Viva la Copa
The 2007 Copa America, which kicks off tonight, has been hyped up as the biggest and best Copa to take place since its inception back in 1916.
The hype is not without merit. The competition features twelve competing nations, with all the South American locals present including the mighty Brazil and Argentina, plus two guest teams - Mexico and their recent Gold Cup conquerors, America. And despite certain big name absentees (which have not gone without criticism), unlike the trend of past Copa competitions, most participating nations have selected their top players thereby giving the competition the best chance possible to shine under the Venezuelan sun.
The fact that the big names players are all playing in this year’s Copa is no coincidence. This season’s Copa is unlike its predecessors, as Tim Vickery explains:
“[In 1996] the continent introduced its current marathon World Cup qualifying format, with all 10 nations playing each other home and away.”
“But extending the World Cup qualifiers did have the inevitable consequence of taking some shine away from the Copa America… Certainly the Copa America these days has to be seen in the context of what is going on in the bigger picture. It fits in to the cracks of the World Cup qualification campaign but these can be big and important cracks.”
“One of the most fascinating aspects of this coming tournament in Venezuela is that it takes place shortly before the next set of World Cup qualifiers get underway. This is why the teams are closer to full strength than for recent Copas. The 2007 version is not a tournament for wild experimentation. Rather, it is an excellent chance to prepare teams for the more important battles, which are set to start in October.”
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The plethora of talent to be showcased in Venezuela is mouthwatering and to help focus attention here is a quick run-down of the ones-to-watch according.
1. Venezuela: Juan Arango - the Mallorca midfielder was the team’s top scorer in 2005/06 and will be the focus of Venezuela’s attacks.
2. Uruguay: Star men are the striking duo of Diego Forlan and Alvaro Recoba.
3. Peru: Jefferson Farfan, Jose Guerrero, and Claudio Pizarro give the Peruvians attacking options despite the absence of Nobby Solano.
4. Bolivia: DC United striker Jamie Moreno is the main hope.
5. Brazil: Despite no Kaka and Ronaldinho, the Brazilians have a galaxy of stars including new United man Anderson, play-maker Diego, and in-demand Heerenveen striker Afonso Alves.
6. Chile: Its all about the wingers for the Chileans with Matias Fernandez and Mark Gonzalez manning the flanks.
7. Mexico: Old-timers Rafael Marquez, Jared Borgetti and Cuauhtemoc Blanco are the stand out names, but the diamond in the rough may be midfielder Andres Guardado.
8. Ecuador: Fans of the Premiership will know Ulises De La Cruz and Antonio Valencia, but other names to look out for are the Tenorio brothers and PSV midfielder, Edison Mendez.
9. Argentina: With the strongest squad on paper, the names roll off the tongue with Messi, Tevez, Veron, Aimar, Cambiasso, Riquelme, Gago, Zanetti, Heinze, Crespo and Diego Milito all present.
10. Paraguay: Roque Santa Cruz is the household name, but Dante Lopez (who plays for Serie-C side Crotone) has scored 3 in 11 games.
11. Colombia: Veterans Ivan Cordoba, Mario Yepes and John Viafara are the main men.
12. USA: Home grown strikers Talyor Twellman and Eddie Johnson are the most potent threats.
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The full fixture list for the Copa America can be seen here.
A full list of all the squads participating in the competition can be seen here.
