USMNT 1-5 Colombia: Mistake-happy Yanks punished by impressive Cafeteros
The United States men's national team meets Colombia on Saturday in a friendly that can mean much more to Gregg Berhalter and his squad than most warm-up matches.
Yes, of course, the game at Commanders Field in Maryland is a tune-up for a pivotal Copa America on home soil, but it's also an increasingly-rare chance for Berhalter to add a win over a top international side following FIFA's opponent-limiting switch to the Nations League calendar.
STREAM USMNT vs COLOMBIA EN ESPANOL ON PEACOCK PREMIUM
It helps that Colombia has been fantastic in recent windows, unbeaten since 2022 with wins over Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Mexico. Only the November defeat of Brazil was on home soil.
Yes, Los Cafeteros have 16 wins and five draws since a home loss to Argentina to start February 2022, a 23-match stretch which includes an 0-0 off-window draw with the USMNT to kick off 2023.
[ MORE: Copa America 2024 schedule, how to watch, dates ]
The Yanks, for their part, have fared well against quality opposition in three of their last four chances, beating Mexico 2-0, Jamaica 3-1, and Ghana 4-0 to go with a humbling 3-1 home loss to Germany.
The USMNT will be expected to beat Bolivia and Panama in the group stage of Copa America, and likely will be heavy underdogs against Uruguay and whoever they may face in the knockout rounds (probably Brazil, who is a friendly opponent on Wednesday). Any win in one of those four tests from CONMEBOL powers wil stand out this summer, even in one of these friendlies.
Saturday is a fantastic opportunity for the U.S.
How to watch USMNT vs Colombia, stream link and start time
Kick off: 5:30pm ET, Saturday (June 9)
Stadium: Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland
TV channels en Español: Universo, Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock
USMNT vs Colombia live updates — By Nick Mendola
USMNT vs Colombia final score: 1-5
Goalscorers: Arias (6'), Borre (19'), Weah (58'), Rios (77'), Carrascal (85'), Sinisterra (88')
Luis Sinisterra goal — USMNT 1-5 Colombia
Atrocious. The Yanks keep playing out of the back and keep combining bad decisions with a lack of grit.
Too, too, too easy for Colombia.
Antonio Carrascal goal — USMNT 1-4 Colombia (85th minute)
Yunus Musah picks a ridiculous place to try and dribble a mark, and he's pickpocketed.
No more than a half-dozen touches later, it's 4-1.
Richard Rios goal — USMNT 1-3 Colombia (77th minute)
The Yanks get sucked to their left flank and there's not a midfielder in sight as Richard Rios smashes home from the heart of the box. Dreadful.
It started with a Cardoso giveaway, one of his few missteps of the game, and he followed the ball while neither of his backtracking teammates in the middle looked to mark the most dangerous area of the pitch.
Timothy Weah goal — USMNT 1-2 Colombia (58th minute)
A really, really pretty team goal for the Juventus man.
Several Yanks get a touch on the ball as it moves from the left to the right, with Folarin Balogun's inch-perfect entry pass met with a deserving and matching finish from Timothy Weah.
More subs and a huge save!
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Malik Tillman enter for Tim Ream and Giovanni Reyna.
Soon after, Colombia fire forward and Luis Diaz thinks he's made it 3-1 only to be defied by a fully-extended Matt Turner.
Halftime sub
Christian Pulisic is coming off for Haji Wright, with the AC Milan star seeing his minutes managed on international duty after a career-best production — and game time — this club season.
Halftime — USMNT 0-2 Colombia
Terrible start with a pair of disappointing defensive mistakes but the Yanks looked better as the half wore into its final stages.
USMNT finished with 47% of the ball and six of the game's 13 shot attempts so far.
It could easily be 3-2 to either team. Gregg Berhalter spoke before heading into the locker room and lamented the mistakes on the goals. Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson won't have loved their work there, but Robinson was good going forward.
It won't get any easier with Brazil next on the schedule, so a bright second half sure would be nice.
Close! Pulisic off post
Christian Pulisic works a 1-2 with Antonee Robinson, in a sense, nodding Robinson's ripped left-footed cross off the near post.
Did a diving Vargas have it covered? Maybe, but a sign of life nonetheless from the USMNT.
Wake-up call x 2 — USMNT 0-2 Colombia (20th minute)
Colombia has a dangerous free kick. Tim Ream heads the first offering into the air but neither Johnny Cardoso nor Joe Scally can beat Jefferson Lerma to the the second ball.
Rafael Borre is positioned back to goal but no problem — he pumps an overhead goal past Turner for 2-0.
Nearly a USMNT answer
Folarin Balogun is denied by a sliding goal line clearance.
It's a terrific ball over the top of the defense from Antonee Robinson, and Balogun carries to the doorstep.
His shot beats Atlas keeper Camilo Vargas but Spurs man Davinson Sanchez does not quit and sweeps the ball out of the six.
Not a great start! Arias scores — USMNT 0-1 Colombia (6th minute)
Antonee Robinson slides to break up a Colombia entrance into the 18, but Jhon Arias is there and smashes upper near post past Matt Turner.
Los Cafeteros, 1-0.
USMNT lineup
Turner, Robinson, Richards, Ream, Scally, Cardoso, McKennie, Reyna, Weah, Pulisic, Balogun
Colombia lineup
Vargas, Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica, Lerma, Uribe, Arias, James Rodriguez, Diaz, Borre
USMNT vs Colombia Preview: Colombia focus, team news
This team is good. Ranked 12th by FIFA's rankings — the USMNT is 11th — and 7th in ELO ratings (U.S. 22nd), the unbeaten streak is no joke and includes 13 clean sheets.
All-time caps leader David Ospina is at the back, and the ex-Arsenal goalkeeper has a terrific group of backs in front of him. There's Spurs' Davinson Sanchez as well as Yerry Mina, Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace), and young Yerson Mosquera.
James Rodriguez — still somehow only 32 — captain's the side in a midfield with Palace's Jefferson Lerma, and the depth there is not special. It's corrected in attack, where Liverpool star Luis Diaz is joined by Bournemouth's Luis Sinisterra and Aston Villa's Jhon Duran.
