Team USA’s run for the Copa America Centenario crown came to an abrupt halt Tuesday, dropping a 4-0 loss to Lionel Messi and Argentina. They now face another tough draw in the third-place game, a rematch against Colombia. The USMNT lost their group stage match against the Colombians 2-0
However, the South American contingent has lost a step recently, losing to Costa Rica 3-2 in the final group stage game, needing a penalty shootout against Peru in the quarterfinals and losing 2-0 to Chile in the semifinals.
It’s going to be one hell of a showdown between hosts USA and their Colombian opponents. Read on for everything you’ll need to know heading into Saturday’s showdown.
Cash In on the Best Online Sportsbook Offers Now at TopBet!
Expect USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann to spice up his starting XI in USA’s third-place match against Colombia on Saturday. He may opt to install young guns Darlington Nagbe and Christian Pulisic in the starting XI to give the team some firepower. While the two are relatively inexperienced, they could give the team some of their youthful spunk and fresh legs needed to net a goal.
The Americans have met expectations in their run in Copa America Centenario. They beat those they should’ve beaten such as Paraguay, Costa Rica and Ecuador and lost to talent-rich squads Colombia and Argentina. Now it’s time to see if Klinsmann could find the perfect starting lineup to shake things up against a more-talented side.
Having Nagbe and Pulisic on the pitch to start the match should help create more space for more experienced players such as Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey to attempt goals. Dempsey is the only American with more than one goal in the tournament. Jones, along with Bobby Wood, Gyasi Zardes and Graham Zusi, has one of his own.
Colombia looked like an overwhelming side early in the group stage with wins over USA and Paraguay. But they’ve been unspectacular since with a loss to Costa Rica, a penalty shootout victory against Peru and a 2-0 loss to Chile in the semifinals.
Midfielder James Rodriguez has been quiet for his Los Cafeteros after his solid two-match start. He hasn’t scored since then. The midfielder was excellent against USA as he was all over the pitch and scored a penalty in the 42nd minute of the match. Cristian Zapata opened the scoring against the host nation just eight minutes in.
Expect Los Cafeteros to dominate USA once again, considering their stellar history against the USMNT. Colombia are 12-3-3 against USA in head-to-head competition, most recently winning four of the past six matches.
