Here are the top soccer stories everyone’s talking about this morning:
Opening Night
The day has finally arrived and the Copa America Centenario officially kicks off with the US national team opening against No. 3-ranked Colombia in Santa Clara, California on Friday night (9:30 pm ET; FS1, Univision, UniMás, UDN). The US players say their opening group foe is talented but beatable, while Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle explains why the USA are better than you think.
Get Ready for Copa
And if the Copa America has snuck up on you, we have for you: a viewer's guide, the 10 stars to watch, a breakdown of the contenders and pretenders, a basic "101" on the tournament, a rundown of the new rules for Copa and the best Copa America party eats.
Home Repairs Needed
MLS closed out Week 14 on Thursday night just in time for the brief Copa America break. In the first match of the evening, New York City blew another home lead, this time falling 3-2 to Real Salt Lake. Head coach Patrick Vieira says the Yankee Stadium crew needs to be more ruthless in their home park.
Texas Stalemate
After an unforgiving downpour delayed the match two hours, the second installment of the Texas Derby finally got underway and the Houston Dynamo finished strong, using gritty play to secure a 1-1 road draw at rivals FC Dallas. The equalizer by Ricardo Clark is in the can't-miss variety.
Proud Defenders
Sporting KC were delighted with their level of stinginess in Thursday night's scoreless draw in LA against the Galaxy, for whom starting goalkeeper Brian Rowe rebounded quite nicely from the gaffe he committed over the weekend.
Left Home
New York Red Bulls midfield ace Sacha Kljestan freely admits he's bummed by the fact that US national team is about to start another tourney without him.
Aim For The Best
Vancouver's Kendall Waston has a good reason for wanting to escape the Copa America group stage with Costa Rica: he wants a shot at defending Leo Messi and Luis Suarez.
Maple Leaflet
Copa America isn't the only international game on Friday night as Canada face Azerbaijan (1 pm ET on CanadaSoccer.com). Toronto FC academy product Michael Petrasso is hoping to earn his first cap.
Un-Dani Valley
Brazil right back extraordinaire Dani Alves, who reportedly has interest in an MLS move, announced that he's leaving Barcelona as a free agent this summer.
Homeward Bound?
Just as Portland boss Caleb Porter publicly stated that the team needs more production from Lucas Melano, the Timbers' Argentine winger was linked with a possible move to Guillermo Barros Schelotto's Boca Juniors.
Doctor's Medicine
Since arriving in a trade from Orlando, French defender Aurelien Collin has been exactly what the New York Red Bulls have needed.
Test Subjects
Major League Soccer is among several competitions in six countries slated to be the first to test video replay in officiating.
Squad Building
Atlanta United FC fans wondering who mystery signing Jeffrey Otoo is may now have their answer. Also, the local paper continues its DP target series by weighing the pros and cons of chasing veteran AC Milan defender Alex.
Down Memory Lane
United States fans looking for some inspiration and hope ahead of the national team's crunch clash with Colombia tonight? Stroll back in time to revisit the USMNT's World Cup 1994 win over the Cafeteros.
Side Kicks
Jimmy Kimmel cohort Guillermo panned US boss Jurgen Klinsmann while offering up his Copa America predictions.
MLSsoccer.com Musts:
ExtraTime Radio kicks around Mexico's Copa chances
The full list of MLS players in Copa America
How Colombia became one of the world's best
