In the days leading up to the Copa América Centenario, coaches from Costa Rica and Paraguay emphasized how important the first match would be for their futures in the tournament.
With the sun beating down on Camping World Stadium's newly-installed grass turf, temperatures approached triple digits as Los Ticos and Albirroja played to a 0-0 draw — not exactly the start each were hoping for but enough to maintain confidence moving forward.
"First of all, from our point of view, it's crazy to play at the time that we played," Paraguay coach Ramón Ángel Díaz said through a translator, referencing the extreme heat during a game that kicked off at 5 p.