The weather was actually the top story in last night’s Copa America Centenario semifinal match at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Solider Field was a top ten trending term on Twitter as a series of fierce thunderstorms swept through the Chicago area and forced a very late rain delay in Chile‘s 2-0 defeat of Colombia.
It also emptied the venue and inspired hundreds of amazing pictures on social media.
Of course, poor attendance and low ratings have been big problems throughout the Copa, as astronomical ticket prices have really hurt consumer interest in the tournament.
After the defeat, Arsenal back-up goalkeeper David Ospina, who the Gunners acquired from Ligue 1 side Nice, after the keeper garnered international acclaim for his part in guiding Colombia to a surprise appearance in the 2014 World Cup round of 8, had a lot of praise for his club teammate Alexis Sanchez in the post game.
“He’s not just a great player, he’s an excellent person,” said Ospina of Sanchez. “He’s showing what he is made of [at the Copa America] with his movement, competitiveness and use of the ball. I’m happy for him.”
With speculation that Ospina could be moving on from the Emirates, he was of course asked about his club future during the media mixed zone, but the keeper dodged the question by responding with platitudes.
“[There’s nothing new] for the moment, no,” said Ospina after the match. “I’m relaxed. I’ll finish the Copa and after that we’ll see what happens.”
On a side note, be sure to check out my segment discussing the Copa America on CCTV America’s Global Business. Read the article at this link. Ospina and Colombia will now take on the United States in the Copa third place game while Sanchez and defending Copa champion Chile takes on #1 rated Argentina in the final.
Here’s video of the segment below:
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram
