United States sits out Copa America Summit

A USSF source confirmed to AFP that no US representatives would be present for Thursday’s meeting in Mexico City, where officials from North, Central and South America were to discuss the tournament, initially planned to take place in the United States next June. Sep Blatter has resigned (sort of) and now the United States looks set to abdicate as hosts of the 2016 Copa America Centenario due to ongoing concerns of legal liability after several of the FIFA executives and marketing officials connected with the tournament were arrested in May.

USMNT’s participation in Copa America is still up in the air. The Times report said the United States may also decide not to enter a team in the event. Playing the tournament in the U.S.is still a moneymaker.

The 2016 Cententario edition was intended to be a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the competition, and was due to be hosted in the United States in an effort to showcase the United States Men’s National Team alongside world stars like Lionel Messi, Neymar, Alexis Sanchez and more. The more they talk about the matches being played in the U.S., the more heat falls on U.S. Soccer and maybe that pressures them into finding a compromise that allows the tournament to be played on American soil.

“CONCACAF is committed to continue working with all parties to address the operational, format and financial issues relating to the tournament in order to ensure greater transparency to this event”.

The next day he told a Paraguayan radio station the plan remained the same – to hold the tournament in the United States.

“We all understand that we are aligned to have the cup in the United States”, he said. But its status has been uncertain since a corruption scandal in May that rocked world soccer’s governing body, FIFA.

Mexico, which has competed in Copa America as a guest team since 1993, was suggested as a possible alternative were it not to be held in the U.S.