Houston lives the 2024 Copa America!

Houston has become a venue for important international soccer events, and it will once be a protagonist in the Copa America as the venue for several cup games.

Space City has NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans from the National Football League (NFL) and is where the big games are played because it has the capacity to host 72,220 fans.

Mexico vs Jamaica

The celebration of the CONMEBOL Cup in Houston began with Mexico’s match against Jamaica in Group B. The teams have faced each other 29 times, 20 of them victories for Mexico, 5 draws, and 3 victories for Jamaica. The last time they met, “El Tri” beat the “Reggae Boyz” 3-0.

The Mexican team has been in transition and testing many of the new generation players, as coach Jimmy Lozano mentioned, leaving out recognized names like Raúl Jiménez and Chucky Lozano.Coach Lozano is taking the Copa América as preparation for the 2026 World Cup. As usual, Mexico is the favorite in Group B, but it has several teams that will fight to leave them out of the next phase. For many it’s the perfect time for “El Tri”‘  to shine against more experienced teams.

On the other side the Jamaican squad is having problems off the field with its federation, which has caused the discomfort of several players, including Leon Blake, who has said that he will not be part of the national team again until the abuses towards him are resolved. On the playing field, Jamaica is known for its speed and defensive power when it comes to being one-on-one with its rival. They also have the great goalkeeper Andre Blake who plays for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS).

Result: Mexico 1-0 Jamaica

It  was a close with some scoring opportunities for both teams, however, it was Mexico who had the most possession of the ball and did not stop pressing in search of the score. It was in the 69th minute that “El Tri” opened the score board thanks to Gerardo Arteaga, taking the victory. Even with the victory, the fans are not happy with how the team has been performing lately and it was noticeable because the NRG stadium, which is always dyed green when Mexico plays, had many empty seats.

Colombia vs Paraguay

Colombia faces Paraguay in the opening game for both teams in Group D. The squads are in different moments in their development.

 The “cafeteros” arrives with 23 undefeated games, with high spirits after triumphing in several friendly matches, including against the United States, which they won 5-1. Colombia is hopeful of winning the Copa América again this time under coach Néstor Lorenzo, the last time they won this cup was in 2001. Colombia brings high level international players such as Luis Díaz, James Rodríguez among others. For many, this team is shaping as a strong contender to winning Southern Continent Cup.

Their rival, Paraguay is in a moment of transition with their new coach Daniel Garnero, many do not count on “La Albirroja” being able to advance out of the group stage since they have had difficulties in winning in their last 9 games with only two victories. Despite these results, they have a good defense that will surely give any opponent a fight. It is not the first time that the Paraguay team has been underestimated, let’s not forget that the squad reached the quarterfinals in the last two editions of the Copa América.

Result: Colombia 2-1 Paraguay

The city of Houston dressed in yellow in support of the Colombian team, going viral on social media due to the number of Colombians in the city, perhaps indicating that the people form Colombia are really excited about winning the cup. For now, they are on the right track, winning 2-1 against Paraguay with goals from Daniel Muñoz in the 32nd minute and 10 minutes later Jefferson Lerma scored the second for Colombia. It was Julio Enciso who scored for Paraguay in the 69th minute.

Ready for Quarter-Finals!

The conclusion of the NRG stadium’s participation in the tournament will be on July 4, for the quarterfinals between the 1st in Group A and the 2nd in Group B. Don’t forget to follow us on social networks and come back for updates all the action in Houston.