Today is the start of the Copa America Centennial Tournament. The Copa America, if I understand correctly is the oldest such continental championship competition in football and will include a total of sixteen teams this year: ten from the South American Federation, CONMEBOL and six from CONCACAF, the North/Central American and Caribbean Federation.
Here are the groups. The top to teams in each group will move on to the quarterfinals:
Group A: USA, Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay. I guess if you need to label any group a Group of Death, it would probably be this group. I expect Colombia to win the group, but the second place finisher is anyone’s guess.
Group B: Brazil, Ecuador, Haiti and Peru. Look for Brazil and Ecuador to move on, although I would love to see a surprise.
Group C: Mexico, Uruguay, Jamaica and Venezuela. Expect Mexico and Uruguay to go through.
Group D: Argentina, Chile, Panama and Bolivia. Kind of the opposite of a Group of Death, along with Group C. It will be a major upset if either Argentina and Chile fail to advance.
I will post open threads, including for today’s USA v Colombia opener at 9:30 EDT tonight.
Group play runs through June 14th.
raven
Damn west coast.
Randinho
Hey, I have to work tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. and the kickoff time here is 10:30 p.m.!
raven
@Randinho: I know, sheesh!
Baud
No channel listings?
SiubhanDuinne
This is not football, but it is sports-related: Muhammad Ali is reportedly on life support. As I’ve mentioned in this blog once or twice, I have had the privilege of meeting him a couple of times. He is a gracious and good man, and I hope you will join me in sending him healing light and warm thoughts.
Baud
@SiubhanDuinne: Damn. That’s huge news.
xenos
In other football news uefa fever is building. My friends in Metz report hundreds of kilt-wearing men working their way through the cafés. They are looking for an upset in tonight’s friendly v. France. Sounds like a fun time.
Miss Kitka's Comrade Wayne
@Baud: Univision will broadcast.
Baud
@Miss Kitka’s Comrade Wayne: Thanks.
raven
@Baud: FS1
misterpuff
Well, we’ll see how tonight goes.
If the US can get a point, we may have a chance.
I need something to root for!
Although the Cubs seem to be heating up again.
Go Warriors!
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@SiubhanDuinne:
I wish the best for him, but a good and gracious person doesn’t go around calling a man who supported him while he was suspended and argued for his reinstatement an Uncle Tom.
SiubhanDuinne
@Baud:
It is that :-(
Cacti
Question for you Randinho.
I read that Neymar won’t be playing for Brazil. Why is that?
Injury or other reason?
Amir Khalid
Is Copa America the only tournament where national sides from two confederations compete? To my iknowledge, the equivalent tournaments in Asia, Europe and Africa are all single-confederation.
@SiubhanDuinne:
I had read that he was in hospital in Phoenix, but there are conflicting reports about the seriousness of his condition: Some reports say he’s in fair condition and expected to recover, others that his family is bracing for the end.
raven
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Yea, only you have lived a perfect life.
SiubhanDuinne
@Amir Khalid:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1115950/muhammad-ali-put-life-support-condition-worsens/
Randinho
@Baud: Well, in Brazil it’s on ESPN Brazil, but in the US, I believe it’s on Fox Sports 1 and Univision.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@raven: Sorry, but the way he treated Joe Frazier was despicable. You don’t have to be perfect to realize that calling an African-American man a gorilla and an Uncle Tom is absolutely unacceptable.
SiubhanDuinne
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
I did not say he was flawless. The man I met was indeed gracious and good. I try not to stint with my good wishes and white light when someone I know, or know about, may be in distress.
SiubhanDuinne
Jeez, I’m sorry I even mentioned it.
Baud
@SiubhanDuinne: I’m glad you did. I didn’t know.
Randinho
@Cacti: He’s going to be in the Olympics for Brazil. They have never won the Gold Medal.
ThresherK
@xenos: Metz? Hey, that’s my team you’re talking about.
(No, I don’t say it much. I’m in the northeast and telling people “Not those Mets” gets old.)
Cacti
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
Yep, totally negates his public stand against the Vietnam War and refusal to be conscripted, even when it cost him the heavyweight title.
While we we’re at it, let’s start up a petition to revoke the holiday named for the man who was unfaithful to the wonderful Coretta Scott King. How could he?
