Copa América Centenario Group A

Group A of the Copa América Centenario consisted of hosts United States, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Paraguay. Matches began on 3 June and ended on 11 June 2016. All times are EDT (UTC−4).

The United States and Colombia advanced to the quarter-finals.

Teams
Draw position Team Confederation Method of
qualification		 Finals
appearance		 Last
appearance		 Previous best
performance		 FIFA Rankings
December 2015[nb 1] June 2016
A1 (seed) United StatesCONCACAFHosts4th2007Fourth Place (1995)3231
A2 ColombiaCONMEBOLAutomatic qualifier21st2015Winners (2001)83
A3 Costa RicaCONCACAF2014 Copa Centroamericana champions5th2011Quarter-finals (2001 and 2004)3723
A4 ParaguayCONMEBOLAutomatic qualifier36th2015Winners (1953 and 1979)4644
Notes
  1. The rankings of December 2015 were used for seeding for the final draw, except for certain cases.

Standings
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States (H) 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Colombia 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6
3  Costa Rica 3 1 1 1 3 6 −3 4
4  Paraguay 3 0 1 2 1 3 −2 1
Source: CONMEBOL & CONCACAF
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Host.

In the quarter-finals:

  • The winner of Group A, United States, advanced to play the runner-up of Group B, Ecuador.
  • The runner-up of Group A, Colombia, advanced to play the winner of Group B, Peru.

Matches

United States vs Colombia

The two teams had met in seventeen previous encounters, the last being a friendly held in 2014 at Craven Cottage in London, a match won by Colombia 2–1.[1] Both teams had also met in two Copa América editions: the 1995 third-place match, won by Colombia 4–1, and in a group stage match in 2007, also won by Colombia, with a lone goal by Jaime Castrillón.[2]

Colombia won the match 0–2 with first-half goals scored by Cristián Zapata and James Rodríguez.[3] United States' manager Jürgen Klinsmann stated that he was "pleased" with the performance of his team, he also saw the penalty as the "major point of the game",[4] a remark to which American player Clint Dempsey agreed.[5] Colombia's manager José Pekerman recognized the competitiveness of their rivals, but commented that "we could have scored a couple more."[4]

United States 0–2 Colombia
Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF)
Attendance: 67,439[6]
Referee: Roberto García Orozco (Mexico)
United States
Colombia
GK1Brad Guzan
RB2DeAndre Yedlin
CB20Geoff Cameron
CB6John Brooks
LB23Fabian Johnson
CM11Alejandro Bedoya 57' 86'
CM4Michael Bradley (c)
CM13Jermaine Jones 66'
RF9Gyasi Zardes
CF8Clint Dempsey
LF7Bobby Wood 66'
Substitutions:
FW17Christian Pulisic 66'
MF10Darlington Nagbe 66'
MF19Graham Zusi 86'
Manager:
Jürgen Klinsmann
GK1David Ospina
RB4Santiago Arias
CB2Cristián Zapata
CB22Jeison Murillo
LB19Farid Díaz
CM13Sebastián Pérez 86'
CM16Daniel Torres
RM11Juan Guillermo Cuadrado
AM10James Rodríguez (c) 73'
LM8Edwin Cardona
CF7Carlos Bacca 88'
Substitutions:
MF5Guillermo Celis 73'
MF6Carlos Sánchez 86'
FW17Dayro Moreno 88'
Manager:
José Pékerman

Man of the Match:[7]
Cristián Zapata (Colombia)

Assistant referees:[8]
José Luis Camargo (Mexico)
Alberto Morín (Mexico)
Fourth official:[8]
Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
Fifth official:[8]
Kléber Lúcio Gil (Brazil)

Costa Rica vs Paraguay

The two teams had met in eight previous occasions, the last being a friendly in the Costa Rican national stadium in March 2015, resulting in a scoreless draw.[9] In Copa América, both teams faced once, in a 2004 group stage match, won by Paraguay with a late penalty kick goal scored by Julio dos Santos.[10]

Just as their previous friendly meeting, the game ended in a scoreless draw.[10] Costa Rican manager Óscar Ramírez commented that it was "a two-faced match" and that "I would say we have lost two points".[11] Paraguay's manager Ramón Díaz also though that his team lost two points; he was also critical of the hour chosen for the game, commenting that "I would like to take the actual protagonists, the players, in consideration".[12]

