Neymar finds himself in a place he dislikes—sidelined—as Brazil prepares for their first Copa America match against Costa Rica. He has been rehabilitating his knee after suffering an ACL injury during World Cup qualifying against Uruguay.
The injury sidelined Neymar for almost the entire Saudi Pro League season, where he was set to be the star for his new club, Al-Hilal. The 32-year-old managed to play only 3 games for his new team.
While in the United States for commercial engagements, rehabilitation, visiting teammates, and playing poker, Neymar took the opportunity to discuss Christian Pulisic and the USMNT.
Neymar on USMNT
Neymar commented, “Pulisic is a great player, and I think the U.S. team is going to surprise at Copa America. From what I saw in the game against Brazil, they have what it takes to be a challenge.”
The USMNT aims for a strong performance in the Copa America to silence critics about the coaching and potential of the team. Pulisic scored one of the goals in the US team’s victory over Bolivia.
Meanwhile, Brazil, under a new coach, is determined to win the Copa America and could potentially face the USMNT in the quarterfinals.