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Colombia Beats USA 2-0 in COPA Opener

copa-america-usa-2016-usa-vs-colombia-at-levis-stadium-in-santa-clara-309847Santa Clara, Ca – The Columbia national team made easy work of the US national team yesterday in the COPA America Centenary Opener 2-0.

Colombia scored both goals in the first half, starting with Cristian Zapata’s corner-kick conversion in the eighth minute. They kept the score at 1-0 for most of the first half, stifling the US offense. The US struggled to create opportunities and didn’t have a shot on goal until the 60th minute.

imageThere were no such problems for Colombia, who finished with seven shots on goal in 13 total attempts. James Rodriguez doubled the lead in the 42nd minute on a penalty kick after DeAndre Yedlin was called for a handball.

Even though the U.S. has traditionally struggled against Colombia, owning a 3-10-4 record in 17 games before Friday, this was the tournament in which the team seemed to have realistic optimism. The Americans won their three tune-up matches before the Copa America, and everyone seemed to be in peak condition.

It turns out there is still a lot of work for the US team to do heading into Chicago against Costa Rica on Tuesday.

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