Jurgen Klinsmann finds himself under a degree of pressure heading into this summer’s tournament, with the United States stumbling in World Cup qualifying – Guatemala recorded their first ever victory over the Americans earlier this year – and crashing out of the Gold Cup on home soil in the semi-finals in 2015. The United States have generally been unconvincing since their positive performance at the World Cup in Brazil two years ago, and underachievement in the Copa could be fatal for manager Klinsmann, who has been in charge of the country since 2011.
Reaching the last four seems to be the target for the United States, but that objective looks like it could be a difficult one to attain; Costa Rica, Paraguay and Colombia are tough group stage opponents, and it would not be too much of a surprise to see the hosts fall at the first hurdle despite the lift that playing in front of their own fans should give them. An opening meeting with Jose Pekerman’s men could put them on the back foot after the first 90 minutes of action, although on the flip side a positive result would give a huge boost to American self-belief and confidence.
Colombia, meanwhile, are also out to make amends for a disappointing couple of years since their strong showing at the 2014 World Cup. Only one match was won at the conventional Copa in Chile last summer, when Colombia exited in the first knockout round, while they have had a mixed start on the road to Russia 2018, beating Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru but losing to Argentina and Uruguay. This is certainly a transitional period for Colombia – that fact is evidenced by Pekerman’s squad selection, with numerous youngsters called up and the majority of senior attacking players left out – but they still have enough strength throughout the side to be able to progress to the latter rounds of the competition.
The United States will probably come roaring out of the traps at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, and Colombia will have to be prepared to weather the hosts’ early storm. Once the game settles down, though, it is difficult to look past the South American nation picking up the first victory of the Copa America Centenario, with the surprisingly long odds available on a 3-1 triumph making that particular wager a tempting proposition.
In terms of potential goalscorers, Colombia’s Carlos Bacca looks to be the pick of the bunch. The Milan centre-forward is one of the only senior strikers to have been included in the squad, and the fact that he is always looking to play on the shoulder of the last defender and run in behind the opposition’s backline means he should be in a good position to convert any chances that come his way. For the United States, 23-year-old Union Berlin marksman Bobby Wood could be the best option.
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