There is a circle of people that believe that the modern day footballer is forced to play too much. I could see that argument. After some grueling domestic play in Europe and South America it seems that every summer there is a FIFA tourney popping its head up. We've had the World Cup, Copa America and the Gold Cup in the most recent summers (winters depending on where you live). Now it's the turn of the Euros and the Copa América Centenarío. From a fans standpoint this is magnificent, more football for us but as a player, yes it is another crack at glory but it has to be a little tiring. That being said I think the likes of Edison Cavani and Lionel Messi won't mind the extra lactic acid in the muscles if that means they lift Copa this June. Admittedly I dropped the ball the on previewing the Copa so far the sake of time and to avoid awkwardly overloaded sentences I just want to dive straight into the group previews. Here is a little info on the tournament because it is a special even. This cup is a clash between COMNEBOL and CONCACAF sides that's being hosted in the States. It shares the typical FIFA formatting, four groups containing four sides a piece, top two sides advance from the group. All ten CONMEBOL teams will participate while on the CONCACAF side of the equation basically the better teams in last year's Gold Cup will be attending. So let's get Group A analysis underway. Group A United States Colombia Costa Rica Paraguay USA
For me Jürgen Klinsmann tenure as United States head coach has been nothing special. Sure acquisition of the Gold Cup in 2013 should be marked has an accomplishment but I think a kid who is good at Sports Interactive's highly popular gaming series Football Manager could take charge of the USA and achieve the same feat. The United States national for me is more about Klinnsman and the decisions he makes than the actual players right now. You've got what you got with Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey so I'm not worried about that but Klinnsman as a coach has a big asterisk for me. The omission of Landon Donovan from the last World Cup was strange to me especially when he was still able to produce. What really made me tentatively climb off the Klinsmann caboose was when his American troops got dumped by Jamaica in the last Gold Cup in the semi finals. This isn't a knock against the rest of CONCACAF but really they have no business troubling Mexico and the States. Simply put, that loss to a Jamaican squad packed filled with virtually Englishmen who you would think had no real cohesion was a disgrace. The German has been average for me like I said before but he has had some good ideas and his policy on giving young players a chance (Bobby Wood & DeAndre Yedlin I'm looking at you) to play is refreshing. Something that can't be said about his predecessors Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley. In my eyes this has to Klinsman's defining moment. It's unfortunate that I had to make this preview of the United States chances at the Copa about him but that's how I see the US national team right now. For the tournament coach Klinnsman has called up a pretty solid but young team. He's declared that Brad Guzan currently of Aston Villa will man the sticks over Tim Howard who has had a wonky season for his former side Everton. The back line is a concern. Outside of Geoff Cameron and DeAndre Yedlin I am not impressed, I just don't think Matt Besler and John Brooks are the towers of powers anybody should look for at the back. In midfield the usual suspects of Bradley, Beckerman, Jermaine Jones and converted winger Fabian Johnson will be running around but a nice surprise in Christian Pulisic was added to the mix to provide dynamism. The US will be without Jozy Altidore and Aron Johannsson through injury so Bobby Wood and Gynasi Zardes will be given a run out but it be all about the withdrawn forward Clint Dempsey. America's chances on home soil in this tournament are up in the air given the group they have landed in but as in recent years they have been dealt a difficult groups in FIFA events before. I can barely call it and I know pundits and fans can't either. Key Man- Clint Dempsey stated he would rather play behind a main striker and that's where he feels he is at his best. I absolutely agree. When I picture Clint I see as a wonderful surprise for the opposition rather than an unstoppable force. I hope who he is paired with it will only play to his strengths. Colombia
