ORLANDO, FL, Sporting Alert – Group points standings after the opening round of group games in the 2016 Copa America tournament, which were completed on Monday with the Group D fixtures.
Heading into the second round of group matches, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Panama and Mexico have all picked up victories in their opening games at the tournament and are now just one win away from booking quarterfinal places.
At the same time, however, the likes of USA, Jamaica, Uruguay and even defending champion Chile all face elimination from the tournament and can’t afford to lose again in any of their next two fixtures.
| Clubs | P | W | D | L | FA | Pts |
| 1. | Colombia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-0 | 3 |
| 2. | Costa Rica | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 3. | Paraguay | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 4. | USA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-2 | 0 |
After beating USA 2-0 in their opening game, Colombia could book a quarterfinals place on Tuesday with a win over Paraguay in the second game of Group A.
The South Americans, however, will be without star midfielder and captain James Rodriguez, who suffered a shoulder injury in the victory against the U.S. and has not recovered fully.
The Real Madrid player was one of the scorers in the tournament opener – netting from the penalty spot – and he will be somewhat disappointed to miss the clash with Paraguay.
Costa Rica and Paraguay played to a 0-0 draw in their Group A opening match and they sit behind Colombia in the standings on one point each.
Host nation USA, though, is in deep trouble and could be dumped from the 2016 Copa America tournament on Tuesday with a defeat against the Costa Ricans.
| Clubs | P | W | D | L | FA | Pts |
| 1. | Peru | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-0 | 3 |
| 2. | Brazil | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 3. | Ecuador | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 4. | Haiti | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-1 | 0 |
Peru is the surprised leader in the Group B standings after one game, with group favourite Brazil and Ecuador both on one point and Haiti waiting to get off the mark.
Peru tagged Haiti 1-0 in the opening contest last week, but face a sterner opponent in Ecuador in the second match day.
However, a win for them in their next fixture would see them securing an early passage into the quarterfinals with six points.
Brazil takes on Haiti in their second game of the tournament and will start heavy favourite to beat the CONCACAF side, which would eliminate them from this year’s Copa America.
| Clubs | P | W | D | L | FA | Pts |
| 1. | Mexico | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-1 | 3 |
| 2. | Venezuela | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-0 | 3 |
| 3. | Jamaica | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-1 | 0 |
| 4. | Uruguay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-3 | 0 |
Mexico and Venezuela are leading the way in Group C after the completion of the first round of group fixtures.
El Tri looked very confident in their 3-1 victory over Uruguay in the opening game of the group last week and lead the standings on goal difference. Next up for them is a clash with fellow CONCACAF opponents Jamaica, which suffered a defeat to Venezuela in their opener.
Mexico will move into the quarterfinals with another three points, while the Reggae Boyz would be facing elimination with a defeat.
Venezuela can also earn a place into the last eight with a win over Uruguay, although the South Americans are the bookies favourites to bounce back from the Mexico defeat.
Striker Luis Suarez is expected to miss the second game as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
| Clubs | P | W | D | L | FA | Pts |
| 1. | Argentina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-1 | 3 |
| 2. | Panama | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-1 | 3 |
| 3. | Bolivia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 | 0 |
| 4. | Chile | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 | 0 |
Top-ranked and tournament favourites Argentina and Panama took the early lead in Group D after the first round of group matches with identical 2-1 wins on Monday night.
With leading forward and captain Lionel Messi sitting on the bench for the entire game, Argentina went out and beat Chile 2-1 in the rematch of last year’s final, which was won by the Alexis Sanchez led hosts on penalties.
Argentina will face Panama in the second game of the tournament, with Chile facing Bolivia, which suffered a late defeat to Panama in their Group D opener on Monday.
Visit the tournament website for more information
