Summer of Soccer: Copa America Centenario Soccer Tournament is Coming to Orlando

Soccer is taking over Orlando.

And it is not just Orlando City and MLS.

For the first time in history, Copa America, the continental championship for South America, will be held outside of South America. The United States will host the event this summer with Orlando being one of the 10 cities where games will be played.

This is probably the biggest soccer tournament to be played on U.S. soil since the 1994 World Cup, and likely the biggest soccer event to come to Orlando since the 1996 Olympics. To put it in perspective, that is more than 20 years ago.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer knows the significance of hosting this prestigious soccer tournament.

“June will be an historic month for world class soccer in Central Florida with the kickoff of Copa America and specifically, the Brazilian National Team here in the City Beautiful,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a press release. “We invite all soccer and sports fans, whose outpouring of support helped us secure these events, to join us at the [Camping World Stadium] for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs shares the optimism along with the City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer of how hosting the Copa America tournament benefits Orlando.

“Hosting the Copa America Centenario at [Camping World Stadium] is a great example of what our community can accomplish when we come together for a common goal,” said Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. “This incredible sporting event will not only offer exciting opportunities for our residents, but will draw thousands of people from across the world, benefiting our local economy. The tournament is expected to draw more than 40,000 room nights and $30 million in economic impact to Orange County – precisely why Orange County has allocated $475,000 to help host the Copa America Centenario.”

Orlando already fully supports Brazilian native and Orlando City SC Lions star player Kaka. Kaka was a surprise call up to play in Copa America for his native Brazil. This will give the city’s soccer fans a chance to watch Kaka play in person for both club and country.

Kaka also knows that in addition to his hometown Orlando City fans supporting him, the large Latino community that makes up Orlando will make playing the games even more fun.

“And it’s going to be awesome to play Haiti here in Orlando on June 8,” Kaka told Simon Veness of MLSSoccer.com. “We know this is a soccer city already and, with a lot of Brazilians living here, the atmosphere will be amazing and I’ll be excited to play this game.”

Football, as it is known around the world, is becoming more and more popular in the United States due to the growth of Major League Soccer and with its fans watching big soccer tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Confederations Cup, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Not to mention international leagues such as the Barclays Premiere League and UEFA Champions League.

By having a major world soccer tournament in the United States’ own backyard, this can have a major impact on the sport.

Copa America, now in its 100th years, making it the longest running soccer tournament in the world, will be played during from June 3-26, consisting of 32 matches being played by 16 teams from the Americas. Teams from CONCACAF, the federation which represents North and Central America, will join the eight teams from South America’s CONMEBOL for this special tournament. The United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Haiti and Panama got the invitations to compete with international powers like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.

Around the U.S., soccer matches will be played in 10 different cities. The games will be played in American football style stadiums with a seating capacity of at least 50,000, making the game atmosphere exciting for fans who get to experience the type of crowds similar to overseas soccer matches.

This will be a mini-World Cup taking place in cities throughout the country.

Orlando is one of the 10 cities hosting Copa America Centenario soccer games this summer at Camping World Stadium. There will be three first round games being played here, starting June 4 at 5 p.m. between Costa Rica and Paraguay. That game will be followed a few days later on June 6 at 7 p.m. between Panama and Bolivia. Orlando’s trio of games end June 8 at 7:30 p.m. between Brazil, featuring Orlando City SC Lions star player midfielder Kaka, and Haiti.

Some of the best players from around the world will be showcased during this soccer tournament. There are big name and up-and-coming soccer players who are representing their countries playing in Orlando.

Besides local fan favorite Kaka of Brazil, there is Costa Rican captain Bryan Ruiz, who plays for the Portuguese soccer club Sporting CP as a midfielder; Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez who plays for the Seattle Sounders of the MLS; Panamanian striker Blas Perez who plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS; Bolivian striker Rodrigo Ramallo who plays for the Bolivian soccer club The Strongest; and Haitian striker Kervens Belfort who plays for Turkish soccer club 1461 Trabzon.

Kaka is the biggest name for sure — and he is not even the biggest on Brazil this time around as a rather late addition — but he is not the only player worth coming out for.

MLS is taking an abbreviated break to allow players to play in Copa America. It is a great benefit to the league to get some major soccer exposure in the United States and for some of the league’s players.

