America. What comes to mind when you hear that word? If I had to take a guess, then you probably think of the United States. You probably think of all the terms synonymous with it, whether they be good or bad. Freedom, corruption, yep, the list could go on and on. But how often do we look past the association of America of only ourselves and realize that America spans to continents, to the north and the south. Well once year, that forgotten truth becomes a lucid reality. Welcome to the COPA America Centenario, a battle on the pitch (or soccer field for all my newbies out there) to determine the sole title of best American country...in soccer that is.
To break it down, 16 teams will battle it out in the Copa America. Spanning about a month long, these teams are broken into four teams (Group A, B, C, D). After this group play, the top eight teams head into the quarterfinals to battle it out, where the final four move on, and so on and so forth until there's one final winner.Meanwhile, the same thing occurs during the Euro (all European teams), only with 24 teams.
The games began in June and have been nothing but intense. A handball goal scored in the 94th minute of regulation, a missed penalty shot by the second best player in the world...these are only a few of the jaw-dropping moments that happen within the fastest 90 minutes of gameplay.
If you haven't watched any of these games yet, then do it soon. You're missing out on:
1. A reason to break out every tacky piece of fan clothing you own. That's right, the face paint, a wig, your mom's vintage jersey...you name it, break it out for good luck. And that means your silly pre-game rituals as well.
2. A reason to start a bet with the cute guy you met at the bar that night. No matter the outcome of the game, you've proved you can kick it with the boys. If you win, well, then you just scored yourself some major points (even if you got lucky).
3. A reason to drink...and drink some more.
4. A reason to watch some damn good games of soccer.
5. A reason to stare at hot guys.
Exhibit A:
Cristiano Ronaldo -- Portugal (unfortunately eliminated from the Euro 6/18)
Exhibit B:
Alexis Sanchez -- Chile
Exhibit C:
James Rodriguez -- Colombia (advanced to the semi's where they will either face Mexico or Chile)
Did I mention hot guys crying?
Here's the upcoming games:
USA vs. Argentina -- June 21, 9 p.m.
Colombia vs. TBD -- June 22, 8 p.m.
(The Euro is only in its third week of competition. So at least two games will be occurring every day this week, either at 12 p.m. or 3 p.m.)