I don't really know what to say here about "Los Cafeteros." They had a pretty poor Copa America where they finished third in the group phase behind Brazil and Peru. They scored one goal in that tournament and their superstar James Rodríguez failed to delight then and in this past season for Real Madrid he has been marginal both in the team and in his performances. The crazy thing is when you look at the four sides in this group Colombia seems to be the most capable of putting teams to the sword. José Pékerman's side is laced with extraordinary talent but something is a little off! The problem the Argentine is facing is that most of his star names have had spotty seasons and consistency has alluded his most trusted charges. Juan Cuadrado of Juventus started only 16 times in the last Serie A campaign. While down in Milan Cristian Zapata, Pékerman's most reliable defender has only racked up 14 starting appearances in the league for AC Milan. His teammate Carlos Bacca has had a better go of it starting well over 30 games with an 18 goal tally in Serie A which is good but I and the rest of the world is looking for the return of Sevilla's Carlos Bacca who electrified and was a absolute terror. Speaking of terror that is how one could describes Arsenal's David Ospina's previous season. The goalkeeper just made four appearances in what had to be a frustrating time. So I think Pekerman's greatest challenge is to revitalize his flat stars and get them feeling important again. He does that and a Copa could be for the taking. Key Man- James Rodríguez I did mention had a torrid season. He has to prove to himself. It was not easy at Real Madrid and this tournament offers the opportunity to forget. Just exactly what he needs. Costa Rica
It's funny how my friend came into my room used my computer and erased everything I had actually written about Costa Rica. I was initially mad because I gave a glowing review of Costa Rican goalie Keylor Navas and how he will singlehandedly make save his nations fortunes and how Costa Rica has come to a watershed moment. It was real riveting stuff! Come to find he actually did me a favor because Sr. Navas has been ruled out of the tourney due to tendinitis in one of his legs and his club side Real Madrid has pumped the brakes on his participation in the competition. That being said I don't believe Costa Rica will go very far in this event now. Celso Borges, Álvaro Saborío, Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell will have to somehow ramp up goal production if they are to have any chance here. "Los Ticos," had a surprisingly good World Cup and played everyone for a fool when they reached the quarterfinals. Disposing of Italy, Uruguay, England and Netherlands before Argentina crashed their party. In contrast if we were to rewind to last year's Gold Cup we would find a very beleaguered side. The Central Americans put in a sputtering display barley edging out Canada and Haiti in group play to advance to the quarters where they passively subdued by an aggressive Mexico. Oscar Ramírez's side have just loss their biggest weapons and I think this will be a tough go for them now. Key Man- With no Keylor Navas I've reluctantly chose Joel Campbell as thee main threat for the Costa Ricans due to his legitimate pace on a wing something that few teams nowadays seem to have. I won't be lulled by Bryan Ruiz any further because for me he hasn't hit his mark internationally for some time now. Paraguay
When I was growing up in the 90s Paraguay was the country that when you had to play them everyone said f*ck! They didn't do the atypical South American flair thing, they were tough tackling and mean. I even remembered famed Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert spitting on Brazil's Roberto Carlos. That's an isolated incident of indecency and idiocy but that was Paraguay's game when I was coming up. They were tough guys who could play and that translated to what was a very stern defense. Nowadays the Paraguayans aren't as hostile but their lock down defending has remained over the years. Questions marks in recent times has been thrown at their offense and with the waning of Roque Santa Cruz their once star striker, has seen a decline in scoring from the South Americans. In last year's Copa America they did bounce Brazil in the quarterfinals only to be undone by Argentina in the semis which sounds like progress but if you take into account this missed out on the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and they shockingly came dead last for qualifying for the tournament so they are alarm bells still ringing for Paraguay. So what can we expect from "La Albirroja?" I really don't know! The quality of player isn't awful but you go though the men coach Ramón Díaz has to choose from it isn't screaming wonder. I fully expect the Paraguayans to duke it out with the Americans for a chance to advance as I expect Colombia to boss the group and Costa Rica to fade away. Key Man- This one is tough no Lucas Barrios, Roque Santa Cruz and Óscar Cardozo to choose from I don't really know who is the next man up. Nelson Valdez is still running around and does a decent job for the Seattle Sounders but I don't think he is the answer. So I will go with Juan Iturbe granted he gets the pitch time. Paraguay in general is a mixed bag. Predictions- Colombia 1st, USA 2nd, Paraguay 3rd, Costa Rica 4th. This all depends if James Rodríguez decides to sparkle. Although the United States are the hometown favorites they've got to sort out the issues at the back. Unless one of their defenders turns in to Alexi Lalas they will be a bit iffy. Paraguay has to start scoring goals and not hit us with their legendary 0-0 scorecards. As for Costa Rica I don't think their back line can survive with Keylor Navas.
