From the brink of elimination to group winner, the U.S. men’s national team is heading to Copa America Centenario‘s knockout stage.
Next stop: Seattle.
At 9 p.m. Saturday, the Americans booked their quarterfinal place with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in Philadelphia.
At 11 p.m. Saturday, they ascended to the top of Group A when front-runner Colombia lost to Costa Rica, 3-2, in Houston.
So the United States finished with six points and a plus-3 goal differential. Colombia was second with six points and a plus-2 goal differential. (Turns out, Graham Zusi’s late goal in the 4-0 rout of Costa Rica on Tuesday in Chicago meant more than we could have imagined.