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Copa América update: Copa complete!
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GPB Sports' Jon Nelson wraps up his updates from Copa América, the international soccer tournament which held two of its many games in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The United States National Men's Team were knocked out in group play — see Day 12 for that — but the tourney went on to its Sunday, July 14 conclusion.
So, Now We Know...
Safe to say we know a LOT of things now that the Copa America has been concluded with the final going a little more than 90 minutes as Argentina came out a 1-0 winner over Colombia.
We know that we were very close as a soccer community to having another terrifying moment attached to the sport.
The match, first and foremost, was supposed to start at 8 p.m. local time. That didn’t happen. A rush of fans and spectators (ticketed or otherwise) provided a crush of fans onto the gates at Hard Rock Stadium prevented ticketed fans from getting in and made an absolute mess of the evening. Combined with the South Florida heat and the impatience crowding creates, the situation led to NO ONE getting inside initially until the gates were just opened as a part of the emergency being created.
Evidence was stark and scary. Here’s the reports from early Monday morning, thanks to our friends at CBS Miami:
We’re still waiting for an official response from CONMEBOL, the host committee of the event, but nothing has been released at press time. The anticipation is, that come the Club World Cup in 2025 and the World Cup here in Atlanta in 2026, security for events like this will be in FIFA’s control and not that of the hosts.
On the field, the match took a while as well — and not without some fan concerns. After the 9:20 p.m. start, the question was: Is Colombia’s unbeaten streak going to 29 or is Argentina going to go back-to-back in the Copa competition?
If it was going to be the latter, it was going to have to be on the feet of the next generation of La Albiceleste as this moment happened early in the match (thanks to TUDN for the video):
No, ankles are not supposed to go that way and Lionel Messi had to be subbed out in the 66th minute. Here's what it looked like after the socks came off:
90 minutes goalless went into 105 minutes goalless. But Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez made sure the match would not go to penalties. (Thanks again to FOX Soccer for the visual)
“I am very happy; we have achieved what we wanted,” Martinez said after the match. “This victory is dedicated to my family and to Messi, who gave me self-confidence. He is a great leader. He did a lot for me. I thank him from the heart, and this cup is the least I can give to him.”
Argentina earned its 16th title in the tournament, becoming the team with the most titles in the competition and Argentine head coach Lionel Scaloni won his fourth title as head coach.
Colombia has to be commended for their run in the tournament. Rest assured, names like “James” and “Borja” will be in the transfer discussions in this window. Uruguay, with their third-place finish, will have plenty to build on under their head coach, Marcelo Bielsa. There’s optimism involving Canada under Jesse Marsch. But the larger questions are here in the United States with Gregg Berhalter having been dismissed as head coach.
What now in the biggest decision in the history of U.S. Soccer?
2026 will be here sooner than we all think.
And we’ll all walk through it together. Play it safe, everyone. I’ll see you soon!
If You’re Not First Or Second
Well, you’re third. And before Uruguay and Canada took the pitch in Charlotte Saturday night, both managers — Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, respectively — had issues with stuff off the field.
First, Bielsa after the loss to Colombia in the semifinals, took a verbal flamethrower to the tournament on the whole after the fight that broke out in the stands among fans, players and families. Here, thanks to CONMEBOL and Juani Jimena, is only a part of the presser (Separately, I would recommend you find and watch the whole thing for context):
Then new Canada manager Jesse Marsch, who has apparently learned the national anthem of his new charge, was asked about a job he didn’t get. He went off on the USMNT and U.S. Soccer in one element:
"I'm not leaving this job," he said in his pre-match press conference. "I have no interest in the U.S. job. Unless there's a big shift in the organization [US Soccer] I don't think that I'll ever have interest."
That is also coming from an individual who complained when he didn’t get the job last time it was available. From mid-May at ESPN.com...
Marsch's agent, Ron Waxman, surprisingly announced in June that Marsch would not be getting the job. The following day, Berhalter was rehired by U.S. Soccer.
"My respect for U.S. Soccer is big, but I went through a process with them, right? And I'm not going to go into it, but I wasn't treated very well in the process," Marsch told CBS' "Call it What You Want" podcast.
"And so, whatever man, that's in the past now. The minute it was done I was like, 'OK, I'm moving forward, and I'm going to figure out what's right for me.'
And back in the present day, he also decided to let CONMEBOL have it, too. Thanks to TSN and CONMEBOL...
So, you had two angry-at-tourneys-and-teams dudes going after a third-place finish in the Copa America. Canada had the lead until Bielsa pulled a late ace from up his sleeve in the name of Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez. Thanks to TUDN:
Claro, ca si, Pistolero!!!
Which means, in this tournament, you go straight to penalty kicks. An early Rochet save meant Canada was fighting an uphill battle heading into the fifth frame — which was make or go home.
Alphonso Davies tried this. Thanks again to TUDN:
So, Uruguay goes home with the third-place finish and Canada goes home a respectable fourth. Which leaves us with one match to determine the champ of 2024 Copa America — tournament favorite Argentina and Colombia at 8 p.m. eastern Sunday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Colombia is on a 28-match unbeaten run heading into the match and Lionel Scaloni, Argentina’s manager, was asked about the scenes in Charlotte in the semifinal and how they hopefully won’t apply to Sunday:
"I hope nothing like that happens tomorrow. My family is going to be there, the family of every player is going to be there. We can't be worrying."
