Prost Amerika columnist Alan Hinton reviewed the Copa America Centenario and 2016 Euros competitions in this week’s video edition of Hinton Unleashed.
Copa America
“Messi, he can steal money from your pockets.”
The 45,000 fans in attendance got a treat late in the second half when Messi, after being called offsides, continued to play and with some fancy dribbling nutmugged the goalie on the touchline.
Last week, Hinton predicted Argentina would win this year’s Copa America. He lauded forward Lionel Messi’s performance in his side’s 4-0 dominant victory over the USMNT. Hinton was impressed by Messi’s scoring ability and distributions.
USMNT Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (center in black gear) jogs with his players during their training at Houston Sports Park. Victor Araiza/Prost Amerika.
“The U.S., to be fair, have done fantastic to get to the semifinals. Nobody thought they would.”
“Not a to a single player on the U.S. team would have a chance of being a starter on the Argentine team.”
Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann predicted his side could advance to the semis. According to Hinton, Klinsmann deserved credit for taking the Americans to the Copa America final four.
The U.S. talent gap was evident in their 4-0 loss to Argentina. Hinton noted that not a single American player had the skills to start for Argentina.
2016 Euros
The main story on the pitch was the advancement of “minnows” Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales to the knockout stage. Russia and Sweden were two prominent teams that failed to move on to the next round.
