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The 2015 Copa America final features a clash between Lionel Messi led Argentina and host nation Chile.   Saturday July 4 th the two teams will take the field in Santiago, Chile as they battle for South American supremacy and a qualification spot for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.   To truly understand the magnitude of this final it is necessary to retrace the paths both countries traveled to reach this point of the historic tournament. Road To The Finals    Chile emerged as the winners of Group A, recording two wins and a single tie.   Their group play opened against Ecuador who the Chileans defeated by a score of 2-0. The second match of the group stage was a high scoring draw against Mexico, which finished 3-3.   Chile then closed out their final group stage fixture punishing Bolivia 5-0, with midfielder Charles Aranguiz providing a brace.   Argentina also entered the knockout stage of the tournament as the winners of their group.   However, they got off to a sl

New York Red Bulls Rally in Hudson River Derby  In a weekend full of action, Sunday's early match was a tale of two completely different halves. NYC FC looked the better squad throughout the first.  David Villa was active, but even during the run of play NYC dominated, a disconnect between the midfield transitioning the ball to the attack was clear. First Half Action (Photo by Sean Sullivan) NYC FC opened the scoring account in the 6th minute, however this was false hope for the home supports.  Midfielder Thomas McNamara made a nifty reception in the box, before slotting home a low volley out of the reach of keeper Louis Robles.  The majority of the attack was in NYC's favor, but they lacked the ability to connect on passes in the final third to go ahead even further. Villa and Robles Clash - 1st Half (Photo By Sean Sullivan) The second half was a completely different story.  The Red Bulls struck courtesy of Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 47th minute.  The

The United States will face Guatemala on July 3rd, marking the final appearance before the beginning of the 2015 Gold Cup.  Riding excellent results in friendlies against European powers Netherlands and Germany, the tournament roster contains a wide scope of players including a few who impressed in those fixtures. Coach: Jürgen Klinsmann (Action Shot Of Him Editing) The Roster The names that took you, and me, a second glance to realize were absence are less than expected. Although I had been a big fan of Matt Besler, a name seeming to replace him is logically traced to the name Ream. Tim Ream, a central defender, is coming off another great season for Bolton Wanderers. This season he repeated as the club's Player of The Year. Having started all 43 matches, this stat has caught the eye of Klinsmann.  Morris - 20 yrs old - Stanford - 5 (1) The one name I believe we all would have liked to see was Jordan Morris.  The forward entering his senior season at Stanford

Andrea Pirlo, amidst the storm of transfer rumors, visited Yankee Stadium to catch a game this past weekend.  The surging news flood around the Italian midfield maestro would be a vital signing for the in form New York City Football Club. Clothing For Dummies: How To Dress Like Pirlo (The Guardian.uk) If this move is to go through as fans hope, it would cause a tactical change in the midfield of NYC FC.  The core of this squad, aside from David Villa, is current midfield anchor Mix Diskerud.  With the arrival of Frank Lampard, Diskerud will already have to adjust his style of play.  Deployed previously in central roll, a midfield shared with Lampard and possibly Pirlo would require him to model into a traditional workhorse.  An engine, tasked with tackling and providing the speed and legs the older duo may lack. 4-4-2 Formation vs. Toronto FC June 20th (mlssoccer.com) The other question this potential move would generate is simple: where will they make up for the lack o

  Yankee Stadium will be the site of the second clash between New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls this season.   June 28 th presents a meeting of the fifth placed Red Bulls and an NYC FC side riding their first ever win streak.   NYC FC emerged victorious over Canadian opponents the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC, outscoring the pair by a total of 5-1, in these two previous matches. The first meeting of this season came at Red Bull Arena on May 10 th .   The Red Bulls will look to finish victorious again as two goals from forward Bradley Wright-Phillips lifted the 10-man Red Bulls over NYC FC.  Setting the stage for this meeting, the atmosphere of a rivalry still in its infancy will only be further elevated when they meet again this weekend.   The supporters of NYC FC and all of Blue York City FC have fueled the sports rise in notoriety as transfer rumors continue to swirl about Andrea Pirlo joining the boys in blue.   Heading into this game riding a three-game MLS

Major League Soccer and the weather have been heating up as the league enters the summer leg of the 2015 season.   The secondary transfer window, July 8 th – August 6 th , has been buzzing with most of the headlines surrounding New York City Football Club.   The Jason Kreis coached side has made two early splashes.   The first was the announcement was the signing of 32-year-old defender Androni Iraola on a free transfer.  His arrival in the Big Apple will provide the backline of NYC FC with a veteran of the Spanish first division.   Iraola made 510 appearances for Athletico Bilbao, scoring 38 goals over a 12-season career.   He will be reunited with forward David Villa as the pair has featured previously for the Spanish National Team. New York has also signed highly rated Manchester City starlet Jose Angel Tasande, Under-21 Youth Academy left back, to a season long loan deal.   His pace and ability to fly up the flanks will benefit their wing play greatly.         Th