Will the favorite prevail or will we get a surprise result? We’ll walk through it all together as they decide the Copa once and for all. Play it safe, everyone. I’ll talk to you soon.
Semifinals Recap: From 16 down to 2
When you look at the Copa brackets, you had an idea as to who was going to be in the final, all things being equal and chalk being chalk.
One side gave you an idea that Argentina was going to be waiting for the survivor — and I use that word "survivor" on purpose — of the other side of the bracket.
Argentina was given a Canada side that, I'm fairly sure you'll agree, was playing with house money in getting as far as they did. But full credit to head coach Jesse Marsch for getting as far as they did with the roster construction being what it is and the amount of time the staff had to integrate their ideas for play.
But Tuesday night was the end of the line for the last CONCACAF side as both Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez scored to make a fairly easy night of it for a 2-0 win. At the same time, Rodrigo made sure Marsch remembered what he had gotten himself into with this opponent. Thanks to our friends at TyC for this one:
The other half of the bracket was meant to be an absolute shootout amongst a LOT of very good teams. The last two very good teams — Colombia and Uruguay — squared off in Charlotte to figure out the opponent for Argentina.
And all I'll say is this: FIND A REPLAY OF THIS MATCH IF YOU MISSED IT FROM CHARLOTTE.
Actually, I'll say a little more.
If you want to compare the Euros and the Copa, there is NO comparison. This match was the personification of what this tournament means to these nations and the American audience found it out front and center.
James Rodriguez registered his sixth assist in the tourney, finding Jefferson Lerma in the 39th minute for a 1-0 lead for Los Cafeteros (Colombia). Thanks to TUDN for the highlight:
But there was another moment of intrigue added to the soap opera late in the first half where the team with the lead did something you can't have happen — get a red card while up a goal. Thanks again to TUDN for this moment, when Daniel Munoz throws an elbow:
And in one of the most intense 45 minutes you'll see all calendar year, Colombia held on — even as Uruguay had to chase and created chances to equalize AND STILL COULDN'T CONVERT. Colombia's unbeaten streak is now at 28 straight and they had to SUFFER for it as they play Argentina for their first Copa America title in 23 years on Sunday night in Miami.
Oh, the last team to beat Colombia more than two years ago? You guessed it: Argentina.
Here's your PSA: Find a seat. Find some friends. Watch the final and you'll see what this entire tournament has meant across the 16 nations were invited.
We'll walk through it all together. Play it safe, everyone. I'll talk to you soon!
Quarterfinals Day Three: Now, We Know
The matchups to determine the semifinals in the right-hand side of the bracket had a fair amount of intrigue in both.
The early matchup had Colombia and the second CONCACAF guest that had made it this far — Panama. If you look at odds and things to give you part of your information leading into sporting events, Panama was a BIG underdog. And with that knowledge, the semifinal showed why Colombia is a national squad to be reckoned with in the Copa America.
James Rodriguez, so far, has been "good James" — the one you see when he's not injured (nagging or otherwise). He's been a source of positional gravity that is forcing defenses to pay more attention to him than planned which means teammates of his are more open to create. And Colombia did so to extend their unbeaten string of matches to 27 and counting.
After Jhon Cordoba and James scored to make it 2-0 early, Rodriguez helped out on goal No. 3, thanks to our friends at TUDN:
Three became four and, eventually, five and Panama left the suburbs of Phoenix with a Round of 16 appearance.
The second match, from downtown Las Vegas had two heavyweights going at it in Uruguay and Brazil. We have made the point here that this Brazil team is NOT the Brazil team you're used to seeing. No "jogo bonito." No free-flowing artistry. All those things you look at on YouTube, point at, and go "THAT!"
"THAT" currently is not Brazil. It is plodding at times, physical, mucking it up occasionally, and every-once-in-a-while just not a pleasant viewing experience from what we all know from history. When you don't have Vinicius Jr. to be one of your playmakers from yellow card accumulation, it also doesn't make things any easier.
So, for 90 minutes this match was not what we have seen previously in the tournament. 41 fouls were called and only four *TOTAL shots on goal the entire time for both sides. Even the VAR-reviewed and upheld red card on Nahitan Nandez for Uruguay didn't help things along. So, straight to penalties!
This is where Uruguay's Sergio Rochet came up big, thanks to TUDN once again:
Brazil hit the post later in the shootout and Uruguay advanced after a conversion in the top of the fifth frame...
WHAT'S NEXT?
Colombia and Uruguay face off Wednesday night in Charlotte after Argentina and Canada play Tuesday night in New Jersey.
And, by the time we reconvene, we may have an answer about the future of Gregg Berhalter and his place in the U.S. Men's National Team.
Enjoy your days off! Play it safe, everyone. I'll talk to you soon!
Quarterfinals Day Two: A Logical Discourse
I say that because I KNOW there will be calm voices coming from USMNT fans over the fact that Jesse Marsch knows how to sing "O, Canada" at the top of his lungs and will wander around on a field in suburban Dallas carrying the Maple Leaf Flag after the Canadian Men's National Team's penalty shootout win over Argentina to advance to the Copa America semifinals.
(ed. Note and reader note- I know that was a tremendous run-on sentence. But I think what we saw was worthy of that structure.)
Canada actually got the lead on a goal from a tight space from Nashville SC's Jacob Shaffelburg. But the goalkeeper that has proven himself to be nothing short of a brick wall and clairvoyant between the sticks had this moment that evened everything up.
