Last week, we witnessed the end of domestic football as much as the majority of Europe is concerned, as Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final. As the domestic leagues have concluded, the focus now shifts to international competitions. This summer, a soccer fan could not be more happier as we will witness 3 international tournaments over the course of 3 months, with the Copa América Centenario, the Euro 2016 and soccer in the Olympics. This article will do its best to give a condensed yet informative preview for the Copa America.
The Copa America is the oldest international competition in the world of soccer that started in the year of 1916. Similar to how the World Cup or the Euros are structured, the Copa America has a group and knockout stage with 10 South American teams participating in the tournament, along with 2 guest nations that are invited to participate. In 2016, the tournament celebrates its 100th anniversary and in a somewhat surprising move, the United States was chosen to host the tournament. Therefore, this will be the first time the competition is being held outside of South America.
To truly make the Centenario unique, for the first time, the Copa America will include 6 guests (all from North and Central America). The guest nations include the United States as the host, along with Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Haiti and Panama. Therefore, the group stage will include 4 groups of 4, with the top 2 teams from each group advancing to the quarter finals.
It is quite difficult to do a comprehensive preview for each country, so I shall focus on the notable ones, and finish the article by saying a few words about the other participating countries:
United States (Host) (Group A): The United States have been guests in this competition for 3 times in the past, and their best finish came in 1995, as they finished 4th. Now serving as the host nation, the team will definitely benefit from the home support and will hope to surprise the soccer world by being successful in the tournament. Jurgen Klinsmann took the USA to the round of 16 in the world cup, where they bowed out to Belgium despite Tim Howards heroics. This time around Klinsmann will rely on experience over youth, as the team includes veterans like Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Kyle Beckerman to form a solid core. Defense is USA's strongest asset, and therefore Klinsmann will rely on a solid veteran defensive core to carry out the team while hoping that a young offensive core can create a spark up front. The X factor for this team is forward Christian Pulisic, who is only 17 years old playing for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, while Gyasi Zardes and Dempsey should hopefully provide some timely goals for the team. Overall, I expect USA to play conservative and counter attack to their benefit, while hoping that their defense can hold up against some of the more worthy opponents in the competition. That being said, they are placed in a very difficult group, and they will face a stern test right from day one.My Prediction: Finish Second in the Group, bow out in the quarterfinals.
Argentina (Group D): Winners of the Copa America on 14 previous occasions, Argentina will look to tie Uruguay for the most champions in this illustrious tournament. On paper, Argentina seem like the clear favorites to win this tournament. This team is loaded with talent with the likes of Erik Lamela, Javier Mascherano, Marcos Rojo, Ángel Di María, Ever Banega, Javier Pastore, Gonzalo Higuaín. and Sergio Aguero. The X factor is obviously Lionel Messi, who will certainly be hungry for success with his national team after losing out the World Cup final in 2014. However, the one major weakness this team has is its defense. When you have to rely on an error prone defender like Funes Mori to be your Center back and rely on Manchester United's backup goalie in Sergio Romero to lead your defense, it's not a good sign. The hope would be that with so much talent on the offense, it will be enough to offset the weaknesses in defense for this team. I can certainly see this team winning it all and would place them as my pre tournament favorites.My Prediction: Copa America Centenario Champions
Brazil (Group B): 5 time World Cup and 8 time Copa America winners, the Brazilian national team is one that always has massive expectations to fulfill. While Neymar will miss out this tournament as Brazil would rather have him play in the Olympics that will take place during August in Brazil, the team nonetheless has quality and depth to perform well in the tournament. The team certainly has its share of leaders and playmakers with the likes of Dani Alves, Marquinhos, Lucas Moura, Willian and Hulk. With Neymar missing out, the x-factor for this team will be Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who will certainly want to breakout as a star in this tournament. That being said, the team certainly seems quite pale compared to the golden generation of players that dominated the soccer world for years. I find it hard to see this team emulate the "samba football" which became a trademark of Brazil and made the world fall in love with the way they played soccer. I expect to see solid performances, but I can't see this team win the tournament.My Prediction: Finish first in the group, bow out in the Semifinals.
