Argentina 2-0 Canada
Okay, I will try to say something nice about Canada: their transition defense is actually pretty good, that is their ability to go from defense to offense had Argentina on their heels early on in this match. Argentina could only probe so deep, but when they lost possession, Canada was quick to put pressure on Argentina's goalie. (Okay, done with that) But Canada couldn't score and--let's be honest: the first time Argentina got anywhere near Canada's goal, they scored. Argentina didn't dominate the match so much as they got their early lead, then just ran the clock out. The second goal wasn't even necessary, just a bonus. Kudos to Canada for getting this far, a nice deep run in a world class tourney like the Copa is a good thing (I sure wish USA, for example, had done it); but I'm not ready to anoint Canada as the next great world power of soccer. They've got nice athletes, they push the ball forward with a quickness and...well, that's about it. Good for you, you did better than us.
Uruguay 0-1 Colombia
In keeping with what the Copa has been so far, this was a very chippy match, both sides squawking and chirping from beginning to end (and, well, even beyond the end as some of the Uruguayan players went into the stands to fight with the crowd--not a good look, guys!). This was the first match where it really stood out to me that they were playing on a (American) football field rather than a proper soccer pitch (has that been the problem all along with this tourney?). Everything seemed very narrow, all the action compressed and built around running lanes instead of vast wide openness on both sides. I thought Uruguay had the best possession and generally had the better chances (though Colombia missed two wide open looks late that would've sealed the victory) but they didn't finish their best looks and they're going home.
Final
Argentina - Colombia
This is the best non-Brazil match up that could've been put together, so the Copa looks like a success. Argentina is in a groove. But they aren't necessarily great and that groove could be a rut that just hasn't been challenge by worthy competition. The man of the competition (IMHO) so far as been James Rodriguez--that guy has been great! Best team versus best single player--throw in a potato and you got yourself a stew! Looking forward to this, I expect this to be (of course) a very chippy game, curious to see how the ref comes out of the gate. Argentina is the better team but if they strut around, they will get stung. But if they score before halftime (I think they will), the 2nd half might be a rock fight for the ages. Yeah, this is gonna be a tough one, no matter how you slice it. I got Argentina, I think they're the best and they will bring it.
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