The match, in the second half specifically, had no filter and seemingly had no desire to be anything but an end-to-end tennis match at full sprint — conditioning to be reviewed later. And the viewers of the match were the ones who were truly entertained. Chance after chance after chance led to no goals and the immediate ending — penalty kicks.
Here's the short version of all six frames to decide the winner, thanks again to FOX Soccer:
So, we now know Argentina gets Canada on the left-hand side of the Copa America bracket. And all the voices that are screaming for a decision on the U.S. National Team situation are staring at events inside their own country and wondering: "THAT COULD HAVE BEEN US RIGHT NOW!"
Well, maybe. That thought pattern isn't really one attached to a direct, cause-and-effect situation. I understand the wishful thinking linked to what happened to the Canadian Men's National Team. But it's not a straight line applied to Marsch and *any national team coaching situation.
By the way, the Kone penalty kick was worth a reported $8 million to the National Team. Considering their current state of financial affairs, they ought to name a statue of the moment and plant it in the town square in the location of Ismael Kone's choosing.
SATURDAY: We'll know the right-hand side of the bracket by the end of the night. Colombia and the other CONCACAF-invited guest to make it this far, Panama, play in suburban Phoenix in the afternoon followed by the Uruguay and Brazil match in Las Vegas after that one is concluded.
We'll then know the last four standing for the Tuesday semifinals.
We'll walk through it all together. Play it safe, everyone. I'll talk to you soon.
Knockouts Night One: Wasting No Time
Legitimately, there are times in the sport where you just shake your head, tip your cap, and move on because the solutions you thought you had weren't solutions at all.
Emiliano Martinez, the goalkeeper for Argentina, has to be — HAS TO BE in every opponent's head as they step up to the penalty spot trying to decide a match.
In the first match of the Copa America 2024 knockouts, Argentina was taken to extra movement after a late equalizer by Ecuador to tie the match in Houston at 1-1.
The rule for the Copa this year is that, instead of like they do in the Euros and play an extra 30 minutes before heading to penalty kicks, they go straight there. And heading to the top of the first, our friends at Fox Soccer timed it perfectly to see a unicorn from the best player of this generation:
I, legitimately, cannot remember the last time something like that happened involving Messi and a penalty kick decision: a panenka that hit the crossbar. Ask me. Can't tell you.
Oh, what's a "panenka?" From our friends at the Wikipedias...
"In association football, the panenka is a technique used while taking a penalty kick in which the taker, instead of kicking the ball to the left or right of the goalkeeper, gives a light touch underneath the ball, causing it to rise and fall within the centre of the goal, deceiving the goalkeeper who most likely will have committed to a dive away from the centre.
The technique was most notably executed by Czech player Antonín Panenka, who scored a decisive penalty in the UEFA Euro 1976 final in Belgrade, when he beat West German goalkeeper Sepp Maier to claim the title for the Czechoslovakia national team. The technique garnered Panenka much media attention and praise, but it was likewise deemed risky. Due to it being difficult to execute correctly and relatively easy to save for the goalkeeper if anticipated, a panenka has rarely been attempted at professional knock-out tournaments. Sports journalists have noted that only highly respected players, such as Andrea Pirlo at the Euro 2012, who can deal with the consequences of missing such an attempt, have tried scoring with a panenka at major tournaments.
But Martinez wasn't about to let Messi go out on a miss and came up big with a save:
Not once, but twice:
Argentina won in the top of the fifth frame to advance to the semifinals. But Martinez continues to be an insane factor in the success of his club. He has been in four penalty shootouts. Martinez has faced 18 shots — half of them missed by opponents and EIGHT OF THOSE SAVED BY EMI MARTINEZ.
Unreal.
He was integral in saving penalties in the Argentina chase for a World Cup for his country. Round "Next" seems to be what we're seeing now. Or, in other words: "Thursday night."
FRIDAY: Venezuela and Canada play in suburban Dallas to see who moves on in the second of four quarterfinals matchups. How will Jesse Marsch react to the knockouts having made it farther than the host country his national squad is playing the match in?
We'll walk through it together. Play it safe, everyone. I'll talk to you soon.
Day 13: So, Now We Know...
We started the 2024 Copa America with 10 CONMEBOL nations and six guests to fill out the 16-team tournament here in the United States...
Now, we're down to the final eight after the last night of the group stage. Group D had its share of drama with Brazil taking on Colombia in Santa Clara, Calif., and Costa Rica trying to make up ground with a big win over winless Paraguay in Austin, Texas.
Los Ticos (Costa Rica) jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first quarter of the match and cruised to a 2-1 win. Frankly, it wasn't even that close of a match. Paraguay finishes the Group stage without a point and a goal difference of minus-5 (scoring three and allowing eight).
For Atlanta United fans, Miguel Almiron started and played only 45 minutes before being replaced at the half. He only registered 14 touches, was dispossessed three times, and was whistled for a foul. The next step for "Miggy" will be trying to find out where he'll be hanging his hat next season. There are reports in English media that his current club, Newcastle, are shopping him and there may be interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Costa Rica leaves the tournament making some noise but being in a difficult group to get out of with the next two teams we'll talk about.
Most of the noise on the evening came from the events at Levi's Stadium with Brazil, Colombia, and VAR taking center stage all over again.