If this Copa America 2015 preview seems rushed to you I apologize...because it is. In fact when it comes to a preview of the last group at a major competition I usually just want to get it out of the way. I did it last World Cup in Brazil with Group H. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa Group H felt the brunt of my laziness and rashness editorial flaws as well. So what now of this Group C of the Copa America? Normally I would have some complicated retort to my own ridiculous question but I’m so fatigued I just want to get the each country’s preview and be done with it. It’s a bad attitude to have but I like to keep it honest with you guys something a lot of columnist won’t do. Of course I will keep what integrity I have when it comes to the actual content but just like an athlete wear and tear does effect performances and your boy is feeling it. On top of that the fact that I have to preview Peru and Venezuela is not something that get my juices flowing. I can only talk about Jefferson Farfan and Claudio Pizzaro for so long without losing a part of my soul. I will do my research as usual but I’m not going to like it. Again a sucky attitude to have especially if you are me, a person who swears they want to do this as a profession for the rest of their life. It's potentially a bad PR move on my part by being so lax but let’s hope that future employers of mine in the sports media world don’t come across this particular article. If they do hopefully they don’t read this intro and are amused by the pretty bright colors of the website. All I have to say is thank goodness Brazil and Colombia are up first in this preview. Group C Brazil Colombia Peru Venezuela Brazil
This is a big tournament for Brazil. We all know they hosted the last FIFA World Cup and we all know how they preformed even the novices. A 7-1 semi final exit to the eventual tournament winners Germany was embarrassing and unacceptable on every level and that display will forever tarnish the Seleção. Dunga the coach of Brazil will be looking for absolute redemption and is expected to come good at this regional competition. This is a serious matter and a business like tone should accompany the Brazilians all throughout this championship. They should come out ready to treat Peru and Venezuela like step children and punch Colombia square in the mouth to assert it’s position as alpha male straight away. Brazil need to get over what malaise they are under and be ruthless if not she will not capture that 9th Copa America crown. I’m not Brazilian and even I feel an overwhelming sense of retribution casted over this Brazilian squad. Every notable voice on the Brazilian football scene feels the same way. It’s like an unfinished project that needs to know completion. I’ve heard former players like Taffarel, Rivellino and Bebeto speak of the need to restore Brazil’s honor. That crushing exit in the World Cup has left Brazil scarred and frankly bruised her ego and now the whole vibe about them seems just vengeful. One of my favorite books of all time is “The Count of Monte Cristo,” by Alexandre Dumas. The main character was a dude called Edmond Dantes a lucky go happy man who wanted nothing out of life but had everything taken away from him through wrongful persecution to one day return to the peak of his powers. I see a lot of comparisons between Brazil right now and Mr. Dantes. There is sense of theft and Brazil will look to right it. Dunga has called on players like Philippe Coutinho and Neymar to perform sorcery and return Brazil the head turners they once were. If those two can brew up some magical moments I know for sure only Messi and cohorts can debunk their road to glory. Key Man- Neymar has gone from a showman to the shaman Brazil needs to cure them of their ills. I doubted Neymar’s maturity at some point but he has grown into a pretty decent leader and figurehead. The guy is talent probably the second best talent at the competition behind Lionel Messi but one thing is for sure he won’t want to be finishing second. Colombia
Forget Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez they both can take a backseat to my main man Carlos Bacca. This guy has absolutely starred for Sevilla this past season. His 20 goals in La Liga helped his club to a 5th place finish. One point off a Champions League birth but that didn’t even matter because his seven goals in the Europa League allowed his side to win the tournament thus cemented their place in Champions League for next season. So I’ve got him pegged to have an excellent tournament and I think coach José Pékerman would be a crazy man not to start him despite having the likes of Victor Ibarbo, Teo Gutiérrez, Jackson Martinez and the already mentioned Falcao to chose from. The truth is Colombia is incredibly top heavy, all of those names I just mentioned plus Juan Cuadrado and James Rodriguez makes “Los Cafeteros,” saturated with buzzing goal scorers. The defense and midfield are nothing to get excited about. Cristian Zapata and James holding rank in both departments while between the sticks David Ospina should be solid for them. Pékerman is a great coach, him and Óscar Tábarez of Uruguay are real mentalists and the prior will look to deliver his side a second Copa America title. A task that I don’t think he can do. I just look at Colombia’s defense and I get critical. Sure the Colombia can gun down the opposition with their goal scoring ability but if they want to play the “Goal Blitz Game,” I know three sides that play that game even better...Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay and they don’t lose at it! If Colombia is going to win this competition Pékerman will have to find the right mix of defense and attacking flair but that’s pretty cliche and every coach will be looking to find that combo. What he really needs to do is get men like Bacca and James to play like extraterrestrials only then could they take home the silverware. Key Man- I would say Carlos Bacca should be the key man here but I don’t even know if José Pékerman will actually play from the start. So my nod will go to James Rodriguez a legitimate star. I think the world has figured out the young Colombian’s game by now. It isn’t like the last World Cup where he was relatively unknown to those outside the major leagues of Europe. I love his game, a hybrid midfield man with pace. He should do well this summer. Peru
What is alarming about coach Ricardo Gareca’s squad is the lack of defenders...I only count six! I know I said I was tired and was feeling sluggish but I don’t know if it’s injuries or if Gareca think he can get away with just six ball stoppers or if this is a typo. Surely there must be a problem or maybe he feels that the Andean country is depleted of defenders but anyway we carry forth and I won’t dwell on it any further. Gareca will have a task ahead of him because Peru has not been percolating now for a very long time now. In fact their last World Cup appearance was in 1982 six years before I was born. What I won’t do is paint Peru with all doom and gloom and one point that Peruvians can rally around is the fact they did win the Copa America twice. These wonder marks in this nation’s history came way back in 1939 and more recently in 1975. So they have some pedigree at the tournament and not to mention they finished 3rd in the 2011 Copa but I don’t think they will have what it takes to even bother the opposition this time around. One problem I have highlighted for Gareca is the fact that Peru's stars are aging. Striker Claudio Pizarro is currently 36, Juan Manuel Vargas a talented left sided player is 31 so is forward Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfan their best player is 30. Going into a tournament like this one’s age is not a problem because in reality the most games you can play is like seven but having players long in the tooth doesn’t help your chances to do well either. I predict a quick and swift lesson for Peru and Gareca. Key Man- Jefferson Farfan is the liveliest of the aging lions and still plays with tremendous energy and the Peruvians will need his quick tempo to rouse them against Brazil and Colombia and to get pass Venezuela. Venezuela
Here is a side that I have huge respect for. Venezuela and Bolivia have been seen for a very long time as a running bad joke. Bolivia are still the brunt of a bad joke but Venezuela has really raised their game. They haven’t turned into Portugal overnight but they certainly aren’t as meek as before. “Los Vinotinto,” will look to build on their best ever Copa America finish of 4th in 2011. Where they loss on penalties to losing finalist Paraguay. Then went on to lose to ironically Peru in 3rd place game. New man at the helm of the national team is Noel Sanvincente and he will need to keep the good vibes high for the men from Caracas. It will be hard because Brazil and Colombia are not meant for the moving and Peru do fancy themselves against the Venezuelans. What Sanvincente has to work with is good but not great. Veteran Juan Arango is a serious threat over a dead ball but at age 35 one has to wonder if he can really be heavily relied on? Fernando Amorbieta and Oswaldo Vizcarrondo are both rough and tumble defenders but they are not the most mobile. While midfield man Tomás Rincón is like a Duracell battery but a puller of strings he is not so don’t look for him to be very influential. Venezuela's super hero comes in the form of now Zenit St. Petersburg striker Salomón Rondón. He has impressive stats over there in Russia. In the 36 appearances to date he has 20 goals. I’m not good at goal per game averages but to me that seems like pretty a tidy ratio. To add more to his fame, while playing for his homeland he has netted 12 goals in 38 appearances so far which isn’t bad. If Venezuela are even thinking of getting a point he will have a lot to with it. Key Man- I will go for Oswaldo Vizcarrondo. Not only do I think his surname is kind of cool but given who the Venezuelans are playing in Group C they will need an Atlas like figure at the back to hold things together. Vizcarrondo and his equally sturdy partner Fernando Amorbieta will need to play perfect games. Predictions- Brazil 1st, Colombia 2nd, Venezuela 3rd, Peru 4th. Brazil has a point to prove. Colombia has more fire power than the old Soviet Union. Venezuela are willing but are four players too short to make a real impact. While Peru will look to give their fading stars their last hooray.
