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 June 3 and ended on June 11, 2016. All times are EDT (UTC−4).

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

## Teams

[edit]

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 States | CONCACAF | Hosts | 4th | 2007 | Fourth Place (1995) | 32 | 31
A2 |  Colombia | CONMEBOL | Automatic qualifier | 21st | 2015 | Winners (2001) | 8 | 3
A3 |  Costa Rica | CONCACAF | 2014 Copa Centroamericana champions | 5th | 2011 | Quarter-finals (2001 and 2004) | 37 | 23
A4 |  Paraguay | CONMEBOL | Automatic qualifier | 36th | 2015 | Winners (1953 and 1979) | 46 | 44

Notes

1. ^ The rankings of December 2015 were used for seeding for the final draw, except for certain cases.

## Standings

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| 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) Hosts

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

[edit]

### United States vs Colombia

[edit]

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]

June 3, 2016 (2016-06-03)

9:30 p.m.

United States | 0–2|  Colombia

|
|

| Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF) |

* C. Zapata 8'
* Rodríguez 42' (pen.)

Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Attendance: 67,439[6]

Referee: Roberto García (Mexico)

United States

Colombia

|

|  |

|

GK | 1 | Brad Guzan
RB | 2 | DeAndre Yedlin
CB | 20 | Geoff Cameron
CB | 6 | John Brooks
LB | 23 | Fabian Johnson
CM | 11 | Alejandro Bedoya |  57' |  86'
CM | 4 | Michael Bradley (c)
CM | 13 | Jermaine Jones |  |  66'
RF | 9 | Gyasi Zardes
CF | 8 | Clint Dempsey
LF | 7 | Bobby Wood |  |  66'
Substitutions:
FW | 17 | Christian Pulisic |  |  66'
MF | 10 | Darlington Nagbe |  |  66'
MF | 19 | Graham Zusi |  |  86'
Manager:
Jürgen Klinsmann
|  |  |

|

GK | 1 | David Ospina
RB | 4 | Santiago Arias
CB | 2 | Cristián Zapata
CB | 22 | Jeison Murillo
LB | 19 | Farid Díaz
CM | 13 | Sebastián Pérez |  |  86'
CM | 16 | Dani Torres
RM | 11 | Juan Cuadrado
AM | 10 | James Rodríguez (c) |  |  73'
LM | 8 | Edwin Cardona
CF | 7 | Carlos Bacca |  |  88'
Substitutions:
MF | 5 | Guillermo Celis |  |  73'
MF | 6 | Carlos Sánchez |  |  86'
FW | 17 | Dayro 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

[edit]

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]

June 4, 2016 (2016-06-04)

5:00 p.m.

Costa Rica | 0–0|  Paraguay

|
|

| Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF) |

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

Attendance: 14,334[15]

Referee: Patricio Loustau (Argentina)

Costa Rica

Paraguay

|

|  |

|

GK | 18 | Patrick Pemberton
CB | 19 | Kendall Waston |  90+4'
CB | 2 | Jhonny Acosta
CB | 6 | Óscar Duarte
RWB | 16 | Cristian Gamboa
LWB | 22 | Rónald Matarrita |  49'
CM | 5 | Celso Borges
CM | 17 | Yeltsin Tejeda |  1' |  59'
AM | 10 | Bryan Ruiz (c) |  |  78'
AM | 12 | Joel Campbell |  |  67'
CF | 21 | Marco Ureña
Substitutions:
MF | 14 | Randall Azofeifa |  |  59'
MF | 11 | Johan Venegas |  |  67'
MF | 7 | Christian Bolaños |  |  78'
Manager:
Óscar Ramírez
|  |  |

|

GK | 1 | Justo Villar (c)
RB | 5 | Bruno Valdez
CB | 3 | Gustavo Gómez
CB | 14 | Paulo da Silva
LB | 6 | Miguel Samudio
RM | 10 | Derlis González |  83' |  89'
CM | 16 | Celso Ortiz
CM | 23 | Robert Piris Da Motta
LM | 21 | Óscar Romero |  |  70'
CF | 7 | Jorge Benítez |  13' |  73'
CF | 19 | Dario Lezcano
Substitutions:
FW | 11 | Édgar Benítez |  |  70'
FW | 18 | Nelson Valdez |  79' |  73'
FW | 15 | Juan 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

[edit]

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 U.S. 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.