Let's start with a rhetorical question: Does this look offside to you? Thanks to our friends at TUDN:
https://twitter.com/TUDNUSA/status/1808314787312332856
As you saw, the goal was wiped off the board and the match (temporarily) stayed 1-0 in favor of Brazil. But the larger issue was the implementation of VAR drawing the line of discussion, literally, ON THE WRONG PLAYER. Thanks to FOX Soccer:
https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1808313902473924883
Colombia equalized before the half time whistle, so the scoring ends up a bit "moo" (thanks to legendary actor Joey Tribbiani) and that was the final score of the group stage overall. Colombia wins the group and Brazil is second. The Brazil side, however, will be without global star Vinicius, Junior for the next round because of yellow card accumulation.
(Don't take it up with me. Take it up with CONMEBOL. I didn't make the rules.)
NOW WHAT?
Brazil not winning the group means they get Uruguay. Colombia gets Panama. Venezuela gets Canada and, on July Fourth, Argentina plays Ecuador in Houston, Texas.
So, who had Canada as the one CONCACAF team making it to the knockout rounds?
Not it. And a LOT of questions remain.
So, enjoy your July 3rd and your early July Fourth activities and we'll pick it all back up then.
We'll walk through the final eight together. Play it safe, everyone. I'll talk to you soon.
Day 12: You've Been Grouped
Remember the talk we had about Mexico yesterday? Also, do you remember the anticipated reaction from everyone inside that particular country?
The United States Men's National Team will be watching the rest of the Copa America inside their country as spectators after a 1-0 loss to Uruguay in Kansas City. Combined with the Panama 3-1 win in Orlando, Panama advances to the knockouts and the U.S. is done...
What the USMNT needed was to better the result of the Panamanians with simultaneous kickoffs in KC and central Florida. That didn't happen.
The U.S. was outshot by Uruguay 12 to 8 and only three of those eight were listed on target. Throughout the match, the physical nature of play was seemingly allowed to occur without repercussion from Peruvian center ref Kevin Ortega, who was reffing his first match in his tenure inside the Copa America. There were moments that confused both players and spectators as to what protocol was going to be with fouls and how they were going to be administered, if they were at all.
US striker Flo Balogun had to be subbed in the 41st minute with an injury; later information called it a hip pointer. That injury couldn't keep a substitution and a sub window on the board that could have helped later in the match if needed.
Uruguay would score in the second half. Here is that moment, thanks to our friends at FOX Soccer.
And, remember, that was reviewed upstairs...
For the record, here's how the USMNT Copa ended, thanks again to FOX Soccer:
"I see no issue with the direction we're heading," goalkeeper Matt Turner told Jenny Taft from FOX Sports after the match. "When you have a fight like that on the pitch in every single game we're in in this tournament, it speaks volumes to how the manager prepare us."
That speaks to how the players are backing head coach Gregg Berhalter. But in a tournament that had such high expectations that weren't met, it may have to be a decision to move on — and do so quickly.
“I don't think this tournament really had anything to do with the staff or the tactics or the way we play," Gio Reyna said after the match. "I think it was more individual mistakes. The staff can only do so much….at the end of the day, the players didn't do enough to go through.”
Ortega's performance will be universally panned without question. And the fact that he was in an environment above his level of experience made the match a frustrating watch.
I guess also shaking a captain's hand after a match is also a challenge.
But that's another matter entirely.
The questions, sirens, pitchforks, tiki torches, and megaphones will be out in force for the foreseeable future involving the USMNT. We'll see where they go.
TUESDAY: Group D gets the last two spots decided in the quarterfinals
Both matches in Group D are 9 p.m. EDT starts: Brazil plays Colombia in Santa Clara, California while Costa Rica and Paraguay will be in Austin, Texas. Colombia is heading to the knockouts. Brazil is in charge of their own destiny and finishing second. Costa Rica has an outside chance of advancing but they need a loss by Brazil and overcoming a 6-goal difference advantage. Paraguay is eliminated.
We'll walk through it all together... Play it safe, everyone, I'll talk to you soon...
Day 11: The Tri of woe
Let's face it: CONCACAF guest nations as a part of the 2024 Copa America have not fared well out of the blocks.
The first location we'll check in on is Austin, Texas, where Venezuela squared off against Jamaica in Group B. And there was going to be a piece of history either way as match day three had simultaneous starts. If La Vinotinto (Venezuela) were to win, the team would have won three straight matches during the Copa for the first time in their history. If Jamaica drew with Venezuela or won, they would earn their first ever point at the competition.
After 45 minutes, we were talking about the latter. But that changed with a three-goal outburst in the second half by Venezuela. Here's the second of those from Salomon Rondon — let's just say that he powered through to make this one happen.
Thanks to our friends at TUDN for the look:
La Vinotinto is headed to the Quarterfinals against Group A’s Canada on July 5 at AT&T Stadium in suburban Dallas.
The second match we'll talk about has deeper issues attached. And for this one, we go to suburban Phoenix, Ariz.
El Tri (Mexico), as we have talked about, is a program in transition. And a lot of nations are passing by the former world power. They were playing Ecuador last in group play and needed a result to advance to the knockouts.
They didn't get it. But we'll skip to the end for the moment of consternation. In second-half injury time, Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar awarded a penalty to Mexico. But after a VAR check, he overturned that decision.
Here's the walkthrough, thanks again to our friends at TUDN:
The final result was a 0-0 draw: Ecuador qualified for the Quarterfinals of the Copa, while the tournament ended for Mexico.
