John Molinaro
June 24, 2024, 11:32 PM
The 2024 Copa America being staged in the United States is off and running, and there are plenty of intriguing storylines developing following the completion of Matchday 1.
Three of the four highest-ranked nations – defending champion Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay – earned wins. But there was a bit of a surprise as Concacaf’s Costa Rica held powerful Brazil to a draw.
And while Canada came up short, it made everybody else in the tournament stand up and take notice with its performance against Argentina on opening night.
Here’s a breakdown of where things stand in each of the four groups after Matchday 1.
GROUP A: Canada faces must-not-lose situation
Canada’s Copa América debut ended in bitter disappointment after it suffered a 2-0 loss to Argentina last Thursday in Atlanta.
The Concacaf upstarts pushed and prodded Argentina for 90 minutes, causing the South American powerhouse plenty of problems with their brave attacking play. Coach Jesse Marsch’s side can take pride in the fact it largely kept Argentina’s high-powered offence in check, thanks in large part to a man-of-the-match effort from goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau.
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At the same time, the Canadians were left wondering what might have been after they valiantly went toe-to-toe with Argentina. They could have taken a share of the points on offer had they been more clinical in front of goal instead of spurning several quality scoring chances.
Nonetheless, that defeat, coupled with Chile’s 0-0 draw against Peru, means Canada is on a knife’s edge going into Matchday 2, as it realistically needs four points from its last two group-stage games to advance to the quarterfinals.
Canada would be officially eliminated from contention if it loses to Peru on Tuesday in Kansas City, while a draw or a win keeps its hopes alive of moving on to the knockout round.
GROUP B: Venezuela win throws group wide open
Ecuador entered Copa America on a major hot streak, having suffered just two losses (to Argentina and Italy) in its previous 10 matches, and beating Uruguay, Bolivia and Chile and drawing with Colombia and Venezuela in World Cup qualifying. Many notable pundits selected La Tricolor as their dark horse pick to win the tournament.
But Ecuador’s Copa campaign is in jeopardy following a 2-1 loss to Venezuela in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, a result that throws Group C wide open. Venezuela tops the group alongside Mexico, 1-0 winners over Concacaf rivals Jamaica. That means Ecuador can ill afford to drop any more points, starting with its Matchday 2 contest against Jamaica.
Unfortunately for Ecuador, what under normal circumstances would’ve been viewed as a somewhat easy game isn’t so straight-forward because it’ll be missing one of its key players. Veteran striker Enner Valencia, formerly of West Ham United, was expected to spearhead Ecuador’s modest attack at the Copa. But he was shown a straight red card in the 22nd minute in the loss to Venezuela, which means he’s suspended for Ecuador’s ultra-important fixture vs. Jamaica.
GROUP C: United States impresses in opener
The United States struck a blow for Concacaf pride when it opened its Copa America with a convincing 2-0 win over Bolivia on Sunday in Arlington, Texas on Sunday. AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic put in a man-of-the-match effort with one goal and assist for the Americans.
This was a much-needed result for the U.S., which was still stinging from its recent 5-1 loss to Colombia in a Copa tune-up match earlier this month. That defeat on home soil had many critics wondering whether the U.S. would buckle under the pressure of hosting this summer’s tournament, despite being considered the favourite to advance from Group B alongside Uruguay, which easily brushed aside Panama 3-1 in Miami.
Neither the U.S. nor Uruguay looked at all bothered as they strolled to comfortable victories, and are now firmly in the drivers’ seat. The Americans play Panama and Uruguay meets Bolivia on Matchday 2, and if they perform like they did last time out and beat their underdog opponents, both nations will unsurprisingly clinch a quarterfinal berth with one game to spare.
GROUP D: Colombia continues to roll along
Make it 24 games in a row without a loss for Colombia after it earned a 2-1 win over Paraguay on Monday in Houston. Veteran James Rodríguez marked his 101st international appearance by setting up both goals for Los Cafeteros. Incredibly, the Colombians have 19 wins (including over Brazil, Spain and Germany) and five draws since suffering their last loss, a 1-0 defeat to Argentina in a World Cup qualifier on Feb. 1, 2022.
Manager Nestor Lorenzo has built a fluid Colombian team that is solid in possession and lethal on the counterattack. Colombia can exert its physical dominance while also playing some elegant football. All of those qualities were on full display against Paraguay as Colombia showed why it’s considered one of the tournament favourites.
Colombia now stands poised to punch its ticket for the quarterfinals with a win on Matchday 2 over Costa Rica, which stunned Brazil by holding it to a 0-0 draw on Monday. All eyes are on Brazil in this group, which is understandable considering its history and reputation. But start paying attention to Colombia because to ignore what it’s doing at the moment is to ignore one of the best stories going on in world soccer.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.
Source link : https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/copa-america-takeaways-canada-on-a-knifes-edge-after-matchday-1/sn-amp/
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Publish date : 2024-06-24 23:32:00
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