Copa America Final

Argentina 0-0 Chile (Chile wins 4-2 on PKs)
The first half was all over the place; the second half was sedate. Overtime went back to being kinda crazy but wound down to not much. The story of the 1st half was the ref: started tossing around cards like a blackjack dealer and made it all about himself. I thought he was doing pretty good until the first red card: a second yellow is a harsh punishment for that play, there really wasn't anywhere for the defender to go, it was a foul but I didn't think a card was necessary. I didn't think Messi's yellow card for flopping in the box was necessary, the ball went out of bounds for a goal kick, no foul, just move on. Yeah, Messi fell over and he embellished but I think he genuinely and, yeah, he was trying to get a call, so what? Thought that card really just made for some bad blood. And the next red card may have looked ugly from his vantage point and it was a foul, but on the replay the contact was not that bad. Most of the ugliness of the forward going down was his foot getting caught underneath himself, which made for an awkward fall. I understand that maybe the ref thought it looked worse than it was but I'm not sure a straight red was necessary. By halftime both teams were down to 10 men and the locker rooms must've been pretty gloomy because both teams came out determined to not foul in the second half. Seems like this should've worked in Argentina's favor (more room for Messi to get loose) but I thought it worked for Chile (less aggressive defense meant they held possession more confidently than before).

Both teams played hard, my man. And in the end it probably ended the way it should have. A lot was made of Messi (and probably Mascherano, Aguero, Higuain and Biglia) retiring from international play after a 'devastating loss'. But I suspect they were all retiring anyway, win or lose. If they do all retire (and they might change their minds), it means none of them ever won anyting in Argentine uniforms, which is kind of amazing to imagine. So much brilliance and never did take home a trophy? Wow. (Kind of humbling to us USA fans that keep wondering if winning a World Cup in our lifetimes is even possible. Dude if Messi didn't win one...I mean...shit)


USA 0-1 Colombia
Would've been nice for USA to get a win but this was definitely a better game than that brutal loss to Argentina or the disappointing showing against Colombia in group play. I'd have preferred a win but this was a hard fought contest and I'm pleased with USA's effort. Colombia's goal was a nice piece of teamwork, caught USA off guard, a professional piece of finishing, nothing for USA fans to get too pissed about. The worisome part for me was USA's inability to get a good shot, it reminded me of some of those 1990's USA teams: decently confident possessing the ball but once we get into the box there was still no hope of scoring. Oh well.

Howard, Beslor, Cameron, Orozco, Yedlin were the defensive starters. Thought Howard looked really good, though his time with USA is probably coming to a close, he's one of the best we ever had and if he wants to stick around (behind Guzan), I'd be more than happy to keep him, still moves like a cat, great instincts, as long as he still wants to play, I suspect he'll be around. Beslor stepped in for Brooks and handled himself just fine. (Personally I still favor a 3-6-1 lineup, with Beslor alongside Brooks and Cameron in the back; just my personal opinion) Cameron, along with Brooks and Guzan, really gave me hope for USA's future, thought they made a great team in front of the goal. Orozco seemed to be getting beat as all of Colombia's 1st half pressure came up his side, but I just think that's the way he plays: he sags so that other can go forward and if gets lopsided, no matter, its gotta go somewhere. He had a really lame red card (though the ref is to blame for the time wasted) but I generally thought he was solid. Yedlin did not have a great tournament and I'm still waiting to see some development in his game. He's got a ton of speed but if he gets beat in the back and has no skill in the front, then who cares how fast he is? I'm not ready to give up on him but I am ready to start thinking about giving up on him.

Jones, Bradley, Bedoya, Zardes started in the midfield. I get that Jones and Bradley have veteran smarts and when then opportunity arises they move with more confidence than anyone else on the squad, but it just looks to me like their presence will bring a steady decline in the opportunities. Jones is still pretty good with the ball but off the ball he always looks 3-4 steps away from where he ought to be. And Bradley needs to be the force that turns defense into offense and yet too often he gets dispossessed, makes a bad pass and just slumps the ball backward. Personally, I'm ready for both of those guys to go. I thought Bedoya had a really good tournament and I hope he's firmly in the starting lineup going forward. Zardes works hard and that is appreciated but his touch is heavy and his decision making is not very mature. He's capable of making plays in 2018 but if he doesn't, it may look like time wasted.

Dempsey, Wood started up front. The more I see of Wood the more I like him. He's a bit bratty with the refs, which is not endearing, but he works hard and occasionally his efforts really pay off. I'm in on Wood (hope that Altidor can be a worthwhile mate for him up front). I wonder about Dempsey: I still like his veteran presence but his pace and his hubris limit his potential. I can live with him being there through 2018 but I'd like to see some other candidates throughout the qualifying period.

Pulisic, Nagbe came off the bench. I thought Nagbe should've started and I still think that. Granted, I'm less of a fan of Jones and Bradley than everyone else apparently, but I'm ready for Nagbe to be the guy. I think he's got good skill and pace but he needs the reps to be useful as a playmaker and it feels like Jones is in the way of his development. I don't mind using Pulisic as a spark plug off the bench but I can't help thinking that 90 minutes is the way to go for him. I'd like to see him paired in the center mid with Nagbe, let them work off each other to make plays for everyone else. I don't want to lose Dempsey though, so perhaps push Pulisic out wide and let him attack with speed (either supplanting Zardes on one side or Yedlin on the other).

Brooks and Johnson didn't play due to injury; Guzan was given the night off. I thought Brooks was one of the best players USA had this tourney and I look forward to him being a rock on the backline through the next World Cup. Johnson was fine, not sure what his role was but I liked his effort and his skill. I think he'll be in the starting lineup in 2018. I like Guzan, thought he played in this tournament and I think this is his team now. I thought playing Howard in the final game was a lovely sendoff to one of the best players USA has ever produced (though if he wants to stick around as a backup, that'd be fine with me).

I think my ideal USA team for qualifying would be a 3-5-2 with this lineup: Goalie (Guzan); Defenders (Brooks, Cameron, Beslor); Midfield (Johnson, Pulisic, Dempsey, Nagbe, Bedoya); Forward (Altidor, Wood). With Howard, Orozco, Beckerman, Yedlin, Bradley, Jones, Zardes, Miazga off the bench. Still need some skill and speed up front, not sure who steps up for USA. We'll see.