What will follow is the standard amount of totally rational conversation from pundits and fans alike about the patience needed to see the younger talent grow as a part of the program so Mexico can return to being a force to be reckoned with. Just give it time (sarcasm).
What will happen, as it started last night on broadcast television, are the pitchforks and tiki torches for anyone and everyone associated with this three-and-out in another competition. Words like "crisis" were floated around just moments after the match was over. And the yelling, screaming, ranting, and raving will be around for quite a while.
TOMORROW: Speaking of yelling, screaming, ranting, and raving...
It's "do or die" for the U.S. Men's National Team against Uruguay. And it's probably, "Win and win by more than a goal." The questions remain about the group leaders. Will they rotate their starting lineup or play as normal? Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa will not be on the touchline (serving a match suspension for not bringing the team back out after halftime in a timely fashion in their last match).
The U.S. will be without Tim Weah for two matches for his red card that he received in the match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It will be interesting to see how Gregg Berhalter tackles the line up for this one in Kansas City. Bolivia and Panama will be playing at the same time in Orlando.
If the U.S. doesn't win, you're looking at Bolivia to pull an upset against Panama (translation: BIG UPSET IF THAT HAPPENS) to get into the knockouts.
I know where I'll be — what about you?
Day 10: Marsch lands
The scoring was in short supply on Saturday night in Group A as we found out who was the second team to follow Argentina into the knockout round.
And the answer is Canada, under their new head coach in Jesse Marsch.
A rotated side from Argentina and head coach Lionel Scaloni went up against Chile in suburban Miami, without Scaloni due to a suspension from the previous-match decision of lollygagging to return for the second half. Lionel Messi was left out of the match to keep an eye on his health, wear, and tear.
The star of the show was Inter Milan striker Lisandro Martinez- whose second half double propelled Argentina to a 2-0 win over Peru. He now leads all scorers in the Copa with 4 goals and has scored seven goals in his last seven international matches.
Here's his first one on the night, thanks to our friends at TUDN:
The other team ends up making history as Canada's Men's National Team goes forward with a goalless draw with Chile in Orlando. Chile played almost 70 minutes down a man after a second yellow card was issued to Gabriel Suazo near the half-way point of the first half.
Canada becomes the third invitee in tournament history to make it to the knockouts in their first visit to the Copa. Since there weren't any goals to speak of, here's what it meant to the country's soccer community through the eyes of OneSoccer's Kristian Jack
Canada will play either Venezuela, Mexico or Ecuador at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in the next round- whoever wins Group B, basically.
SUNDAY: It'll be Group B's turn to determine who goes to the knockouts. Both matches are slated for 8PM eastern time.
Jamaica and Venezuela will play in Austin, Texas while Mexico and Ecuador will play in suburban Phoenix. Venezuela are, currently, top of the group and are awaiting their place in the knockouts with 6 points and wins over both teams playing in Phoenix. Jamaica would need a win by a HUGE margin to make up the goal difference among them and the teams playing in Phoenix.
The rub in this group is the one goal-goal difference between Mexico and Ecuador. A draw sends Ecuador through. A win sends whoever that team is through to the next round.
Got all that?
Day 9: Can you see the real me?
If you're Brazil, the answer is, "Maybe...?"
A team truly in transition when it comes to their coaching, personnel, identity, and capability got to dust off some of the old ways in the nightcap Friday in a 4-1 blowout of Paraguay in Las Vegas.
Vinicius, Junior scored his first ever brace for the country as his Brazil side had a 3-0 lead at intermission. Here's his first of the match that got things rolling, thanks to TUDN:
The match, frankly, didn't feel that close (and wasn't) until Alderete for Paraguay scored early in the second half to cut the margin to two goals. Lucas Paqueta, who plays his club ball at West Ham in the Premier League, slotted home a penalty kick with 25 minutes to go for the final margin.
Although, Paqueta may not be chosen for PK's down the line as he missed another in the match itself. We'll keep an eye on that decision when it comes to pass further down the line in the tourney.
This was a far better result for Brazil than the Group D opener against Costa Rica where Los Ticos were happy just being in the building and had no desire to score against the Verdeamarelha. They're at four points and just need to secure one more point in matchday three to advance to the knockout stage. Paraguay was eliminated.
The early match of the day was the first for State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona where another pro-Colombian crowd cheered on their country in a dominant 3-0 win over the earlier-mentioned Costa Rican side.
Los Cafeteros became the third team to qualify for the knockouts as Luis Diaz, Davinson Sanchez and Jhon Cordoba scored for their team and James Rodriguez picked up his third assist of the tournament.
Los Ticos keeper Patrick Sequeira had some marvelous and acrobatic moments early to keep things scoreless. But his own aggressiveness on Cordoba led to the Diaz penalty conversion in the first half. Thanks, once again, to TUDN:
Luis Diaz? Claro, casi!
The Sanchez and Cordoba goals were three minutes apart and put some quick distance between the two sides early Friday evening.
Costa Rica can still qualify for the knockouts, but they'll need help on the last match day.
SATURDAY: It’s the beginning of the last group stage match days to determine who goes on and who goes home. In Group A, Argentina and Peru square off at 8pm eastern in suburban Miami while Canada and Chile start at the same time up the road in Orlando.
