The 2024 Copa America officially kicks off on Thursday June, 20th as the United States of America will be hosting for the second time in their history (first time was in 2016 for the Copa America Centenario. Due to the closeness of the tournament, it is time to go through all the groups and preview all the teams who will be looking to take home the trophy this year.
Group C will see the hosts in the United States, along with fellow countries Uruguay, Bolivia, and Panama. The top two nations of each group will advance to the knockout stages, along with the top two third-place nations. Here is a look into the groups in Group C, and what to expect from each of them.
Copa America 2024: Group C
Recent History
Bolivia is the 85th ranked team in FIFA, and they are looking to bring home their first Copa America trophy home since 1963. They have been in the World Cup a total of three times, with none advancing further than the group stage. Recent times have not been the best for Bolivia, so they brought in Brazilian manager Antonio Carlos Zago to right the ship.
When it comes to the Copa America, Bolivia has not moved past the group stage since 2015. In fact, Bolivia has not won a single game since the 2015 tournament, and only one since the 1999 edition. While Bolivia is not a strong team in the tournament, is there a chance for them to cause an upset or two in this Copa America?
Tactical Outlook
Bolivia brought in a new manager back in October of 2023, as they were looking to right the ship and fix things up. They brought in Brazilian manager Antonio Carlos Zago, who coached Brazilian side Coritiba prior. In five matches in charge of the South American side, Zago has a record of 2 wins and 3 losses. While Zago’s era has not been the best, he will be looking for an improvement in the Copa America. Now, how will Zago lineup as his Bolivian side looks to improve?
The formation that Zago will most likely use for the Copa America will be a 4-2-3-1, that sees four defenders, two defensive-minded midfielders with an attacking one, along with two wingers playing next to the CAM. These three players will be looking to feed the lone striker, as Bolivia will look to score goals. Bolivia’s midfield will be crucial in creating chances and helping take over opponent defenses.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strength of this Bolivia team will be with the Bolivia midfield. As stated prior, this position group is important in creating chances, especially with their attacking midfielder. The Bolivia midfield will be the main group responsible for exploiting errors in their opponents defense and helping their forwards possibly score goals.
Now this Bolivia team isn’t the strongest on paper, but there is a weakness that sticks out more than the others, and that is their defense. The Bolivian defense will have tough tests against both Uruguay and the United States, as players such as Darwin Nunez, Luis Suarez, and Christian Pulisic will be going against them. If the Bolivian team wants to make any moves and upsets in this tournament, their defense will need to be playing at their top level.
Copa America 2024 Betting Odds
To qualify for the Knockout Round: +380
To reach the Semifinals: +2200
To reach the Final: +10000
To win Copa America 2024: +22000
Recent History
Recent times have not gone the way of Panama, as they did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But they did participate in the 2023 Gold Cup, where they finished as the runners-up to Mexico. Panama finished in fourth place in both the 2022 and 2023 CONCACAF Nations League, showing their worth against CONCACAF opponents.
This Copa America is the second Copa America that Panama has played in, with the first being in 2016. Panama finished 12th place overall in that tournament, not advancing out of the group stage. The nation will be looking to advance further than the group stage in this tournament, as they hopefully will cause some upsets in a tough group with the United States, Uruguay, and Bolivia.
Tactical Outlook
Panama’s manager is Thomas Christiansen, and he has been in charge since July of 2020. In 62 matches, Christiansen has a record of 31 wins, 14 draws, and 17 losses. Before Panama, Christiansen was manager of both Leeds United and Union St. Gilloise for a year. As manager of Panama, he has had his ups and downs, but how will he lead this side to success in the Copa America?
When it comes to his formation, Thomas Christiansen will most likely line up with a 3-4-3 formation. He will run three defenders with four midfielders, along with three attacking players. This formation is the usual formation that Christiansen uses with Panama, and his side plays with intent to dominate possession and control the game. With the opponents they will be going against, Panama will definitely need to play with this game plan if they have any intent on succeeding.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strength of this Panama team lies in the fact that midfield depth is impressive. It includes MLS players Adalberto Carrasquilla and Anibal Godoy, who will be vital in the success for Panama. This midfield will be important in hitting opponents on the counter and creating chances for their forwards. Panama will need chances if they want to win, and the midfield will be a crucial part in that aspect.
Panama’s weakness lies in the fact that their forward group isn’t the deepest group. They have a veteran player in Alberto Quintero who has 140 appearances with the team, and after that it’s not that deep. They have a few players who are able to put the ball in the back of the net, but the group does not fall too deep after these players. If these individuals are failing to put the ball in the bag of the net for Panama, the nation might have trouble moving on or creating any upsets in the group stage.
Copa America 2024 Betting Odds
To qualify for the Knockout Round: +500
To reach the Semifinals: +3500
To reach the Final: +18000
To win Copa America 2024: +49000
Recent History
Since the United States failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, things have been looking up for the Concacaf based team. They have a new generation of talented players, and have been dominating their region as of late, winning the Concacaf Nations League a total of three teams and moving onto the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup.
The United States is making their fifth ever appearance in the Copa America, and their first since 2016 when they finished fourth overall. Gregg Berhalter and the United States come into this edition of the Copa America as they look to continue to grow as a nation on the international level.
