Wow! Goals upon goals upon goals tonight. We had an expected blowout but we may have been rewarded with the game of the tournament in the second game. It’s day six of the Copa America Centenario.
1) Biggest Winner: James Marcelin (Haiti)
Yes, Haiti lost to Brazil 7-1 but quite honestly, Haiti is going to be proud of what they accomplished by scoring a goal against Brazil. And for James Marcelin, someone who was in the Haiti earthquake and survived, to score a goal in the Copa America against one of the best teams in the world. That’s special.
2) Standout Performer: Philippe Coutinho (Brazil)
Philippe Coutinho doesn’t get to be on the Brazilian National Team all that often. But because of players committing to the Summer Olympics and an injury to Kaka, Coutinho got an opportunity to be on the center stage. And man did he ever, scoring the first hat trick of the Copa America Centenario.
3) Biggest Loser: Those who missed Ecuador vs. Peru
I mean seriously. Ecuador/Peru was probably the game of the tournament so far. A 2-2 thriller that started with two Peru goals, had two Ecuador goals in the middle and ended with a back and forth contest that gave Peru the final big chance off an advantage play. The game had it all and only 12,000 people were in the stadium. Well, at least those 12,000 saw something great.
4) Best Tweet:
Agreed. https://twitter.com/GrantWahl/status/740746755193479168
5) Biggest Surprise: Peru fans getting on Ricardo Gareca
Even though Peru and manager Ricardo Gareca earned a 2-2 draw and many would consider that an upset, apparently some Peru fans didn’t appreciate the performance as Gareca and fans got into a bit of a shouting match after the game was over. Yeah, giving up a two goal lead regardless is tough to take but it’s still a great result.
6) Worst Moment:
There wasn’t really a “worst moment” tonight so we’re going to skip that.
7) Best Goal: Philippe Coutinho (Brazil)
Coutinho’s three goals were great but his goal that sealed the hat trick was his best. It was his regular move of taking a touch from the left side of the box and striking from outside the box that got him the hat trick. It’s his bread and butter and looks so great scoring that kind of goal.
Hat trick hero @Phil_Coutinho saved his best for last. #BRAvHAI #MyCopaColors https://t.co/davx4UZere
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 9, 2016
8) Extra Time
Call it teams being feeling each other out, feeling rusty or what but the games overall have gotten better as the tournament has gone on. It was a rough first couple days but now the goals are coming and the games are getting exciting. Hoping that trend continues into the knockout stages.
9) Thursday’s Games:
We are officially halfway in the group stage of the Copa America Centenario. It’s Group C on Thursday as Uruguay take on Venezuela and Mexico faces Jamaica. 32 Flags will be on location for the fifth time this tournament as we will be in Philadelphia for Uruguay/Venezuela and then stick around for USA/Paraguay on Saturday.