Argentina is set to rotate their side with first place locked up- translation: No Messi and, maybe, no Angel diMaria. Just how rotated they'll be is an interesting subplot. If Chile beats Canada, they advance. If through some act of magic, Peru beats Argentina, it could come down to goal difference.
No one said there would be math here, but …
Day 8: Did we mention 'backs against the wall?'
Yesterday, we talked about Mexico and their national team being in a situation like that for their last group stage match.
It can now be said about the U.S. Men's National Team after their 2-1 loss at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of a crowd of just over 59,000 dressed in their best red, white and blue threads.
It took all of 12 minutes for the home fans to be concerned over the status of starting goalkeeper Matt Turner. Turner was undercut by Panama's Cesar Blackman while going airborne to get a handle on a the ball inside the 18-yard box. No card was given by center referee Ivan Barton of El Salvador — and that would set a tone for the remainder of the match.
Four minutes later, USA's Timothy Weah lashed out with a straight right hand to Panama defender Rod Miller. Initially, Weah was given a yellow card. But upon review, it was upgraded to a red and the U.S. would play with 10 men for the remainder of the night.
Weah would post an apology to his Instagram later Thursday evening, thanks to the Fox Soccer for the screen cap:
Antonee Robinson and Folarin Balogun combined for a USA 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute, but Panama equalized and that's where we were after 45 minutes.
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter made three changes at the half, including goalkeeper Ethan Horvath for Matt Turner in net. It was later disclosed that Turner was pulled from the match for a "leg contusion" and not anything to do with the collision early in the match.
Panama took the lead in the 83rd minute as Jose Fajardo put a ball past Horvath and that would be the end result. The USMNT now face, for all intents and purposes, a "must-win" match against Uruguay, who throttled Bolivia 5-0 to lead Group C ahead of the showdown in Kansas City Monday night.
For the USMNT to advance to the knockout phase, their result against Uruguay in their final group-stage game must match or better Panama’s result against Bolivia.
If Panama beats Bolivia, the U.S. must beat Uruguay and will then depend on tiebreakers — with goal difference being the first one on the flow chart. If Panama draws, the U.S. would advance with a win or a draw. If Bolivia beats Panama (Caveat: Bolivia are 41 places lower in the international rankings), the U.S. would advance with a win or a draw, while a loss would leave goal difference as the determining factor.
Got all that? There will be a test later on.
FRIDAY: We'll have more on the U.S. match from Mercedes-Benz here at gpb.org. Then Group D takes center stage as Colombia and Costa Rica square off in Glendale, Ariz., at 6 p.m. EDT while Paraguay and Brazil play in Las Vegas at 9 p.m. EDT.
Day 7: Backs against the wall
And it has nothing to do with the thoughts of some federations about playing on grass in stadia across the country.
If you're a fan of Mexico, they now face a "backs against the wall" situation after losing to Venezuela 1-0 in suburban Los Angeles. It's win or go home in their final group match day against Ecuador in a few days' time. But they had chances and just couldn't convert any of them down a goal. It even included this penalty kick attempt by Orbelin Pineda.
Let's just say it didn't go well — thanks to our friends at FOX Soccer:
The Vinotinto (the national team for Venezuela) and El Tri mixed it up on the field when the match was over. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of the puffing out of chests and finger pointing at your opponent after Matchday 2.
The first match of Day 7 was in Las Vegas and featured Ecuador taking care of Jamaica 3-1... An own goal in the 13th minute by the Reggae Boyz defense and a Kendry Paez penalty at the end of the first half gave Jamaica a big mountain to climb. But Michail Antonio registered a penalty conversion of his own and the match was on (your piece of trivia here: The Antonio goal was the first-ever scored by Jamaica in their Copa history). Alan Minda, however, would score in the 91st minute for the winning margin, 3-1.
THURSDAY: The U.S. Men's national team starts Day 8 of competition at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 6 p.m. eastern kick against Panama.
USMNT midfielder Tim Weah has been impressed with Atlanta so far- involving and not involving soccer: "Atlanta is a progressive city," Weah says. "I think the training center is gonna be in a perfect place where all of us- we're all pretty much East Coast boys- so, you know, I see myself in the future kind of investing in Atlanta as well.
"Either, you know, getting land out here, building a house, so that my family could be close when I come back. It's not a bad call."
The other match on the day is back in New Jersey as Uruguay and Bolivia square off at 9 p.m. EDT. It's anticipated to be the second step before the two favorites (Uruguay and the US) collide to determine the top seed coming out of Group C in match day three.
Word of warning: If you're taking your own transportation to downtown Atlanta, get to the stadium early and be aware of road closures. Remember, with the U.S. presidential debate going on in Midtown Atlanta late into the evening, you'll have roadblocks, closures, and all the other related headaches you can imagine as you and 70,000 other futbol fans try to get home before next Monday night.
Day 6: A day of firsts
Canada and Peru had prepared us for a physical match in the 90-degree weather in Kansas City, where a linesman official collapsed from heat exhaustion and was taken off the field in a stretcher.
So much so that the Peruvian head coach said (paraphrasing) that if his players had to use their fists, they would use their fists. Obviously, you can't actually do that, but there were a few moments that leaned in that direction.
First, you had a head butt that only got a talking-to by the ref, courtesy of Fox Sports:
But, later you had this moment that forced Peru to play with ten:
And fifteen minutes later, Canada scored their first-ever goal in the Copa America. It would stand up, and in a must-win match to stay around for a chance at the knockout round, they got it. Final score: Canada beats Peru 1 - 0.
