Copa America Takeaways: Who shined and declined in Matchday 3?

Hearts across Canada dropped when the news of Tajon Buchanan’s tibia injury hit the Internet Tuesday morning. Canada’s 2024 Copa América campaign was going swimmingly until the disastrous news, with many fans and pundits wondering how Les Rouges will bounce back ahead of its quarterfinal match with Group B winners Venezuela on Friday.

However, Canada’s injury news isn’t the only drama Matchday 3 offered. From heavyweights Mexico and the U.S. bowing out early, to surprise competitors Ecuador and Panama, the final group games delivered lip-smacking entertainment for fans across the world. 

Missed the action, or simply want a recap? Read on to learn the key takeaways from Copa América Matchday 3, as well as which teams advanced to the next round.

GROUP A: Do it for Buchanan, Canada

What does Alphonso Davies’ goal vs. Croatia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the moment the final whistle blew in Canada vs. Chile’s 2024 Copa América group game have in common? Well, they’re two moments in Canada Soccer history that fans will remember forever. The gritty 0-0 draw wasn’t pretty — in fact, it was far from it. At times, play was disjointed, frantic even. But for one of the first times since this Canadian squad of Jonathan David, Maxime Crépeau, Alphonso Davies and more joined forces, Les Rouges showed its recent success wasn’t just a fluke. Jesse Marsch’s squad has proved it can grind out results when needed, and despite playing imperfect soccer, the Canadian team should be proud of making the quarterfinals.

Canada has learned it can put up a fight when needed, but only scoring one goal in three matches is a concern heading into this stage of the competition. While playing well, Cyle Larin hasn’t been close to a goal, while mainstays and proficient scorers David, Davies and Stephen Eustáquio have missed glaring opportunities. Canada’s next adversary, Venezuela, has scored six times the goals Canada has in the group stage, and are on a high after breezing through its first three opponents. Canada, on the other hand, wants to continue to prove itself, but the omission of Inter Milan’s Buchanan is concerning. Although the midfielder didn’t start against Chile, he was an energizing yet stabilizing substitute. The 25-year-old’s commanding presence on the pitch will be missed in Canada’s quarterfinal on Friday. Perhaps Les Rouges should use the opportunity to channel its frustrations into an extraordinary performance in Buchanan’s honour.

With Chile and Peru finishing third and fourth in the group respectively, that leaves World Cup champions Argentina at the summit. Who would have thought? Jokes aside, like Canada, Argentina has injury concerns surrounding its star, Lionel Messi. After missing out on La Albieleste’s final group game due to muscle soreness, the 37-year-old returned to training on Tuesday. However, it’s unclear if he’ll get the nod in Argentina’s quarterfinal against Ecuador on Thursday. That said, Argentina still has enough star power to get through to the next round. Striker Lautaro Martinez has been on form this tournament and currently tops the Golden Boot race. Veteran Ángel Di María and youngster Julian Alvarez provide further stability and consistency. It would be a major upset for the world No. 1 to bow out in the quarters, and you can bet that manager Lionel Scaloni will do everything in his power to avoid that outcome.

GROUP B: “Ole! Ole! Ole!”

“Ole! Ole! Ole!” erupted across State Farm Stadium as the final whistle blew on Sunday evening, signalling Ecuador’s 0-0 draw with Mexico. La Tri fans bounced up and down, shed tears of joy and celebrated with the players after the result confirmed Ecuador as second place in Group B. Ecuador has been a tournament dark horse, quietly doing just what it needs to advance. Félix Sánchez’s men can change formation seamlessly, and their scrappy style often catches opponents off guard. However, Ecuador isn’t the best at decision making in the final third. It was good enough to get them this far, but Argentina’s defenders will eat that up in the next round. It’s tough to see Ecuador challenging Argentina in the quarterfinals, so La Tri should enjoy this moment while it lasts.

While Ecuador basked in quarterfinal glory at the end of Matchday 3, Mexico was left stunned as its tournament came to a close. Despite opening the competition with a 1-0 win over Jamaica, Jaime Lozano’s side fell flat the rest of the way, especially against Ecuador. It was a game where nothing seemed to go Mexico’s way, and in truth, no matter how long the teams played, Mexico seemed destined not to score. In fact, the team has only netted one goal in the last 270 minutes of open play. So, where does Mexico go from here? Once a dominant CONCACAF force, the squad has fallen off the map due to a dwindling talent pool. Its star, Edson Alvarez, missed most of the group stage due to a hamstring injury, but the missing captain cannot be blamed for the uninspired performances. It’s back to the drawing board for Lozano, who will need some serious magic to revamp his squad ahead of co-hosting the next World Cup.

On the other hand, Venezuela has been a delight this Copa América, topping Group B with a perfect record. Batista’s squad scored a solid six goals in the group stage (more goals than Argentina, who has five), with three of them coming from an emphatic Matchday 3 win over Jamaica. Against the Reggae Boyz, the Venezuelan players looked like they were having fun, fluidly passing amongst themselves with fiery bursts of pace up the pitch. Before the tournament, Batista revealed he’s been working on team morale and mentality, not worrying about the past and only addressing the task at hand. Clearly, the hard work has come to fruition, earning Venezuela a well-deserved quarterfinal berth against Canada.

