Since 1916, Copa America has represented the embodiment of South American untamed ness, which often resembles wild spirit and self-destruction, all that separates it from all other more “civilized” Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries which colonized the territories.From the upcoming night and the match between Argentina and Canada (03.00 AM EAT) until July 14, the 48th edition of the Copa America, and only the second “all-American” one, will be held on the soil of the USA. After 2016 and the competition held under the name “Copa America Centenario” in honor of the century of the tournament, the Copa America will again be organized in cooperation between CONMEBOL and CONCACAF and instead of the regular 12 (ten from CONMEBOL + two guests), there will be 16 participants (ten from CONMEBOL + six from CONCACAF).##EDITORS_CHOICE##The two confederations have entered into a strategic partnership according to which this year’s edition of the Copa America will bring together all the best selections from both zones, and it will be known later whether the same principle will be applied for the next tournament in 2028 or whether the old format with ten CONMEBOL teams will be returned and two more special guests. It is worth pointing out that this partnership does not mean the future absence of CONCACAF Gold Cups as a separate competition of the North and Central America and Caribbean zone. That tournament is held every two years, the previous one was organized in the summer of 2023, while the next one is scheduled for the summer of 2025.The system of the first Copa America since the one held under “coronavirus conditions” in 2021 will be classic for tournaments with 16 participants. The teams will be divided into four groups with four teams each, and the two best from all groups will advance to the quarterfinals. The opening of 32 matches in the tournament will be played by Argentina and Canada the following night from 03.00 AM EAT at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Atlanta, while the final will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on July 14.Vamos por más momentos así 🤩 pic.twitter.com/9V3CCS7hQZ— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ (@CopaAmerica) June 20, 2024 Market values of national teams according to Transfermarkt, in millions of euros:1. Brazil (1,270,000,000), 2. Argentina (805,000,000), 3. Uruguay (481,000,000), 4. USA (346,000,000), 5. Colombia (283,000,000), 6. Ecuador (226,000 .000), 7. Mexico (205,000,000), 8. Canada (182,000,000), 9. Paraguay (135,000,000), 10. Jamaica (94,700,000), 11. Chile (83,300,000), 12 .Venezuela (67,800,000), 13. Peru (33,500,000), 14. Panama (24,800,000), 15. Costa Rica (22,000,000), 16. Bolivia (14,400,000).The number of Copa America titles:Argentina 15 (1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1991, 1993, 2021), Uruguay 15 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935 , 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011), Brazil 9 (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2019), Paraguay 2 (1953, 1979), Chile 2 (2015, 2016), Peru 2 (1939, 1975), Bolivia 1 (1963), Colombia 1 (2001)We use this occasion to analyze only the biggest favourites – Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.ARGENTINAWinning the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup made the entire Argentine generations born from 1980 onwards accomplished in terms of national pride and identified with their fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers who could feel it in the Maradona era. For many years, Lionel Messi was a ball around the foot of the Argentine national team, but a year and a half ago he still came out as the winner from his biggest sports battle in his career, he was decorated with the title of world champion and thus earned the unofficial title of GOAT among most football fans.On the same day when Argentina won the third title of the world champion, Messi declared that he will not end his national team career and that he will play in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Leo’s career turned out to be probably the longest international career compared to what it might have originally looked like. Just think back to the summer of 2016, when the team of then coach Gerardo Tata Martino was defeated for the second time in a row in the Copa América final by Chile on penalties. At the age of only 29, Messi retired from the national team, but later, with numerous persuasions and pleas, he changed his mind and it turned out that with that decision he changed the course of football history and made one of the best decisions in his life.Argentina lead the Copa América all-time table 🇦🇷📊 pic.twitter.com/S0oGJt11Zm— OneFootball (@OneFootball) June 20, 2024 Who could have guessed that after all the failed attempts, rookie coach Lionel Scaloni would be the one to become Argentina’s most successful coach and stand side by side with Cesar Luis Menotti and Carlos Bilardo? The former Deportivo La Coruña and Lazio player has established a system similar to the one in which Argentina achieved its greatest success during the 20th century, a system where there is one ‘superhuman’ and everyone else is a warrior ready to die for victory. Just as it wouldn’t have happened in 1986 without Burruchaga, Valdano, Ruggieri, Pompidou… So it wouldn’t have happened in 2022 without De Paul, Paredes, MacAllister, Acuña, Alvarez, Enzo, Emiliano… (Di Maria is a category in itself).This distinguishes the current generation of Argentina from some previous ones. Previously, they had stars like Batistuta, Crespo, Riquelme, Tevez, Veron, Aguero, Cambiasso, Higuain… but there was a lack of players ‘smeared’ with warrior colors similar to the period from the seventies, eighties and the first few years of the nineties. History has so far shown that a warrior in Argentina is more dangerous than an Argentina dying while playing beautifully.Of the 26 players at this year’s Copa America, as many as 21 were in the Qatar squad. Compared to the roster in Doha, there are no Paulo Dybala, Angel Correa, Juan Foyt, Thiago Almada, and Papu Gomes; instead, there are Alejandro Garnacho, Giovanni Lo Celso, Nicolas Gonzalez, Valentin Carboni, and Lucas Martinez Quarta.The current generation of players has won everything there is to win in the past three years and now plays for the first time in many, many years a tournament without the pressure of results and the knowledge that anything but the trophy will be a huge disappointment for the entire nation. Brazil has a more expensive team, and Argentina has a more established system. What will come out from that clash? The nuances will probably decide.##NAJAVA_MECA_8167814##BRAZILThey used to dance samba, play Joga Bonito, but that’s not the style of Seleção for a long time. When, led by Luis Nazario De Lima, they won the title of world champion in 2002, hardly anyone could have guessed that in the next 22 years, Brazil would not see another world champion title, but that they would not even see the final of the World Cup, and that to advance to the semi-finals in only one of the next five, the one played at home, and that an embarrassment will come with seven goals in the net against Germany. All this is depressing for the five-time planetary rulers, and football fans around the world are probably more disappointed by the style of play of Carioca in the past ten years than the results. There is no more Copacabana charm to the extent one would expect from Brazilians. It’s as if with the departure of the generation of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, Adriano, Cafu, Robinho, Julio Baptista, someone pressed a button and made Brazilians the total opposite. All this was especially noticeable during Tite’s tenure, when a good part of the playing staff looked more like a collection of butcher’s workers than a team from which you somehow logically and historically expect refinement, flair in every move and a touch of magic.Ronaldinho says he is going to support Brazil in Copa America now. pic.twitter.com/yKrYA0dsnA— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 16, 2024 Now, Dorival Junior has arrived. The experienced coach is a cult name in Brazilian club football, and now he has the chance to pursue a rich career by joining the national team. Guiding Andric, Savio, Lucas Beraldo, Jan Cote, and Gabriel Martinelli (Rodrygo and Vinicius aren’t much older either) and trying to instil in the young guys the importance of the yellow jersey will be Dorival’s priority in the early stages of selection. Guys like Vinicius and Rodrygo, (and now with Endrick too) play for Real Madrid and by that very fact they have a kind of arrogance and a lack of flexibility to put up with authority figures. Dorival should not allow that, otherwise all his work will be in vain.Neymar, Richarlison, Antony, Gabriel Jesus, Casemiro and Ederson will not be present at this year’s Copa America, so the tournament in the USA will be a baptism of fire on the big stage for many younger players. The defence still relies on the players of the senior guard like Alisson, Marquinhos, Danilo and Eder Militao, and everything else is up to the guys who have yet to prove themselves in the Brazil jersey. It is clear that already this summer we will get hints of the potential of Seleção to attack the long-desired sixth world championship title in 2026.##NAJAVA_MECA_8167795##URUGUAY’El Loco’ has arrived to make a mad football nation even madder. The appointment of Marcelo Bielsa to the position of Urus coach drew a lot of attention, and at first glance it seems that this combination could be a complete hit. A fanatic like few, he took the helm of the two-time world champions in the hope of successfully completing the transition that means the end of the careers of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. It’s just that the striker from Inter Miami does not give up playing for the national team even at the age of 38, and his legacy is such that he will have his hands free to play for Uruguay as long as he wants, no matter how old he is. Such will be the case at this year’s Copa America, where Suarez will share minutes in the attacking third with Darwin Nunez.🇺🇾 𝗟𝗢𝗦 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗗𝗢𝗦Estos son los convocados por Marcelo Bielsa para la @CopaAmerica, presentados por nuestros músicos. 📺 https://t.co/qVMBrYJR1J #ElEquipoQueNosUne pic.twitter.com/5eqSwpb8eF— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) June 8, 2024 The Uruguayans have at least two players from high-class clubs in each line of the team and this is one of the biggest advantages for Bielsa. In the back line, the stopper tandem consists of Ronald Araujo and Jose Jimenez, in the midfield are Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur and Manuel Ugarte, and football fans will miss the iconic appearance of Fernando Muslera in goal. Sergio Rochet, goalkeeper of Internacional from Porto Alegre, will take Muslera’s place.Although in the previous 30 years they have won “only” two Copa America titles (1995 and 2011), the Uruguayans are still, along with the Argentines, one of the two most trophy-winning teams in the Copa America with 15 cups, and Bielsa’s mission is, among others, to prevent further failures after elimination in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar.##NAJAVA_MECA_8167831##
