Just what should be expected from the US national team at the Copa America Centenario?
That’s been one of the hottest topics in US soccer circles heading into Friday’s tournament opener between the US and Colombia, with some observers cynical about the US’s chances in the tricky Group A and others bullish about the Americans’ opportunity to make a solid run on home soil.
FOX Sports analyst and former USMNT defender Alexi Lalas falls firmly in the confident category. Speaking on the latest edition of his “The Mutant Gene Podcast,” Lalas said that not only should the US advance out of their group with Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay, but they should contend for the Copa title.
“If you are a US fan out there you should expect your US team and Jurgen Klinsmann to challenge for the Copa America,” he said. “Jurgen Klinsmann has been given more opportunities, he has more talent, he has more depth, he has more rope, he has more power, he has more resources than any coach in history when it comes to coaching the US men’s national team.
“Now, all of that doesn’t mean that they’re going to get out of the group, but I would expect, as I think US soccer fans should expect, that this team not only get out of the group, but challenge for Copa America. We can beat all of the teams in the group and we can beat every single team in this tournament.”
Klinsmann outlined his own expectations for the US national team earlier this week, telling reporters from the USMNT’s camp in Dallas that he’s aiming for the semifinals.
“The goal, then, is really to get to the final four,” Klinsmann said ahead of the US’s 1-0 win against Ecuador last Wednesday. “We want to get to the final four.”
“It’s the biggest tournament since the 1994 World Cup in the United States, and I think as a player you want to jump on that one,” he continued. “You want to make an impression. You want to make it your tournament.”
The US, who beat Bolivia 4-0 in a friendly on Saturday night, will kick off their Copa America on Friday against Colombia at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California (9:30 pm ET; FS1, Univision, UniMas, UDN). They’ll then take on Costa Rica in Chicago on June 7 before facing off with Paraguay in the Group A finale in Philadelphia on June 11.
For more from Lalas, including a wonderfully in-depth interview with ESPN's Bob Ley, you can listen to the entire latest edition of "The Mutant Gene Podcast."
