With the Copa América draw recently out and international friendlies imminent, now might be a worthwhile time to look at what that tournament might have in store for football fans.  It’s not as well publicized or followed as its European counterpart because most people see it as the international La Liga: a competition basically geared to set up two super teams (Brazil and Argentina) in a final where the brightest talents of world football can tussle.

Recently, the accusation has been true, sort of.  While the past two tournaments has seen Brazil trump Argentina in the final, the whole tournament is a delight for the football fan.  For one, this year’s inclusion of Mexico promises to continue the tradition of El Tricolor surprising the big guns.

In 2007 Mexico deservedly beat Brazil 2-0 and won the group stage, and although Argentina handled them in the semifinals 3-0, the Mexicans still earned some respect from their South American counterparts by winning the third place match against Uruguay.  In 2004, Mexico beat Argentina 1-0 in the group stages, but  Brazil trashed them 4-0 in a pitiful exit.

Another reason to watch is the hopeful coronation of Messi on the world stage.  While the Argentine failed to dominate the 2010 World Cup, this can be largely blamed on the unbelievable tactics employed by Maradona (how many times in South Africa did we see Messi pick up the ball around the halfway line simply because the midfielders lacked the quality to bring the ball forward on their own?).  Hopefully in 2011 Messi can show those who still doubt him (and honestly I’m highly suspicious of the existence of these supposed Messi-doubters) that he is the finest footballer on the planet.

Taking a look at the draw, if all goes expected, another Brazil-Argentina final looks to be on the cards.

It’s difficult to see Argentina not winning their group (Bolivia, Colombia, Japan), especially as all of the matches will be played in front of a home crowd.  On top of that huge motivation, Los Albiceleste will be seeking to avenge themselves against a Japan team that recently beat them 1-0.  All the players will want to make a statement to say that they team that dismantled Spain 4-1 is the real version of Argentina, not the meek squad that was humbled in Japan.

Brazil have slightly harder group (Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela) considering Paraguay’s bold showing at the World Cup.  No matter how many superstars are injured, overweight, or out of form, Brazil always manages to field one of the most imposing teams in the world.  No Ronaldinho, Kaka, or Luis Fabiano?  Why not play Robinho, Pato, and Nilmar?  If Ramires isn’t playing well with Chelsea, why not select the reinvigorated Felipe Melo?  The point is, whatever team they field, like Argentina, Brazil will be favorites to win their group.

Group C is the most interesting because it includes Uruguay, giant-killers Mexico, the surprisingly decent Chile, and likely whipping boy Peru.  If Diego Forlán plays like he did in South Africa, Uruguay should win the group and make for a great challenge to anyone in the whole tournament.  If the results go as predicted in this hyper-early stage, Uruguay should meet Brazil in the semifinals.  This will probably be Forlán’s last hurrah in a major tournament, so he’ll surely want his countrymen to remember him fondly.  Brazil (presumably) be warned.

But of course, Mexico love to cause trouble and have come runner-up and third place a couple of times each, so don’t count them out of the running just because there are some big guns to contend with.  Lastly, Chile may yet surprise us, given their high FIFA and ELO ranking, but personally I feel the team won’t impress and we’ll see them back in the 20s or 30s in the world ranking by the close of 2011.

Argentina seem to have the easiest path to the final, although if there is an upset in Group C (or even a massive Group B upset, but I strongly doubt Brazil will place in 3rd in their group), Los Albiceleste may face a tough fight before playing the final in El Monumental in Buenos Aires.

A Brazil-Argentina final looks probable, but the inclusion of Mexico and Uruguay give me hope that an upset could happen.  All of the football matches are yet to be played, but international football fans should be salivating at the prospect of some of the matches, even (especially?) if the final is again, Brazil-Argentina.

World Cup fans, prepare to hear this song ad nauseum for the next seven months.  K’naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” is the Official Anthem of World Cup 2010.

VS.

