"[4] Man of the Match:[7] Cristián Zapata (Colombia) Assistant referees:[8] José Luis Camargo (Mexico) Alberto Morín (Mexico) Fourth official:[8] Wilton Sampaio (Brazil) Fifth official:[8] Kléber Lúcio Gil (Brazil) The two teams had met in eight previous occasions, the last being a friendly in the Costa Rican national stadium in March 2015, resulting in a scoreless draw.
[9] In Copa América, both teams faced once, in a 2004 group stage match, won by Paraguay with a late penalty kick goal scored by Julio dos Santos.
[11] Paraguay's manager Ramón Díaz also though that his team lost two points; he was also critical of the hour chosen for the game, commenting that "I would like to take the actual protagonists, the players, in consideration".
Before the match, the President of the United States Soccer Federarion (USSF) Sunil Gulati was interviewed on the status of U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann, saying, "Results are what matter.
Man of the Match:[18] Jermaine Jones (United States) Assistant referees:[8] Byron Romero (Ecuador) Luis Vera (Ecuador) Fourth official:[8] John Pitti (Panama) Fifth official:[8] Gabriel Victoria (Panama) The two teams had met in forty-two previous occasions, the last being a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match held in Asunción, which the Colombian side won 2–1.
Man of the Match:[20] James Rodríguez (Colombia) Assistant referees:[8] Kléber Lúcio Gil (Brazil) Bruno Boschilia (Brazil) Fourth official:[8] Julio Bascuñán (Chile) Fifth official:[8] Christian Schiemann (Chile) The two teams had met in six previous occasions, the last being a friendly held at LP Field in 2011, won by Paraguay with a lone goal by Óscar Cardozo.
Man of the Match:[22] John Brooks (United States) Assistant referees:[8] Carlos Astroza (Chile) Christian Schiemann (Chile) Fourth official:[8] John Pitti (Panama) Fifth official:[8] Gabriel Victoria (Panama) The two teams had met in eleven previous occasions, the last being a friendly held at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona in Buenos Aires in 2015, won by Colombia with a lone goal by Radamel Falcao.