The 2016 Copa América began in early June!
The opening match was held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, United States, where the hosts faced Colombia.
Real Madrid midfielder James Rodríguez started the match and performed brilliantly. In the forty-second minute, he converted a penalty to help Colombia defeat the United States 2–0.
Three days later, in their second group-stage match, James Rodríguez once again put on a stellar performance, assisting one goal and scoring another to help Colombia beat Paraguay 2–1 and qualify from the group with two straight wins.
In the third round of the group stage, James Rodríguez did not start, and Colombia fielded a reserve lineup. They ultimately lost 3–2 to Costa Rica, but still advanced to the quarterfinals as the group runners-up.
On June 17, the Copa América quarterfinals began.
In the twenty-second minute, Murillo sent a long pass forward from the back. Cardona, with his back to goal on the left side, laid the ball off across the pitch. James Rodríguez burst to the edge of the penalty arc and curled a right-footed shot straight into the bottom-right corner.
It was also Colombia's only goal of the match.
In the end, thanks to James Rodríguez's outstanding performance, Colombia narrowly defeated Peru 1–0 and advanced to the semifinals.
Four days later, the Copa América semifinal was held in Chicago, where Colombia faced Chile.
James Rodríguez's excellent performance failed to bring Colombia any luck. The team conceded twice in the opening ten minutes, and in the fifty-seventh minute, midfielder Carlos Sánchez received a second yellow card and was sent off.
After that, no matter how tenaciously Colombia fought, they were ultimately unable to withstand Chile and were eliminated in the semifinals.
Following his excellent performance in the Copa América, James Rodríguez became one