FiftyFive.One
• Voices From Soccer's North •
Category: Copa Centenario
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From Minnesota to Quito With Love
Continue Reading: From Minnesota to Quito With LoveIt is finally summer for teachers and students alike. And while the last days of the school year are often filled with tears, goodbyes, and heartfelt hugs, I much prefer when they’re also peppered with pointed comments about who will win the cup of the moment, and tinged with trash talk. So as soon as…
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Copa America Cenetario Day 12: Chalk
Continue Reading: Copa America Cenetario Day 12: ChalkArgentina 3, Bolivia 0 There is one bad team in CONMEBOL. It is Bolivia. — Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) June 15, 2016 Argentina barely had to show up to cruise into the quarterfinals; they scored three times in 32 minutes and that was that. Looking forward, though, the Argentines will feel a little like they only…
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Copa America Centenario Day 10: Physicality and 40 years
Continue Reading: Copa America Centenario Day 10: Physicality and 40 yearsThe final match day for Group B, kicked off with a few clear possible outcomes. If Brazil got a point against Peru, they’d win the group. If Peru beat Brazil, they’d win the group. If Ecuador crushed Haiti, and Brazil and Peru tied, they’d win the group. If Haiti crushed Ecuador, they’d never have to buy a beer back home again. So…
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Copa America Centenario Day 9: Wait, the USMNT Won Group A?!?
Continue Reading: Copa America Centenario Day 9: Wait, the USMNT Won Group A?!?Going into the tournament, it seemed highly unlikely that the United States would be able to top Group A. Many people, understandably pessimistic about recent form, thought the United States men were more likely to crash out of the group entirely than to win it. With a publicly-stated goal of reaching the semi-finals, Jurgen Klinsmann…
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Copa America Cenetario Day 8: Bolivia Gets CONCACAF’d
Continue Reading: Copa America Cenetario Day 8: Bolivia Gets CONCACAF’dChile 2, Bolivia 1 You may not be entirely aware of what it means to “get CONCACAF’d,” but it’s a concept born of dozens of examples at all sorts of CONCACAF competition. In general, you can expect any referee to lose control of the game and start making ever-stranger decisions, culminating in one key moment…
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Copa America Centenario Day 7: Venezuela Shocks Uruguay, Mexico and Venezuela Set To Advance
Continue Reading: Copa America Centenario Day 7: Venezuela Shocks Uruguay, Mexico and Venezuela Set To AdvanceVenezuela 1 – Uruguay 0 Our first real upset of the tournament put Venezuela in the lead of group C, at least for a while. Rarely are two teams in a group eliminated after the second set of games, but with Venezuela’s shock defeat of Uruguay (and the Jamaica v Mexico match we’ll get to next) that…
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Copa America Centenario Day 6: How Brazil Got their Groove Back
Continue Reading: Copa America Centenario Day 6: How Brazil Got their Groove BackBrazil 7 – Haiti 1 In the run-up to the match, all the focus was on the tenuous position of Seleção coach, Carlos Dunga. Could he get the historically creative, inventive, artistic offenses to actually score a goal? Would an uninspired performance presage his downfall? For his part, Dunga appeared eager to score, with closeups making…
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Copa America Centenario Day Five – A Hungry USMNT Regains Control of Their Destiny
Continue Reading: Copa America Centenario Day Five – A Hungry USMNT Regains Control of Their DestinyUnited 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. At first, things didn’t look pretty for the US Men. Costa Rica came out pressing hard, trying…
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Conflicted Allegiances: A Costa Rican Fan from Minnesota Travels to Chicago
Continue Reading: Conflicted Allegiances: A Costa Rican Fan from Minnesota Travels to ChicagoWhen Edù Rosales learned that the US Men’s National Team would be playing a Copa America match in Chicago, he started making plans to travel with the Minnesotan American Outlaws contingent. That is, until he learned the opponent would be Costa Rica. Edù was born in Costa Rica and La Sele are in his blood.…
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Copa America Centenario Day Four: All We Really Want Is Goals
Continue Reading: Copa America Centenario Day Four: All We Really Want Is GoalsA word about the attendance Did you know? Bolivia vs. Panama might not be a particularly popular match for American fans. That’s right: it wasn’t a sellout! Be still, my beating heart! For some observers, the lagging attendances has been a knock on this tournament (never mind that a tropical storm was barreling toward Orlando,…
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Copa America Centenario Day 3: Mexico and Uruguay Make The Tournament Interesting Again
Continue Reading: Copa America Centenario Day 3: Mexico and Uruguay Make The Tournament Interesting AgainLeave it to Mexico and Uruguay to make me care about the tournament again The Copa America Centenario has not been good. At least not in “a chance to watch good football” sort of way. There were three games on Saturday, including a game against CONCACAF minnow Haiti and the nightcap featuring Brazil. One goal.…
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Copa America Centenario Day Two: USMNT Catches a Break
Continue Reading: Copa America Centenario Day Two: USMNT Catches a BreakCosta Rica 0 – Paraguay 0 After last night’s humbling USA defeat, one of CONCACAF’s other marquee teams, Costa Rica, took the field against a fallen South American giant in Paraguay. As the lineups were released, Spanish right back Dani Carvajal was not listed for either side. While this was expected, it didn’t stop one…
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Copa America Centenario Day One: USA vs Colombia Starts the Copa Off On A Sour Note
Continue Reading: Copa America Centenario Day One: USA vs Colombia Starts the Copa Off On A Sour NoteAfter an opening ceremony featuring a Canadian reggae fusion group, a Colombian reggaeton star, and an American club anthem maker with his own hype man (you know, typical soccer pre-game artists), the United States and Colombia found the fortitude to kick off the Copa America Centenario. It didn’t take long for Colombia to make their…