Final, 1-0 Colombia: The referee blows the final whistle. Colombia wins and finishes Copa America 2016 in third place.
Bacca’s goal was the difference in the score line, as Team USA fell to world soccer’s third-ranked team. The U.S. started slowly before gathering steam and creating chances in the second half. But Opsina’s saves, Colombia’s capable defense and Team USA’s inaccurate finishing kept the score as it was for the last hour of the game. Orozco’s and Arias’ red cards were late flash-points but too little time and energy remained for those dismissals to affect the game.
Colombia Team USA for the second time at Copa America 2016. James, Ospina, Bacca and Co. remain one of the soccer world’s strongest sides and once again prove themselves capable of competing for major trophies.
Team USA will be proud of its fourth-place finish, but fans will wonder what Klinsmann could (or should) have done to place his team higher in the pecking order.
That’s all for now, and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion coming up on NESN.com/soccer.
Postgame analysis of USA-Colombia >>
90th minute +5, 1-0 Colombia: Nagbe shoots a free kick straight to the well-positioned Ospina.
90th minute +3, 1-0 Colombia: The referee shows Orozco a red card for pushing Arias in the face.
Arias receives a yellow card for a foul on Orozco. It’s Arias’ second yellow card of the game, and he too, receives a red card.
90th minute, 1-0 Colombia: There will be five minutes of added time in the second half.
88th minute, 1-0 Colombia: Orozco receives a yellow card for fouling James.
87th minute, 1-0 Colombia: Guillermo Celis departs with an injury. Stefan Medina replaces Celis in Colombia’s final substitution.
84th minute, 1-0 Colombia: Cameron crunches Daniel Torres with a tackle.
83rd minute, 1-0 Colombia: Wood whiffs on Yedlin’s cross, as the U.S. fails to capitalize on another scoring chance.
82nd minute, 1-0 Colombia: Howard saves Cardona’s long-range shot, as Colombia looks to stick the dagger into Team USA.
79th minute, 1-0 Colombia: Bradley exits, and Darlington Nagbe enters in Team USA’s second substitution. It’s a change in the midfield.
Colombia counters by replacing Bacca with Roger Martinez, another striker.
78th minute, 1-0 Colombia: The U.S. has Colombia pinned deep in its own half, but the final, devastating ball is missing, allowing Colombia to maintain its edge.
73rd minute, 1-0 Colombia: Cuadrado exits. Marlos Moreno enters in Colombia’s first substitution.
Christian Pulisic, 17, replaces Bedoya in the United States’ first personnel change.
73rd minute, 1-0 Colombia: The referee shows Cuadrado a yellow card for a foul on Jones.
66th minute, 1-0 Colombia: Dempsey misses the target after Wood’s dribble deflected his away just 10 yards from the Colombia goal.
The improving U.S. has created four or five scoring chances so far in the second half.
62nd minute, 1-0 Colombia: Now Wood hits the post at the other end.
61st minute, 1-0 Colombia: Cuadrado hits the crossbar with a daring and delightful chip from just outside the U.S. penalty area.
Colombia might be in a different position at Copa America 2016 if it didn’t hit the bar so often.
57th minute, 1-0 Colombia: James scuffs a shot wide of Howard’s goal.
52nd minute, 1-0 Colombia: Zardes misses the target with a left-footed drive from the top of the Colombia penalty area.
Team USA is pressing for the game-tying goal, which has yet to arrive despite its best efforts.
52nd minute, 1-0 Colombia: Dempsey heads the ensuing corner kick over the crossbar.
51st minute, 1-0 Colombia: Ospina saves Dempsey’s free-kick, denying what would have been a certain goal.
47th minute, 1-0 Colombia: Cardona misses the target with a well-struck effort from distance.
46th minute, 1-0 Colombia: The second half of USA-Colombia is under way.
Halftime, 1-0 Colombia: That’s the end of the first half. Colombia leads the United States by one.
https://twitter.com/CA2016/status/746869401861914625
Team USA fans must be hoping their heroes are saving their sparkle for the last hurrah because they witnessed little of it in the first half. Bacca scored following the one moment of inspiration either team managed to produce in a forgettable first period. The 16 combined fouls reflects the game better than the score-line so far: all bite.
The United States struggled to break through Colombia’s lines, as “Los Cafeteros” positioned themselves well to neutralize Team USA’s central threats. When the U.S. worked the ball into the wide areas, Zapata, Murillo and the impressive Arias headed it clear with minimal fuss. It’s like Colombia knew what to expect from a predictable opponent.
Historical numbers don’t bode well for Team USA.
45th minute, 1-0 Colombia: There will be a minimum of two minutes of added time in the first half.
43rd minute, 1-0 Colombia: Arias heads Jones’ attempted cross just wide of Colombia’s goal in the United States’ most dangerous moment of the first half.
41st minute, 1-0 Colombia: The referee shows Jones a yellow card for elbowing Cuadrado during a mid-air duel.
