Copa America 2024 is now in its twilight stages as Argentina set out to defend their crown against Columbia, who currently boast a 28-game unbeaten run, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Throughout the competition, we have seen some of the football’s biggest stars fail to perform for their respective nations in the United States, leading to surprising group stage exits and quarter-final upsets.
Soccernet.football has ranked some of the most underwhelming performers at Copa 2024.
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10. Ricardo Pepi
The 21-year-old PSV Eindhoven forward was one of the USMNT’s most exciting prospects heading into the Copa, having returned decent numbers for his club despite getting limited game time. However, Pepi was found wanting when given the opportunity to play, his profligacy the highlight of his outing for the United States. He drew a blank in the tournament despite making three appearances and getting a lot of glaring chances to score.
9. Uriel Antuna
Soccernet.football listed Antuna as one of the players who could light up the Copa America for Mexico before the tournament began due to his impressive performances for CD Cruz Azul in the Liga MX last season. However, the 26-year-old was a no show for El Tri in the United States, failing to provide any contributions in the final third as Mexico crashed out in the group stage.
8. Tim Weah
Weah turned out to be one of the host nation’s most disappointing players at the Copa America as his indiscretion against Panama in the USMNT’s second group game saw him get sent off, earning a two-match ban and costing his team the game. The 24-year-old forward registered one assist in their opening game against Bolivia but failed to find the back of the net in the competition as the host nation suffered group stage elimination.
7. Endrick
The talented and hugely hyped youngster perhaps proved that he is far from ready to match the hype which has surrounded his move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Endrick got his opportunity in Brazil’s starting lineup after Vinícius Jr. earned himself a suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards but the 17-year-old failed to make any significant contribution in the match as he spent more time complaining about fouls than actually causing problems for the opposition defense.
6. Santiago Gimenez
The 23-year-old Feyenoord center-forward arrived in the United States off the back of the most productive campaign of his budding career and it was expected that he would prove decisive in attack for Mexico. However, Gimenez failed to replicate his club form at the Copa America, drawing blanks in all of his three group stage appearances for El Tri.
5. Enner Valencia
Arguably Ecuador’s biggest player heading into the Copa America, Valencia failed to live up to expectations in the United States. The 34-year-old got himself sent off in La Tri’s opening group stage game against Venezuela before squandering an opportunity to orchestrate the biggest upset of the tournament when he missed a penalty against defending champions Argentina in the quarter-final. He also failed to register a single goal contribution in the tournament.
4. Alexis Sánchez
The veteran forward went into the Copa America fresh off winning the Scudetto with Inter Milan but he was unable to inspire the same winning mentality in the Chilean national team as they crashed out of the tournament in the group stage. Despite starting in all of La Roja’s three matches in the competition, the 35-year-old failed to register any goal contribution.
3. Raphinha
The 27-year-old Barcelona winger was one of the most high profile players with an underwhelming display at the Copa America. Despite having a decent 2023/2024 campaign for Barcelona, Raphinha failed to translate his club form into his performances for Brazil in the United States. His only significant contribution in the tournament was that last minute equalizer in their final group stage match against Colombia.
2. Vinícius Junior
Fresh off a 24-goal season for Real Madrid, the two-time Champions League winner entered the competition as the frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or, however, his display in the United States has cast some doubts on his credentials. Vinicius’ brace against Paraguay was his only significant contribution this summer as the 23-year-old was virtually invisible and didn’t create many goal scoring opportunities in the Selecao’s other two group stage matches. To top off his underwhelming group stage performance, Vini received a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation, causing him to miss Brazil’s quarter-final match against Uruguay.
1. Rodrygo
Rodrygo was arguably Brazil’s most disappointing player at the Copa America. The 23-year-old was often deployed as a striker by head coach Dorival Junior which means he played out of position for the majority of the tournament. Rodrygo failed to make a single goal contribution in four matches, registering just two shots on target and never looking particularly dangerous in the final third. The lack of playmaking from Rodrygo was surprising, especially after scoring 16 goals and tallying eight assists for Los Blancos across all competitions this past season.
