Copa America: Things to know, player ratings from USA's loss to Colombia
A few players stood out for the U.S. in the third-place match on Saturday night despite the loss
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3 min read
The United States finished up its participation in the Copa America in the third-place match on Saturday night, losing 1-0 to Colombia. It was a positive showing for the stars and stripes, who were a bit unlucky but end the tournament ahead of teams like Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay.
Here's what to know and the USA player ratings.
Things to know
1. The U.S. looked much sharper than when they first played
Jurgen Klinsmann and Geoff Cameron thought the team played well in the opener against Colombia, but they were terrible. In this one, it was another story. The U.S. looked confident, was creative and just failed to execute in attack. Some teams take a third-place match off, but the U.S. looked determined to rebound from the Argentina loss and probably deserved better. Bobby Wood's shot off the post in the second half looked like the equalizer. Result aside, it was an admirable performance.
2. Nothing wrong with fourth
To say you finished fourth at a Copa America, that's not too shabby at all. The U.S., in the end, lost three matches and won three matches, but it finished ahead of Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay. It's an excellent achievement and something all players and fans can be proud of.
3. Momentum ahead of qualifying
Though ending with consecutive losses isn't ideal, the U.S. learned a few things from this tournament, like Brad Guzan can be the No. 1 keeper, Clint Dempsey needs to play as long as he can walk and Michael Bradley still hasn't found his form. This all should help Jurgen Klinsmann as he plans his team for World Cup qualifying later this year. Will Bradley remain a starter? (Most likely.) Can Dempsey continue to be the creative force in attack? Plenty of positives from this tournament should have fans excited.
Player Ratings
GK - Tim Howard (5.5): The Rapids man wasn't really tested much but probably could have come out quicker on Arias' header to set up Bacca's goal. A decent showing.
DEF - Matt Besler (5): Had a little trouble with Colombia's speed but made a few quality stops.
DEF - Michael Orozco (3): Looked confident and was able to contain Cuadrado a couple times. Stupid red card at the end lowers his mark.
DEF - Geoff Cameron (6): Good stuff from GC. Attentive and strong.
DEF - DeAndre Yedlin (5): Average. Not hurting, not helping. Has played plenty but just isn't making much of an impact.
MID - Jermaine Jones (5.5): The midfielder was smart on the ball and did well to get passes forward.
MID - Michael Bradley (5.0): He's just an average player with a below average impact. Another one of those nights. A far cry from the solid passer we've seen in the past. But hey, at least he didn't turn the ball over as much as usual.
MID - Alejandro Bedoya (5.5): Plenty of effort and heart from the midfielder. Picked up a knock and was taken off in the second half.
FWD - Gyasi Zardes (4.0): Hardly involved and wasted an opportunity late to get a dangerous ball into the box.
FWD - Bobby Wood (6.0): Strong, especially in the box. Unlucky to hit the post. Good performance.
FWD - Clint Dempsey (5.5): The Sounders star was a David Ospina hand away from scoring a brilliant free kick. He didn't have a lot of chances and loss the battle vs. Ospina in the end.
Subs
MID - Darlington Nagbe (5): Came on as a sub and had a free kick he hit right at Ospina.
MID - Christian Pulisic (N/A): A sub that didn't get much time and didn't see much of the ball.
Coach
Jurgen Klinsmann (6.5): Had his guys ready to play. Credit to him for that after getting rocked in the semifinals. Could have made changes earlier though.
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