Costa Rican player Kendall Waston was shown the red card in the stoppage time after a tackle against Nelson Valdez, becoming the first player to be sent-off in the tournament.[13] Regarding the incident, Waston commented, "when I saw the red card I felt the world coming over me, because this tournament is very short and we all want to play".[14]

Costa Rica 0–0 Paraguay
Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF)
Attendance: 14,334[15]
Costa Rica
Paraguay
GK18Patrick Pemberton
CB19Kendall Waston 90+4'
CB2Johnny Acosta
CB6Óscar Duarte
RWB16Cristian Gamboa
LWB22Rónald Matarrita 49'
CM5Celso Borges
CM17Yeltsin Tejeda 1' 59'
AM10Bryan Ruiz (c) 78'
AM12Joel Campbell 67'
CF21Marco Ureña
Substitutions:
MF14Randall Azofeifa 59'
MF11Johan Venegas 67'
MF7Christian Bolaños 78'
Manager:
Óscar Ramírez
GK1Justo Villar (c)
RB5Bruno Valdez
CB3Gustavo Gómez
CB14Paulo da Silva
LB6Miguel Samudio
RM10Derlis González 83' 89'
CM16Celso Ortiz
CM23Robert Piris Da Motta
LM21Óscar Romero 70'
CF7Jorge Benítez 13' 73'
CF19Dario Lezcano
Substitutions:
FW11Édgar Benítez 70'
FW18Nelson Valdez 79' 73'
FW15Juan Iturbe 89'
Manager:
Ramón Díaz

Man of the Match:[16]
Gustavo Gómez (Paraguay)

Assistant referees:[8]
Ezequiel Brailovsky (Argentina)
Ariel Scime (Argentina)
Fourth official:[8]
Yadel Martínez (Cuba)
Fifth official:[8]
Gustavo Rossi (Argentina)

United States vs Costa Rica

The two teams had met in thirty-three previous occasions, the last being a friendly held at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, won by the Costa Rican side with a lone goal by Joel Campbell. This marked the first time both teams faced each other in a competitive match outside of CONCACAF official competitions. Before the match, the President of the United States Soccer Federarion (USSF) Sunil Gulati was interviewed on the status of USA manager Jurgen Klinsmann, saying, "Results are what matter. Everyone understands that. Results of the last 18 months, overall, haven't been what we would have hoped for. Especially in the official competitions." Many pundits took this to mean that Klinsmann's job was in jeopardy.

The United States got off to a flying start, with Bobby Wood drawing a penalty in the 9th minute that was converted by Clint Dempsey. Two other first half goals were scored by Wood and Jermaine Jones, and the scoring was finished by Graham Zusi late in the 2nd half. Zusi's goal would prove crucial in the long run, with the United States going on to win the group on goal difference.

United States 4–0 Costa Rica
 Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF)
Attendance: 39,642[17]
United States
Costa Rica
GK1Brad Guzan
RB2DeAndre Yedlin
CB20Geoff Cameron
CB6John Brooks 81'
LB23Fabian Johnson 44'
CM11Alejandro Bedoya 83'
CM4Michael Bradley (c)
CM13Jermaine Jones
RW9Gyasi Zardes
CF8Clint Dempsey 78'
LW7Bobby Wood 70'
Substitutions:
MF19Graham Zusi 70'
FW18Chris Wondolowski 78'
MF15Kyle Beckerman 83'
Manager:
Jürgen Klinsmann
GK18Patrick Pemberton
CB6Óscar Duarte
CB2Johnny Acosta
CB3Francisco Calvo
RWB16Cristian Gamboa 46'
LWB22Rónald Matarrita
DM5Celso Borges
RM7Christian Bolaños
AM10Bryan Ruiz (c)
LM12Joel Campbell 46'
CF21Marco Ureña 18'
Substitutions:
FW9Álvaro Saborío 18'
DF15José Salvatierra 46'
MF14Randall Azofeifa 46'
Manager:
Óscar Ramírez

Man of the Match:[18]
Jermaine Jones (United States)

Assistant referees:[8]
Byron Romero (Ecuador)
Luis Vera (Ecuador)
Fourth official:[8]
Jhon Pitti (Panama)
Fifth official:[8]
Gabriel Victoria (Panama)

Colombia vs Paraguay

The two teams had met in forty-two previous occasions, the last being a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match held in Asunción, which the Colombian side won 2–1. In Copa América editions, they had not faced each other since a 2007 Copa América group stage match, won by Paraguay 5–0.

