For much of the time in Saturday's Copa America Centenario match between Costa Rica and Paraguay, the teams seemed more interested in pushing one another around than they were in working to score goals.
The teams combined for five yellow cards and one red, the latter shown to Costa Rica's (and the Vancouver Whitecaps') Kendall Waston in the 94th minute. It all added up to just a 0-0 draw at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
In fact, US fans were hoping for just such a result following the USMNT's 2-0 loss Friday to Colombia. They got their wish in a dull affair played in hot, humid conditions that prompted a water break in each half. Paraguay had more of the better chances, but neither team managed a goal in the first 45 minutes, which included a water break in the 28th.
Costa Rica's Yeltsin Tejada Valverde set the tone for the game by getting a yellow card just 22 seconds into the match, and things didn't get much better the rest of the game.
Box Score
Three Things
1. IT WAS HOT: The temperature at game time in Orlando was 92 degrees Fahrenheit, with 60 percent humidity. Even for two teams used to playing games in heat and humidity, these were difficult conditions, and, to be honest, neither team looked as if they wanted to run too much. The game saw two water breaks, one in the 28th minute, and the other in the 74th.
2. THE OFFENSE WAS LACKING: It's tough to score goals if you don't take shots. Of course, all you need is one shot sometimes, but in this case, the one shot Paraguay put on target wasn't enough to get it done, and neither were the four that Costa Rica put on target. Only one gave Paraguay keeper Justo Villar any real concern.
3. SETTING THE TONE: When Costa Rica's Yeltsin Tejada Valverde got the game's first yellow card just 22 seconds into the game, it was a pretty good indicator this would be a physical game. Actually, though, five yellow cards didn't seem like all that much given the start. Of course, then Kendall Waston got a red card in the final minute of stoppage time, which was an appropriate bookend to Valverde's yellow.
Next Up
- CRC: Tuesday, June 7 vs. USA (8 pm ET; FS1, Univision)
- PRY: Tuesday, June 7 vs. COL (10:30 pm ET; Univision, FS1)
