The USMNT will look to start the tournament on the right foot in front of their fans in California, but it’s not going to be an easy task. Colombia is one of the best teams in the competition, and they are considered one of the favorites to lift the trophy once it’s all said and done.
Levi's Stadium is ready to host the opening match of the tournament.
USA Team News & Analysis
Jurgen Klinsmann made several changes to the starting XI in the past two friendly matches, but there’s no way he changes the 4-3-3 system used on a regular basis. Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Jermaine Jones will be the building blocks of the team in the middle of the pitch, while the attackers are likely to be Bobby Wood and Gyasi Zardes. The latter scored a brace in the last friendly against Bolivia.
Between the posts, Klinsmann is likely to go with Brad Guzan, as the Aston Villa keeper has started the majority of the games since the end of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The German tactician declared a few weeks ago that he was going to be the team’s number one in this tournament.
The defensive line hasn’t been confirmed by Klinsmann, but John Brooks and DeAndre Yedlin are locks to start at center back and right back, respectively. Fabian Johnson is likely to get the nod at left back, while Geoff Cameron has the inside track to play as the second central defender.
Jurgen Klinsmann has a pretty good idea of the squad he will use in the first match.
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Colombia Team News & Analysis
Jose Pekerman has decided to make a few changes in comparison to the squad that reached the quarterfinals in both the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Copa America, and there are some players that are likely to feature in Los Cafeteros for the first time. The core of the team, however, remains intact.
James Rodriguez is the keystone of the side, and the majority of the attacking sequences will go through him. The Real Madrid playmaker didn’t have his best season in 2016, but he will have a good supporting cast on U.S. soil as Carlos Bacca, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado and youngster Marlos Moreno are likely to flank him upfront.
The defensive line will feature a reliable, experienced goalkeeper in the form of David Ospina. The likes of Santiago Arias, Jeison Murillo and Cristian Zapata are expected to stand in front of him. This means that USA will have a tough time creating chances in the final third.
USA vs Colombia head-to-head and top facts to know
- Both sides have played 17 games in total, and Colombia has an 11-3-3 advantage.
- On the same note, Los Cafeteros are 7-2-2 when facing the USMNT on U.S. soil.
- The last time these two sides played was on November 14th, 2014 and Colombia won 2-1.
- The hosts have lost in two of their three Copa America opening matches.
Team sheets for USMNT vs Colombia
USMNT's lineup: Guzan, Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, Johnson; Bradley, Jones, Bedoya; Zardes, Wood, Dempsey.
Colombia's lineup: Ospina, Arias, Zapata, Murillo, Diaz; Perez, Torres, Cuadrado, James, Cardona, Bacca.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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