Adidas misspells Colombia in Copa America ads

So, what changed for this United States team in just two days time?

The USMNT continued their great first half with yet another goal in the 42nd minute by forward, Bobby Wood, who scored a great goal off of an assist from Clint Dempsey.

The USMNT could advance with a victory against Paraguay Saturday.

Playing at home, fueled by added motivation after a loss to Colombia, its key players healthy – the US should have been expected to win, and a 4-0 result was no fluke. The USMNT has three points to Paraguay’s one, with both losing to Colombia. At the same time, this match was an acid test for the national team’s long-time German World Cupper coach Jurglen Klinsmann.

Statistics are good to track performances, and by the numbers on paper, the USA should have the considerable advantage against Paraguay. The U.S. needs a result to advance to the knockout rounds.

An ecstatic James Rodriguez after putting Colombia 2-0 up against Paraguay in their Copa America Centenario match in Pasadena, California. It played without key defender Kendall Waston after he got a red card in the previous game.

“This is it”, Klinsmann said about Saturday’s group stage finale. Costa Rica may be small, but the team has a chip on its shoulder, especially against the US.

The way that Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad performed in their second game, against a very defensive minded Costa Rica team, with the exact same lineup and formation, became evident of what they are capable of achieving.

And it worked – in a big way.

Projected starting XIs: USA – Guzan; Johnson, Brooks, Cameron, Yedlin; Beckerman, Bradley, Bedoya, Dempsey, Nagbe, Wood; Costa Rica – Pemberton; Acosta, Duarte, Matarrita, Salvatierra; Gamboa, Tejada, Borges, Ruiz; Campbell, Urena. Of course the United States side has improved dramatically since then. They delivered a renaissance, with Clint Dempsey scoring his 50th worldwide goal. He also scored his first at the home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears on May 28, 2005, against England.

Rodriguez then scored his team’s second goal in the 30th minute.

Now firmly usurped by Petr Cech between the sticks at Arsenal, Ospina has been linked with a move away from the club, with Turkish side Besiktas apparently keen on offering the 27-year-old adequate game-time.

The U.S. has lacked virtually any kind of consistency of late and while Klinsmann is finally loosening the tactical shackles and deploying promising youngsters, personnel limitations in comparison to other rosters means there will be little margin for error in the games ahead. To do that, the USA will have to beat Paraguay and hope Costa Rica beats Colombia, all while scoring more goals than the Colombians. Midfielder Bryan Ruiz sent a header off the left post in the 67th minute on the Ticos’ best opportunity of the night. “I think we are very well prepared and we are definitely capable of beating them”. “It confirms the spirit of the group”. The whole bench is jumping up and down. Everybody wants the others to do well.