Colombia 2–1 Paraguay
 Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF)
Attendance: 42,766[19]
Referee: Héber Lopes (Brazil)
Colombia
Paraguay
GK1David Ospina
RB4Santiago Arias
CB2Cristián Zapata 90'
CB22Jeison Murillo 45+4'
LB19Farid Díaz
CM13Sebastián Pérez 58'
CM16Daniel Torres
RM11Juan Guillermo Cuadrado 87'
AM10James Rodríguez (c)
LM8Edwin Cardona
CF7Carlos Bacca
Substitutions:
MF5Guillermo Celis 58'
FW21Marlos Moreno 87'
DF3Yerry Mina 90'
Manager:
José Pékerman
GK1Justo Villar (c)
RB5Bruno Valdez
CB3Gustavo Gómez
CB14Paulo da Silva
LB6Miguel Samudio
RM21Óscar Romero 79'  81'
CM23Robert Piris Da Motta 46'
CM16Celso Ortiz
LM17Miguel Almirón
CF11Édgar Benítez 46'
CF19Dario Lezcano 63' 67'
Substitutions:
DF20Víctor Ayala 46'
FW7Jorge Benítez 46'
FW9Antonio Sanabria 67'
Manager:
Ramón Díaz

Man of the Match:[20]
James Rodríguez (Colombia)

Assistant referees:[8]
Kléber Lúcio Gil (Brazil)
Bruno Boschilia (Brazil)
Fourth official:[8]
Julio Bascuñán (Chile)
Fifth official:[8]
Christian Schiemann (Chile)

United States vs Paraguay

The two teams had met in six previous occasions, the last being a friendly held at LP Field in 2011, won by Paraguay with a lone goal by Óscar Cardozo. In Copa América, they have faced once, a Paraguayan 3–1 victory in a 2007 group stage match. USA scored first, once again from Clint Dempsey on a cross from Gyasi Zardes. It would be the only goal of the game, but USA would not win without difficulty.

Early in the second half, DeAndre Yedlin was sent off following two yellow cards in quick succession, giving Paraguay a man advantage for almost 40 minutes. However, the United States defence held firm, mostly due to the efforts of John Brooks and Geoff Cameron. Following a shock victory by Costa Rica over Colombia, the United States ended up winning Group A.

United States 1–0 Paraguay
 Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF)
Attendance: 51,041[21]
United States
Paraguay
GK1Brad Guzan
RB2DeAndre Yedlin 46'  47'
CB20Geoff Cameron
CB6John Brooks
LB23Fabian Johnson
CM11Alejandro Bedoya 74'
CM4Michael Bradley (c) 58'
CM13Jermaine Jones 87'
RW9Gyasi Zardes
CF8Clint Dempsey 49'
LW7Bobby Wood 71' 85'
Substitutions:
DF14Michael Orozco 78' 49'
MF19Graham Zusi 74'
MF15Kyle Beckerman 85'
Manager:
Jürgen Klinsmann
GK1Justo Villar (c)
RB14Paulo da Silva
CB3Gustavo Gómez
CB2Fabián Balbuena 45'
LB6Miguel Samudio
RM10Derlis González
CM20Víctor Ayala 81'
CM16Celso Ortiz 12' 54'
LM17Miguel Almirón
CF9Antonio Sanabria 62'
CF19Dario Lezcano
Substitutions:
FW15Juan Iturbe 45'
MF8Juan Rodrigo Rojas 70' 54'
FW7Jorge Benítez 62'
Manager:
Ramón Díaz

Man of the Match:[22]
John Brooks (United States)

Assistant referees:[8]
Carlos Astroza (Chile)
Christian Schiemann (Chile)
Fourth official:[8]
Jhon Pitti (Panama)
Fifth official:[8]
Gabriel Victoria (Panama)

Colombia vs Costa Rica

The two teams had met in eleven previous occasions, the last being a friendly held at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona in Buenos Aires in 2015, won by Colombia with a lone goal by Radamel Falcao. In Copa América, they have faced three times, with Colombia emerging victorious in every single occasion, including the last in 2011, with a goal scored by Adrián Ramos.

