There’s one last chance to tune up and get ready before the Copa America kicks off next week, so the United States will be squaring off in Kansas City against fellow Copa participants Bolivia. After their confidence-boosting win over Ecuador on Wednesday, spirits are running high in the USMNT camp, so we could see a free-flowing, fun bit of soccer in this match.
USA vs. Bolivia 2016: Time, TV schedule and team news for friendly match
The USMNT look to impress in their last tune-up match before the Copa America.
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Or Jurgen Klinsmann could elect to slow things down and play in a defensive shell, because Jurgen Klinsmann. You never can quite tell when he’s going to randomly go against the grain of momentum and reason just to do something different. In a way, that’s part of the USMNT’s charm these days: will they go with logic, or will they go with something else entirely? Who knows!
What to watch for
After the impressive second-half performance against Ecuador on Wednesday, we should expect to see more of the kids and anticipated reserves in action to start against Bolivia. With spots still available in the starting lineup, this will be a chance for particularly notable showings to be rewarded with a bigger role come the Copa America itself.
Particular attention should be paid to Christian Pulisic, Bobby Wood, Perry Kitchen, and Darlington Nagbe in attack and midfield, as well as left back Edgar Castillo, who just joined the squad after replacing the injured Timmy Chandler. All are players who haven't necessarily earned major roles in the squad just yet, but who have the talent to be big contributors in the Copa. A decisive performance in this match against a solid Bolivia side will be a good way for them to spend more time on the pitch in June.
Bolivia
This is Bolivia’s one and only tune-up match for the Copa America, with their last match being a 2-0 loss to Argentina in March. With their next game not coming until they open group stage action against Panama, Bolivia need to go all-out in this match to make sure they get the most out of it. Expect them to use something close to their first-choice starting lineup and to play hard, treating this as though it’s a competitive match. There’s no time for experimentation, and not much room for error. Bolivia need to make sure to get the same two or three matches’ worth of preparation that other teams are getting out of this one game, so don’t expect them to go easy and back off the gas at all from first minute to last.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, May 28, 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. local
Venue: Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. - English), UniMas, Univision Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Bolivia TV (Bolivia)
Online: Fox Soccer 2 Go, Fox Sports Go, fuboTV (U.S.)
See More:
