Copa America 2016: USA 1-0 Paraguay
US did not need a win necessarily to qualify but would control their destiny with a win and a guaranteed seat to the quarterfinal. The game was not pretty and the defense was strong on each side. The US were able to to unlock Paraguay’s defense with a goal before the 30 minute mark and went on to the break with a slight advantage.
This advantage would be seriously challenged when Yedlin was set off with two consecutive yellow card in less than a 3 minute span. That is forced Klinsmann to buckle up the back and left his forward out. Paraguay would push but was not able to score due to a strong US defense.
Combined with Colombia defeat against Costa Rica, the US finished on top of the group with 2 wins a 1 loss. The result comes as a surprise after first poor game against Colombia [0-2]. The great news is that US will not face Brazil, likely to win its group and a higher probability to keep advancing in this Cop America.
Klinsmann and the players react on the win:
We believe in each other. We believe in the group we have. You don’t want negativity to come into the group. We all stayed positive and we believe in one another. And it showed out on the field.”
Game goal scorer, Clint Dempsey:
“Oh man, it’s awesome. The boys showed a lot of heart today, especially after we got that red card. And man, a lot of character. We’re proud to advance to the next round. We knew It was going to be a battle before the game and then when we went down a man, it was going to be that much harder. Absolutely all the credit goes to the guys.
