Friday, July 1, 2011

Copa America Preview


The Copa America is the most important competition in South American International football after the World Cup. The top teams battle it out against each other to find out who will be the top team in South America. The teams are Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia and invitees Mexico and Costa Rica. The format is the usual group stage elimination phase followed by a tournament single elimination style.

Who Will Win?

It's hard to pick against Argentina in their home soil but that is exactly what I'm going to do. I think Brazil will be able to take this tournament in a tight final, as it always is when the top teams in South America meet. Why do I think Brazil will win? Basically, Brazil's defense is just way better than the rest. With Lúcio, Maicon, David Luiz, Thiago, and Dani Alves, Brazil are ready to defend against the high powered attacks of teams like Chile, Uruguay and Argentina. Also, up front, they have youngster wunderkind Neymar and experienced goal scorers Robinho and Pato to get them the goals they need to take this away.

Who Will Come Close?

I think Uruguay have a very good chance of winning this thing. I put this here because I wanted to give them props and after what they were able to do during the world cup doesn't really classify them as Dark Horses. With an attack that boasts three of the best forwards in the game, Uruguay definitely has a chance to shine here. Diego Forlán, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez are a fearsome combination and Uruguay will need all of their creativity up front to be able to get around Brazil's defense. Be on the lookout for this team.

Who is the Dark Horse?

There are many interesting teams in this competition. Colombia and Paraguay are interesting teams to see. My dark horse is Chile. They have very very good players all around. From forwards Alexis Sanchez and Humberto Suazo to Bayer Leverkusen's Arturo Vidal in the midfield and defenders Gonzalo Jara and Pablo Contreras, this team has a chance to really shine in this competition.

Who Will Win the Golden Boot?

This one is hard to predict, but I believe that Luis Suarez will take the golden boot (given to the player who scores the most goals). He looked really good the second half for Liverpool and I think he will be able to use Cavani and Forlán to take away defenders and his natural creativity with the ball at his feet will shine through.

Disappointment?

I'm not saying that they will be eliminated in the group stage, but since I picked them to lose at some point, the disappointment has to be Argentina. They have had a nice long drought since they won the Copa America back in 1993 and the fans are expecting them to win. The pressure is all on them and on Lionel Messi who many consider to be the best player in the world but in the international stage hasn't won anything yet.

Who will be a train wreck?

I could have said a team like Costa Rica, but having joined last minute because Japan could not participate, an Under 23 team will be the one participating. After winning the Gold Cup and going through some drama with five players testing positive for an illegal substance, the Mexican Under 23 team that was sent to South America had another round of suspensions when the team gathered up some prostitutes and where found out. Giovanni Dos Santos, the best player they sent, appears to be one of those suspended. I just wonder what else could happen to this team.

Check the games out. It should be a good competition to whet our appetites for next years Euro 2012.

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