Herculez Gomez (9) of the U.S. gets a pass off under pressure from Antigua & Barbuda's Kemoy Alexander (7) during the first half of their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier soccer match in Tampa, Florida, June 8, 2012. (Photo : REUTERS/Steve Nesius)
Reports indicate that the United States will host a special addition of the Copa America in 2016.
The tournament, which is traditionally played in South American Countries and is the CONMEBOL federation's top tournament, will be held in the US for the first time ever. The Copa is usually played every four years; the last one was played in 2011 and the next one is supposed to be in 2015. There will in fact be a normal Copa held in 2015 in Chile and the 2016 edition is said to be a commemoration of the tournament's 100 years.
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According to SBNation, Mexico was competing with the US to host the tournament, but economic burdens and fears of the drug wars made the US a better option.
Over the years, CONCACAF international sides like the US, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Honduras have been invited to participate in the Copa America. The US has played in three tournaments while Mexico has been a part of eight. Mexico won second place in two of the tournaments and third place in three of its eight attempts. Japan participated in the 1999 tournament and champion Spain was invited to the 2011 tournament, but did not participate.
There are also reports stating that the CONMEBOL is trying to get CONCACAF club teams to play in the recently ended Copa Libertadores. Under the current format, only South American CONMEBOL clubs compete in the tournament, but adding Central and North American teams from the United States' MLS or Mexico's league could increase revenue for the South American tournament. The last time an MLS club played with CONMEBOL teams was in 1998 when the D.C. United won the Copa Interamericana.
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