39th minute, 1-0 Colombia: Wood dribbles into Colombia’s penalty area, but Arias ends his surge with a composed tackle.
37th minute, 1-0 Colombia: Bedoya clips a shot wide after Jones’ deflected shot falls to him in a promising position inside Colombia’s penalty area. Jones wants the referee to award Team USA a penalty kick after his shot hit Zapata’s arm. Appeal declined.
31st minute, 1-0 Colombia: Bacca puts Colombia in front.
James’ chipped pass over the top of the defense to Arias was key. Arias headed the delivery across the face of goal, and Bacca beat Yedlin to it.
We haven’t seen much from the Colombia striker, but he was there when his team needed him most.
25th minute, 0-0: Bradley now is down on the field with an apparent injury he suffered in a tussle with Bacca. Trainers are working on the U.S. captain.
Bradley returns to his feet and looks set to play on.
21st minute, 0-0: The referee shows Besler a yellow card for fouling James from behind. James reacted with an angry kick-out but didn’t make contact.
21st minute, 0-0: USA-Colombia lacks both bite and tempo so far. Perhaps the teams are playing cautiously, knowing well the danger their opponents can pose.
16th minute, 0-0: Zapata tackles Bedoya’s cut-back pass out for a corner kick just milliseconds before Dempsey can arrive and tap it home.
15th minute, 0-0: The United States has the majority of possession so far, but most of it has come inside its own half.
14th minute, 0-0: Cameron clears a cross with a diving header, denying Colombia a potnetial opportunity from inside the goal-mouth.
13th minute, 0-0: The referee cautions Murillo for tackling wood from behind.
12th minute, 0-0: James shots a powerful, low shot on goal from 22 yards out, but Howard reacts well and parries it away.
Eighth minute, 0-0: USA-Colombia has opened at a pace which befits a third-place game. Passing largely is slow and indecisive, while players seem to be content to accumulate fouls.
Fourth minute, 0-0: Wood shoots well over David Ospina’s goal. The U.S. striker shows aggression with the strike, but his excitement might have overcome his technique.
2nd minute, 0-0: Play stops momentarily, as Bacca is down on the field. He collided with Besler during an early corner kick and is in some pain. However, the Colombia striker will be able to continue.
Kickoff: The Copa America Centenario third-place game between Colombia and the United States is under way.
Settle in quickly, as Colombia likes to do its goal scoring early.
Pregame: This might be Team USA’s best chance to inflict revenge on Colombia.
Colombia has dominated its all-time series against the U.S., winning 11 and drawing four of the 17 meetings since 1961. This includes 1995 Copa America third-place game, which Colombia won 4-1, and the opening game of the Copa America Centenario — a 2-0 victory for “Los Cafeteros.”
If Team USA defeats Colombia, it will mark its best-ever Copa America finish and end the tournament on a high note.
The U.S. is the underdog against Colombia once again, and head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has picked different lineup than the one he used in this summer’s first meeting between the teams with hopes of engineering an upset this time.
The most high-profile change comes in goal, with Tim Howard starting over Brad Guzan for the first time in the tournament.
Matt Besler replaces Fabian Johnson at left back, and Michael Orozco fills in for John Brooks as a center back.
The front six is the reliable group under which the U.S. achieved a measure of success in Copa America 2016. Bobby Wood is back from suspension and he re-joins Clint Dempsey as Team USA’s main attacking options.
Gyasi Zardes and Alejandro Bedoya, a Colombian-American, will occupy wide midfield roles, while Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones will man the center of the U.S. midfield.
Colombia counter-attacked effectively during the group stage but has struggled to score lately, drawing blanks in both games it has played in the knockout rounds.
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However, Colombia’s starting lineup screams danger, as striker Carlos Bacca and attackers Juan Cuadrado, James Rodriguez and Edwin Cardona will play from the start.
Center backs Cristian Zapata and Jeison Murillo will for the backbone of a stiff resistance to the forward raids of Wood, Dempsey and Co.
7 p.m. ET: Here are the starting lineups:
United States
Colombia
5:30 p.m. ET: Like all good things, the United States men’s national soccer team’s journey at Copa America 2016 must come to an end.
Team USA’s result and performance against Colombia will determine whether its participation in the summer of soccer ends on a high or low note. The teams meet Saturday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., in the Copa America Centenario third place game.
The U.S. and Colombia still feel the disappointment which stems from their semifinal losses to Argentina and Chile, respectively. How well each team reacts to defeat and restores its confidence likely will determine how history will remember Copa America 2016 for both sides.
Colombia defeated Team USA 2-0 on June 3 in the opening game of Copa America 2016. The United States undoubtedly are eyeing both payback and a spot on the podium in the penultimate game of the tournament.
USA-Colombia kicks off at 8 p.m. ET. Join us right here for all the action from Glendalae, Ariz.
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
