The U.S. tonight "takes on world No.1 Argentina in the semifinals of Copa America Centenario," and more than 70,000 fans will attend at the "soldout NRG Stadium," according to Corey Roepken of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. The crowd "will heavily favor the Americans, but before, during and after the game, most eyes will be fixated on" Argentina F Lionel Messi. The U.S. has "had its moments on the world's biggest stages but still has a long way to go if it is to be thought of in the same breath as Argentina and other world giants" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/21). The AP's Ronald Blum noted it is "not the World Cup, but reaching the final of this expanded 100th anniversary Copa America would be a major achievement for a 31st-ranked U.S. team questioned by its growing fan base after it failed to win last year's CONCACAF Gold Cup." While the U.S. is now "alongside Mexico as a power in North and Central America and the Caribbean," it is 12-43-15 in "games against former World Cup champions, including 3-18-1 [in] competitive matches" (AP, 6/20).
CROWD COUNT: In Seattle, Geoff Baker noted crowd counts at the 10 Copa America host venues "have been one of the biggest stories" of the tournament. Cynics "call it a hastily arranged cash grab," but proponents "tout a success; claiming average crowds of 35,000 were financially sufficient and final attendance figures will surpass that and beat the 25,223 per game in Chile last year and 34,000 average" in '11 in Argentina. There have also been "myriad complaints about Copa America ticket prices," as right now, the "willingness to pay for pro soccer in this country isn’t quite there." At least, not when it comes to meeting Copa America’s "elite asking prices," and not when tickets to the U.S.-Ecuador match "were selling below face value on resale exchanges hours before kickoff" (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/20).
GROWING POPULARITY: U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said of soccer in the U.S., "People understand it more and more. This is big time.” USA TODAY's Martin Rogers noted the USMNT "has now survived into a part of the summer where there is no real competition from other major sports except for Major League Baseball, offering the chance to dominate the news cycle, albeit briefly." U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said, "We are not trying to displace the NBA’s Game Seven. But you will see through this tournament that the ratings will be very good compared to World Cup, compared to the European Championship. That is a sign of the growth of the game for sure. That is a big plus" (USATODAY.com, 6/19).
