The Copa America Centenario kicks off on Friday, June 3 in Santa Clara and it’s going to be a special edition. Not only is it the 100th instalment of Copa America, it’s the first time the prestigious event is being held outside of South America. Here's a look at the top games in the group stage.
Group A
All eyes will be on the Colombia vs Costa Rica contest in group A's last match on Saturday, June 11, at 9:00 PM ET. Colombia's star man is James Rodriguez, but the midfielder hasn't had a great season at Real Madrid. His club teammate, Keylor Navas, will be in goal for Costa Rica, and Navas will have to be at the top of his game because Costa Rica doesn't score a lot of goals outside of Bryan Ruiz. Colombia has won seven straight over Costa Rica, who hasn't won in this series since 1963. This match could very well determine who moves on with United States.
Group B
Brazil and Ecuador are the class of Group B. They'll meet on Saturday, June 4 at 10 PM ET, with Brazil favoured by -130 and Ecuador listed as the +385 underdog. Brazil heads into this tournament without Neymar, who is going to play in the Olympics instead. Hulk and Douglas Costa have to step up and compensate for Neymar's absence. Ecuador's will look to be physical with Brazil and hit them on the counter with Enner Valencia, who was huge for his country in the 2014 World Cup. Brazil has five wins and a draw in their last six meetings with Ecuador, who last beat Brazil in 2004.
Group C
In Group C, Jamaica and Venezuela will struggle to make it through, leaving Mexico (+160) and Uruguay (+185) to fight it out. Mexico and Uruguay meet on Sunday, June 5 at 8 PM ET in Phoenix in what should be an evenly matched showdown. Uruguay will likely be without strikers Luis Suarez (hamstring) and Edinson Cavani, which would be a huge benefit to Mexico. It will also give Mexican striker Javier Hernandez, also known as Chicharito, a good opportunity to elevate his team. He played well after moving from Manchester United to Bayer Leverkusen, and he's their best chance for goals. These two teams have played 19 times, with Mexico winning seven and drawing seven. Uruguay won the last meeting 1-0 at the 2011 Copa America.
Group D
Lastly, Group D looks to be a two-horse race between Argentina and Chile. With all due respect to Panama and Bolivia, Group D is all about Argentina and the defending champions from Chile, who beat Argentina in the 2015 final in a penalty shootout. They meet on Monday, June 6 at 10 PM ET in Santa Clara, with Argentina favoured by -120 and Chile listed as +350 underdogs on the moneyline. Argentina will be led once again by Lionel Messi, who's coming off another fantastic season at Barcelona. However, Messi has never lived up to his Barca play for his country. Alexis Sanchez was up and down for Arsenal this season, but he'll be the star man for Chile. That 2015 Copa America win was Chile's only win over Argentina in the two team's last four meetings.
*Odds as of May 27, 2016