THE Nations League finals will attract plenty of attention on these shores this summer, but the competition I’m eagerly awaiting is the Copa America.
The oldest international tournament
kicks off in Brazil on June 14. Indeed, the Copa America, run by the South
American confederation CONMEBOL, will take centre stage for little shy of a
month, culminating in the final on July 7 in Rio de Janeiro.
The first South American Championship was won by Uruguay in 1916 and they have been the most successful team in the tournament’s history, winning 15 times. Neighbours Argentina have 14 successes to their name. Back your fancy with omegatipsters.
The Selecao of Brazil have rarely
dominated the event, apart from victories in 1997, 1999, 2004 and 2007. They
have won eight titles in total and their first four were all on home soil.
Maybe this could be an omen for the summer.
Other winners to interrupt the
heavyweights are Peru, who won in 1939 and 1975, Paraguay in 1953 and 1979, the
altitude-dwellers Bolivia in 1963, Colombia in 2001 and, lest we forget, the
last two titles were won by the ‘golden generation’ of Chile in 2015 and the
Centenario in the USA in 2016.
Both victories were on penalties
against Argentina after hard-fought goalless draws.
The most appearances in the final
goes to Argentina with 28. They’ve also scored the most goals in the
competition’s history, registering 455.
Ecuador, at the other end of the
scale, have conceded the most, leaking 311. Most overall wins goes to Argentina
with 129 and Chile hold the most losses with 82.
To give the Copa America added
spice, guest countries have been invited to participate. They are generally
from the CONCACAF region, but not this time.
This year’s guests are Qatar and
Japan, who faced each other in the Asian Cup final at the beginning of
February.
There will be three groups of four,
with the winners and runners-up from each group going through to the
quarter-finals along with the two best third-placed sides.
It’s hard to decipher a definitive
favourite for this year’s Copa, because many of the South American sides are in
a transitional/rebuilding phase.
Argentina had a controversy-laden
World Cup and currently don’t know their best eleven.
Talented players like Giovani Lo
Celso, 23, and Nicolas Tagliafico, 26, are showing shades of being part of a
new generation.
Up front, will Lionel Messi have a
last pop at long overdue international glory? Will the likes of Sergio Aguero,
and Paulo Dybala join him or are Mauro Icardi, Lautaro Martinez and Watford’s
Roberto Pereyra going to get a chance?
With Brazil, there is no telling if
home advantage will be a blessing or a curse. They will, of course, be
desperate to put their 2014 World Cup disappointment on home soil behind them.
Will Neymar dominate the headlines
for the right or wrong reasons?
Can the ageing Selecao navigate a
success because, with the exceptions of Arthur and Richarlison, there’s not
much to shout about coming through the ranks?
Uruguay are, personally, my favourites to win. They have strength within most areas, even though many of their players are knocking on.
They’ve got the likes of Fernando Muslera, Diego Godin, Martin Caceres, Jose Gimenez, Rodrigo Bentancur and, obviously, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani up front.
Then you have Diego Laxalt, Gaston
Ramirez and ex-Middlesbrough striker Cristhian Stuani (who has shone for lowly
Girona in La Liga this season) all to add depth. They have Group C to navigate
with Chile, Ecuador and Japan.
Group A consists of hosts Brazil,
Bolivia, the vibrant Peruvians and the promising looking youngsters of
Venezuela.
Group B houses Argentina, Colombia,
Paraguay and Qatar. This looks to be the most fascinating group.
Qatar were big underdogs at the
Asian Cup hosted in the UAE, but they not only won the competition, they did it
with room to spare. They have talented youngsters who have played through the
age-groups together, which has built solidity and continuity.
Akram Afif, 22, weighed in with ten
assists at the Asian Cup with Almoez Ali, also 22, netting nine goals (an Asian
Cup record). He not only received the golden-boot and admiring glances from
clubs around the world, but he was also sent a signed Barcelona shirt by one Lionel Messi.
Messi and Ali could be on opposing
front-lines in the Argentina v Qatar clash on June 23 in Porto Alegre.
From the opening game between Brazil and Bolivia in Sao Paulo to the final less than a month later, it promises to be one high-octane thrill-ride.
IAN MCFARLANE