Tactical Outlook
Gregg Berhalter was first announced as manager of the United States on December 2, 2018, and he helped transform the squad. His contract expired in late 2022 and then was once again announced as the manager in June of 2023. His USMNT side has played a lot of the same when he has been manager, and that has both gone for and against the squad.
Gregg Berhalter tends to use the 4-3-3 formation for the USA squad, with two wingers playing up top with the strikers. The midfield is the strength of this USMNT, and they help the squad in many ways. Berhalter plays one midfielder deeper, with two playing more central, in what would look like an upside down triangle. At times Gio Reyna pushes a little forward to help the attack and create some chances, which creates a level of equality in the midfield. It sees one player helping the team, one controlling the middle of the field, and another playing higher up. Berhalter’s formation is one that is familiar with the squad and he will continue to use it throughout the Copa America.
Strengths and Weaknesses
When thinking of the strength for the USMNT, there were two different ideas that stuck out. Both the midfield and the wing play of the United States has been stellar as of late, but the midfield stuck out as more of a strength lately. Berhalter has the ability to pick from a list of players such as McKennie, Reyna, Musah, Johnny, and more, which is definitely something that proves to be a tough task. A lot of players in this midfield have been playing well of late, and they will prove to be a crucial part of the success of this United States squad as they look to move far in the Copa America.
The main weakness of this United States Men’s National Team has to do with the striker position. Yes, the USA has players such as Balogun, Pepi, Sargent, and Wright, but the striker position is one that has been lacking as of late. When given the opportunity to start, these players do not seem to create chances for themselves, which is not something that you want to see out of your strikers. Berhalter will want his strikers to be creating chances and scoring goals, and the USA will definitely need to improve on this if they want to cause any sort of trouble in this tournament.
Copa America 2024 Betting Odds
To qualify for the Knockout Round: -490
To reach the Semifinals: +185
To reach the Final: +500
To win Copa America 2024: +1400
Recent History
Uruguay is ranked number fifteen in the world, being one of the top three teams in the CONMEBOL region of South America. They have been one of the most successful nations in Copa America history, winning it a total of 15 times. But recently, Uruguay’s luck in the tournament has not been the same. They were knocked out in the quarterfinals in both 2019 and 2021, and did not even make it out of the group stage in 2016.
This Uruguay side has some promise for this tournament, with a squad who are hungry and ready to challenge for the trophy. Add in the fact that they are led by new manager Marcelo Bielsa, who has injected some life into the side, and Uruguay could be seen as one of the favorites to win it all. Can Bielsa find a way to improve the Copa America fortunes for this country, and bring home their first trophy since 2011?
Tactical Outlook
This Uruguay side is led by Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa, who took over in May of 2023. Bielsa is seen as one of the most influential managers of all time, mainly due to his tactical knowledge of the sport. Bielsa has dominated in all aspects of the sport, whether that be on the club level or the international level. He has begun to transform this Uruguay side, leading them to wins over Argentina and Brazil in World Cup qualifying, showing that he is the right man for this side.
Marcelo Bielsa is known for running different formations as a manager, but during the Copa America, he will most likely be running a 4-3-3 formation. This formation will include the four defenders, three midfielders, and two wingers flanking the striker. Bielsa’s midfield three will see one midfielder playing up towards the attack to help create some chances, with the other two playing back and more central to create some balance on the pitch. Bielsa is a tactical genius who will have a solution for just about everything that opposing managers throw at him, proving why they are the favorites to be the leaders in Group C.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This Uruguay team is a deep team in many aspects, but their main strength will have to do with their depth in the forward position. Players such as Darwin Nunez (Liverpool), Luis Suarez (Inter Miami), Facundo Pellistri (Granada), and more will lead the Uruguay attack for the Copa America. Bielsa has transformed this attack since joining as manager, and this group will be a major part of the country’s push towards a trophy.
When looking at a weakness for this Uruguay side, it is really difficult to make a decision. Their forwards and midfield are both incredibly deep and talented, and their defensive group is not bad at all either. If there had to be a weakness for this side, it would be the fact that they could be seen as an inexperienced squad in this sort of competition. Yes, they have talented players all across the pitch, both young and old, but too much inexperience in the squad could be something that causes them some trouble. This might not even end up being a factor for Uruguay, but it is something that could be seen as a weakness for a team that is incredibly deep and talented.
Copa America 2024 Betting Odds
To qualify for the Knockout Round: -1000
To reach the Semifinals: -120
To reach the Final: +250
To win Copa America 2024: +550
Copa America 2024 Group C Match Information
- USA vs Bolivia | Sunday, June 23 @ 6 PM EST
- Uruguay vs Panama | Sunday, June 23 @ 9 PM EST
- Panama vs USA | Thursday, June 27 @ 6 PM EST
- Uruguay vs Bolivia | Thursday, June 27 @ 9 PM EST
- Bolivia vs Panama | Monday, July 1 @ 9 PM EST
- USA vs Uruguay | Monday, July 1 @ 9 PM EST
Be sure to return to Philly Sports Network for more Philadelphia Union and other soccer content!
Follow our Union team on Twitter:
Tim Lovenguth | Jimmy King | Paul Frenzel
Eric Frysinger | Liam Jenkins
Steve Beavon | Zach LoBasso
Doop on Union fans!
Mandatory Credit: DiaEsportivo/Actionplus/Icon Sportswire
