When playing with house money...

The United State men’s national soccer team has a tremendous opportunity Tuesday night to shock the world and revive the confidence of the soccer fans in this country. Argentina await in a Copa America Centenario semifinal match.

In the Copa America Centenario so far, the U.S. has been, in my opinion, quite impressive. Right now, the Yanks ride a three-game win streak, won Group A and met the somewhat lofty, but realistic expectations, of making the semifinals. The team is on a high, and it’s been a great display of goal scoring, seven in three games, that has got them here.

The U.S. attack has been sprung because of a stalwart defense that has allowed only three goals all tournament. That should give U.S. supporters confidence. Yes, Argentina are extremely talented offensively, but the back four of the U.S. has been able to handle very talented opponents so far.
There is no reason to not attack in this game, but the Yanks must also be prudent and solid defensively. The last thing we need to see is a result similar to Mexico’s against Chile or Brazil’s against Germany.

To be fair, the U.S. could play a phenomenal match and still lose 3-0 because of that guy named Lionel Messi. However, a disciplined and efficient USMNT could easily find themselves in the final.

The problem now is the loss of three players who drove the U.S. attack due to suspension. Bobby Wood’s great driving runs from the wings cannot be replaced by any player on the U.S. roster. Alejandro Bedoya’s clean defensive work and quick transitions will be missed, but the biggest loss will be Jermaine Jones. His box-to-box work is the type of player the U.S. has needed in every match it’s played under Klinsmann.

But there are players in this U.S. squad who can fill in and minimize the Argentine attack. Di Maria will most likely not start, which gives the U.S. time to utilize not as occupied wingers. The center back pairing of Geoff Cameron and John Brooks need to prove their play this far is the standard with a strong handling of Higuain and Messi.

A high-class defensive performance could lead to numerous counter-attacking opportunities. The U.S. has been at its best when stymieing opponents’ attacks and then smartly passing the ball through the midfield and to cutting forwards.

The U.S. will have its chances, but the key is to minimize the chances Argentina will have in the box. Keep La Albiceleste out of your penalty area and you have a chance.

For the U.S., it is silly to expect to be able to win by defending the whole time. Even if the teams finish regulation tied, it's reasonable that Argentina would be victorious in a penalty shootout. So why not go out and try to be aggressive on the counter-attack?

The U.S. is playing with house money at this point. And when you play with house money, you go all-in.

Making the combined Copa America a permanent thing

Just before the U.S. men’s national soccer team played its second Group A match in the Copa America Centenary, a lot of the soccer sites, blogs and message boards I follow were stirring with the rumor that this combined Copa America might be a permanent—or at least recurring—thing and that it would be held in the United States for the succeeding renditions. My initial reaction to this was both yes and no. 

Copa America Centenario—USA 2016

Firstly, I love the idea of a combined championship between the CONMEBOL and CONCACAF regions. These two regions are very closely tied in both a style of play and culture. Also, since the dawn of international football, there has been a rivalry between Europe and the Americas (OK, South America) about who is the best continent for soccer. 

The one area in which Europe has South America beaten is the tournament competitions. Both the UEFA Champions League and European Championships overshadow their South American counterparts. One of the reasons Copa America is a weaker competition is because CONMEBOL only has 10 teams, and therefore has had to two invite teams to play in the recent competitions. Expanding to a 16-team competition featuring the best North and South American national teams would make the competition more attractive and competitive. 

Secondly, this competition would provide a better test to the U.S. and Mexican national teams. These two teams have dominated the Gold Cup, as in have won all but one of the biennial competitions since it began in 1991. Bringing the prize fighters from CONCACAF against the best of CONMEBOL would provide these teams with better competition outside of a World Cup year. 

What I dislike about this idea is the U.S. hosting every time. I think this cheapens the competition much like the Gold Cup is cheapened by having the tournament in the U.S. every playing. Yes, there is a lot of money to be made by playing a major international soccer competition in the U.S. every four (or whatever) years; however, this would make it seem like the U.S. is the host and not the confederations combined.

If this is to be a recurring event, the two confederations should alternate hosting. Obviously, the U.S. would be the most preferred choice of the North American countries to host, but there are a few South American countries who could also host. Brazil and Argentina being most prominent, but several countries could also pump enough money to host the tournament. 

Ultimately, I think this could be a good idea for both confederations. This would increase the level of competition the countries play outside of a World Cup and would reduce the need for friendlies between the confederations.

Furthermore, a tournament like this would bring in a ton of money to both confederations. There would have to be a revenue sharing plan negotiated, but both confederations would stand to being in a lot of cash from a major tournament. Obviously, that would be an almost guaranteed sum if the tournament were to be hosted in the U.S. every year, but there is certainly a large pile of money to be amassed from a tournament in another large country. 

Whether this is a rumor or not is yet to be officially determined, but I do plan on running with this idea for a couple more posts, so be on the lookout for those!