The drama of World Cup qualifying reaches its apex in the next 7 days as the final spots for South Africa 2010 will be set.  Nations will be paralyzed as their teams fight for footballing glory.  The CONCACAF vs. CONMEBOL playoff features Los Ticos of Costa Rica vs. Charrúas of Uruguay.

Its the first time that the 4th place CONCACAF team faces the 5th place CONMEBOL team.  The 1st leg will take place on Saturday, November 14th in San Jose in Costa Rica’s Saprissa Stadium, the 2nd leg takes place on Wednesday, November 18th in Montevideo at the Estadio Centenario.

HOME FIELDS
The artificial turf of Saprissa Stadium has been a massive advantage for Costa Rica in qualifying. In 9 home matches, Costa Rica has 8 wins & 1 loss.  They’ve allowed only 4 goals in those matches.  Saprissa has become the best home field advantage in CONCACAF.  However, Uruguay will not be intimidated by Saprissa considering that they played 9 road games in the toughest WC qualifying region. The Estadio Centenario in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo hasn’t been the fortress for Las Charrúas. In qualifying, their opposition were able to take points in 5 of the 9 matches. A fact that Costa Rica can use if they need a road goal.

MATCHUPS
The Uruguayan central defensive tandem of Diego Lugano & Diego Godin will have to stop Costa Rica’s attacking duo of Bryan Ruiz and Álvaro Saborío. The Ruiz-Saborio combo each have 6 goals in qualifying and will be energized at home but the fulcrum of the Costa Rican attack is Celso Borges. The 21-year old midfielder who plays pro ball in Norway for Fredrikstad FK is the man that must breakdown the Uruguayan defense and open up opportunities for Ruiz and Saborio.

Costa Rica’s defense will have two world class goal scorers to worry about. Atlético Madrid’s Diego Forlán is the reigning Pichichi in La Liga and Uruguay’s leading scorer in World Cup qualifying. Ajax’s captain, Luis Suárez has been an absolute nightmare for defenses in the Dutch Eredivisie. Suárez is the hottest striker coming into these WC playoff matches. Suárez has 16 goals in 13 Eredivisie matches at 22-years old, he is the present and future of Uruguay’s attack. The anchor of the Costa Rican defense is Júnior Díaz, the Wis?a Kraków defender will have to play well and help organize the Ticos’ defense in order to keep Suárez and Forlán off the score sheet.

PREDICTION
Uruguay’s attack will be too strong for an average at best Costa Rican defense. Saprissa’s artificial turf and raucous atmosphere will not intimidate the South Americans. The explosive attack of Las Charrúas especially at Estadio Centenario will get CONMEBOL a 5th entrant into The Great Tournament.
Uruguay defeats Costa Rica, 3-1 aggregate.

Brazil is close to sealing qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, if they can beat Argentina on the road on the 5th and Chile at home on the 9th then Brazil will be on their way to South Africa.

The big news was the call up of Adriano of Flamengo to the national team. The big forward seems to have regained his scoring touch with Flamengo. He is tied atop the Campeonato Brasileiro goal scoring charts with 10 goals and is a known Argentine killer.

A new face to the Brazil squad is young defender Filipe of Deportivo La Coruna. The 24-year old adds depth to the left side of Brazil’s defense. Lucas of Liverpool also got a callup as his youth balances out a veteran midfield.

Here is the complete list of Brazil’s squad:

Goalkeepers:
Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Victor (Gremio)

Defenders:
Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Inter Milan), Filipe (Deportivo La Coruna), Lucio (Inter Milan), Luisao (Benfica), Miranda (Sao Paulo), Juan (AS Roma)

Midfielders:
Elano (Galatasaray), Felipe Melo (Juventus), Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos), Josue (VfL Wolfsburg), Ramires (Benfica), Julio Baptista (AS Roma), Kaka (Real Madrid), Lucas (Liverpool)

Forwards:
Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nilmar (Villarreal), Robinho (Manchester City), Adriano (Flamengo)

This round of World Cup qualifiers are a must 6 points for Diego Maradona’s Argentine squad. Los Albicelestes face Brazil at home in Rosario on the Sept. 5th and then travel to Asuncion to take on Paraguay on the 9th.

