The USA kick off the 2016 edition of the Copa America on Friday when they take on Colombia at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

The tournament celebrates its centenary this year, and the hosts will be making just their fourth appearance alongside the giants of South American football, and they’ll be facing the team ranked third in the world by FIFA.

With Costa Rica and Paraguay also comprising the tricky Group A, a win is vital for both sides if they’re to reach the knockout phase of the competition.

Here is the schedule for the opener, complete with viewing information and the latest odds for the match, courtesy of Odds Shark:

The match can be streamed live via Fox Sports Go.

 

Preview

Colombia won their last two meetings with the U.S. when they met in friendlies in 2010 and 2014, but there’s little to separate them in the odds.

The USA have enjoyed a strong preparation for the tournament, winning all three of their warm-up games—including two friendlies with fellow Copa America contenders Ecuador and Bolivia.

USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann has brought an injection of youth into the team, and so far it’s paying off—the average age of their last eight goalscorers is 23, per U.S. Soccer. Their most precocious talent is Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic, who showed off his skills in the 1-0 win over Ecuador, per SB Nation:

He followed up that excellent performance with a well-taken goal in the 4-0 rout of Bolivia, per U.S. Soccer:

His form gives him an excellent chance of starting against Colombia despite his tender age, and the likes of DeAndre Yedlin and Gyasi Zardes could also feature. Per U.S. Soccer, Klinsmann has been pleased with their progress:

This is a process, and the process is never ending. But in the first couple of years when you’re a pro, it’s a big learning curve. We’ll take it one step at a time. We put the pieces together for this tournament the best way that we get the right results.

What is wonderful to see is just the growth of these players over the last one or two years, how they really improved their game, how they’re becoming more adult, obviously stronger physically but also becoming more confident.

La Tricolor also boast some outstanding youth talent, with 19-year-old Marlos Moreno catching the eye in particular.

ESPN’s Juan G. Arango ran the rule over his abilities, which Colombia boss Jose Pekerman has evidently recognised, per football writer Carl Worswick:

Colombia also have a healthy sprinkling of top European-based talent in their team, with Real Madrid star James Rodriguez, Inter Milan’s Jeison Murillo and AC Milan’s Carlos Bacca among their best and brightest.

Captain Rodriguez disappointed in last year’s Copa America and endured a poor season in the Spanish capital, so the pressure will be on for a good tournament here.

The 24-year-old played no part in the UEFA Champions League final and completed 90 minutes just five times under Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, so he should be fresh.

James has the ability to make a game-changing contribution—a sublime defence-splitting pass or 30-yard strike into the top corner—even when not playing at his best, and he’ll need to be able to produce that kind of magic for Colombia to overcome the USA, who will fancy their chances of getting a result in front of their home crowd.

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