As Ian Darke would say: "Goal Goal USA!" The USA utilized their substitute Darlington Nagbe to the best of scenarios. Nagbe scoring his first goal for the United States, clinched the victory for the Americans in the 90th minute to beat Ecuador in an international friendly. An exciting moment for him and the USA as they prepare for Copa America.
Much of the buzz ahead of the Copa America Centenario is about Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and the USA, but people forget that none of those teams are the reigning Copa America champion. Chile is travelling to the United States at full force and won’t be shy in defending their title.
Out of the players who helped Chile defeat Argentina in a penalty shootout to clinch the 2015 title, only Jorge Valdivia and Angelo Henriquez are not on the 23-man roster for 2016.
There are a few mysteries in life we might never get the answers to. Where did we come from? Where do we go? And what goes on inside of Dunga’s head?
Photo: @futbolsapiens | Twitter
The United States enters the 2016 Copa America Centenario with the support of an entire nation behind them, but realistic expectations call for a quarterfinal showing at best. For US manager Jurgen Klinsmann, this tournament represents a glorious opportunity to defy the odds and reach the tournament semifinals.
Standing in the way of the US includes a difficult group containing Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay and a potential quarterfinal matchup against either Brazil or Ecuador.
Barcelona won Sunday's Copa del Rey final 2-0 against Sevilla in extra time, but they did it mostly without all-world striker Luis Suarez, who won the Pichichi Award as La Liga's top scorer and had the best season of his career.
Suarez limped off in the second half, and was seen in tears on the bench afterward. It's hard not to feel for the guy.
The Uruguay National Team have a successful relationship with the Copa America. Nobody has won the competition more than La Celeste, who have lifted the trophy on 15 occasions. That said, last year was desperately disappointing for them as Uruguay was knocked out in the quarterfinals by eventual champions Chile. Despite that, Uruguay has to be considered one of the favorites to win the Copa America Centenario this summer.
The 2015 Copa America in Chile had everything: great goals, unforgettable moments and infamous controversies. Now, thanks to the celebration of one century of CONMEBOL and the Copa, we get to do it all again. This time, the memories will be made in our own backyard.
The 23 players who will represent the Mexico National Team at the Copa America Centenario have been announced, and there were more than a few controversies. Here's the final roster (barring injury):
Goalkeepers:
—Memo Ochoa (Malaga)
—Jose Corona (Cruz Azul)
—Alfredo Talavera (Toluca)
Defenders
—Rafa Marquez (Atlas)
—Diego Reyes (Real Sociedad)
—Hector Moreno (PSV Eindhoven)
—Paul Aguilar (Club America)
—Miguel Layun (Porto)
When the Brazilian Federation announced that Neymar would be representing his national team at the Olympics and not the Copa America Centenario this summer, soccer fans in Pasadena, Orlando and Foxborough released a collective groan.
Without their star player, will Brazil still be "can’t miss" as a traveling spectacle? Formerly descending upon cities like the Harlem Globetrotters with their dazzling array of tricks, skills and household names, you can’t help but feel that this Brazilian squad is comparatively poor.
The preliminary 40-man Mexico Copa America roster has been released, and most of the familiar names are on it. The problem now is whittling that number down to 23. Here's how we'd do it.
Here's the roster (Via MLSSoccer.com):
GK - Talavera, Alfredo (Toluca / Mexico)
GK - Corona, Jose de Jesus (Cruz Azul / Mexico)
GK - Ochoa, Guillermo (Malaga / Spain)
GK - Palacios, Miguel Alejandro (Pumas UNAM / Mexico)