The nightcap was in front of a sellout crowd in New Jersey as Argentina squared off against Chile. Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was an absolute force between the sticks in trying to preserve the goalless draw. The 41-year-old made eight saves on the night- six from inside the 18-yard box. But, on a third successive corner by Argentina in the 88th minute, Lisandro Martinez slammed the ball home for the winning margin. Final score: Argentina beats Chile 1 - 0.
WEDNESDAY: The US Men's National Team will have a second morning of practice getting ready for Thursday's match with Panama at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. US Soccer presented Atlanta United keeper Brad Guzan a jersey for being the 641st different player to get an international call-up in the history of the program on Tuesday.
"It feels good to be in Atlanta," goalkeeper Matt Turner said after morning practice Tuesday. "I've played in MLS for a number of years and this is one of the away games you didn't really ever want to play- especially when they first came into the league. So, we know that the fan turn out at Mercedes-Benz for Atlanta United's really good and we're hoping to see some of that and feel that energy from the crowd on Thursday night.
"We saw that they had a pretty good turnout for the Argentina-Canada game, so we're hoping for some of the same for us."
On the field, Group B has Ecuador and Jamaica in the early match in Las Vegas and Venezuela playing Mexico in the night cap at SoFi Stadium in suburban Los Angeles.
How will El Tri respond to the Edson Alvarez injury?
We'll see later today.
Day 5: When a draw is like a win
Well, when you're Costa Rica going up against Brazil, that's the case.
The late match last night was a match that will NOT, under any circumstance, be kept in any kind of a television time capsule — unless you're a fan of Los Ticos.
At SoFi Stadium in suburban Los Angeles, Brazil was left frustrated and held scoreless in a match that will be remembered for how slanted it was in the stats column for Brazil. It will also be remembered for just how uninterested in having any kind of second half offense Costa Rica was.
Brazil almost had three times the amount of possession. They outshot Costa Rica 19 to 2. Costa Rica had 34 clearances on defense compared to 7 and the Brazil goalkeeper didn't have to make a save all night long.
But Costa Rica will feel like they won the World Cup and Brazil will be viewed through the troublesome prism of a team that is in transition from older players to younger ones and that is still trying to figure out who they are.
Brazil got CONCACAF'ed in a CONMEBOL tournament. Basically, that means you were shown every trick in the book to frustrate you and make you "not win" a match. If you know someone in downtown San Jose, give them a call. You may not be able to hear them over the shouting of holding mighty Brazil scoreless for 90 minutes.
In the first match of the day in Houston, the TV pictures showed that Colombia's fans came in some of the strongest numbers to date. Their counterparts from Paraguay were scattered throughout the building and were quite hard to find.
International star James Rodriguez starred in his 100th cap (Colombian national team appearance) for his home country and was showing the brilliance that has given his career homes like Porto (Portugal), Monaco (in the French league), Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. For fans, it was a flashback of what the 32-year-old, who now plays in Brazil, has meant when he has been healthy and in the right system. Colombia scored twice in a 10-minute span and held on for a 2-1 win.
Brighton's Julio Enciso scored with 20 minutes to go for Paraguay, but they couldn't get any closer. Former Atlanta United and current Newcastle attacker Miguel Almiron started for Paraguay, and logged a quiet 59 minutes before being removed.
TUESDAY: It's Matchday Two for Group A as Peru and Canada play at 6 p.m. EDT in suburban Kansas City and the nightcap at the Meadowlands in New Jersey as Argentina takes on Chile.
It was Lionel Messi's 37th birthday Monday, by the way, and fans serenaded him from outside his hotel room from the street level.
So, what does the Argentina squad do?
Let them eat cake! (Thanks to our friends at ESPN Deportes.)
I wonder how many fans actually ate their piece and how many froze it for posterity?
We'll see later today.
Copa América Day 4: Welcoming the United States to the Copa
It's a day where we'll work backwards again because Group C presents an early marker for the USA.
The nightcap was in suburban Miami as Uruguay and Paraguay played in front of a crowd slightly over 33,000. Coached by "El Loco," Marcelo Bielsa, Uruguay made a point to put a lot of pressure on their opponents — as is Bielsa's M.O. It paid off in the second half as the one goal scored in the first half was accompanied by two more for a late 3-0 lead.
Paraguay scored an, "Oh, by the way" goal late to bring the margin back to two and a 3-1. (That goal will become really important later in the story here.)
For the U.S., it was a chance to go up against one of the weaker teams in CONMEBOL in Bolivia. U.S. Men's Soccer captain and forward, Christian Pulisic put in an early header in the third minute for the quick lead Sunday night in front of a large crowd in suburban Dallas — the quickest-ever lead in team history.
Not to be outdone in the first 45 minutes, Folarin Balogun scored for the hosts to double the lead before the half. That would be the eventual final score as the U.S. improves to 6-0-0 at AT&T Stadium lifetime.
"He's a selfless leader," Berhalter told reporters about Pulisic after the match. "He goes out and he just competes and works really hard, and that helps the team. And then you add to the fact that he's highly skilled and he can make plays on the offensive end, it's a great combination."
"To me, it was an outstanding performance tonight."
Here are highlights, thanks to CONMEBOL, US Soccer, and Copa America.
Oh, the math!
