A sold out crowd at Levi’s Stadium on Monday saw Argentina, beat Chile 2-1 during Copa America Centenario.
But FIFA’s current No. 1 team in the world didn't fare as well on Tuesday.
The San Jose Earthquakes' Premier Development League affiliate, Burlingame Dragons FC, got the chance to play Argentina in a 40-minute scrimmage on Tuesday morning and made the most of the opportunity, defeating the powerhouse 1-0.
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With Argentina training in the south bay, the Dragons and other local footballers from San Jose State University, were invited to share the same pitch with the La Albiceleste in preparation for their next Copa America match against Panama.
[RELATED: Sans Messi, Argentina wins Copa America opener at Levi's]
Jamael Cox, a forward out of Washington, scored the lone goal of the match. Cox currently leads the Dragons in goals with four on the season -- one away from tying the franchise record.
“The experience was unbelievable,” Cox said. “Every player wants to play at the highest possible level and I’m lucky enough to experience that.”
Soccer
Because of the their affiliation with the San Jose Earthquakes, Dragons FC has several Quakes Academy alumni on the team including Stanford’s Amir Bashti, UC Berkeley’s Joshua Morton and Georgetown’s JT Marcinkowski. The team is also made of up of players who captured a division title last summer as part of its inaugural season.
“I was trying not to be star-struck and focus, but it was pretty unreal to play with these guys in real life whose highlight reels you watch on YouTube,” Cox told MLSSoccer.com. “Those guys are world-class, so it was very difficult.
“I don’t really remember it,” Cox said of the goal. “I kind of blacked out when I scored on them.”
The Dragons are in the middle of their second PDL season. They are currently 3-3-1 with a huge matchup against San Francisco City FC looming on Friday in Burlingame. SF City is currently ranked No. 6 in the Western Conference of the PDL. The teams are tied for third place in the Central Pacific Division — one point behind Fresno and Las Vegas.