When people talk about soccer in South America, the first
two names that should come to mind are Argentina and Brazil.
Argentina has always been a powerful presence in the
international arena, and this year their team sports a top-class pool of players
that will be aiming to bring the coveted Copa America trophy back home.
However, there has been some concerns about new coach Sergio
Batista, who has had trouble finding the right formula since the
highly-controversial Diego Maradona left the post.
Much of the talk has revolved around Lionel Messi. Utterly
dominant for his club, the little genius has failed to match that unstoppable
form for his country and as a result it seems the Argentineans have failed to
live up to their full potential.
The return of Carlos Tevez (after some controversy with
Batista) will also be a massive boost for Argentina. Tevez was fantastic
domestically for Manchester City and his all-action style of play has proven
successful at every level.
In the Argentineans' group sits Costa Rica, Colombia and
Bolivia, so the hosts have to be considered a lock to advance to the knockout
stages.
Class of the Continent
Brazil meanwhile is essentially a favorite no matter what
the competition. A country with a rich history in soccer and a profitable team for soccer betting, it has now come to
a point where expectations are sky-high at all times for the national team.
The health of Alexandre Pato is obviously an important issue
heading into the tournament. He's insisted that he's fully recovered from a
shoulder injury, so that's tremendous news for boss Mano Menezes.
But don't be fooled. Even with Pato at less than full
strength, Brazil has other impact players that will be giving it their all to
win the nation's third straight trophy in this competition. There's plenty of
options in defense, including Dani Alves, Maicon, Lucio, Thiago Silva, Adriano
and David Luiz.
In midfield Lucas Leiva of Liverpool fame is joined by
Ramires, Sandro, and Paulo Henriqe Ganso among others. Four big-time strikers
in Robinho, Pato, Neymar and Fred also make Brazil as formidable as ever.
It may be a tougher road for the Brazilians in their group
however, with Venezuela, Paraguay and Ecuador providing some legitimate
competition.
A dog-fight in Group C
Though the “giants” are in the other two pools, this group
promises to be filled with some great matches for us to watch and some potential value to find in the soccer odds.
Among the contenders are two top 15 nations in Uruguay
(seventh) and Chile (thirteenth) as well as an always dangerous Mexico squad.
Uruguay's attack is prolific, consisting of world-class
talents such as Luis Suarez, Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani.
Forlan received the Golden Ball award for best player at the
2010 World Cup for his part in his country's amazing run, while Suarez enters
the tournament on a high after making an instant impact at Anfield this season.
Speaking of the World Cup, Chile had a respectable showing,
the team's only loss in the group coming in a close-call (2-1) to eventual
champions Spain. The Chileans still advanced, but were swiftly beaten 3-0 by
Brazil in the second round.
Mexico may very well have been warmed up for this year's
edition of the Copa America after competing in the Gold Cup already this
summer. But the ruling has been made by the CONCACAF that a team full of
younger players (and five older) will compete in the upcoming competition
instead.
The Mexicans were in lethal form throughout the Gold Cup,
and eventually claimed the gold with a come-from-behind 4-2 victory over USA. A
dynamic offense was on display as Mexico stormed back from an early deficit to
showcase its mighty array of threatening attackers.
Peru, the last team in Group C, is hardly a pushover either
but it's going to be an exceptionally difficult path to bracket play given the
other nations they're paired with.
Bright young talent on show
Curious as to who, individually speaking, you need to watch
throughout the competition?
One of the stars on show will be Brazil's Neymar, who has
become one of this summer's most prized transfer targets. Only 19 years old, he
is being chased by huge clubs such as Chelsea and Real Madrid. His teammate and
close friend Ganso is also an outstanding player and the two should be
mainstays in the national team for years to come.
Chile's Alexis Sanchez is also a hot topic at the moment,
the exciting winger strongly linked with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona.
Radamel Falcao, fresh off a record-setting season, will try
to lead Colombia to glory. After an amazingly productive Europa League campaign
(17 goals in 14 games), the Porto striker has also attracted attention from
Chelsea.
Another man that is soon to hit the jackpot is Javier
Pastore, an Argentinean who for the time being is a member of Palermo. He's
also been linked with a move elsewhere after scoring 11 goals last season. Look
for the skillful playmaker to have an effective Copa America camapgin as he
links up with both Messi and Tevez in the attack.
There's plenty of other talent to go around, including
influential figures such as Venezuela's Salomon Rondon, Ecuador's Antonio
Valencia and Paraguay's Lucas Barrios.
Can Argentina do it?
Having won the Copa America in four of the last five editions, the Brazilians are clearly a logical pick to win it all once more
this year and the betting odds offer some value here. The Green and Yellow are at +175 in the SBR sportsbook.
But I for one am extremely impressed by the talent level of
some of the other involved nations, especially Mexico, Uruguay and Chile. And
oh yeah, of course the Argentineans.
The depth of this Argentina squad for the upcoming
tournament really catches my eye and as the hosts, everything is in place for
Brazil's trophy streak to come to an end, with Messi and Tevez on the hunt for
international glory.
Just look at all of these names on the squad, even without
mentioning those two stars: Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Pastore, Javier
Mascherano, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain and Diego Milito.
That sheer skill mentioned above is mind-blowing and the
Argentineans also have some extra incentive to win it all, considering they've
lost to Brazil in the finals of this competition the past two editions.
With that in mind, I believe it will be Argentina that
claims the champions tag in what will be a glamorous competition.