A poor start to Copa America for the United States quickly got worse in the first half of their game against Colombia. They conceded on a corner less than 10 minutes into the match, then gave up a penalty just before the end of the first half, with DeAndre Yedlin getting whistled for a handball. James Rodriguez stepped up to the spot and converted.
James Rodriguez converts penalty to put Colombia 2-0 up on USMNT
This will be a controversial call.
James Rodriguez gives Colombia a 2-goal cushion over the #USMNT from the penalty spot. #USAvCOL #CopaAmerica https://t.co/fXAaPDA9Cr
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 4, 2016
The ball certainly hit Yedlin’s hand, but not all handballs are created equal. Yedlin will argue that his arm wasn’t in an unnatural position and wasn’t playing the ball, so a penalty shouldn’t have been given. It’s a very tough 50-50 call for the ref to make. This penalty put Colombia up 2-0 on the USMNT.