Colombia 2–3 Costa Rica
 Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF)
Attendance: 45,808[23]
Colombia
Costa Rica
GK12Róbinson Zapata
RB15Stefan Medina
CB14Felipe Aguilar 66'
CB3Yerry Mina
LB18Frank Fabra
CM5Guillermo Celis
CM6Carlos Sánchez (c)
CM13Sebastián Pérez 46'
RW17Dayro Moreno 46'
CF9Roger Martínez 41'
LW21Marlos Moreno
Substitutions:
MF8Edwin Cardona 46'
MF10James Rodríguez 46'
MF11Juan Guillermo Cuadrado 66'
Manager:
José Pékerman
GK18Patrick Pemberton 83'
CB19Kendall Waston 87'
CB2Johnny Acosta
CB3Francisco Calvo
RWB15José Salvatierra 46'
LWB22Rónald Matarrita
CM14Randall Azofeifa 44'
CM5Celso Borges 77'
RW7Christian Bolaños
LW10Bryan Ruiz (c) 78'
CF11Johan Venegas
Substitutions:
DF8Bryan Oviedo 46'
MF17Yeltsin Tejeda 77'
FW12Joel Campbell 90+2' 78'
Manager:
Óscar Ramírez

Man of the Match:[24]
Celso Borges (Costa Rica)

Assistant referees:[8]
Luis Sánchez (Venezuela)
Luis Murillo (Venezuela)
Fourth official:[8]
Daniel Fedorczuk (Uruguay)
Fifth official:[8]
Christian Ramírez (Honduras)

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References
  1. Burns, John (14 November 2014). "Amid Little Fanfare, Americans Lose in London". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  2. "U.S. Falls to Colombia, 1-0, in the Group C Final at Copa America 2007 in Venezuela". USSoccer.com. United States Soccer Federation. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  3. Lutz, Tom (4 June 2016). "USA beaten in Copa América opener as classy Colombia show them the way". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  4. Godfrey, John (4 June 2016). "Is Jurgen Klinsmann in Denial Over Colombia Loss?". American Soccer Now. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  5. Keh, Andrew (4 June 2016). "Jurgen Klinsmann Brushes Off Opening Loss for U.S. Team in Copa América". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  6. "Colombia opens the Copa America Centenario with win over the US". CONMEBOL. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  7. "Match 1 : USA vs Colombia". Copa América Centenario. 3 June 2016. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  8. "Referee Assignments for Copa America Centenario Matches". Copa América Centenario. 3 June 2016. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  9. Altamirano, Patricio (26 March 2015). "Selección de Costa Rica fue pura entrega en deslucido empate ante Paraguay". La Nación. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  10. "Costa Rica empató 0-0 ante Paraguay en Orlando por Copa América". El Comercio. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  11. "Óscar Ramírez cree que Costa Rica perdió dos puntos con Paraguay". Marca (in Spanish). 5 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  12. "Ramon Díaz, contra la prensa paraguaya: "Con mi experiencia sé cómo hay que llevar a los jóvenes"". La Nación (in Spanish). 4 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  13. "VIDEO: Kendall Waston, el primer expulsado de la Copa América Centenario". Diario Diez (in Spanish). 4 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  14. Zárate Sánchez, Andrés (6 June 2016). "Tarjeta roja no deja dormir a Waston". Diario Extra (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  15. "Costa Rica, Paraguay draw 0–0 in Copa America; Waston sent off". Sports Illustrated. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  16. "Match 2 : Costa Rica vs Paraguay". Copa América Centenario. 4 June 2016. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  17. "Back from the brink: USA 4 Costa Rica 0". CONMEBOL. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  18. "Match 9 : United States vs Costa Rica". Copa América Centenario. 7 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  19. "Colombia defeats Paraguay, first to qualify". CONMEBOL. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  20. "Match 10 : Colombia vs Paraguay". Copa América Centenario. 7 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  21. Narducci, Marc (11 June 2016). "United States beats Paraguay 1-0 at Linc to advance in Copa America". Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  22. "Match 17 : United States vs Paraguay". Copa América Centenario. 11 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  23. "Pékerman jugó con fuego y Colombia se quemó" [Pékerman played with fire and Colombia got burned] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  24. "Match 18 : Colombia vs Costa Rica". Copa América Centenario. 11 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
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