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Copa America Preview

In a little over a fortnight’s time the Copa America 2007 is due to get under way in Venezuela, South America. The Copa America is the South American equivalent of the European Championships and is every bit as prestigious as its European counterpart. This will be the 42nd edition of the tournament which makes it the oldest tournament in football history having first been completed for in 1916, a full 14 year before the first world cup was staged. This year’s tournament will break new ground as the show rolls into Venezuela a country clinging onto the Northern tip of the South American continent.

10 teams are automatically enrolled into the Copa America, which are the 10 member states of the South American football federation (CONMEBOL). There are also two countries invited to participate, one of these is usually Mexico and the other generally a country from North or Central America. This time the USA will be participating for the 3rd time. This makes up 12 teams who are then divided into three groups of 4 by a seeded draw. The two best placed teams of each group plus the two best teams who finish 3rd make it to the quarter final stage. From then on, it’s plain knock-out football, until a winner is decided in the final.

The competition has recently struggled to attract the really big Brazilian and Argentinean stars as like the African Cup of Nations, it was staged bi-annually. It has now been re-organised so that it occurs only every fours year (the previous one was in 2004). CONMEBOL hope that this will encourage the continent’s biggest stars to make themselves available for this tournament. However, coming only a year after the World Cup many players who were complaining of fatigue as the 2006/07 season started were certainly not contemplating another 3 weeks of football in the Copa America. This means no Ronaldinho or Adrina for Brazil for instance. However, this does mean a chance to see some of the countries rising stars along with one or two lesser known players. After all both countries probably have sufficient talents to put out three full teams for World Cups and still have a decent chance at winning!

Historically both Argentina and Brazil have dominated the tournament and although Colombia won it in 2001 on home turf and Uruguay repeated the feat in 1995 you have to look back to as far as 1987 for a team that won it other than Brazil or Argentina away from their home country. Argentina and Uruguay have both won the tournament 14 times with Brazil recording only half that number (they had a 40 year barren patch extending from 1949 to 1989). Uruguay’s recent record though has been poor and 7 of their wins came in the first 20 years of the tournament. Behind the perennial favourites this year are Mexico who could be the first team from outside the continent to win it and Uruguay, who are one of the few squads to have named a full strength squad. Colombia are rebuilding for qualification to the World Cup in 2010 having failed to make the event since 1998. The USA could also be outsiders and their participation in the Gold Cup (the North American equivalent of this event) could be both a mixed blessing; the team will be well integrated but possibly weary and ready for a break. Peru at the time of writing have yet to confirm whether Claudio Pizarro from Bayern Muenchen would be available. Maybe Nolberto Solano stating his willingness to play for the new coach Jukio Cesar Uribe will help? A full Peruvian squad could be outsiders to improve on their quarter final showing last time out on home soil. Finally Venezuela may spring a surprise, the host nations recently have taken a great deal from the home support and Venezuela is firmly establishing itself on the football map after being considered nothing more than a baseball by water for many years.

It promises to be a feast of South American football this summer. Will Brazil make good on their favourite’s status or will Argentina once again usurp their South American rivals? Maybe a shock is on the cards?

Whatever the outcome and results be sure to keep checking aboutaball.co.uk as we’ll have all the news and views as the tournament progresses.

Posted by Walter Townsend on Saturday, 23rd June 2007

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