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2024 Copa America: Group C Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

It’s interesting for the World Cups, the host nation is normally in the first group. Same with the Euro. The Copa America has the defending champions in Group A instead and the host nation in any group. Here it’s Group C. Not that I have a problem with it. It’s just unique that way. In the meantime, here’s my look at Group C of this year’s Copa America:

-United States (11): You either love them or you hate them, but you can’t deny that The Stars and Stripes or The Yanks are a football force you should take seriously. They’ve qualified for eight of the last ten World Cups and even got as far at the quarterfinals in 2002, they’ve won the CONCACAF Gold Cup seven times, and have even finished fourth at the Copa America twice. With the World Cup coming in 2026, you can bet the USA want to be on.

The team is coached by Greg Berhalter who played for the US in two World Cups including 2002 when they last made it to the quarterfinals. Top players include defender Antonee Robinson, midfielder Weston McKennee and forwards Tom Weah and Christian Pulisic. They’ve had a win against Ghana since the end of World Cup 2022. They’ve also achieved a win and a draw against both Jamaica and Mexico. They’ve also had two wins and a loss to Trinidad and Tobago and losses to Germany, Colombia, Slovenia and Serbia. The stage is ready here in the US and they want to deliver a team the host nation can be proud of just before they co-host World Cup 2026.

-Uruguay (15): La Celeaste or Los Charruas are a sentimental favorite for many people. They won two straight Olympic gold medals in the 1920’s, they won the first-ever World Cup in 1930 and upset hosts Brazil in 1950. For these past fifteen years, Uruguay has showcased its greatest team in four decades with a fourth-place finish at the 2010 World Cup and a 2011 Copa win. Recently its Group Stage ouster at Qatar 2022 led many to think their recent Golden Generation was ending.

A year ago, Marcelo Bielsa was assigned to be the head manager of Uruguay’s team. Top players include defender Jose Gimenez, midfielders Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Betancur, and forward Luis Suarez. Notable wins since the end of World Cup 2022 include Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and South Korea. They’ve had draws against Japan and Colombia and losses to Ecuador and the Ivory Coast. Chances are right here in the USA, Uruguay could have what it takes to win the Copa.

-Panama (45): It looks like Los Canaleros have been going through their greatest era ever. This decade they qualified for the 2018 World Cup and finished runner-up in three CONCACAF Gold Cups this century. Despite their recent success, they still show a lot of vulnerability like most Central American teams. Despite their great abilities, it’s been hard for them to prove themselves against the bigger teams.

Panama’s team is coached by Danish-born Thomas Christiansen who emigrated to Spain and played for Spain internationally. Top players include defenders Fidel Escobar and Michael Murillo, midfielders Anibal Godoy and Yoel Barcenas, and forward Jose Fajardo. Notable wins in the last year and a half include Costa Rica, Qatar and Bolivia. They had a win and a draw against Guatemala and had draws against the US and El Salvador. They’ve also had losses to Mexico, Jamaica, Canada and Paraguay. Chances are Panama could deliver a shocker and go further than most expected.

-Bolivia (85): Now is a struggle for La Verde to prove themselves. Team history shows them playing in three World Cups and scoring only one goal. They’ve had a single Copa win back in 1963. Their last Top 3 finish at the Copa was runner-up back in 1997 and they’ve only made it past the group stage once this century in the Copa.

Bolivia’s head manager is a Brazilian: Antonio Carlos Zago who was part of Brazil’s Copa winning team of 1999. Top players include defender Jose Sagredo, midfielders Leonel Justiniano and Rodrigo Ramallo, and goalkeeper Carlos Lampe. Bolivia has had it rough this past year and a half with wins only coming against Saudi Arabia, Peru and Andorra. They had a draw to Chile but all their other games were losses. Nevertheless, anything can happen in a football game and Bolivia could deliver a shocker or two.