June 7, 2016 (2016-06-07)

8:00 p.m.

United States | 4–0|  Costa Rica

|
|

* Dempsey 9' (pen.)
* Jones 37'
* Wood 42'
* Zusi 87'

| Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF) |

Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Attendance: 39,642[17]

Referee: Roddy Zambrano (Ecuador)

United States

Costa Rica

|

|  |

|

GK | 1 | Brad Guzan
RB | 2 | DeAndre Yedlin
CB | 20 | Geoff Cameron
CB | 6 | John Brooks |  81'
LB | 23 | Fabian Johnson |  44'
CM | 11 | Alejandro Bedoya |  |  83'
CM | 4 | Michael Bradley (c)
CM | 13 | Jermaine Jones
RF | 9 | Gyasi Zardes
CF | 8 | Clint Dempsey |  |  78'
LF | 7 | Bobby Wood |  |  70'
Substitutions:
MF | 19 | Graham Zusi |  |  70'
FW | 18 | Chris Wondolowski |  |  78'
MF | 15 | Kyle Beckerman |  |  83'
Manager:
Jürgen Klinsmann
|  |  |

|

GK | 18 | Patrick Pemberton
CB | 6 | Óscar Duarte
CB | 2 | Jhonny Acosta
CB | 3 | Francisco Calvo
RWB | 16 | Cristian Gamboa |  |  46'
LWB | 22 | Rónald Matarrita
DM | 5 | Celso Borges
RM | 7 | Christian Bolaños
LM | 12 | Joel Campbell |  |  46'
AM | 10 | Bryan Ruiz (c)
CF | 21 | Marco Ureña |  |  18'
Substitutions:
FW | 9 | Álvaro Saborío |  |  18'
DF | 15 | José Salvatierra |  |  46'
MF | 14 | Randall 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]
John Pitti (Panama)
Fifth official:[8]
Gabriel Victoria (Panama)

### Colombia vs Paraguay

[edit]

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.

June 7, 2016 (2016-06-07)

10:30 p.m.

Colombia | 2–1|  Paraguay

|
|

* Bacca 12'
* Rodríguez 30'

| Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF) |

* Ayala 71'

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

Attendance: 42,766[19]

Referee: Héber Lopes (Brazil)

Colombia

Paraguay

|

|  |

|

GK | 1 | David Ospina
RB | 4 | Santiago Arias
CB | 2 | Cristián Zapata |  |  90'
CB | 22 | Jeison Murillo |  45+4'
LB | 19 | Farid Díaz
CM | 13 | Sebastián Pérez |  |  58'
CM | 16 | Dani Torres
RM | 11 | Juan Cuadrado |  |  87'
AM | 10 | James Rodríguez (c)
LM | 8 | Edwin Cardona
CF | 7 | Carlos Bacca
Substitutions:
MF | 5 | Guillermo Celis |  |  58'
FW | 21 | Marlos Moreno |  |  87'
DF | 3 | Yerry Mina |  |  90'
Manager:
José Pékerman
|  |  |

|

GK | 1 | Justo Villar (c)
RB | 5 | Bruno Valdez
CB | 3 | Gustavo Gómez
CB | 14 | Paulo da Silva
LB | 6 | Miguel Samudio
RM | 21 | Óscar Romero |  79' 81'
CM | 23 | Robert Piris Da Motta |  |  46'
CM | 16 | Celso Ortiz
LM | 17 | Miguel Almirón
CF | 11 | Édgar Benítez |  |  46'
CF | 19 | Dario Lezcano |  63' |  67'
Substitutions:
DF | 20 | Víctor Ayala |  |  46'
FW | 7 | Jorge Benítez |  |  46'
FW | 9 | Antonio 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

[edit]

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. U.S. scored first, once again from Clint Dempsey on a cross from Gyasi Zardes. It would be the only goal of the game, but U.S. 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 defense 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.

June 11, 2016 (2016-06-11)

7:00 p.m.

