Copa America Results 2016: Tuesday Group Results, Tables and Updated Schedule
Group A took center stage at the 2016 Copa America on Tuesday, which meant the United States was back in action for its second game of the tournament.
The Red, White and Blue squared off with Costa Rica in Chicago at Soldier Field in a contest the Americans could not lose, lest they be mathematically eliminated from advancing past the group stage. Elsewhere, Paraguay and Colombia faced off in the nightcap in Pasadena, California.
Colombia led the group with three points entering play Tuesday, while Costa Rica and Paraguay each had a single point following their tie in the first game. The United States was chasing without a point after it lost to Colombia in the opener.
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Here is a look at Tuesday's results, the upcoming schedule and the updated group standings.
| United States vs. Costa Rica | Soldier Field, Chicago | A | 4-0, United States |
| Colombia vs. Paraguay | Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. | A | 2-1, Colombia |
| Brazil vs. Haiti | Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. | B | 7:30 p.m. |
| Ecuador vs. Peru | University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. | B | 10 p.m. |
| Colombia (6 Points) | Peru (3 Points) | Mexico (3 Points) | Argentina (3 Points) |
| United States (3 Points) | Brazil (1 Point) | Venezuela (3 Points) | Panama (3 Points) |
| Paraguay (1 Point) | Ecuador (1 Point) | Jamaica (0 Points) | Chile (0 Points) |
| Costa Rica (1 Point) | Haiti (0 Points) | Uruguay (0 Points) | Bolivia (0 Points) |
A full schedule is available on the tournament's official website.
United States def. Costa Rica, 4-0
The United States is still alive in the 2016 Copa America following its 4-0 victory over Costa Rica. It scored three goals (Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones and Bobby Wood) in the first half and played strong defense and received a fourth (Graham Zusi) in the second.
The Americans wasted little time seizing an early lead in the can't-lose contest. Wood drew a foul on Cristian Gamboa inside the box and earned his team a penalty kick in the opening minutes. Dempsey took advantage and drilled the subsequent shot into the net's bottom-right corner for the game's opening goal at the nine-minute mark.
Paul Carr of ESPN Stats & Info said Dempsey joined Landon Donovan as the only American players to score 50 international goals, and U.S. Soccer reacted to the impressive feat:
After allowing the initial breakdown, Costa Rica had to replace Marco Urena with Alvaro Saborio in the 18th minute after Urena hurt his shoulder. Ives Galarcep of SBISoccer.com said it happened when Urena was "battling" with the United States' John Brooks, and he noted Saborio was "slower, but more physical."
The United States had another quality offensive play and nearly took a 2-0 lead after Dempsey found Gyasi Zardes on the right side, but Zardes sailed the open look high. However, Dempsey continued to create, and he hit Jones on the left side. Jones converted the opportunity into the bottom corner at the 37th minute and gave the Americans the 2-0 advantage, via Fox Soccer:
Just for good measure, Dempsey added another assist when he found Wood, who turned and connected on his shot to give the United States a commanding 3-0 lead at 42 minutes, which it took into the locker rooms at halftime. Fox Soccer shared the third goal for the Americans:
The home team sat back at times on the lead early in the second half, which gave Costa Rica some opportunities in attacking positions. Still, the United States defense was up to the task with every push, although it received some help when Celso Borges struck a clear look over the crossbar at 55 minutes.
The defense continued to hold strong throughout the middle portion of the second half, and Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com noticed a difference from the United States' loss in its first game:
With the contest well in hand, United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann subbed Graham Zusi in for Wood, Chris Wondolowski in for Dempsey and Kyle Beckerman in for Alejandro Bedoya. However, Costa Rica fared no better on the scoreboard against the subs, and Zusi added the exclamation-mark goal with his left foot in the 87th minute after he forced a turnover, via Fox Soccer:
Even with the three points on Tuesday, the Americans are far from secure in their advancement chances after losing the first game. They play Paraguay on Saturday in Philadelphia and would find themselves trailing their next opponent in the standings with a loss.
What's more, Colombia already beat the United States and was working with a three-point advantage on the Red, White and Blue coming into play Tuesday. If the Americans lose their next contest, Tuesday's blowout victory and impressive performance will ultimately be for naught.
Colombia def. Paraguay, 2-1
Colombia clinched advancement out of Group A with Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Paraguay. Carlos Bacca and James Rodriguez both scored in the first half, and the Colombia defense turned away all but one of Paraguay’s chances in the second. Victor Ayala scored in the second half for Paraguay, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Colombia’s initial surge.
Colombia broke through in the 12th minute after putting that early pressure on Paraguay’s defense. Bacca headed a beautifully placed Rodriguez cross off a corner kick, via Fox Soccer:
Colombia continued to dominate play and possession in the first half thanks largely to Rodriguez’s control of the ball in the midfield. He looked for his teammates a number of times after notching the assist on the first goal, but he took matters into his own hands in the 30th minute when he buried a loose ball into the back of the net to give his side the 2-0 lead.
It came after a scramble in the penalty box, and Jared Wade of FanSided pointed to Bacca and Edwin Cardona's group effort that led to Rodriguez’s look:
Fox Soccer shared the triumphant moment for the Colombian superstar:
Colombia was the better team in the first half and took the 2-0 advantage into the locker rooms, but Paraguay just missed on two answers. They appeared to score a goal in the 34th minute off a set piece, but it was called back for offside. What’s more, Paraguay’s Dario Lezcano had a direct kick from just outside the box in stoppage time but slammed it off the crossbar in the final play of the first half.
Paraguay parlayed that momentum into offensive pressure early in the second half. While the team didn’t score on a golden opportunity in the 62nd minute because of David Ospina's impressive save, it found the net in the 71st minute when Ayala drilled a laser from outside the box, via Fox Soccer:
There was nothing Ospina could do on that shot, and Paraguay had all the momentum on its side, especially since Colombia had an apparent third goal called back for offside just before Paraguay’s goal.
That momentum faded when Oscar Romero picked up a red card (on his second yellow) in the 81st minute, which left his side with a mere 10 players. Michael Caley of ESPN FC underscored the importance of the development when he called Romero “the nexus of Paraguay's attack.”
The match opened up in the final minutes with Paraguay playing one down and pushing numbers forward in a desperate attempt to score the equalizer, but neither side scored as Colombia clinched the 2-1 win.
While Colombia advanced with the result, Paraguay must win its next contest against the United States in order to advance. Paraguay couldn’t even afford a draw against the Americans because that would give the Red, White and Blue four points compared to its two.
Costa Rica is also still in contention with one point even though it lost to the United States in the early game Tuesday. The second team to advance out of Group A with Colombia will not be decided until Saturday’s contests.