My Predictions: I easily felt Uruguay will top this group. Seeing some of the head-to-head results got me questioning. In the end, I favored the USA over Panama.

And there you go. That’s my look at Group C of the Copa America. Just one last group to review and I’m ready for the tournament!

2024 Copa America: Group A Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

Some of you may be wondering why would I do a focus on the groups of Euro 2024 but not on the upcoming Copa America? Actually I will do a focus on the upcoming Copa America in the United States. Looking back, I find it weird that I only did one set of blogs for a Copa America all the way back in 2015, but none since. About time I fixed that.

Ever since I first focused on the Copa America, which would become my only focus until now, there seemed to be a change every tournament. When I first did it in 2015, it was a twelve-team quadrennial tournament. The first major change came in 2016 when the Copa America decided to have a tournament to celebrate its centennial. And in the United States: a nation that’s not part of the CONMEBOL! In addition, a tournament of 16 teams!

For 2019, it looked like it would get back to normal returning to its quadrennial occurrence, hosted by Brazil and back to being a twelve-team tournament. Then the COVID pandemic happened. A Copa America returned in 2021, held in Brazil. This time, it was only the ten CONMEBOL teams competing in two groups of five.

Now it looks like the Copa America is to be contested in leap years, just like the Euro. After this year, the next Copa will be in 2028. Hard to believe the Euro final and the Copa America final are both on the same day! For the tournament of the Copa America, it will be a sixteen-team tournament with all ten CONMEBOL nations and six guest nations all from the CONCACAF. Fourteen stadiums across the United States will have games contested. It’s possibly because it can prepare itself for the World Cup in two years.

In Group A, we have the defending Copa champions, two more CONMEBOL teams and a CONCACAF team. So without further ado, here’s my look at the teams of Group A. Numbers in brackets are the latest FIFA rankings:

-Argentina (1): At long last, Messi has his Copa America and his World Cup. Over the last ten years, it became apparent that Messi can be a one-man team for Argentina. It needs to have other top players to be the best team in the world, and they’ve done it before in the past. The first breakthrough came when they won the 2021 Copa America against Brazil 1-0. That would pave the way for the Albiceleste’s win in Qatar. They’re still strong and they show little sign of slowing down.

Lionel Scaloni continues to be the manager of the team he’s managed since the 2018 World Cup ended. The squad for the Copa has not been announced, but Messi will definitely be there. Also anticipated to be named to the team is defender Nicolas Olamendi, midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, forward Angel di Maria and goalkeeper Dibu Martinez. Since their World Cup wins, they’ve won all but one game. Their only loss came from Uruguay back in November 2023. Argentina could have what it takes to do it again as long as their success doesn’t spoil them.

FUN FACT: Argentina’s win of the World Cup must have rubbed over to the other American teams. Seven of the teams at this Copa have an Argentinean coach!

-Peru (32): La Bicolor or Los Incas are an on-again off-again team. The current team is a far cry from their Golden Generation in the 1970’s and delivered a legend with Teofilo Cubillas. Nevertheless, they’ve shown a recent surge in prowess with a 4th place at the last Copa, runners-up at the Copa in 2019 and qualified for the 2018 World Cup.

Peru has been managed by Uruguayan Jorge Fossati for less than a year. The squad consists of top players like defender Luis Advincula, midfielder Christian Cueva, forward Pablo Guerrera and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. In the past year and a half, Peru’s wins have all been outside the CONMEBOL: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and South Korea. They’ve endured draws to Venezuela, Morocco and Paraguay and losses to six teams including Brazil, Germany and Argentina. This Copa America is another chance for Peru to prove itself and their team’s strength.

-Chile (42): It’s hard to describe how good La Roja are at any given time. When they’re on, they’re on. When they’re off, they’re off. They’ve been in nine World Cups and their best finish is third, but they always have the bad luck of meeting Brazil in the World Cup knockout rounds who would eventually end their run. Also they hit it big in the mid-2010’s when they won their first-ever Copa in 2015, repeated in 2016, but have finished out of the Top 3 since and last qualified for a World Cup in 2014.

