LightNovels

tl;dr - The Euros have kinda sucked, and the Copa America's best game is likely to happen tonight.

I am not much of a sport person these days, but the only sport I do actively keep up with is soccer (football to all you non-yanks). Recently, I have gotten to watch a fair bit of the Euros and the Copa America that are both ongoing right now. I have enjoyed being able to watch some competitive international tournaments, but the actual quality of the play has not been terribly exciting with a couple exceptions.

Frankly, no team in the Euros this year has really stood out to me other than an outstanding Austria/Turkey match. France and England, both expected to compete for the title before the tournament started, have been really disappointing. They somehow both stumbled their way into a semifinal match (England plays theirs in ~1 hour from time of posting this). But, they have not really played threateningly at all, and at times have been utterly boring. So far, Spain has been the most consistently threatening team in this tournament, but they also have struggled to limit their opponents chances and keep clean sheets.

Across the Atlantic, the Copa has been a bit more exciting with a couple teams that have played dynamically. Specifically, the two that have really stood out to me have been Colombia and Uruguay. Unfortunately for them, they are playing each other in a semifinal match later this evening, so they won't be able to finish first and second. Brazil was pretty disappointing this tournament. Without Neymar on the pitch, they really struggled in the final third to convert possession into opportunities. Argentina have been extremely dominant in the midfield, but have similarly struggled with converting that into goals. I am baffled at how Lautaro Martinez has been used as a sub rather than a starter when he has been their most dynamic player.