19 players were called up with 3 domestic players to be named before the team gets together for practice on August 30th. Among the players being considered are Juan Sebastián Veron of Libertadores’ champion Estudiantes, Emiliano Papa & Nicolás Otamendi of current Argentine champions, Vélez Sarsfield, Sebastián Battaglia of Boca Juniors & Mario Bolati of Huracán.

Once again, Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain was left off the team in favor of Napoli’s Ezequiel Lavezzi. Injuries were key to some of Maradona’s callups. Bayern’s Martín Demichelis injury opened a spot Newcastle’s Fabricio Coloccini while it looks like Nicolás Otamendi could be called to replace Daniel “El Cata” Diaz.

Here is the list of players called for the upcoming qualifiers:

Goalkeepers:
Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar), Juan Pablo Carrizo (Real Zaragoza), Mariano Andujar (Catania)

Defenders:
Nicolas Burdisso, Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan), Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseille), Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United), Nicolas Pareja (Espanyol)

Midfielders:
Javier Mascherano (Liverpool), Fernando Gago (Real Madrid), Maximiliano Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle United), Jesus Datolo (Napoli)

Forwards:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Lisandro Lopez (Olympique Lyon)

This edition of the World Cup Buzz Top 5 will breakdown the Top 5 Things Observed From The June World Cup Qualifying Matches. Let’s begin with CONCACAF’s best team.

COSTA RICA IS THE BEST IN CONCACAF

Los Ticos have established themselves as the best team in CONCACAF after their impressive displays against the United States and Trinidad & Tobago. Costa Rica has lost only once in this cycle of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. In 13 WCQ matches, Los Ticos have lost once a 2-0 loss to Mexico at Estadio Azteca and drawn once a 2-2 result on the road in Grenada in a 2nd round 1st leg match. Rodrigo Kenton has done a masterful job steering Costa Rica to a highly likely spot in South Africa 2010. Los Ticos are a perfect 7-0-0 at the Estadio Saprissa in San Jose. Saprissa is now the most intimidating home field advantage in CONCACAF.

GABON IS FOR REAL

The West African nation through which the Equator runs through has become the big story in African World Cup Qualifying. The Azingo Nationale is coached by former French international Alain Giresse whose experience as part of “The Magic Square” of France’s national teams in the 80s has been essential in Gabon’s run to the top of Group A. In 8 matches of African WC Qualifying, Gabon has only lost twice and are currently riding a 5 game winning streak. Gabon have been riding the talents of all-time goal scorer Hull City striker Daniel Cousin, leading scorer in qualifying Ankaraspor striker Roguy Méyé and the Aubameyang brothers: Catilina, Pierre-Emerick, and Willy. All 3 were products of AC Milan’s scouting system with Pierre-Emerick & Willy still property of Il Rossoneri.

CONMEBOL’S PLAYOFF SPOT DUEL
VS.
After these past two rounds of CONMEBOL WC qualifying, it looks like the last playoff spot will come down to Ecuador versus Uruguay. Ecuador earned the max of 6 points over the past two rounds and it vaulted them into 5th place. Uruguay only got 1 point over the last two matches and fell 2 points behind Ecuador to 6th place. Colombia and Venezuela are tied for 7th place, 1 point behind Uruguay but Colombia does not score enough goals and Venezuela gives up too many goals to hold up. Ecuador seems to be regaining the form that has seen them qualify for the previous two World Cups and Uruguay has an explosive offense that can score goals quickly and in bunches. Ecuador hosts Uruguay in the next to last round of qualifying in a match that could determine who will face the CONCACAF 4th place team in a playoff.

SHOWDOWN IN ASIA
VS.
3 of the 4 automatic spots for South Africa 2010 from Asia have already been finalized. Only 1 spot remains and thankfully the schedule makers have set up massive drama on the final day of matches. In Group 2, 3rd place Saudi Arabia hosts 2nd place Korea DPR with the winner of the match going to South Africa. Korea DPR aka North Korea is looking to qualify for the 1st time since 1966 while Saudi Arabia goes for its 5th straight appearance. The loser could even lose out on the playoff spot if Iran defeats already qualified South Korea in their final WC Qualifying match. WHEW! Asia offering up some MASSIVE drama.