Group C is next on the agenda and when I first saw it I didn’t know what to make of it. A few months on and I still don’t know what to make of it. The four teams bunched together are no means lightweights but if they were casted in other groups you would have to say they would be the second or third options. For the four nations in Group C there is nothing to really fear at this stage. All of them would look around and say we can get something good out of this thing. The participants to me have a great advantage because they can simply fly under the radar, gain confidence while lowering the expectations of more illustrious foes, that they will face in the latter stages of the tournament. It can be a really sweet scenario. Avoiding larger more accomplished teams in the early takes the pressure off and here is hoping that the teams in the group decide to play their natural game. Will some one form this group win the World Cup? Probably not but I am looking for a sleeper to come through and upset a lot of teams on their way. Group C Colombia Côte d’Ivoire Greece Japan Colombia
Making there fifth World Cup appearance the Colombians have to be pleased about the strides they have made over recent years. For a while the men from Bogota were absent from the tourney. As I continually bark, qualifying from CONMEBOL is super difficult and with the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay knocking about you know you know it was going to be tough for Colombia. I say that and they end up finishing second in qualifying behind Argentina this time around. I’ve always said what has been missing for Colombia for along time was star power. Back in the day players like Carlos Valderamma and René Higuita made the South American side charismatic and fresh. They were watchable and they could play. I think the emergence of James Rodríguez, Fredy Guarín, Juan Cuadrado and more importantly Radamel Falcao has brought back that spark to national side. As I said before Group C is a wide open but I do favor José Pékerman’s side to advance out of the of this early round. Pékerman is an experience coach and will come with his tactics. Then you have the players at his disposal. The names I mentioned before alongside defenders like Pablo Armero, Cristián Zapata and Juan Zúñiga make Colombia look like a real solid outfit. The X-factor for this side is the fact they will be heavily supported while in Brazil. There is no doubt that their fans will be there in droves to cheer them on. Key Man- It is well documented that star forward Radamel Falcao suffered horrible leg injury in France while playing for his Ligue 1 side Monaco a few months back. Ever since then the player and his nation has been doing everything they could to get him ready for Brazil. Reports has his chances of making the World Cup up in the air. If he does make it he won’t be 100% for sure, due to the serious nature of the injury. If he doesn’t make that will be a heavy blow for Colombia. So I have earmarked James Rodríguez to be the man to propel the South Americans forward. A hybrid winger/attacking midfielder, James has had a good season alongside Falcao at Monaco so he is in good form. Côte d’Ivoire
I was pretty hard on the Ivorians last time around. It was premature. I didn't really know what the Africans could do and I was basing it on performances of some the players prior to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. I was a tad bit ignorant and I undervalued them. This time I won’t make that mistake. This will be the Ivory Coast third World Cup and I'm more optimistic about their chances in this one. The last two trips to the finals the Africans failed to get out of the group stage. Drawn with Brazil and Portugal four years ago didn’t serve them well but this group they find themselves in is too easy not to advance. The African side came out of Group C in CAF qualifying, topping Morocco, Gambia and Tanzania in round two, earning a two legged playoff with Senegal. The Ivorians took initiative by dispatching the Senegalese 3-1 in the first encounter. While the second leg produced a 1-1 draw allowing Côte d’Ivoire to advance 4-2 on aggregate. Ivory Coast has a luxury of stars to call on. Yaya Touré, Kolo Touré, Didier Drogba, Gervinho, Seydou Doumbia, Salomon Kalou, Cheick Tioté, Wilfried Bony and Max Gradel all make up the Ivorian squad. This side will do very at this tournament and will be a headache for the other Group C combatants as well as opponents as they move deeper in the tournament. Key Man- Yaya Touré is the alpha dog for the Ivory Coast. He has won things for Barcelona and Manchester City. He is a multiple African Footballer of The Year recipient and is generally seen as one of the most dominating players on the planet. I fully expect him to put the opposition to the sword. Greece
