gregg Berhalter’s men took an early lead in the game thanks to Folarin Balogun’s left-footed strike, but their opponents took advantage of Timothy Weah’s early send-off to equalize and secure their victory in the second half.
The USA will need to match Panama's results over Bolivia to get a chance to qualify in the knockout round. However, unbeaten Uruguay is in a strong position to book a spot in the knockout stage, with our experts predicting the match will end with a draw or win for La Celeste. As such, Copa America sports bettors should consider betting on a double chance in favor of Uruguay or a draw.
Uruguay is currently leading Group C after recording two wins in their first two group-stage games, standing three points above Panama and USMT. That means La Celeste only needs a point from this game to secure a spot in the Round of 16 as group leaders. Marcelo Bielsa’s men remain unbeaten for four consecutive games in all competitions and only recorded one loss in their last 10 games going back to the FIFA World Cup 2022.
USA vs Uruguay Team Analysis & News
With Timothy Weah sent off during the USA’s game against Panama, he might be forced to miss this crucial match. Matt Turner was also taken out in the second half over Panama after a knock and remains doubtful for this matchup. That makes Ethan Horvath the most likely player to replace Turner in the starting lineup. However, Folarin Balogun will be present in this game after becoming the second American player to record consecutive goals in Copa America matches.
On the other side, Darvin Nunez and Maximiliano Araujo will lead Uruguay’s assault after scoring in their first two games. Nunez and Araujoare currently in a five-way tie in the race for the Golden Boot alongside Lautaro Martinez, Vinicius Junior, and Balogun. Uruguay might also deploy center-back Ronald Araujo during this match after playing 90 minutes against Bolivia despite being doubtful ahead of the match.