TRADITIONAL POWERS IN TROUBLE

3 traditional powers of their continents have their fans and citizens praying for some intervention to secure a place in South Africa 2010. Mexico sits in 4th place in CONCACAF and their form has been spotty at best. El Tri is not the lock to qualify from CONCACAF like the footballing world is used to. The Mexicans will have to show a lot more heart than in previous qualifying runs in order to get to The Great Tournament.

Maradona’s appointment as Argentina’s head coach was supposed to minimize the stress in qualifying from CONMEBOL but his tactical shortcomings are being exposed. Los Albicelestes haven’t been able to string wins together and have been embarrassed on the road allowing 10 goals in their last 4 road matches notching only 1 point in that stretch. They sit in the last automatic spot just 2 points ahead 5th place Ecuador.

Portugal’s troubles in Group 1 of European qualifying were eased a bit when they barely scraped by Albania 2-1 on the road. Bruno Alves’ 2nd half injury time goal kept Portugal breathing but the fact that they had to get a late goal to beat Albania shows that Portugal is overrated. They sit in 3rd place a full 4 points behind 2nd place Hungary with each having 4 matches remaining. Of the 3 mentioned continental powers, Portugal is in the greatest jeopardy of missing South Africa 2010.

Alright there it is the World Cup Buzz Top 5 for the June World Cup qualifiers. Post a comment and let us know what you think.

Round 13 of South American World Cup qualifiers has passed and surprisingly 4 of the 5 road teams won their matches. Only Argentina defended their home turf after “El Cata” Diaz scored in the 56th minute to keep Los Albicelestes in 4th place.

Brazil moved to the top of the standings with their impressive 4-0 win versus Uruguay at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. Barcelona’s treble winning defender Dani Alves opened the scoring after his long distance shot was horribly misjudged by Uruguay keeper Sebastian Viera and found the back of the net. Brazil had four different scorers as Seleção are unbeaten in their last 8 WC Qualifiers.

Paraguay’s impressive qualifying campaign has taken a downturn after their stunning 2-0 loss at home to Chile. Goals by the former Colo Colo strike duo of Matias Fernandez & Humberto Suazo helped Chile sink La Albirroja. Paraguay has only 1 point in their last 3 matches while Marcelo Bielsa’s Chile squad have lost once in their last 6 matches taking 13 of a possible 18 points.

Venezuela and Ecuador kept their hopes alive for a play off spot with their road victories. Venezuela defeated Bolivia in the altitude of La Paz with some luck as Bolivian defender Ronald Rivero scored an own goal in the 33rd minute to give La Vinotinto an important 3 points.

Ecuador defeated last place Peru 2-1 in Lima. Qatari based striker Carlos Tenorio scored in the 59th minute to give Sixto Vizuete’s men an important 3 points. The victory ended Ecuador’s 3-game winless streak.

Here are the results & standings from Round 13:

SATURDAY, JUNE 6th

Paraguay 0 – 2 Chile
CHI: Matias Fernandez (13′) & Humberto Suazo (50′)

Argentina 1 – 0 Colombia
ARG: Daniel Diaz (56′)

Bolivia 0 – 1 Venezuela
VEN: Ronald Rivero (og 33′)

Uruguay 0 – 4 Brazil
BRA: Dani Alves (12′), Juan (36′), Luis Fabiano (52′), Kaka (pen 75′)

SUNDAY, JUNE 7th

Peru 1 – 2 Ecuador
PER: Juan Vargas (52′)
ECU: Jefferson Montero (38′) & Carlos Tenorio (59′)

STANDINGS

A full week of Libertadores matches took place this week as teams seek points to advance to the knockout stages which are less than 1 month away.  On Tuesday, Libertad’s perfect record ended with a 2-1 road loss to Universitario in Lima.  The Peruvians took the 3 points when Piero Alva scoring in the 62 minute to move Universitario into 2nd place in Group 8 with 8 points.  La U just needs a draw against San Lorenzo in their next match to insure their place in the Round of 16.

