The often enigmatic, never bashful Jurgen Klinsmann proclaimed his aspirations for the most high-profile men's soccer tournament on American soil since the 1994 FIFA World Cup — the Copa America Centenario.
"We want to get to the final four," Klinsmann said last week.
That sort of proclivity brings along with it hovering questions: Can this U.S. men's national team utilize a home-field advantage starting with Friday's opening match against Colombia? Can this group make it to the semifinal round of a Copa America? Will a solid showing quiet the horde of Klinsmann critics?
Answers: Unknown, unknown, and unknown.
While the U.S. is nowhere near a favorite to win the tournament, expectations are high for the Americans despite last summer's fourth-place debacle in the CONCACAF Gold Cup as well as lackluster performances in recent World Cup qualifiers.
The 100th anniversary of the Copa America will feature 16 national teams from federations in North and South America, who convene stateside for a special edition version of the tournament. A year ago, host Chile defeated Argentina in the Copa America final.
This centennial showcases 10 teams from CONMEBOL (South American football confederation) and six from CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) as the tournament journeys off South American borders for the first time ever.
Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay highlight South America's very best contending for the distinctive honor of winning the 100th Copa America. Along with the U.S., Mexico and Costa Rica underline national teams from the CONCACAF region.
Superstars such as Argentina's Lionel Messi (back) and Uruguay's Luis Suarez (hamstring) are dealing with injuries that could force them to miss some time, while Brazilian forward Neymar has chosen to play at this summer's Olympic Games in Rio.
Despite some of the premier talents from both continents being on display. the attention — at least domestically — will once again be on Klinsmann, his lineup choices, his tactics and, ultimately, his results. In 2015, the U.S. went 10-6-4, flaming out of the Gold Cup and losing the Confederations Cup playoff against Mexico.
Klinsmann could be tempted to start young attack-minded players like Portland's Darlington Nagbe or 17-year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic. The inclusion of either could leave Real Salt Lake captain Kyle Beckerman out of the mix. Klinsmann has also featured Alejandro Bedoya centrally in the 4-3-3 formation alongside Jermaine Jones and captain Michael Bradley.
But as Klinsmann said, the expectations for this Copa America are lofty. Group A, which features Colombia, Paraguay and Costa Rica, demands results just to get started on the goal of reaching the semifinal round.
The U.S. kicks off against No. 5-ranked Colombia Friday night at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
"I'm really happy to be a part of it and see if we can go in there and make some noise and hopefully get out of the group," Beckerman said before joining the U.S. camp. "Who knows what will happen?"
ckamrani@sltrib.com
Twitter: @chriskamrani
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