Copa América 2024 guide: Messi’s title defense and the underdogs to watch


The Copa América, South America’s continental competition, has kicked off in the United States for the second time after being hosted in 2016. There are plenty of storylines, from world champion Lionel Messi to Argentina defending their title, the ‘USMNT using this as a warm-up. for the 2026 World Cup which he will co-host, and Brazil is looking to return to form.

As we prepare for the next few weeks of intense action in the Americas, let’s dig deeper into some of the things we can look forward to, including rivalries, key stars and players and why this particular edition has multiple talking points.

Is this Messi’s last dance?

On Monday, Messi will turn 37. It’s no secret that he’s in the final chapter of his illustrious career. In an interview with ESPN, the Argentine talisman said Inter Miami would be the last club he would play for. The Copa América is an opportunity to win a third consecutive major title with Argentina and create more memories with the national team after winning the 2021 Copa and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

But will it also be his recall to the international scene in a major tournament? Who knows.

In fact, Messi himself is unsure about the future, especially his participation in the next World Cup. “It depends on how I feel, my physical state and how realistic I am with myself,” he said in an interview with Infobae. “And knowing if I’m up to the task of being able to compete and help the teammates next to me.”

play

1:33

Who are the dark horses of the Copa America 2024?

Sebastian Salazar and Herculez Gomez make their picks for the 2024 Copa America dark horses.

Speaking on the Copa title defense, Messi said: “It’s going to get more and more difficult for us – nothing will be easy for us,” Messi said last week. “But we’ll try again.”

He is right. It will not be easy, because the obstacles no longer come only from Brazil. This was demonstrated by their opening 2-0 victory against a tricky Canadian team. And as the World Cup qualifiers showed, the CONMEBOL hierarchy is changing.

Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay is energetic, resilient and fully bears the embodiment of Charrúa’s Claw, the tenacious and warlike spirit of the country. And what about Colombia? After missing the World Cup in Qatar, there was a transformation with Coffee producers. This is a skillful, courageous and adventurous Colombian team, mixed with experience and youth, but thanks to head coach Nestor Lorenzo, they are now extremely organized and disciplined. They will be a force to be reckoned with.

That said, Messi & Co. are among the favorites and in terms of team selection, head coach Lionel Scaloni hasn’t made any waves: 21 out of 26 players were in Qatar in 2022. But the new additions , including teenagers Alejandro of Manchester United. Garnacho and Inter’s Valentín Carboni (on loan to Monza), show that Scaloni is ready to think about the future.

Who can cause a surprise?

Argentina may be clear favorites, but there are plenty of teams that can spring a surprise. Their group includes Canada, Peru and Chile – two nations whose rivalry is deeply rooted in political and cultural turmoil and manifests itself on the field. Named Clásico del Pacífico, it is generally played with enormous aggression. Friday’s match will be all the more intriguing because Chile’s new manager is Ricardo Gareca, the former Peru manager who took the team to the World Cup in 2018 for the first time in 36 years. Today, someone who was adored by all Peruvians, manages their fiercest rivals.

Group D (Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay and Costa Rica) is intriguing. As mentioned earlier, Vinicius Jr and Brazil know there is a lot to do if the World Cup qualifiers are anything to go by.

New coach Dorival Júnior arrived in January, but doubts remain over the Brazilian team’s ability to regain dominance in South America. The Seleçao will have a difficult time from the start because winning the group could be an obstacle. And it is here that I return to Colombia, which has not lost a match since the return of its coach Nestor Lorenzo to the national team.

Actually, Coffee producers hasn’t lost in 23 games. Lorenzo was José Pekerman’s assistant between 2014 and 2018, when Colombia also finished third at the Centenario. But now Lorenzo is in charge and this team is the real deal. They have already beaten Brazil in World Cup qualifying (their first victory against them in a qualifying campaign) as well as friendly victories against Germany and Spain. Most recently, they embarrassed the United States 5-1 and that’s no exaggeration: they have all the tools to finally win a Copa América title for the first time since 2001, which is the only one to date.

James Rodríguez, 32, is still influential thanks to his creativity. But this side is much more than that. From Liverpool’s Luis Díaz to Fluminense’s Jhon Arias, Colombia have flair, poise and defensive strength. The match against Brazil in Santa Clara on July 2, the last in the group, should be an extremely tasty and electric meeting.

Speaking of electricity, what about Uruguay? Under Marcelo Bielsa, Light blue are a force of nature. They are second in the qualifiers, having scored 13 goals – more than anyone – and four wins, including 2-0 victories over Argentina and Brazil.

Uruguay has talent to spare, like Flamengo’s Nico de la Cruz. Under Bielsa, he plays an important role when they move forward. Inter Miami’s Luis Suárez also returns, ready to play in his fifth Copa América. Additionally, Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez has been wonderful under Bielsa, recently scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 friendly win over Mexico, a game where they didn’t even break a sweat.

Uruguay don’t care about possession or how they construct the game. They are not pretentious about their game plan. It’s about mental and physical control and so far they deliver on their promises. Opponents of their group, which includes the USMNT, should be very worried.

The fun doesn’t stop there as teams like Ecuador, Paraguay and Chile will be interesting to follow due to their transition situation. Bolivia and Peru are also hoping to change their fortunes after the World Cup qualifiers.

Finally, pay close attention to Venezuela. They were wonderful in their qualifying campaign (fourth and on course to make their first World Cup appearance) and Fernando Batista organized them and played disciplined and courageous football.

As the United States once again welcomes the impact and arrival of the Copa América, it is strongly reminded that due to the level of talent, the multi-faceted storylines and the energy of the fans coming from the diaspora Latin American, this particular edition promises to be a showcase of the highest level.



Source link

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *