Copa America Centenario 2016...

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goooo argentina goooo

 

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COPA AMERICA 2016 SCHEDULE All times Eastern

 

GROUP STAGE

Friday, June 3

United States vs. Colombia in Santa Clara, Calif., 9:30 p.m.

 

Saturday, June 4

Costa Rica vs. Paraguay in Orlando, Fla., 5 p.m.

Haiti vs. Peru in Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

Brazil vs. Ecuador in Pasadena, Calif., 10 p.m.

 

Sunday, June 5

Jamaica vs. Venezuela in Chicago, 5 p.m.

Mexico vs. Uruguay in Glendale, Ariz., 8 p.m.

 

Monday, June 6

Panama vs. Bolivia in Orlando, Fla., 7 p.m.

Argentina vs. Chile in Santa Clara, Calif., 10 p.m.

 

Tuesday, June 7

United States vs. Costa Rica in Chicago, 8 p.m.

Colombia vs. Paraguay in Pasadena, Calif., 10:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday, June 8

Brazil vs. Haiti in Orlando, Fla., 7:30 p.m.

Ecuador vs. Peru in Glendale, Ariz., 10 p.m.

 

Thursday, June 9

Uruguay vs. Venezuela in Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

Mexico vs. Jamaica in Pasadena, Calif., 10 p.m.

 

Friday, June 10

Chile vs. Bolivia in Foxboro, Mass., 7 p.m.

Argentina vs. Panama in Chicago, 9:30 p.m.

 

Saturday, June 11

United States vs. Paraguay in Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Colombia vs. Costa Rica in Houston, 9 p.m.

 

Sunday, June 12

Ecuador vs. Haiti in East Rutherford, N.J., 6:30 p.m.

Brazil vs. Peru in Foxboro, Mass., 8:30 p.m.

 

Monday, June 13

Mexico vs. Venezuela in Houston, 8 p.m.

Uruguay vs. Jamaica in Santa Clara, Calif., 10 p.m.

 

Tuesday, June 14

Chile vs. Panama in Philadelphia, 8 p.m.

Argentina vs. Bolivia in Seattle, 10 p.m.

 

 

QUARTERFINALS

Thursday, June 16

Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up in Seattle, 9:30 p.m.

 

Friday, June 17

Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up in East Rutherford, N.J., 8 p.m.

 

Saturday, June 18

Group D winner vs. Group C runner-up in Foxboro, Mass., 7 p.m.

Group C winner vs. Group D runner-up in Santa Clara, Calif., 10 p.m.

 

 

SEMIFINALS

Tuesday, June 21

June 16 winner vs. June 18 winner in Houston, 9 p.m.

 

Wednesday, June 22

June 17 winner vs. June 18 winners in Chicago, 8 p.m.

 

 

THIRD-PLACE GAME

Saturday, June 25

June 21 semifinal loser vs. June 22 semifinal loser in Glendale, Ariz., 8 p.m.

 

 

FINAL

Sunday, June 26

June 21 semifinal winner vs. June 22 winner in East Rutherford, N.J., 8 p.m.

 

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                                                           ARGENTINA

 

 

 

 

 

Argentina are renowned for their attacking prowess and defensive discipline but they haven’t lifted a major trophy since their triumph at Copa America 1993. La Albiceleste has come agonizingly close to ending that run recently, finishing in second place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and three of the last four Copa America tournaments. Despite recent setbacks, the South American giants are still consistent favorites in any tournament they enter because of their proud and decorated history. Their lineup of stars will have eyes on the trophy when they open their tournament with a Copa America 2015 Final rematch against Chile on June 6 in Santa Clara.

 

 

The Argentines will feature the world’s biggest star in Lionel Messi and will be playing with multiple chips on their shoulders. With no senior national team title since 1993, a heartbreaking loss in PKs to Chile in last year’s Copa America, and another heartbreaking loss in extra time of 2014’s World Cup final, Messi and the star-studded roster he captains will be under plenty of pressure. Their recent form (undefeated since October) suggests they’re taking that pressure positively.

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                                                              BOLIVIA

 

 

 

 

Bolivia has gone through some tough times in the ensuing years since their second-place finish at Copa America 1997. La Verde gave the nation some reason for optimism at last year’s Copa America, where they drew 0-0 with Mexico before defeating Ecuador 3-2, achieving their first win in the tournament for 18 years. As they tackle Copa America Centenario, Bolivia finds another challenge ahead with group matches against defending champion Chile, runner-up Argentina and CONCACAF upstarts Panama.

 

 

Small nations like Haiti and Panama get the “minnow” tag, but Bolivia might deserve to get the same based on form alone. Bolivia has won only four games in the past three years, a span of 29 games. That includes a run of just one win and nine losses in its last 10. Amazingly enough, La Verde’s made a run to the 2015 Copa America quarterfinals in the midst of all that badness, but that more than likely is a mirage.

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BRAZIL

 

 

Brazil are one of the most decorated teams in world soccer with a reputation that speaks for itself. But the Seleção have failed to advance past the quarterfinals of the last two tournaments, after winning four titles between 1997-2007. Under the direction of Dunga, who won Copa America twice as a player and led Brazil to its last triumph in 2007, Brazil will look to improve upon their recent performances by winning the historic Copa America Centenario in the United States.

 

The classic saying about Brazil is that it could field about three completely different starting XIs that could beat anyone in the world. Well, it’s time to (sort of) put that depth to the test. Brazil is saving Neymar, its most potent attacking force, for the Olympics. David Luiz, Thiago Silva, and Oscar have been left out as well. However, it’s not like Brazil has been tearing the world to shreds at full strength—it currently sits one point outside of World Cup qualification. Maybe some fresh faces are exactly what’s needed.

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CHILE

 

 

Chile are the defending champions of Copa America and La Roja impressively navigated the rough waters of the 2015 tournament before dramatically defeating rivals Argentina on penalty kicks to lift their first tournament championship. With only one year removed from the tournament they hosted, Chile’s star-studded roster has a huge target on its back beginning with its opening game – a rematch of the 2015 final against Argentina.

 

Chile has as many if not more top-quality players at its disposal than any other team in this tournament–Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez, Claudio Bravo among them–but its form in the games since former coach Jorge Sampaoli resigned in January hasn’t been very inspiring. Chile has looked far from the force that captured last year’s Copa America in a World Cup qualifying loss to Argentina, and a pre-tournament friendly loss to Jamaica won’t improve that confidence much. There’s nothing saying Chile can’t turn it on when the tournament starts, but at the outset, it doesn’t look promising.

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COLOMBIA

 

 

Colombia crashed out of Chile 2015 in disappointing circumstances after a penalty kick loss to Argentina at the quarterfinal stage. But Los Cafeteros still have the respect earned during their impressive run to the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals and enter Copa America Centenario in good form after defeating Bolivia and Ecuador in March’s World Cup qualifying matches. Colombia will hope to use the positive momentum as they come up against host nation, the United States to open the tournament on June 3.

 

Los Cafeteros turned heads with their entertaining performances at the 2014 World Cup, but their journey since then hasn’t been quite as spectacular. Colombia snuck into the quarterfinals of the last Copa America before going out on PKs to Argentina, and currently sits fifth in CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying. James Rodriguez will lead the attack, but he’s coming off a down year with Real Madrid, and other Colombian stars (Jackson Martinez, Fredy Guarin, Teofilo Gutierrez) weren’t even called up.

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COSTA RICA

 

 

Costa Rica is no Copa America slouch, with this year’s historic edition marking their fifth appearance in the competition. Los Ticos put the world on notice with their run to the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals and continue to be a thorn in the side for many bigger soccer nations. Placed in a group with fellow World Cup quarterfinalist Colombia, hosts USA and Paraguay, this team on the rise sees a chance to advance to their third Copa America quarterfinal.

 

Costa Rica was the surprise package at the 2014 World Cup, and it returns many of the same players to the Copa America. New coach Oscar Ramirez has the Ticos playing well after a difficult 2015, and the team has stormed through CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. However, a big part of Costa Rica’s success has been the big-time play of Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas, and he’ll miss the tournament with an Achilles issue. That’s a huge loss.

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ECUADOR

 

 

Ecuador has transformed itself into a team that can never be taken lightly in a knockout tournament. La Tricolor enter Copa America tied atop CONMEBOL’s World Cup Qualifying table and they will be looked at by many as a favorite to advance from Group B. Could they also be a darkhorse for the later stages of the tournament? Their ride begins on June 4 against Brazil in Los Angeles.

 

Ecuador is generally unfancied on the international stage, but it surprisingly enters Copa America as one of the region’s most in-form teams. Its record in noncompetitive games has never been great since coach Gustavo Quinteros took over at the start of 2015, but the team currently sits second in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying, with wins over both Argentina and Uruguay. Ecuador’s names, outside of Antonio Valencia, may not be household, but they work together well and won’t be an easy team for anyone to knock off.

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HAITI

 

 

Haiti are one of two teams making their Copa America debuts and though they may look like tournament minnows on paper, Les Grenadiers are sure to provide a competitive bite. Haiti took a giant step during the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, earning a place in the tournament’s quarterfinals to set up January’s Copa America qualifying match – a match they won 1-0 against Trinidad & Tobago. Haiti will look to punch above their weight in a group that features five-time World Cup champion Brazil, CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying leader Ecuador and Peru, third place finishers at the past two Copa America tournaments.

 

Haiti should take a large measure of pride in simply competing at this tournament, but their win over Trinidad and Tobago that got them here is also the team’s only win since October. The team is all but eliminated from CONCACAF World Cup qualifying after no wins, a draw, and three losses in the semifinal round against the likes of Panama, Jamaica, and Costa Rica. This team has some interesting talent and is a great underdog story, but ultimately there’s just too little reason for confidence.

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JAMAICA

 

 

Jamaica took positives from their first turn at Copa America last year in Chile despite going out in the group stage. The run in South America set the Reggae Boyz up for some unprecedented success later in the summer when they knocked off the United States in the semifinals of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup before finishing second place behind Mexico. With those experiences under their belt, the Caribbean side led by Winfried Schaefer should enter Copa America Centenario with full confidence ahead of their matches against Venezuela, Mexico and Uruguay.

 

When the Reggae Boyz focus in on a goal, like they did in the 2015 Gold Cup where they made a run to the final, they can be tough to beat. An in-form back line, featuring Leicester City captain Wes Morgan, is a big reason why. If a 2-1 win over Chile in a pre-tournament friendly is any indication, Jamaica won’t be pushovers in this tournament, but its record as an invited team in last year’s Copa America (three 1-0 losses) gives reason for pause.

 

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MEXICO

 

 

Mexico is a frequent guest at Copa America and have participated in every Copa America since 1993. They achieved sustained success in South America and advanced from the group stage in eight of nine tournaments. Though they failed to advance at Copa America 2015, El Tri has finished in the top three five times and as runner-up twice. This summer Mexico enters the tournament as the reigning regional champions of CONCACAF and are armed for another customary deep tournament run this year, beginning with group matches against Uruguay, Jamaica and Venezuela.

 

Mexico enters the Copa America with numerous advantages, not the least of which is its incredible record since Juan Carlos Osorio was named manager. El Tri haven’t dropped so much as a single point since then, winning seven in a row, nor have they conceded a single goal. In all, Mexico hasn't lost in 19 matches dating back to the 2015 Copa America. Forward (and recent SI magazine subject) Chicharito is coming off his best year as a pro at Bayer Leverkusen, the team behind him is balanced and deep, and they’ll all enjoy a facsimile of home field advantage throughout. That’s a lot of momentum.

 

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PANAMA

 

 

Panama has worked its way into the upper-echelon of CONCACAF nations during the last 10 years through a foundation of success at the Gold Cup and deep advancement in World Cup qualifying. Under the direction of former Colombia and Ecuador head coach Hernan Dario Gomez, los Canaleros will try to build off of their third-place finish at last summer’s Gold Cup when they make an inaugural appearance in Copa America.

 

If this generation of Panama’s national team knows anything, it knows how to grind out results against the odds. That’s a big reason why the country was a Graham Zusi goal away from an intercontinental playoff for a 2014 World Cup spot, why it nabbed third place in last year’s Gold Cup, and why it once again finds itself in position to reach the Hexagonal in 2018 World Cup qualifying. Panama faces a couple stiff tests in Argentina and Chile, but is dogged and determined enough to feel confident going in.