GROUP C: Is it time for Berhalter to call it a day?

Heading into Copa América, the bare minimum the USMNT had to do was get out of the group stage. Embarrassingly, the Stars and Stripes couldn’t deliver on home soil. Monday’s 1-0 loss to Uruguay means the U.S. exits the tournament with only one win, over Bolivia, and a slew of questions to address. 

The most pressing issue is what to do with head coach Gregg Berhalter. The 2024 Copa América was a chance for the Americans to grow and rebound after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but quite truthfully, it’s hard to pinpoint any progress. The 50-year-old was rehired in June 2023 after leading the squad between 2019-2022. Berhalter’s re-appointment was controversial considering he was let go after Qatar due to issues with Gio Reyna. But that aside, the manager’s leadership and impact has proven to be stagnant. Despite having 10 men against Panama, the U.S. were flat. The squad showed more fight against Uruguay, but still couldn’t get it done. Instead of cheering on Pulisic & Co. in front of them, fans resorted to backing Bolivia from their phones in the stands (hoping Bolivia would beat Panama in the other Group C matchup, which would send the Americans to the next round). No such luck happened, but the lack of belief from both the players and the fans speaks volumes. Was rehiring Berhalter the right call? Is it time for fresh leadership ahead of the 2026 World Cup?

Anyway, let’s look at the two teams advancing from the group, starting with second-place Panama. The Central Americans put on a thrilling 3-1 display against Bolivia Monday night, which stamped its first-ever ticket into the Copa América knockouts. Thomas Christiansen’s side has turned out to be the surprise of the tournament, with the Panamanian energy, confidence and “all or nothing” attitude reigning supreme. With two wins and one loss in the group stage, Panama has shown dedication, togetherness and deserve the reward for its plaudits. That said, playing Colombia in the quarterfinals won’t be easy. Although Panama’s done well on the goal-scoring front with six goals in the group stage, it’s also conceded five. Tightening up the backline is something Christiansen should consider in the next round.

Uruguay also deserves praise for topping the group with three straight wins. The 15-time Copa América winners have looked like true champions across all three group matches thanks to its stamina, tight press, flexible formation and ability to hold possession. Marcelo Bielsa has found ways to get his strikers more touches in the box than any other team at the tournament, which leads to goals by nature. While Bielsa can be demanding and erratic at times, his tactics have certainly paid off. However, Uruguay will play Brazil in the quarterfinals, which will be its toughest test at the tournament so far. Will La Celeste crumble under the pressure, or continue its winning ways?

GROUP D: Colombia vs. Brazil brought the fire

Ahead of the 2024 Copa América, all four of Sportsnet’s soccer contributors listed Brazil vs. Colombia as the can’t-miss group stage match, and boy, did the game deliver the drama. Tuesday’s showpiece had a bit of everything — a stunning goal from distance, a last-minute equalizer, VAR intervention, player fights and more. It’s almost a shame there has to be a first and second in the group, as both teams played valiantly. But ultimately, with a 1-1 draw, Colombia came from behind to edge Brazil and claim the top spot in Group D. 

Goal-scorer Raphina was Brazil’s most dangerous attacker, whose free kicks and accurate crosses kept Colombia keeper Camilo Vargas on his toes. Vini Jr. provided his usual aggression and theatrics, but will miss the quarterfinals after receiving a second straight yellow card, a massive loss for Dorival Júnior against a crisp Uruguayan unit. Next time out, the manager needs to ask more from Rodrygo who looked too subtle compared to his counterparts. 

On the other hand, Los Cafeteros’ James Rodriguez was outstanding. There’s a reason he wears the captain’s armband; the 32-year-old created goal-scoring opportunities, energized his teammates (and the sea of yellow in the crowd) while showing never-ending hustle on both offence and defence. It’s also important to note that Néstor Lorenzo hasn’t recorded a single loss since taking over Colombia in 2022 — an outstanding achievement. Will the 58-year-old’s winning ways lift his side over Panama on Saturday? If Colombia can keep up the pressure, aggression and resilience it showed across the group stage, it certainly has a chance of making a deep run.

At the same time, Costa Rica took on lowly Paraguay to round out the group and finish third and fourth respectively. The former had a punchy start to the game, scoring in the third and seventh minutes to stun its opponents and record its only two goals of the tournament. The sudden burst of finishing wasn’t enough for Los Ticos to advance, but it can hold its head high after a solid end to the competition. 

2024 COPA AMÉRICA QUARTERFINAL MATCHES

July 4: Argentina vs. Ecuador, 9 p.m. ET

July 5: Venezuela vs. Canada, 9 p.m. ET

July 6: Colombia vs. Panama, 6 p.m. ET

July 6: Uruguay vs. Brazil, 9 p.m. ET