Wednesday’s matches were less dramatic than Tuesday’s as every team won by at least 2 goals.  The most impressive being Estudiantes’ 4-0 win over Cruzeiro in La Plata. Cristian Sanchez Prette continued his heroics with 2 late goals to solidify the La Pincha victory and 2nd place in Group 5. The midfielder, on loan from Romanian club CFR Cluj, continues a memorable stretch.  He scored the equalizer late against eternal rival Gimnasia last Sunday and added his first goals of the Libertadores in beating Cruzeiro.

Thursday’s matches featured the biggest name teams in the tournament.  Defending champions Liga De Quito lost 3 points at home to Colo Colo when veteran forward Claudio Bieler scored an own goal in 2nd half injury time to split points with the Chilean side.  The ‘08 champions are now 2 points out of a Round of 16 spot with 2 matches remaining.

3-time Copa Libertadores champions Sao Paulo got two goals from Borges and managed to keep the 3 points despite an own goal from Sao Paulo icon Rogerio Ceni.  The 2-1 victory at the Morumbi over Uruguay’s Defensor Sporting moved Tricolor Paulista into 1st place of Group 4 and pretty much secured a spot into the Round of 16.

Boca Juniors continued their smooth ride towards a 7th Libertadores title with a comfortable 3-1 home win versus Paraguayan side Guarani.  Los Xeneizes biggest names came through as Martin Palermo, Rodrigo Palacio, & Juan Roman Riquelme scored to give Boca the victory and inside track for the #1 seed in the knockout stage.

Here are the results from this week of matches:

Tuesday, April 7th

Group 3
Club Nacional (PAR) 1 – 1 San Martin (PER)
NAC: Fabio Escobar (66?)
SNM: Martin Arzuaga (42?)

River Plate (ARG) 0 – 0 Nacional (URU)

Group 7
Gremio (BRA) 3 – 0 Aurora (BOL)
GRE: Rafael Marques (33?), Maximiliano López (64?), Réver (82?)

Group 8
Universitario de Deportes (PER) 2 – 1 Libertad (PAR)
UNI: Ronaille Calheira (28?) & Piero Alva (62?)
LIB: Ximénez (13?)

Wednesday, April 8th

Group 8
San Luis Potosi (MEX) 2 – 0 San Lorenzo (ARG)
SLP: Jesús Palacios Olague (44?) & José Rodolfo Reyes (68?)

Group 7
Universidad de Chile (CHI) 3 – 0 Boyaca Chico FC (COL)
UCI: Emilio Hernandez (22?), Juan Manuel Olivera (48?), Nelson Cuevas (90?)

Group 5
Estudiantes LP (ARG) 4 – 0 Cruzeiro (BRA)
EST: Juan Sebastián Veron (6?), Gastón Fernandez (32?), Cristian Sanchez Prette (74? & 78?)

Group 1
Sport Recife (BRA) 0 – 2 Palmeiras (BRA)
PAL: Keirrison (23?) & Diego Souza (72?)

Thursday, April 9th

Group 1
Liga De Quito (ECU) 1 -1  Colo Colo (CHI)
LDQ: Jairo Rolando Campos (48?)
COL: Claudio Bieler (og 90?+1?)

Group 4
Sao Paulo (BRA) 2 – 1 Defensor Sporting (URU)
SPO: Borges (71? & 75?)
DEF: Rogerio Ceni (og 39?)

Group 2
Boca Juniors (ARG) 3 – 1 Club Guarani (PAR)
BOC: Martin Palermo (34?), Rodrigo Palacio (36?), Juan Román Riquelme (pen 86?)
GUA: Miguel Paniagua (44?)