United States | 1–0|  Paraguay

|
|

* Dempsey 27'

| Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF) |

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Attendance: 51,041[21]

Referee: Julio Bascuñán (Chile)

United States

Paraguay

|

|  |

|

GK | 1 | Brad Guzan
RB | 2 | DeAndre Yedlin |  46' 47'
CB | 20 | Geoff Cameron
CB | 6 | John Brooks |
LB | 23 | Fabian Johnson |
CM | 11 | Alejandro Bedoya |  |  74'
CM | 4 | Michael Bradley (c) |  58'
CM | 13 | Jermaine Jones |  87'
RW | 9 | Gyasi Zardes
CF | 8 | Clint Dempsey |  |  49'
LW | 7 | Bobby Wood |  71' |  85'
Substitutions:
DF | 14 | Michael Orozco |  78' |  49'
MF | 19 | Graham Zusi |  |  74'
MF | 15 | Kyle Beckerman |  |  85'
Manager:
Jürgen Klinsmann
|  |  |

|

GK | 1 | Justo Villar (c)
RB | 14 | Paulo da Silva
CB | 3 | Gustavo Gómez
CB | 2 | Fabián Balbuena |  |  45'
LB | 6 | Miguel Samudio
RM | 10 | Derlis González
CM | 20 | Víctor Ayala |  81'
CM | 16 | Celso Ortiz |  12' |  54'
LM | 17 | Miguel Almirón
CF | 9 | Antonio Sanabria |  |  62'
CF | 19 | Dario Lezcano
Substitutions:
FW | 15 | Juan Iturbe |  |  45'
MF | 8 | Juan Rodrigo Rojas |  70' |  54'
FW | 7 | Jorge 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]
John Pitti (Panama)
Fifth official:[8]
Gabriel Victoria (Panama)

### Colombia vs Costa Rica

[edit]

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.

June 11, 2016 (2016-06-11)

9:00 p.m.

Colombia | 2–3|  Costa Rica

|
|

* Fabra 6'
* M. Moreno 73'

| Report (CONMEBOL)
Report (CONCACAF) |

* Venegas 2'
* Fabra 34' (o.g.)
* Borges 58'

NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Attendance: 45,808[23]

Referee: José Argote (Venezuela)

Colombia

Costa Rica

|

|  |

|

GK | 12 | Róbinson Zapata
RB | 15 | Stefan Medina
CB | 14 | Felipe Aguilar |  |  66'
CB | 3 | Yerry Mina
LB | 18 | Frank Fabra
CM | 5 | Guillermo Celis
CM | 6 | Carlos Sánchez (c)
CM | 13 | Sebastián Pérez |  |  46'
RF | 17 | Dayro Moreno |  |  46'
CF | 9 | Roger Martínez |  41'
LF | 21 | Marlos Moreno
Substitutions:
MF | 8 | Edwin Cardona |  |  46'
MF | 10 | James Rodríguez |  |  46'
MF | 11 | Juan Cuadrado |  |  66'
Manager:
José Pékerman
|  |  |

|

GK | 18 | Patrick Pemberton |  83'
CB | 19 | Kendall Waston |  87'
CB | 2 | Jhonny Acosta
CB | 3 | Francisco Calvo
RWB | 15 | José Salvatierra |  |  46'
LWB | 22 | Rónald Matarrita
CM | 14 | Randall Azofeifa |  44'
CM | 5 | Celso Borges |  |  77'
RW | 7 | Christian Bolaños
LW | 10 | Bryan Ruiz (c) |  |  78'
CF | 11 | Johan Venegas
Substitutions:
DF | 8 | Bryan Oviedo |  |  46'
MF | 17 | Yeltsin Tejeda |  |  77'
FW | 12 | Joel 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)

## References

[edit]

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

## External links

[edit]

* CONCACAF standings

* v
* t
* e

Copa América Centenario

Stages|

* Group stage
* Group A
* Group B
* Group C
* Group D
* Knockout stage
* Final

Qualification|

* 2014 Caribbean Cup
* qualification
* 2014 Copa Centroamericana
* 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
* qualification playoff
* Qualifying play-offs

General information|

* Squads
* Statistics

*[Pos]: Position
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points