USA's summer of soccer needs strong start from Americans in Copa America

SAN JOSE, Calif. – It is being billed as the summer of soccer and it will be hard to flick through the sports channels for the next month and change without seeing evidence of how the world’s biggest sport continues to make strides into mainstream America.

The Copa America Centenario is not the World Cup, but it is as close as the American public has come to seeing one first-hand since the sport’s biggest showpiece came to these shores in 1994.

It features 16 teams, 10 from South America and the rest, including the USA, from the CONCACAF region that encompasses North and Central America and the Caribbean.

It is going to be great and colorful fun, and with matches spaced all across the country and the event lasting until June 26, the opportunity to gain populist traction is obvious, especially with little else save for early-season baseball to detract attention once the NBA Finals are done.

So then, Jurgen Klinsmann and your USA men’s team, it is time to step forward.

For the natural opportunity that hosting major events brings in terms of growing a sport to realize its full power, a strong run from the USA is imperative.

And though, on paper and given the home-field edge, Klinsmann’s squad should be accomplished enough to progress from the group stages, such an outcome is by no means a formality.

The repercussions of an early exit would be significant. By way of example, at the 2010 World Cup, host South Africa’s defeat to Uruguay in its second group game meant that just five days into a five-week competition, the home country was effectively eliminated. The World Cup is strong enough to stand on its own two feet, but that outcome certainly took some sting out of the tournament.

Even with a USA departure, the games would continue to be well-attended – the booming expatriate population in the host cities will make sure of that – but for television ratings to hit their peak, the Americans need to find a way to stick around for as long as possible.

This might seem pessimistic, but it is worth mentioning because Klinsmann’s squad has not exactly inspired great confidence of late, so much so that many have called for the coach to be ousted and a replacement found while there is still time before the 2018 World Cup.

Even the preliminary phase of World Cup qualifying has not been without incident, most notably a 2-0 defeat in Guatemala in March that exposed significant defensive holes.

There are some positive signs too, such as the emergence of youngsters like precocious 17-year-old Christian Pulisic, who has broken into the first team at German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund, but, in all honesty, little to suggest the gap to the elite teams of world soccer is any closer to being bridged.

And while home advantage has typically been kind to USA teams, Klinsmann’s group has not been immune to shocks on familiar fields either. A year ago, what was thought to be a comfortable stroll to the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, was thrown off course by upstart Jamaica in the semis.

Stronger opponents await this time.

With Colombia, one of the tournament favorites, in its first game, followed by a showdown with arch-rival Costa Rica, Klinsmann’s group simply must hit the ground running and find a spark that has been frustratingly lacking.

If the USA can provide the patriotic jolt to get the public engaged in the tournament, there is plenty else for them to see. The absence of Brazil’s phenomenon Neymar to focus on the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro is a disappointment, but Lionel Messi is expected to be in action for Argentina and has announced his desire to win the first major international trophy of his career.

Defending champion Chile will likely put up a stout defense around the mercurial gifts of Alexis Sanchez, while controversial (and possibly injured) Uruguayan Luis Suarez and exciting Colombian youngster James Rodriguez are highlights of their country’s squads.

For soccer newbies who catch the bug, the European Championships in France begin a week after the Copa, showcasing the finest that continent has to offer. To cap things off in August, the U.S. women’s national team will seek to capitalize on its World Cup triumph by adding a fourth straight Olympic gold.

For soccer fans, there is a lot to look forward to. It could be a big summer, but it needs a bright and shiny start.