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@Cacti: I’d agree if it had been a one off, but it wasn’t. Ali did the same thing before each of his three fights with Frazier, long after he knew how badly it hurt Frazier. And, again, this was a man who had gone out of his way to help Ali when he took that stand you’re proud of. So, as far as Ali being a good person, yeah, it does negate that. He didn’t respect his own stand enough to treat those who had been on his side with even the minimum of appropriate respect.
raven
Foreman on the relationship between Frazier and Ali:
“Joe Frazier is from a big family like myself. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were like two brothers. One that Muhammad Ali always teased the other brother and the other brother is like ‘Oh you teased me again I’m gonna fight you.’ These guys genuinely loved each other. They loved each other. I don’t know what Muhammad Ali is going to do once he receives that news. He loved that man. Don’t let anybody fool you. There was no hate there.”
Cacti
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
So he ruined it all by being uppity.
Okay then.
The Thin Black Duke
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: You’re an asshole. Can’t you wait before you start pissing on the man’s grave?
BillCinSD
@Amir Khalid:
Copa America typically invites a couple of non-South American squads as there are only 10 SA National Teams. Mexico has been invited every year since the current format started in 1993.
This year 6 CONCACAF (North America and Caribbean) teams were invited to make a 16 team tournament for the Centenario.
Other inter-federation tournaments are The Confederations Cup and of course the World Cup. As the other confederations have a qualifying tournament, no other confederations invite teams from other confederations
Wyrm1
@Amir Khalid:
This is a special, never to be repeated Copa with teams from 2 continents since both of the Federations turned 100 this year.
Usually CONCACAF plays the Gold Cup for their championship in odd years. South America plays the Copa America the year after the Woeld Cup. In order to fill their tournament to 12 teams they are allowed to invite 2 non South American teams (this tends to be Mexico and one other like Jamaica, Japan or the like). The US had a good run as a guest in the 1995 Copa America which will surely be referenced if we advance
dollared
Heading to Haiti-Peru tomorrow. Tickets were crazy expensive – $80/seat. But the crazies from each side will make it fun.
Seattle did not come out well in the draw: Haiti-Peru and Argentina-Chile. Hoping the quarterfinal game is at least interesting…
Randinho
@The Thin Black Duke: Let’s not get into name calling, okay? Please keep it civil.
Omnes Omnibus
@dollared: My brother and his family have four tickets to Jamaica vs Venezuela in Chicago on Sunday.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: It’s probably too late to start sucking up now. :-) And it’s pretty hard to make the case that they should ditch one of the kids for you…
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: If he had an extra ticket, it would go to my dad anyway.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: I’m sure you’ll have a great weekend anyway!
burnspbesq
@Wyrm1:
There is an excellent article on the 1995 US team on espn.com
I watched the Argentina match live. It was a complete shock as it unfolded.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: I intend to try.
SteveinSC
I would take NoDoz by the tub to stay up for this one. New U.S. team, Christian Pulisic, Nagbe, Zardes, Bobby Wood, Yedlin: “A New Hope” Pulisic could have played for Croatia, but his mom said He was BORN to play for the US national team. Maybe the greatest soccer talent the United States has ever produced. Holy Shit! Please God make it so! Outlaws, Drink til you faint. Don’t know where Jordan Morris is, though. (Otto von Klinsmann maybe gets a one way ticket back to the Fatherland if he fucks this up.)
BillCinSD
@SteveinSC: Morris is in Seattle. It’s not impossible that Klinsmann is punishing Morris for not going to Werder Bremen. It may also be that Morris is thought to need the consistent playing in MLS. I don’t know what it would take to get Sunil Gulati to fire Klinsmann. I know Gulati wanted Klinsmann when Bradley was hired. I talked to Gulati either just before or just after Bradley was hired and he was practically salivating over Klinsmann back in 2006/7. I don’t think that has really changed
SteveinSC
@BillCinSD: Alexi Lalas was just rumbling/thundering about the same thing on TV. Klinsmann has gotten a fine gift given to him in the team he is about to play. Donovan’s sword is hanging over him since he lost to Mexico and unless we/he shows well in Copa America the blade should drop. .