Copa América is far away but is taking form (Yahoo)

When on July 1, 2011 in the redesigned Stadium in the city of La Plata they receive the Bolivian team, there will begin to wheel the dream of the Argentinean team and their legion of fans who have not seen them winning the trophy since they got it for the last time in the contest of the Copa América in Equator 1993.

Already in 2011 there will be eighteen years since that moment when Gabriel Batistuta, paradoxically one of the candidates to participate in the new technical crew in the team now conducted by Sergio Batista, he marked two goals in the final vs Mexico and consecrated the Argentinean team. It was conducted by Alfio Basile, that afterwards arrived to the World Championship in United States in 1994 and had a second period between 2006 and 2008, and that cycle in which Argentina remained thirty three matches undefeated, ended badly, in an stressing classification for the World Championship after having won by the minimum difference over Australia and with the return to the fields of Diego Maradona.

Therefore, the anxiety of many is centred in a Copa América which Argentina has not organized since 1987, when strangely, one year later after being Champion of the World championship in Mexico, could not obtain the trophy at home falling vs Uruguay in semi-finals and afterwards vs Colombia (again rival now though without Carlos Valderrama and that golden generation for the third place, even with Maradona and Caniggia.

But of course, Argentina (team with more trophies of Copa America, 14 same as Uruguay) is not alone and will have strong rivals, though due to the
causalities in life in the Conmebol, always the locals are favoured in the surveys organized by the South American entity, and in fact, Colombia always represented a hard rival and it is seen that Japan had won over same for the first time in its history in a recent friendly match.

The Group B, in change, seems more complicated as will have the present Champion, Brazil, that defends the crown obtained in Venezuela 2007, together with one of the great of the Continent, Paraguay, Equator that is growing up same as the “vinotinto” of Venezuela.

The analysts consider it as “the death Group” though there are two candidates to classify in the eights-final, Brazil and Paraguay, meanwhile Equator and Venezuela may be a surprise.

It may be said that the other Group, the C, in which there are Uruguay, Chile, Mexico and Peru, is also even as the B. Uruguay and Mexico that have already confronted in the past Championship in South Africa, appear as candidates and there remains the incognito of Chile, now that everything changed in their Federation and therefore, in their national team and that the successful
Argentinean coach, Marcelo Bielsa, renounced, putting end to historical period that finished in the eights vs Brazil.

Also Peru is now an interrogative since the Uruguayan very capable coach Sergio Markarían took the control of the team, frustrated due to the scarce results in the last times.

Without any doubt, if something surprise dealing with a contest as that of Argentina, it is due to cultural reasons and of economic weight, Buenos Aires was always the centre of everything and this time there will be head-quarters in eight cities that will occupy all the length and the width of the country and in fact, the Japanese team will have to play vs Argentina in the Mediterranean Cordoba, but vs Colombia and Bolivia in the northern Jujuy, almost at the border with the latter country, that surely will count with the cheer of their fans.

The difference between Mexico and Japan, both invited, as to their forces are disproportional. The Americans, that are reiterate participants in the Copa América, will dispute at the same time their own Continental contest, the Copa de Oro (Cup of Gold) of the Concacaf and therefore, it is contemplated they will be absent as well as their principal coach, and of course many of their first team players, who will participate in the North hemisphere of the contest that for Mexico seems to be their priority.

Being México an invited country to the Copa América, it does not seem elegant to have to confront this contest with the dedication that the situation requires and to play with substitutes. Maybe it would be better to cede the place to other team of Centre America with less names and more desires to participate.
As to Japan, everything seems to the contrary, with players every time more known in very good teams of Europe and with a tactical operation that they obtain with Zaccheroni,

Same as Japan, teams as Paraguay or Uruguay ratified they wishes to take the trophy in this opportunity. It is so that their two coaches, Gerardo Martino and Oscar Tabárez, give prestige to this contest with their interest to win, without reducing their teams just to beginners. The declaration of the Argentine Martino, of some days ago, about the participation of Paraguay as having the need to ratify the fact that in the past World Championship he seems happy for the intention of the “lightblues” to step up the podium of the best.

It is known seven months, in football is very much, but the Copa América is already under go and all the industry of football is already working. If for the twelve teams it is a great moment to jump, for the Argentinean and Uruguayan it concerns the clue proof in their route to organize together the World Championship 2030, just hundred years after the first of all.

What is sure it is that in July 1, 2011 words will end and the ball will start to roll in the Argentinean stadiums.