The Copa America is almost over, but before we get to the gala that will be the final between Argentina and defending champs Chile, there's one more game to be played -- the third-place match between the United States and Colombia. Like in the final, this game too is a rematch between teams that faced off in the group stage, with the U.S. getting the opportunity to avenge a 2-0 loss that sparked them to a dramatic turnaround in form that saw them make the semifinal before falling to Argentina.
USA vs. Colombia, Copa America 2016: Time, TV schedule and team news for 3rd-place match
The United States’ run in the Copa America isn’t over just yet -- they still have a chance to get third place by getting revenge for their one group stage loss.
Colombia impressed throughout their tournament run as well before falling to white-hot Chile, but the circumstances around that semifinal match could give the Colombian side a marked disadvantage in this game. The long weather delay caused by serious storms in the area meant that Colombia’s travel and player recovery plans got thrown seriously out of whack, giving the U.S. an even greater advantage in rest and preparation than they would have had with the extra day they were already working with. That might be just enough to give the USMNT the edge they need to take third place for themselves and get that revenge for their loss earlier in the month -- and might even allow them to put in their best performance yet in the tournament.
What’s at stake
Let’s be honest -- this is mostly about pride for the Americans. Pride at finishing third in a major tournament much bigger than the Gold Cup, pride at bouncing back from a humbling loss to Argentina, pride at avenging their tournament-opening loss to Colombia. There’s a lot to gain for the USMNT in this match -- and if they fall short, there will be even more questions to answer than there were after the loss to Argentina.
This may “just” be a third-place match, often treated as an afterthought in tournaments, even by the teams in the game itself. But if the U.S. comes out and lights the pitch on fire with their performance, they’ll have shown a lot of positive things that many critics weren’t sure they had, especially after their semifinal loss. But if they come out flat and uninterested -- like they did in last summer’s Gold Cup third-place match -- the concerns raised over the last few days will only get more serious, with serious re-evaluations of the state and direction of the team maybe possible before their already faltering World Cup qualifying campaign gets back underway.
Key matchup -- Michael Bradley (United States) vs. James Rodriguez (Colombia)
The captains for both national teams will be squaring off frequently thanks to the areas of the pitch they tend to inhabit, and their clashes will be vital in determining the outcome of the match. With James being one of the best playmakers in the Americas when he’s on-form and Bradley likely to be deployed as the deepest U.S. midfielder, their efforts against one another will very much drive how the run of play works out. The U.S. defense will have a much easier time of things if Bradley can keep James contained, and Colombia’s midfield will have an easier time neutralizing the USMNT’s efforts at holding possession better if James can keep Bradley chasing him deeper and deeper down the pitch.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. local
Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
TV: FX (U.S. - English), Univision, Univision Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Caracol TV, RCN Television, DIRECTV Sports (Colombia)
Online: Fox Soccer 2 Go, fuboTV (U.S.), DIRECTV Play Deportes (Colombia)
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