USA 2-0 Bolivia: Pulisic and Balogun on target as hosts start Copa America campaign with win

Familiar terrain in the heart of Texas, USA began their Copa América campaign with a convincing 2-0 win against altitude specialists Bolivia.

Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun scored in the first half to secure a winning start for the Stars and Stripes, marking their first victory since the 1995 tournament.

There is a sense that the tournament hosts, USA, are edging closer to becoming the first non-South American nation to claim victory in the historic Copa América.

After a strong performance in a warm-up match against tournament favorites Brazil, USA had an early chance to take the lead through Balogun, but it was Pulisic who opened the scoring with a well-placed shot.

Bolivia, undergoing a period of transition after losing key players to retirement, found themselves trailing further when Balogun netted his second goal of the match just before halftime.

With a nickname like "The Terminator" during his playing days, coach AntOnio Carlos Zago made bold changes at halftime to try and spark a comeback for La Verde, but the tactical shift left them vulnerable at the back.

Initially, the offside trap proved crucial when Timothy Weah passed the ball to Balogun, only for Viscarra to make a brilliant save to prevent Pulisic from scoring a second goal after some impressive footwork.

The Bolivian defense was relieved when Balogun was substituted, as he had been causing them trouble with his speed and strength throughout the match.

Despite this, Ricardo Pepi emerged as a new threat, testing Viscarra three times within a short span of three minutes.

The USA team has now secured six consecutive victories at the AT&T Stadium, but they are now gearing up for a crucial match against Panama in Atlanta.