Copa America Centenario Action Arrives In Philadelphia

The  Copa America Tournament will celebrate it’s 100th birthday here in the United States and Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field will play host to three of the 32 games with promise of drawing large crowds to the stadium. Stars from all across the Americas will be fighting for the Centenario trophy and eternal glory in this historic competition that always brings fierce rivalries, dramatic results and overall, some great soccer.

Living in Philadelphia, there’s always the chance of large events taking place in this historic city. The Copa America Centenario is perhaps one of the biggest tournaments in the world and when the selection committee began looking for areas full of culture, intense fans and a big stadium, how could they resist choosing the City of Brotherly Love to get in on some of the action?

Current home of the Philadelphia Eagles, Lincoln Financial Field will be the site for three of the group matches for the competition’s 100th anniversary; all of which include big name players and match-ups that soccer fans of all ages should witness while it’s here in our own backyard. Here’s your game by game breakdown:

Uruguay vs. Venezuela (June 9th – 7:30pm)

This game features one of the most elite strikers in the world Luis Suarez leading a formidable side against a surging Venezuelan team who made a strong statement in their first game by defeating Jamaica 1-0 and currently sit at the top of their group. Uruguay on the other hand were defeated at the hands of Mexico and must now produce a win in this match-up to keep their hopes of advancing past the group stage and securing what would be the country’s record 16th Copa America title.

While Suarez was not present in the first game due to injury, his fitness has improved and with likes of European stars Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin behind him, they will certainly be playing with a high level of intensity and creativity that makes them such a lethal team. Venezuela is led by Salomon Rondon who is a constant goal scoring threat in the Barclay’s Premier League. Look for this game to be very wide open with quality attacking forces on both sides of the field, and to be one of the most exciting games in the Copa America tournament.

USA vs. Paraguay (June 11th – 7:00pm)

Perhaps the most important game being held in Philadelphia, the United States can punch their ticket to the quarterfinals of the Copa America with a win against Paraguay this Saturday night. After falling to group favorites Columbia in their first game, the Red, White and Blue came back with a vengeance and demolished Costa Rica 4-0 which put them level at the top with the Colombians.

Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones, and Michael Bradley are leading the charge for the Americans who always seem to perform at their best when their backs are against the wall. The pressure of winning their first trophy in this tournament in front of a hungry nation of supporters is one that these men are willing to accept and will give nothing short of their best when facing a resilient side

in Paraguay who always fight tooth and nail to produce results and return their nation to its’ former glory that has won two Copa America titles in the tournament’s history. This game is a must watch affair and with expectations of a sold out crowd on hand, I’d get to buying those tickets soon.

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Chile vs. Panama (June 14th – 8:00pm)

Defending champions Chile will have their hands full in the final game of the group stage as they fight to retain Copa America glory against Panama. The title defense hit a rocky start after a crushing defeat to tournament favorites Argentina in their first game, but the quality of the Chilean side as a whole will prove to be difficult to stop. Meanwhile, Panama has been consistently climbing within the FIFA rankings and flashed their abilities in a convincing win over Bolivia in their opening match.

Led by two of the most elusive and powerful midfielders in the game, Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez both look to regain their composure and lead Chile to the quarterfinals where they have proven to be extremely tough to beat against any opposition; especially with their skilled and battle-tested goalkeeper Claudio Bravo in net. On the other side, Major League Soccer veteran Blas Perez is leading the tournament so far in goals and will look to continue his run of form and lead Panama to their first quarterfinal in the nation’s history. A very exciting game to wrap up the opening stages of this incredibly intense Copa America.

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And if that’s not enough soccer for you, a short hour and a half drive up to MetLife Stadium will get you seats to the Copa America Centenario Final. And with the prospect of seeing the great Lionel Messi play live and in person, this tournament is truly a once in a lifetime experience for fans across the country. But for us lucky Philadelphians, we have the luxury of having some of the most exciting matches in the competition right in our backyard. Take advantage and enjoy soccer fans.