United States 4 – 0 Costa Rica
After a deflating defeat at the hands of Colombia in the tournament’s opener, a hungry US Men’s National Team was back in action in the friendly confines of Chicago’s Soldier Field.
The #USMNT is 5-0-0 when hosting CONCACAF teams at Soldier Field. #USAvCRC
— Fifty Five One (@FiftyFiveOne) June 7, 2016
At first, things didn’t look pretty for the US Men. Costa Rica came out pressing hard, trying to make up for centerback Kendall Waston’s suspension (red card) by keeping their opponent out of their attacking third. Eventually, the US was able to break the press and earned a penalty kick in the seventh minute after a shove to Bobby Wood’s back knocked him to the ground. Clint Dempsey sent Costa Rican third-string goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton the wrong way and slotted his penalty kick into the bottom right corner, giving the US their first goal (and first lead) of the Copa America and Dempsey his 50th career international goal.
The next half hour looked like a truly even matchup. Costa Rica was pressuring, but usual attack hub and Arsenal man Joel Campbell was resigned to being a black hole, often finding the ball picked off of his boots by the US backline. In the 17th minute, starting forward Marco Ureña was subbed off with a shoulder injury, and Costa Rica was forced into an early substitution as DC United striker Alvaro Saborio came on.
Gyasi Zardes and Jermaine Jones each sent shots wide of the goal before a 37th minute two-man counterattack found Dempsey assisting on a Jermaine Jones goal, his first since his golazo at the 2014 World Cup (cue the highlights!).
That’ll never get old. Here’s the one from Tuesday.
Cool as you like! Jermaine Jones doubles the #USMNT's lead over Costa Rica. #USAvCRC #MyCopaColors https://t.co/H6YTWaEMJf
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 8, 2016
The Nats continued pressing, as a motivated attack force stayed fluid with positioning. In the 42nd minute, Dempsey completed his genteman’s hat-trick (any combination of goals and assists adding to three) as his pass found Bobby Wood at the top of the box. Wood settled it, headed toward the center, and was able to slot his shot past Pemberton, giving the team a 3-0 lead before halftime.
Bobby Wood spins, turns and fires home to put the #USMNT 3-0 up on Costa Rica. #USAvCRC #MyCopaColors https://t.co/j25zsUG9fP
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 8, 2016
Costa Rica came back gunning in the second half, stringing together long sequencing of passes and threatening attack. The US did well to limit Los Ticos‘ opportunities and keep them off of the scoreboard. A 67th minute Costa Rican cross found Bryan Ruiz’ head, but it went off the post and was called off for being offsides anyway. In the 70th minute, Jurgen Klinsmann went back to his bench, taking off Wood for Sporting Kansas City winger Graham Zusi. This marked the second straight match which Klinsmann waited until after the 65th minute to go to his bench, showing confidence in his first-choice XI.
In the 73rd minute, Alejandro Bedoya passed up a nearly open net on a counter-attack, trying to cross it to Zardes before seeing the ball cleared. The final fifteen minutes showed some back-and-forth play. Brad Guzan proved to have his best match in net for the USMNT in years, showing consistent positioning as well as keen distribution, and Michael Bradley looked sharp playing in his role as a #6. Dempsey made way in the 77th minute for Chris Wondolowski, keeping his legs fresh for the third match in the group. A Costa Rican corner kick floated right in front of two Ticos in front of Guzan’s net but somehow did not put Costa Rica on the scoreboard. Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman came on in the 80th after an apparent Bedoya leg injury. Zusi found the back of the net off of a misplayed distribution, and the US coasted to a 4-0 victory to put them (temporarily) on top of Group A.
Graham Zusi makes it 4-0, #USMNT late on. #USAvCRC #MyCopaColors https://t.co/pfihjTNFRD
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 8, 2016
As a whole, the second straight run-out of this lineup proved much better than the first. There had been calls for the “old guys” like Dempsey, Jones, and Alejandro Bedoya to be replaced by Nagbe and Pulisic. However, in a must-win game, the veterans were in peak form, helping keep the game in the United States’ favor from the moment that Wood drew the penalty. After all of the talk of Klinsmann’s supposed job security, it was clear that the players went out and wanted to win this match for them as much as anyone else. I wouldn’t imagine any changes to the lineup will be made for the group finale against Paraguay on Saturday.
Colombia 2 – 1 Paraguay
In the day’s second match, Colombia was out to solidify their spot as the top team in Group A. After injuring himself on a dive against the United States, star midfielder James Rodriguez was back in the starting lineup, raising some eyebrows along the way. Rodriguez didn’t waste his time trying to make an impact, as Carlos Bacca headed in a corner kick from Rodriguez in the 12th minute. While credit should be given to Paraguay for staying aggressive and scrappy, Colombia looked the better team all match. In the 30th minute, James Rodriguez grabbed a missed clearance and slotted it to the far side of the keeper, giving him his second goal of the young tournament and tying him with Panama’s Blas Perez for the Golden Boot. Paraguay’s Dario Lezcano hit a free kick off the crossbar, and the teams went into halftime with Colombia leading 2-0.
James Rodriguez nets his 2nd #CopaAmerica Centenario goal to give Colombia a 2-goal cushion. #COLvPAR #MyCopaColors https://t.co/qWbfLc8VWB
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 8, 2016
Colombia came out for the second half and started to coast. Still trying to keep position, a lot of their attacking bite was muzzled as they focused on holding onto their victory. Bacca, Rodriguez, and Juan Cuadrado (fun fact: his name translates to John Square) were still technically sharp but weren’t applying any more pressure than needed, as a second win all but clinched the group after only two matches. Paraguay kept their shape, holding to their usual three attackers while applying pressure on counter attacks. On a 62nd minute corner kick, it looked like Paraguay had finally found a goal, but David Ospina (whose sister is married to James Rodriguez) made an incredible save to protect the clean sheet.
Okay, David Ospina. We get it. ???????????? #COLvPAR #MyCopaColors https://t.co/eNxhJc4KrO
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 8, 2016
All hope looked lost for Paraguay until the 71st minute, where Victor Ayala’s first international goal could prove to be a Goal of the Tournament finalist. Taking a misdirected pass from Colombia, Ayala took a shot from 25 yards out which just curled under the bar and past a diving Ospina leading to a 2-1 game with twenty minutes to go.
Take a bow, Victor Ayala. #COLvPAR #MyCopaColors https://t.co/kJCuVWjsTf
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 8, 2016
The goal lit a fire under Paraguay, starting to take advantage of the tired Colombian legs. Much of the possession stayed in Paraguay’s attacking half and midfield, with the occasional jaunt by Colombia into the attacking third. However, in the 81st minute, young Paraguayan midfielder Oscar Romero was caught tugging Rodriguez’ jersey and tackling a second Colombian player in rapid succession, earning Romero a second yellow and suspending him for the third group match against the United States. With a man advantage, Colombia was able to run the clock down and stay on top of Group A, clinching their place to the quarterfinals with a game to spare.
Tomorrow’s Action:
Brazil v Haiti – 6:30 CST
Ecuador v Peru – 9:00 CST
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