The Uninted State Men's National Soccer Team lost for the first time in 2007 to a strong Argentine team4-1 in the opening match for both teams in the Copa America. The U.S. Men, who were 10-0-1 coming into the game started the scoring on a penalty kick by Eddie Johnson in the 9th minute of play. Two minutes later, Argentina struck back to tie the score and the two sides played tied for much of the remainder of the game. With just 25 minutes left in teh game, the Argentina side cranked out three goals in 20 minutes.
The young American team played well against the number five team in the world. U.S. Coach Bob Bradley did not bring most of the squad that played in the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup, opting instead to bring in young players who will likely form the nucleus of the U.S. side in the coming three years leading up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The U.S., currently ranked 16 in the world, will face Paraguay on Monday. Paraguay, who spanked Columbia in the other Group C match, is coming off a 5-0 win. Wins by the U.S. over Paraguay and Columbia will assure advancement to the quarter finals. However, the Unites States could still advance even with a third place finish in the Group. With three four team groups, the top two teams in each group advance, plus the two best third place teams on points and goals. But the U.S. will need to win at least one of their two remaining matches to advance. Two wins will pretty much guarantee advancement.
Brazil and Arentina are the favorites to win the Copa America. If the U.S. comes in second in their group, they will likely face the Brazilians in the quarterfinals--a tough match to be sure.
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