The United States of America was bestowed the honor of hosting the 100th anniversary Copa América Centenario. The tournament is typically touted as the third biggest international tournament in the world, trailing only the World Cup and European Championship. This summer, football’s biggest stars come to a country where the popularity of the sport is starting to grow at an exponential rate, with the US men’s and women’s national teams to thank due to major success in both their respective World Cup performances in 2014 and 2015.
Copa America Centenario Group A Preview
This year’s Group A has been called the “group of death”—a term that no team wants to hear when the draw is made. The managers and players within the teams will say that it does not bother them, but it is certainly something they keep in the back of their mind.
USA
Manager: Jurgen Klinsmann
Current FIFA ranking: 31st
Best finish: 4th (1995)
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa) Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids) Ethan Horvath (Molde IK).
Defenders: Matt Besler (Sporting KC) Steve Birnbaum (DC United) John Brooks (Hertha Berlin) Geoff Cameron (Stoke City) Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt) Fabian Johnson (Borussia Monchengladbach) Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana) DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham).
Midfielders and Forwards: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake) Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes) Michael Bradley (Toronto FC) Clint Dempsey Seattle (Sounders) Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids) Perry Kitchen (Hearts) Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers) Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund) Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes) Bobby Wood (Hamburg SV) Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy) Graham Zusi (Sporting KC).
Led by manager Jurgen Klinsmann, the host team has momentum going into the tournament after winning all three of their warm-ups against Puerto Rico, Ecuador and Bolivia. This could very well be Klinsmann’s last chance at keeping his managerial status as for a number of months, criticism has been surrounding the national team. This has been due in part to their poor performance in the Gold Cup in 2015 and the U-23 team missing out on the Olympics this summer.
On May 21st, Klinsmann announced his 23-man squad for the tournament. A few of the players named were a bit of a surprise at first. Two in particular were midfielders Perry Kitchen and Darlington Nagbe. Both have been productive at Hearts and the Portland Timbers respectively, but New York City FC midfielder Mix Diskerud saw himself dropped and Benny Feilhaber was once again frustrated at his exclusion. Pachuca defender Omar Gonzalez will miss out, despite making the team for the 2014 World Cup. 17-year-old Christian Pulisic deservedly made it after an explosive ending of the season run with Borussia Dortmund.
Colombia
Manager: José Pékerman
Current FIFA ranking: 3rd
Best finish: Champions (2001)
Goalkeepers: Cristian Bonilla (Atlético Nacional) David Ospina (Arsenal) Robinson Zapata (Santa Fe).
Defenders: Felipe Aguilar (Atlético Nacional) Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven) Farid Diaz (Atlético Nacional) Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors) Stefan Medina (Pachuca) Jeison Murillo (Inter) Yerry Mina (Palmeiras) Cristian Zapata (AC Milan).
Midfielders: Edwin Cardona (Monterrey) Guillermo Celis (Junior) Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) Sebastian Perez (Atlético Nacional) Andres Felipe Roa (Deportivo Cali) James Rodriguez (Real Madrid) Carlos Sanchez (Aston Villa) Daniel Torres (Independiente Medellin).
Forwards: Carlos Bacca (AC Milan) Roger Martinez (Racing Club) Marlos Moreno (Atlético Nacional) Dayro Moreno (Club Tijuana).
Colombia come into the Copa América with a chip on their shoulder. After placing third in their group in the 2015 edition of the tournament, they barely made it through to the knockout stages, only to be knocked out by Argentina. It was a disappointing showing by a team who the year before had cruised through their World Cup group by winning all three games. That group had Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan. In the knockout stage, they eliminated Uruguay in the round of 16, only to lose to host country Brazil in the quarterfinals.
Real Madrid superstar James Rodriguez headlines the squad. The 2014 World Cup golden boot winner comes into the tournament fresh off a UEFA Champions League title and is looking to take control of his squad at only 24 years of age.
In goal will be David Ospina, Arsenal‘s second choice goalkeeper behind Petr Cech. He only played in four Premier League games this season but he is still Colombia’s first choice ‘keeper and is looking to hold down his staring role at 27 years old. Notable omissions from the squad include Borussia Dortmund’s Adrian Ramos and Luis Muriel from Sampdoria.
Costa Rica
Manager: Oscar Ramírez
Current FIFA ranking: 23rd
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2001, 20014)
Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas (Real Madrid) Patrick Pemberton (Alajuelense) Leonel Moreira (Herediano).
Defenders: Cristian Gamboa (West Bromwich Albion) Jose Salvatierra (Alajuelense) Michael Umaña (Persepolis) Johnny Acosta (Alajuelense) Oscar Duarte (Espanyol) Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps) Ronald Matarrita (New York City FC) Bryan Oviedo (Everton) Francisco Calvo (Saprissa).
Midfielders: Yeltsin Tejeda (Evian Thonon Gaillard) Celso Borges (Deportivo La Coruña) Randall Azofeifa (Herediano) Esteban Granados (Herediano) Bryan Ruiz (Sporting Club) Johan Venegas (Montreal Impact) Christian Bolaños (Vancouver Whitecaps) Joel Campbell (Arsenal).
Forwards: Ariel Rodriguez (Bangkok Glass) Alvaro Saborio (D.C. United) Marcos Ureña (Midtjylland).
The mighty Costa Ricans are back again and look better than ever. The squad has depth in a number of areas, with the midfield and defense its strongest points. The midfield features well-known players in European leagues, such as Bryan Luiz from Sporting Lisbon and Joel Campbell from Arsenal.
The defense features West Brom‘s Christian Gamboa and Bryan Oviedo from Everton, as well as Kendall Waston from the Vancouver Whitecaps and Ronald Matarrita from New York City FC. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas was pivotal in Real Madrid’s Champions League run and will be even more important in his national team’s success.
The Costa Ricans come into this tournament with an underdog mentality, but that’s when they perform at their best. In the 2014 World Cup, they topped a group that included Uruguay, Italy and England, and made it to the quarter-final. Expect them to make a hard-fought push to make it out the group stages
Paraguay
Manager: Ramón Díaz
Current FIFA ranking: 44th
Best finish: Champions (1953, 1979)
Goalkeepers: Barreto, Diego (Olimpia) Silva, Antony (Cerro Porteño) Villar, Justo (Colo Colo).
Defenders: Piris, Ivan (Udinese) Balbuena, Fabian (Corinthians) Da Silva, Paulo (Toluca) Gomez, Gustavo (Lanus) Riveros, Blas (Olimpia) Samudio, Miguel (América) Valdez, Bruno (Cerro Porteño).
Midfielders: Almiron, Miguel (Lanus) Ayala, Victor (Lanus) Ortiz, Celso (AZ Alkmaar) Piris Da Motta, Robert (Olimpia) Rojas, Rodrigo (Cerro Porteño) Romero, Oscar (Racing).
Forwards: Benitez, Edgar (Queretaro) Benitez, Jorge (Cruz Azul) Gonzalez, Derlis (FC Dynamo) Haedo Valdez, Nelson (Seattle Sounders) Iturbe, Juan (AFC Bournemouth) Lezcano, Dario (FC Ingolstadt) Sanabria, Antonio (Sporting Gijon).
Paraguay finished fourth in the 2015 Copa América. The squad held their own in the tournament, beating Jamaica and drawing with both Argentina and Uruguay. The squad on paper is a very good team. Notable names come to mind such as forward Nelson Valdez from the Seattle Sounders and Juan Iturbe from Bournemouth. Delis Gonzalez, the reigning Paraguayan Player of the Year, looks to live up to his title. Defenders like Ivan Piris from Udinese and Miguel Samudio from Club América will solidify the back line alongside goalkeeper Antony Silva.