By having a star MLS player playing in a world-caliber soccer tournament, it raises the profile and benefits the league too. This continues to grow the MLS to a broader audience internationally on the world stage.

“I think it’s very good for the league,” Kaká added. “It shows there are players playing at a high level and anyone watching MLS can see that the league is competitive and players here can still play for a big national team like Brazil.”

“It’s also good to have an Orlando City player representing their national team in Copa America this year when the tournament is being played here. It’s a very positive thing.”

The rest of the tournament will feature other incredibly talented players and should be engaging even beyond Orlando and Camping World Stadium. The Copa America Centenario features several world-known superstars of the sport, such as United States Striker Clint Dempsey, Argentina forward Lionel Messi and Uruguay forward Luis Suarez. Suarez and Messi are among the most famous athletes in the world.

Other international soccer stars participating in this tournament are Colombia midfield James Rodriguez, Chile Alexis Sanchez and Mexico striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.

Playing for a club team is one thing. But to represent your country as an athlete is an honor that most cherish, and are privileged for the amazing opportunity. They play with pride and passion.

These soccer players are not just playing for themselves or their team, their playing for thousands of fans in their respective countries either face to face or emotionally. They will get it their all “blood, sweat, and tears” to make their fellow countrymen proud. That is inspiring for the fans, as much as it is for the players.

That passion will show in each game that takes place throughout the tournament.

Orlando City SC Lions star player Kaka knows how important it is to represent your country. He is looking forward to playing at the Copa America for the first time in his storied career, after surprisingly being called up to play last minute and shared his thoughts about this special moment.

“Every time I go to the national team it’s good, but this one is different because it was a big surprise,” Kaka said. “I didn’t expect it, so it was fun. Now I am 34 and still playing for the national team. It is a big thing for me. I am so happy. I don’t know how long I can play for, but I am fit and ready to play as many games as I can.”

He is living the dream.

To kick off the Copa America Centenario, the United States will play Colombia on Friday, June 3 at 9:30 p.m. in Santa Clara, Calif. at Levi’s Stadium.

The final match of the Copa America Centenario will be held in the Big Apple under the bright lights of New York City, signaling the epic ending of this month-long journey between countries and its soccer players. The big game will be played on June 26 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

UCF appoints new tennis coach

UCF continues to go big with its coaching hires. Or at least this one is a big name. With a famous brother.

One of the top coaches in ? is coming to UCF!

Welcome to the #UCFamily, John Roddick! https://t.co/UsewyYbpB5 pic.twitter.com/XYF20UJgKl

— UCF Knights (@UCFKnights) May 29, 2016

UCF announced it has hired Oklahoma head coach John Roddick, brother of American tennis legend Andy Roddick, in something of a coup as a hire. Roddick — John, not Andy — led the Sooners to three straight appearances in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament finals.

That does seem like a big get.

Orlando is becoming something of a tennis hub now too with the USTA moving its training facility to Orlando in the near future to coincide with Orlando City’s new training facility. The Knights now have one of the best coaches in the nation leading the charge.

Early bowl projections

College football is less than 100 days away. So no one will blame anyone for looking to the end of the season.

Bill Bender of Sporting News released his bowl projections for this super early stage of the season. This is not something that should be written in stone, but it does give a picture of who the bowl games could be looking at when bowl season comes around.

The projected teams for Orlando’s bowl games are:

Cure Bowl: East Carolina vs. Troy

This would certainly be an interesting matchup. East Carolina is always a solid team and has challenged for bigger bowl games in the American rota before. Troy is also an intriguing team with plenty of talent that has not quite coalesced consistently.

Russell Athletic Bowl: North Carolina vs. Texas

This would be a fantastic matchup between an up-and-coming and established program. If Russell Athletic Bowl could get Texas, that would be something of a coup. Surely the Longhorns would travel and be a big local draw. The only problem here is North Carolina played in last year’s game and is not likely to be a consecutive year visitor.

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Georgia

This is a solid, if not spectacular, matchup. Both teams may lack sex appeal but are solid programs that play a consistent brand of football. They both should have very good seasons which will make the match marquee in itself. But nothing too much to get excited about if this is how things shake out.