Copa America: 15 surprises so far

Jun 9, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Venezuela midfielder Tomas Rincon (8) and defender Oswaldo Vizcarrondo (4) and defender Wilker Angel (2) celebrate a victory against Uruguay in a group play stage of the 2016 Copa America Centenario at Lincoln Financial Field. Venezuela won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jun 12, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Brazil defender Gil (4) sits on the ground after missing a scoring chance during the second half of Peru /

3. Brazil goes home early

No matter who is on the roster, Brazil is expected to at least get out of the group at each and every Copa America. That wasn’t to be at the Centenario, as Brazil failed to advance to the knockout stages for the first time since 1987.

Brazil didn’t have its best squad entering the tournament, with superstar Neymar sitting out to focus on the Rio Summer Olympics in August. While much of the team was inexperienced, players like Phillipe Coutinho, Willian and Dani Alves had more than enough ability to guide Brazil on a deep tournament run.

Ecuador outplayed Brazil for much of the second half of the tournament opener in a lackluster 0-0 draw. After demolishing Haiti 7-1, all Selecao had to do was get a result against Peru to advance to the knockout stages.

However, Brazil chose to play far too conservatively and ended up losing to Peru 1-0. Yes, there was a blatant handball on Peru’s goal, but Brazil had absolutely no excuse to be in such a situation.

Going scoreless in two of three games was enough to get head coach Dunga fired as Brazil now looks to the Olympics for redemption. While the roster may not have been among Brazil’s best, there’s no doubt the Centenario was a disaster for the team.

Next: 2. Uruguay falls flat

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