Summer of soccer

There is a second-best scenario, however, and it’s currently being played out in the 24-team European Championship, which kicked off last Friday, and the start of Copa America hosted by the United States beginning this Friday.

The Copa America used to be just the South American championship tournament, but for the last 30 years, have included teams from outside the 10-nation CONMEBOL group.

This year, the Copa features 16 teams — the 10 teams from South America automatically qualify, while six teams from the CONCACAF, which is comprised of North and Central American and the Caribbean, are also in the draw.

The European Championship has 24 teams.

This is, truly, the best non-World Cup option there can be for soccer fans because you get the best of both worlds: if you can swing it, you have an opportunity to watch soccer almost all day long for the next three weeks.

With Germany hosting the Euros, games are played mid-morning and early afternoon. Once the Copa kicks off, games will be played in the afternoon and early evening.

And the icing on the cake? Both championship games are Sunday, July 14. The Euro final is scheduled for noon, local time, while the Copa America title game slated for 5 p.m. in Miami.

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The United States is hosting Copa America for the second time — it was an emergency fill-in when Ecuador declined to host the tournament — and there is some good news for Bay Area fans as Levi’s Stadium will serve as one of the host sites.

The bad news is, Levi’s gets only two games. The first game is kind of “meh” as Ecuador and Venezuela face off at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The second match is much more tasty as two teams ranked in the top-15 in the world go at it when No.5 Brazil takes on No. 12 Colombia at 6 p.m. July 2.

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The European Championship gets a lot of attention because most of the top players and best national teams play on the other side of the Atlantic.

But the Copa America tournament has plenty of talent, both individually and collectively, and this is a great opportunity to get more familiar with them.

Copa boasts two of top-five ranked teams in the world, with defending World Cup champion Argentina sitting atop the FIFA world rankings, with Brazil coming in at No. 5.

Not surprising they are probably the co-favorites to win the tournament.

But they are not the only elite teams. The U.S. comes in ranked a surprising No. 11 in the world. Meanwhile, Colombia — which routed the Americans 5-1 in a tuneup match last week — is right behind at No. 12. Mexico comes in ranked No. 14 and Uruguay No. 15.

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The next month is also a chance to see the next generation of great players — and there will one be in each tournament.

France’s Kylian Mbappe may be the best player in the world currently and at 25 years old, figures to be in that conversation for years to come. But Spain has a new young gun who may quickly catch up to Mbappe and the world’s other top stars.

His name is Lamine Yamal, AKA “El Niño Mal,” “The Bad Boy.” And at just 16 years old, he is just a boy.

But he is already a bad man.

Yamal made his debut with Barcelona last year, as a 15-year-old. This year, he made 38 appearances for Barca and started in Spain’s 3-0 win over Croatia in its first game in Euro pool play Saturday.

The Copa America counters with Brazil’s 17-year-old striker Endrick, who Fox Sports ranks No. 32 in the world. Only a year older than Yamal, Endrick is a more known commodity worldwide and is predicted to be the next Ronaldo (Brazilian version) or Ronaldinho. He made his Brazil debut last year and has scored three times in six appearances — including the game-winner against England Spain in friendly competitions.

He helped Brazil’s Palmieras to back-to-back championships, scoring 18 goals in 66 appearances. He’ll be moving to Real Madrid after Copa America.

The similarities to Lionel Messi and Christian Ronaldo can’t be overlooked. Yamal is poised to take over at Barca, where Messi spent the bulk of his career. Meanwhile, Endrick is set to blossom at Barca’s archrival Real Madrid, which was Ronaldo’s stomping grounds for several years.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.