Just one day remains till the globe becomes hypnotized by national team football in the form of World Cup qualifiers.  At World Cup Buzz, we’ve given you a some info on Asian, African, CONCACAF, and now we’ll let you know what’s going on in the toughest region of all, CONMEBOL – South America.

The big story heading into the qualifiers is the absence of Argentina’s Juan Roman Riquelme and his decision to quit Los Albicelestes after his beef with coach Diego Maradona.  Maradona looks to rely on Independiente’s young midfielder Rolfi Montenegro to take Riquelme’s place.  Riquelme’s absence should improve team chemistry as the Boca Juniors star is known to be a disruption.  For Maradona, these matches will go a long way in determining how good a coach he is.  Argentina faces Venezuela at home and Bolivia on the road and anything less than 4 points from those matches would be unacceptable.

Watch out for Ecuador during these next matches.  Ecuador is the only team with both of their matches at home.  Ecuador’s home form was the key to their qualification in 2006 and will be essential again this time around.  In 2006 WCQ they were unbeaten at home taking 23 of 27 points, they have already lost at home this year.  Too bad, Ecuador hosts 1st place Paraguay and 2nd place Brazil, if they can get 6 points from those home games they will shoot into the top 4 and place themselves in an excellent position for future qualifiers.

Paraguay is the only team to play these next matches on the road.  First they travel to Montevideo to face Uruguay in a battle of the two top scoring teams in South America.  4 days later, La Albirroja have to travel to Quito to face Ecuador in the altitude.  Paraguay has 23 points and if they can win both of those games then Paraguay can get ready to go to South Africa.  Since CONMEBOL went to the single table in 1998 WC Qualifying, 29 points has been enough for at least 5th place.  Paraguay could have 29 points with 6 matches remaining if they win out.

Here are the fixtures for the upcoming qualifiers – home teams listed first:

Saturday, March 28
Uruguay vs. Paraguay
Argentina vs. Venezuela
Colombia vs. Bolivia

Sunday, March 29
Ecuador vs. Brazil
Peru vs. Chile

Tuesday, March 31
Venezuela vs. Colombia

Wednesday, April 1
Bolivia vs. Argentina
Ecuador vs. Paraguay
Chile vs. Uruguay
Brazil vs. Peru

Here are the standings heading into this round of qualifying:

Diego Maradona’s squad for upcoming World Cup Qualifiers has been announced and the glaring absence is of Boca star, Juan Roman Riquelme who quit the team after differences with Maradona. Daniel “Rolfi” Montenegro of Independiente looks to be the one that will take Riquelme’s position on the pitch. Goalkeeper Federico Vilar of Atlante was a surprise call up and Genoa hitman Diego Milito finally gets a call to the squad. If Maradona is smart he’ll start Milito cause he’s a BEAST.

Maradona dipped into the Argentine domestic league in making changes from the France match. A couple of Boca players: defender Juan Forlin & central midfielder Sebastian Battaglia and El Pais’ South American Player Of The Year: Juan Sebastian Veron of Estudiantes La Plata.

The only diffference in the forwards was the choice of Milito who replaces Napoli’s German Denis. Argentina are at home against a much improved Venezuela side on Saturday, March 28 and then travel to the altitude of La Paz and face Bolivia on April 1st.

Here is the complete roster for Los Albicelestes:

Goalkeepers:
Juan Pablo Carrizo (Lazio), Mariano Andujar (Estudiantes de La Plata), Federico Vilar (Atlante).

Defenders:
Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan), Water Samuel (Inter Milan), Emiliano Papa (Velez Sarsfield), Gabriel Heinze (Real Madrid), Daniel Diaz (Getafe), Juan Forlin (Boca Juniors), Marcos Angeleri (Estudiantes), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich).

Midfielders:
Javier Mascherano (Liverpool), Fernando Gago (Real Madrid), Maximiliano Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle United), Sebastian Battaglia (Boca Juniors), Luis Gonzalez (FC Porto), Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Daniel Montenegro (Independiente).

Forwards:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Carlos Tevez (Manchester United), Lisandro Lopez (FC Porto), Diego Milito (Genoa), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli).