Fansided

Colombia def. USA 2-0: Results and highlights

By Mac Gushanas

Jun 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez (10) scores on penalty kick against the United States in the first half during the group play stage of the 2016 Copa America Centenario at Levi
Jun 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez (10) scores on penalty kick against the United States in the first half during the group play stage of the 2016 Copa America Centenario at Levi /
facebooktwitterreddit

A night to forget in North California, as Colombia takes advantage of a few chances to defeat the United States 2-0

It was hot night in Santa Clara, California, but it didn’t lead to any great play from either Colombia or the United States. Colombia got the win 2-0 over the U.S. thanks to two separate set pieces, one a well-designed free kick and the other a penalty. The Americans didn’t play too poorly, yet they’ll need to play much better for any hope of making it out of the group stages.

The first half initially started off with both countries playing tentatively with neither willing to give up the first goal. Still, Colombia and Christián Zapata struck first off of a corner kick from Edwin Cardona. Zapata was left wide open due to Geoff Cameron in the box, and put away a nice volley before Brad Guzan could react. The back four of Cameron, Deandre Yedlin, Fabian Johnson and John Brooks were starting together for the first time and, unfortunately, Cameron let them down on a simple set piece play.

The United States was resolute after going down a goal, but it wasn’t meant to be when, in the 40th minute, the referee called Yedlin for a handball in the box. It was a harsh call, although it will quell any claim that the home nation would get calls throughout the tournament. On the one hand, the handball certainly wasn’t intentional. On the other, Yedlin probably should’ve put his hand down to prevent the referee from ever having to make that call. Just minutes later, Colombia’s star and captain James Rodríguez calmly put away a penalty to make the score 2-0 right at the half.

In the second half, the United States found some more opportunities, mostly off of free kicks. However, outside of a few Clint Dempsey strikes, the Americans never came close to cutting the lead. The exciting and youthful players Darlington Nagbe and Christian Pulisic came on in the 66th minute, but they ultimately had little impact on the match. The rest of the match fizzled out with few real chances, as chants of ole rang around the stadium.

Three stars

  1. Edwin Cardona – Assisted on the opening goal with a nice cross, provided some lively play in the midfield and almost bagged a goal of his own from distance in the 51st.
  2. Christián Zapata – Found himself unmarked in the box and put away a nice volley to give Colombia an early lead.
  3. Clint Dempsey – Was the only American with a real spark, and nearly found the net several times in the second half.

Highlights

Christián Zapata’s opening goal:

James Rodríguez doubles the lead with a calm penalty:

Great save by David Ospina to deny Clint Dempsey’s free kick:

Next Game

The United States take on Costa Rica in another Group A matchup on June 7 in Chicago, IL (Soldier Field) at 8:00 PM ET. The U.S. probably has to win its final two games in group play if it wants to have a deep run in the tournament, but they’ll face a tough test in Costa Rica.

Colombia have another Group A matchup of their own, facing Paraguay on June 7 in Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl Stadium) at 10:30 PM ET. Despite not playing particularly well, Colombia should feel confident leading the group and take on Paraguay with a lot of confidence and ease. One note: James Rodríguez left the game early due to a shoulder injury, and his absence could be devastating for Colombia.

For more Copa America coverage, make sure to check out FanSided’s soccer hub page and follow @FanSidedSoccer on Twitter.

Home/Copa America