I have to applaud the Greeks. Every time the Euros or the World Cup comes around they always seem to be there. Look at the Europeans countries who haven’t book passage to Brazil. The Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Republic of Ireland Serbia, Montenegro, Norway, Ukraine, Poland and Turkey will not be joining us. There is some big countries on that list and Greece did what they couldn’t do. The Greeks got to this World Cup via UEFA’s Group G. The Mediterranean nation actually finished joint top of the group along with Bosnia-Herzagovina but finished second due to goal difference. Not qualifying automatically meant they had to enter a two legged playoff against Romania. The Greeks bested the Romanians 3-1 in Athens and in the return leg in Bucharest managed a 1-1 draw to advance 4-2 on aggregate. Greece is trying to live a life after long time coach Otto Rehhagel who has got her so much success in the past. The new man in charge is the Portuguese coach Fernando Santos and he will look to make Greece’s third trip to the World Cup a good one. Santos will depend on the experience of Giorgios Samaras and Giorgios Karagounis to them through but the real power punch for Greece will come from Konstantinos Mitroglou. Greece will have to play well as I do see them as the weakest in this interesting group. If they play their game they have a shot. Key Man- Last World Cup I poked fun at the Greeks for putting the phalanx out and just defending with little regard for attack. The Greeks in fairness to them are very good defenders and should play to their strength and this World Cup they should look to do so but this time around I think they have more of an attacking edge. Konstantinos Mitroglou will give the Europeans a greater threat than in recent times. Bless with a high football IQ, Mitroglou will be a danger. Japan
The first team to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, Japan is easily the best team in AFC. For years Japan has shown steady growth in the sport. Seeing off the advances from the likes of Saudi Arabia, South Korea, North Korea and now Australia for dominance in the region. The country fully deserves any plaudits given. Japan booked her trip to Brazil by coming out of Group B in the latter stages of AFC qualifying. Where they topped the group finishing ahead of Australia, Oman, Iraq and Jordan. This will be the Japanese fifth World Cup and the “Blue Samurai,” will look to go beyond the Round of 16 their best ever finish. The man leading the Japan into Brazil is Italian Alberto Zaccheroni. The Italian led AC Milan to a Serie A title back in 1998 and also boast fantastic records with Lazio, Juventus and Inter Milan. The Japanese squad traveling to tournament is packed with European based players. Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, Atsuto Uchida, Eiji Kawashima, Makoto Hasebe, Yuto Nagamoto and Shinji Okazaki all ply their trade in Europe but Japan just won’t rely on them. The Japanese J-League has been churning out some wonderful players over the years and believe some them will be making the trip and will have prominent roles to play. This World Cup the climate is a talking point. Out of the four in this group the Japan come from the mildest climate but I don’t expect that to hinder their chances. Traditionally the Japanese have always had players blessed with great levels of energy and I fully expect Zacheroni to tap into that. Key Man- Keisuke Honda was my pick for Japan four years ago and this time it’s no different. He sparkled while he was in Russia and now he has moved the to AC Milan looks even more polished. A dead ball specialist and virtuoso with the ball, Japan has a special talent in her ranks. Predictions- Let’s get to it! Côte d’Ivoire 1st, Colombia 2nd, Japan 3rd, Greece 4th. If Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal couldn't stop Yaya Touré this year, I don’t expect the teams in Group C to. Making Colombia 2nd was a tough choice. The Falcao issue is a concern but I think they have too much reserve to fail. Plus it’s in South America, Colombia is right next door to Brazil their fans will push them over the edge. Japan I’m a big fan of but can they out fox the two teams I just mentioned? I doubt it. As for Greece I don’t know if their midfield can actually create enough chances for the front men. They might become rather painful to watch if they don’t get it right. Japan
