Copa America Centenario: USMNT, Colombia kick off 100th anniversary

Welcome to the Copa America Centenario.

One hundred years ago, the first South American championship took place in Argentina, tipping the hat to a century of the country's independence. The tournament 's first fixture was marred by controversy. Uruguay's national team defeated Chile 4-0, and the Chilean delegation subsequently insisted the match be disallowed "because Uruguay had two Africans in the lineup," in Isabelino Gradin and Juan Delgado, the former of whom scored all four goals.

At the time, Uruguay was the only country in the world with black players on its national team. Chile's complaint fell on deaf fears, and Los Charruas went on to win the competition.

On Friday, 100 years since Uruguay and Chile's contentious affair, the Copa America Centenario will kick off at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., as the United States Men's National Team welcomes Colombia.

The centenary of the Copa America is certainly something to celebrate, and, despite issues - such as getting the tournament off the ground, bribes for the sale of commercial rights, and expensive tickets - the Copa America Centenario should be as enjoyable as it is intriguing.

An opening game between the USMNT and Colombia is fascinating for many reasons. Not only does it pit a member of CONMEBOL against a member of CONCACAF, which is one of the Copa America Centenario's talking points, but it will give an immediate answer to as whether the American public embraces the biggest football event in its country since the 1994 World Cup.

Also on display will be a glimpse of the USMNT's future, as well as Colombia's. Supporters of Jurgen Klinsmann's side will inevitably be rooting for Christian Pulisic, the 17-year-old from Borussia Dortmund who is showing maturity well beyond his years. Fans of Los Cafeteros, meanwhile, will be following Marlos Moreno, the 19-year-old who is Colombian football's most impressive product in some time and whose killer instincts in the final third have gotten Atletico Nacional to the Copa Libertadores' semi-finals.

Klinsmann, who experimented with his starting XI until the very last minute, identified the USMNT's fixture against Colombia as a type of "final" to start the Copa America Centenario. And he's not wrong. Nothing is worse than starting a major competition with a loss. If his side wins, there's reason to believe anything is possible. If his side loses, there can't be any realistic aspirations of winning the tournament.

"This will be the biggest soccer event (in the U.S.) since the 1994 World Cup," Kathy Carter, the president of Soccer United Marketing, said in January.

For Colombia, the Copa America Centenario is a chance to catch a glimpse of its next generation, evidenced by Jose Pekerman calling up a youthful squad. But there's also a reminder of its past.

Colombia is returning to the scene of its darkest chapter in football, where its golden generation crumbled under unimaginable pressure. While the 1994 World Cup was being played, the country's streets were out of control. The death of Pablo Escobar, who ran the underworld with complete order, resulted in a violent situation where everyone became their own boss.

After Andres Escobar scored an own goal against the USMNT that essentially eliminated Colombia from the 1994 World Cup, he returned to his country and was gunned down. The deadly own goal came at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., only five years from where the two teams will get things started at the Copa America Centenario.

Littered with subplots, the match between the USMNT and Colombia is just an example of why the Copa America is such an interesting tournament. There is a captivating element to each game, and a competition's inaugural match is always a cause for celebration when the host is taking the pitch. What unfolds at Levi's Stadium should be wonderful.