Uruguay's Copa America odds took an unexpected hit Wednesday when coach Oscar Tabarez revealed star striker Luis Suarez will not be available tonight against Venezuela and may be out for the entire tournament.
From Yahoo:
"Luis Suarez is still in recovery, it's the 17th day, and he is still not ready. That being the case, he will not play," Tabarez told a press conference on Wednesday.
With Neymar sitting out of Copa America, someone has to fill the space. Phillipe Coutinho did so against Haiti Wednesday night as he put three balls past Haiti's goalkeeper to help Brazil snag 3 points and a 7-1 win. His first goal was a screamer that could have left a hole in the back of the net. Check out this blast from the youngster!
Twenty four players born outside the Americas are playing in the Copa America Centenario, and 23 of them are Europeans, so they might have been able to play in Euro 2016.
Take Gonzalo Higuain, for example. Higuain was born on December 10, 1987, in France, but barely stayed in Europe a few months before going to Argentina, where he remained throughout his development as a player before signing with Real Madrid in January 2007. Higuain was born in France because his father Jorge, also a footballer, played in Brest.
Remember in the 2014 World Cup when Germany played Brazil in the semifinals and thumped the hosts 7-1, so thorough a defeat that the Brazil's soccer governing body is withholding its two best players (Neymar and Thiago Silva, who, concidentally, both missed the game against Germany) from the Copa America in order to regain its dignity on home soil in the Olympics? Remember that?
The second round of the Copa America Centenario is already underway, but here is a recap of what we learned so far during the first round of group stage matches on American soil.
Top of the world:
Mexico
El Tri started the tournament flying.
Practically playing at home, Juan Carlos Osorio and his team took down one of the Copa America favorites in rather impressive fashion.
I don't think it's crazy to say that most of the matches in the Copa America have been less than stellar. The Uruguay-Mexico match was probably the most entertaining thus far, but yesterday's Colombia-Paraguay match may have taken that title. After an early 2-0 deficit, the Paraguayans looked like they were going to be run out of the Rose Bowl. Then manager Ramon Diaz made some changes, including bringing on Victor Ayala, and it was game on. The next 45 minutes were an absolute dog fight and then the substitute rocketed home this golazo from 25 yards out.
The 2015-16 European league season will be remembered for a number of reasons: Leicester City’s improbable Premier League title, Real Madrid’s dramatic Champions League triumph and the brilliant return to form of Mexico’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.
The 28-year-old striker enjoyed his finest season since erupting onto the world’s radar with Manchester United in 2010-11. Following four frustrating seasons of being used sparingly as a substitute for both United and Real Madrid, Chicharito seized his opportunity as a regular starter with Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga.
Adidas is one of many brands trying to muscle in on the attention the Copa America Centenario has brought to soccer in the USA. This is a good idea on its face, the only problem is they are not doing a very good job of it.
There is a persistent rumor that Adidas is an acronym for "All day I dream about sports." There is also a less-appropriate version that substututes "sports" for . . . well you get the idea. It doesn't matter anyway, because we alone know what Adidas actually stands for: All Day I Derp About Spelling.
Look what they did with "Colombia" and "Columbia."
Colombia and Paraguay bring with them the soft air of South America and a match that is decades old. These two teams have faced each other 42 times in the course of three generations. It is a soccer display of two different faces of the same continent: the warm Ocean-faring Colombia against the landlocked Paraguay. Two countries as united in their love for soccer as the rest of South America.
A lot was said in the buildup to Tuesday night’s United States versus Costa Rica Copa America group match. For the USA, the stakes were simple enough: win or go stay home. The USA triumphantly answered any questions about their ability to make an impact in this tournament, thrashing the world’s 23rd ranked side 4-0.