PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC – SEPTEMBER 03: Head coach of the USA Juergen Klinsmann looks on before the international friendly match between Czech Republic and USA on September 3, 2014 in Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo by Matej Divizna/Getty Images)

The Copa América Centenario is coming to the United States this summer, because if there is one thing top international soccer teams around the world like to do, it’s come to America and take our money. This time, though, there’s the added bonus of beating up on the United States in the process.

Summer after summer, top teams from around the world come to the U.S. to host exhibition matches that fill stadiums around the country. Before the 2014 World Cup, nearly a dozen teams set up camp in the United States for warm-up matches, in part because of the top-level facilities, but just as much because of the top-flight ticket prices from crowds they can draw.

Imagine, then, the value of hosting the 100th anniversary of Copa América here, in the United States of America. A special edition of the South American tournament outside of South America where it can matter more and less, maybe at the same time, depending on how each team does. It’s a cash cow!

Will Brazil care about the tournament or will they be more focused on preparing for the Olympic tournament they will be hosting just a few weeks later? Will Colombia bring its top guns or show up with an experimental lineup that the United States can beat? Moreover, will fans care? No. They’ll buy tickets because even a Neymar-less Brazilian squad is worth the price of admission. Most of these teams will be.

We know what CONMEBOL gets out of this tournament—exposure in the United States and money, money, money—and we know what CONCACAF gets—a seat at the big boy table in this half of the world and money, money, money—but what (other than money) does U.S. Soccer get out of it? Well, we get a chance to prove we can play at this level, and home turf to do it on, too.

At first, when the tournament was announced, it looked like a perfect opportunity for Jurgen Klinsmann’s team to show what it can do against some of the best teams in the world. But now? After losing in the Gold Cup on home turf and dropping a match to Mexico, also on home turf, to get the last seat at the Confederations Cup, what does anyone really think this Klinsmann-led group can or will do this summer? Here is what Klinsmann told USSoccer.com before the draw:

 “Once you have your own group and you know if you would go through who you would meet then in the next stage. It obviously gives you a lot more meat to the bone. It helps you prepare things, but it also raises a little bit the bar on excitement and obviously in expectations. I think people start after the draw to realize just how big this tournament actually is. Hosting Copa America, which I think is the second biggest tournament in the world after the World Cup in our region, is just tremendous. And to measure ourselves with the best nations from South America and in our region, that is big time. You want to do well. You want to see how you can play against these big teams with their big players and give it a go and challenge them and prove a point.”

The United States came out of the draw with Colombia, ranked eighth in the most recent FIFA World Rankings, Costa Rica, ranked just ahead of the United States at 31st and Paraguay, a nation ranked 42nd in the world, but the best remaining team from their pod that the USMNT could have drawn. Of the three pods Klinsmann’s team was drawn with, only Colombia wasn’t the toughest possible option. Yes, the USMNT draw only could have been worse if they got Chile over Colombia, and that’s if you agree not to split the hairs of the top five or ten teams in the world rankings. Many believe Colombia, when at full strength, to be one of the absolute best in the world. The other two teams in Group A will give the United States fits, even if many believe both of those games are winnable.

About Dan Levy

Dan Levy has written a lot of words in a lot of places, most recently as the National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. He was host of The Morning B/Reakaway on Sirius XM's Bleacher Report Radio for the past year, and previously worked at Sporting News and Rutgers University, with a concentration on sports, media and public relations.