Chile (Group D): The defending Copa America champions, Chile have rose up the ranks to gain respect in the soccer world, and for good reason. While the two standout players that this team has are Arturo Vidal and their X factor Alexis Sanchez, the team certainly has a lot of quality in all areas to perform well in the tournament. The unfortunate thing here is that I really dont know much about the rest of the squad, which makes it difficult to analyze the teams strengths and weaknesses. However, considering that this team won the tournament just a year ago, I expect to see them put a strong show this time around as well.
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| Can Chile win again as the defending champions? |
Colombia (Group A): Winners of the 2001 Copa America, Colombia has certainly emerged as a force in the soccer world after showcasing how good they are in the 2014 World Cup, eventually bowing out to Brazil. The standout player of the team certainly has to be Real Madrid forward James Rodriguez, who will certainly want to prove his worth and provide a spark for Colombia. The team certainly has some solid players in the likes of Carlos Bacca, David Ospina and Cristian Zapata while also having some exciting prospects in the likes of Marlos Moreno and Stefan Medina. I do question the team's depth, which makes me think that while they will have some memorable moments in the tournament, it's hard to see them win it. A quarter finals appearance is probably expected, while going to the semis will definitely be quite an achievement.
My Prediction: Finish First in the Group, bow out in the Semifinals.
Costa Rica (Group A): One of the surprising stories in the World Cup, Costa Rica will want to repeat that performance if not do better in the Copa America. They finished first in the group that included England, Italy and Uruguay and lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals in a game that went all the way to a penalty shootout. Players from the team that stand out include Bryan Oviedo, Christian Bolanos, Marco Urena and captain Bryan Ruiz. The X factor for this team is Arsenal forward Joel Campbell, who stood out in the World cup and would certainly want to repeat those performances yet again. While it would certainly be amazing to see this team on an unprecedented run, its hard to envision that when doing these predictions.
My Prediction: Eliminated in the Group Stage, finishing 3rd.
Mexico (Group C): If Mexico did not have a carousel of managerial changes that has plagued the team for several years, this team could have certainly achieved so much more over the past decade. The country did win the soccer Olympics in 2012, indicating that the younger generation of players coming through are extremely talented. They also bowed out to the Netherlands in the World Cup in a very cruel and unjust manner with Robben diving getting fouled in the dying seconds of the game to win a penalty and win it for the Netherlands. Despite the promise that the under-23 team is showing, Mexico goes into this tournament with a squad of experienced players and will rely on the likes of Ochoa, Andres Guardado, Hector Herrera and 37 year old Rafael Marquez. The X factor and star for this team will be Javier Hernandez, who will hope to replicate the new found success he has found in the Bundesliga.My Prediction: Finish second in their group, bow out in the Quarterfinals
Uruguay (Group C): It is quite an extraordinary story that a country of 3 million people are historically the most successful in this tournament with 15 titles to their name. While Uruguay were somewhat mediocre during the early 2000's, a new generation rose up again and finished fourth in the 2010 world cup and won the Copa America in 2011. This team is a classic example of a dark horse, and it is not different this time around. While Uruguay doesn't have a plethora of stars in every position, it does seem to be a well balanced team with just the right amount of spark needed to take them to the next level. The team will heavily rely on Diego Godin and Maxi Pereira to fortify their defense, and will lean on the likes of Cavani and Gaston Ramirez to be effective playmakers. The X factor for this team is undoubtedly Luis Suarez, who will be relied upon heavily to be the difference maker in the tournament.
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| Can Uruguay replicate their success from 2011 |
The other nations (Ecuador, Haiti, Peru, Jamaica, Venezuela, Panama, Bolivia): Grouping all these nations is not out of disrespect, but is simply because I don't know much about them to give a detailed analysis. However, there are some standout players that each team has to offer. This includes Bolivian youngster Bruno Miranda, Paraguayan forward Derlis Gonzalez and Ecuadorian midfielder Antonio Valencia amongst others. While it would certainly be an amazing story to see any of these teams have a strong run in the tournament, I don't see it happening and obviously don't fancy any of these team's chances.
This concludes my preview for the Copa America tournament. Obviously, predictions almost always end up being absolutely wrong, but that is why sports are awesome. Here's to a memorable and entertaining Copa America Centenario!
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