Fansided

Copa America, USA vs Paraguay 1-0: Full highlights, final score and more

By David Rouben

Jun 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; United States midfielder Clint Dempsey (8) celebrates with teammates after a goal against Paraguay during the first half of the group play stage of the 2016 Copa America Centenario. at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; United States midfielder Clint Dempsey (8) celebrates with teammates after a goal against Paraguay during the first half of the group play stage of the 2016 Copa America Centenario. at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Here are all the highlights from the final Copa America group stage game between the United States and Paraguay.

It wasn’t a great performance, but the USMNT did enough to squeak past Paraguay with a win in Philadelphia. They needed the full efforts of players like Clint Dempsey, Gyasi Zardes, and John Brooks to see this one through.

They finish the group stage with six points, and a goal difference of +3. That puts them level with Colombia, and could even win the group if Costa Rica wins. But all Colombia has to do to win the group is draw with Costa Rica. Their two most likely opponent in the quarterfinals are Brazil and Peru, and for USA’s sake, they’d better hope it’s Peru since they haven’t demonstrated that they can match up with a team like Brazil.

Still, two wins out of three is something positive to build on from the group stage, and no matter who they face, Jurgen Klinsmann’s men will have a lot of energy to take with them to the quarterfinals. The home crowd will certainly be an advantage, and in the sport of football, anything is possible.

Three stars

1. John Brooks – his break-up of Paraguay’s three-on-one stands out, but he was lively all throughout the game. He had a performance to remember.

2. Clint Dempsey – he scored the only goal of the game, and became the team’s leading scorer in the process. The team will need him to be at his best if they are to get past the quarterfinal stage.

3. Brad Guzan – he didn’t have to do a lot, but when you get a clean sheet, you did something good. His best effort of the game was his double save in the 80th minute.

Highlights

When Paraguay had a three-on-one, John Brooks wasn’t fazed as he made a crucial tackle to keep the game scoreless:

".@j_brooks25 with a tackle-and-a-half to thwart a Paraguay counterattack. #USAvPAR #MyCopaColors https://t.co/9NjwlecZNA— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2016"


Soon after that, it led to Clint Dempsey’s goal, as he rounded off a beautiful sequence started by Gyasi Zardes:

"Gyasi Zardes –> Clint Dempsey –> GOAL, #USMNT. #USAvPAR #MyCopaColors https://t.co/aumNF2kGgS— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2016"


The tide turned when DeAndre Yedlin received his second yellow card of the game, reducing the USMNT to 10 men:

"Another look at the two fouls that led to DeAndre Yedlin’s red card. #USAvPAR #MyCopaColors https://t.co/Ub9OxxNQS7— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 12, 2016"


Paraguay’s best chance of the second half came in the 81st minute, but Brad Guzan came up with a huge double save to preserve the clean sheet:

".@bguzan #USAvPAR #MyCopaColors https://t.co/hFku3XcFOn— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 12, 2016"


Three takeaways

  1. DeAndre Yedlin needs to stay disciplined. This is the second game where his actions have negatively impacted the USMNT – his handball in the opening game against Colombia doubled their deficit to two goals.
  2. They did enough to win, but not enough to get far enough in the knockout stages. There’s a good chance Colombia will win the group, meaning USA’s opponent will likely be Brazil. And they do not have what it takes to beat Brazil.
  3. John Brooks just solidified himself as USA’s best defender. What an incredible individual performance by him.

Next game

Depending on how Costa Rica vs. Colombia shapes out, the USMNT will either play in New Jersey (if they place second) or Seattle (if they win the group). If they win the group, their match will be on June 16 at 9:30 PM Eastern, and if they place second, it will be on June 17 at 8:00 PM Eastern.

Visit our Copa America page for more content throughout the tournament.

Home/Copa America