USMNT 'likely' playing Copa America opener in Seattle

Having Copa America Centenario matches in Seattle was always somewhat expected, as CenturyLink Field was long considered one of the front-runners to be one of the tournament's 10 host cities. Which teams would play here, though, has always been far less clear.

Now, it appears the United States will be one of them.

It had been previously reported that the United States was likely to host the first match of the tournament, which could very well feature the host country.

Early reports have suggested each city is expected to get three matches. For Seattle, that likely means one or two group stage games and one or two knockout matches.

Having the United States play their opening match here would obviously be a boost for local ticket sales, but the USMNT is hardly the biggest draw of the tournament. The June 3-26 tournament has been placed on the FIFA calendar, clearing the way for some of the world's best players to participate. That means the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and James Rodriguez could be paying CenturyLink Field a visit.