Right now, after one match, Uruguay leads the group — on goals scored, the third tiebreaker. Both teams earned three points for their victories and have the same goal difference, but the three Uruguayan goals are one better than the red, white, and blue offense. All signs point to the last group match between these two to determine the top seed coming out of group play down the line.
TOMORROW: Group D kicks off their play in Houston at 6 p.m. EDT with Colombia and Paraguay followed by Brazil and Costa Rica at SoFi Stadium in suburban Los Angeles at 9 p.m. EDT.
We'll walk through it all together... Play it safe, everyone, I'll talk to you soon...
Copa América Day 3: When is a goal not a goal?
Apparently, in the Copa in Houston on Saturday, June 22.
Let’s work backwards ...
The night cap was in a fairly full NRG Stadium in Houston (53,763 in attendance) Saturday as Jamaica took on Mexico in front of an unsurprisingly, fairly-dominant, pro El Tri crowd...
There are concerns going forward as Mexico forward Edson Alvarez had to be removed from the match in the first half with a suspected hamstring injury. He was in tears as he was being helped off the turf by two team physios. The standard offensive problems continue to trouble Mexico and it looked like Jamaica went on the scoreboard first with a Michail Antonio header- but not so fast, my friends.
VAR pulls the goal back but Mexico would score a few minutes later. Gerardo Arteaga gave his side the lead and the eventual win.
The first match of the day was in Santa Clara, California as Ecuador and Venezuela kicked off Group B play. Ecuador’s Enner Valencia put his team at an early deficit with this play.
So, naturally, adding to the chaos, Ecuador’s Jeremy Sarmiento would score first giving his 10-man side a lead. It wouldn’t last, however, as Venezuela would finally take advantage of their man-advantage. Jhonder Cádiz and Eduard Bello, who came on at halftime, scored for Venezuela, giving La Vinotinto the 2-1 win.
SUNDAY: Two more matches at 6pm and 9pm eastern time from Group C
The first match involves the USA and their debut in the tournament against Bolivia — once again at AT&T Stadium in suburban Dallas. Uruguay and Panama finish the evening at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
“We've been speaking about this for a while and it's finally around the corner so we're all excited and we want to get to a good start,” USA midfielder Yunus Musah admits after the learning experience of the two friendlies that happened leading into Copa America. “Being really solid defensively and being really organized, we saw that it was difficult for Brazil to beat us so we see that as like a strength of us and we want to carry that on because that's what's going to help us.”
Copa América Day 2: Not at all like Day 1
For all the free-flowing futbol we saw on Day 1, Day 2 was nothing of the sort as Peru and Chile played at AT&T Stadium in suburban Dallas Friday, June 21. There's always a saying that you can't win (something) on the first day of (insert competition name here), but you certainly can lose it.
In looking a great deal like the Netherlands-France match earlier in the day in Euro2024 that was an uninspiring goalless draw, the solo match for the Copa America looked like both teams didn't want to completely fall out of consideration from finishing second in the group that involves Argentina. The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stages. The third and fourth place teams go home.
A win gives you three points in group play. A draw means each team registers a point in the standings. A loss gives you nothing.
The center ref, Wilton Pereira Sampaio of Brazil, certainly enjoyed the sound of his own whistle in a match that lacked any kind of rhythm. He called 37 fouls and issued four yellow cards along the way. For Atlanta United fans, defender Luis Abram came in as a late-match substitute to help secure the point for his native Peru.
TOMORROW: There are two Copa America matches- Group B contests involving Ecuador and Venezuela at 6pm eastern from Santa Clara, California and Mexico and Jamaica in Houston, Texas at 9PM eastern.
But it goes a little bigger than that, courtesy of Jonathan Tannenwald of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Tomorrow is the American Soccer Summer Solstice," he wrote on X. "It’s the only day with #Euro2024 kicks off at 9 a.m., 12 p.m., and 3 p.m. ET and #CopaAmérica kickoffs at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Plus 14 MLS games, 2 #NWSL games, 9 USL Championship games, 3 USL League One games, and so on…"
Copa América Day 1: Argentina defeats Canada in Atlanta as crowd chants Lionel Messi's name
It was as close as you could get to an Argentina home match without actually being in Buenos Aires.
Argentina fans in their 80s watched their team for the first time in person, looking to meet Messi. Young fans wore Messi jerseys, wanting to meet the man who is considered to be one of the world's best soccer players. And then there were the fans who brought in posters, banners, and spray-art of the GOAT of the sport — they were all in attendance.
For the sellout crowd of just over 70,000 fans, the Thursday, June 20 Copa América game was all about Argentina.
Messi had two chances to score in the second half, where his team passed long and over-the-top of the Canadian backline: the first was a goal in the 65th minute that gave the crowd a 1v2 slaloming chase inside the 18; the second opportunity resulted in a tackle that dispossessed Messi inside the box from behind about 15 minutes later. The majority of fans wanted a penalty call on the second chance, but it wasn't considered.
Messi and Lautaro Martinez combined to break through the Canada press to score goal No. 2 in the 88th minute for the final margin. The win snapped a four match-opening game losing streak across Argentina's last four national team competitions.
Next up for the two teams are matches on Tuesday, June 25 when Argentina plays Chile at The Meadowlands in New Jersey and Canada travels to Kansas City to take on Peru.
Messi, with the start for Argentina, set a new record for appearances in the tournament with 35 (and counting, presumably).
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