Since the beginning of this year, Chile has been coached by Argentinean Ricardo Gareca. Top players include defender Mauricio Isla, forwards Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas, and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. In the past year and a half, they’ve had wins against Cuba, Albania and Peru, a win and a draw against Paraguay, draws against Colombia and Bolivia, and losses to France, Ecuador, Venezuela and Uruguay. The Copa America is the arena for Chile to show how good they are and possibly chase another win.

-Canada (49): Les Rouges or the Canucks are one of the six CONCACAF teams here at the Copa America. Canada has struggled for a long time to be seen at a world level. In 2022, it qualified for its second-ever World Cup. The fun ended at the Cup as it lost all three of its matches and it finished second-last. Since then, Canada has been focused on getting serious as they will co-host the 2026 World Cup with the US and Mexico and want a team they can be proud of. Even here at the Copa, they will play the opening game against Argentina. You can bet they want to look good here too!

Since the beginning this year, the Canadian team has been coached by American Jesse Marsch. Canada’s squad for the Copa has not been named yet but it’s strongly believed the team will include defenders Alphonso Davies and Richie Laryea, midfielder Jonathan Osorio and forward Cyle Larin. Since Qatar 2022, Canada has achieved wins against Cuba and Panama, has had draws against France, a win and a loss to Jamaica, a draw and a loss to the United States, and losses to Japan and the Netherlands. Canada will get a good sense of where it’s at here at the Copa and just could surprise the Americas at all they can do.

My Predictions: While the 24-team Euro allows for the top two and third-placers based on a wild card system, the sixteen-team Copa America is strictly the top two. I think the two will be Argentina and Chile.

And there you have it. My introduction to Copa America 2024 and my look at Group A. Just when I thought my writing would take a break after my Euro 2024 group blogs ended, I was wrong!

UEFA Euro 2024: Group F Focus

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

It’s interesting there have been 22 World Cups contested but only eight nations have won the Cup. The Euro has been contested sixteen previous times and ten nations have won the Championship at least once. It’s a wonder who the winner will be this year. A lot of nations look poised to win but there can only be one winner.

For this my last blog before the start of Euro 2024, I will be focusing on the Group F teams as well as additional things about the upcoming tournament. So without further ado, here’s my focus on the teams of Group F:

-Turkey (40): It sometimes seems fair to assume the Ay-Yıldızlılar, or the ‘Crescent-Stars,’ are an on-again off-again team. They’ve only played in two World Cup and finished third in 2002, but never qualified again. Euro has seen better success as they’ve qualified for six tournaments, with this being their third straight Euro, and finished third back in 2008. Turkey do know how to come alive.

Turkey has been coached by Italian Vincenzo Montella, a 2002 World Cup player, after coaching a team in Turkey’s Adana League. Top players include defender Zeki Celik, midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and forward Cerik Tosun. The squad for Euro has eight members under 25 so it’s a very young team. They’ve had wins against Latvia and Germany. They’ve had a win and a draw against both Armenia and Wales. They’ve also had a win and a loss to Croatia and losses to Hungary, Poland and Austria. Euro 2024 is a chance for Turkey’s current team to prove itself and possibly go further than expected.

-Georgia (75): Here at Euro 2024, the Jvarosnebi will be the one debut team. How did they do it? Despite finishing fourth in Group A which saw Spain and Scotland qualify automatically, Georgia had enough Nations League points to be among the twelve teams in the playoffs for the last three berths. Georgia was drawn into Path C where they would have to face Luxembourg in the semifinal and Greece in the final. In the semi, Georgia defeated Luxembourg 2-0. In the final against Greece held in Georgia’s capital Tblisi, it went scoreless in added extra time. On penalty kicks, Georgia won 4-2 and became the first-ever nation from the Caucasus to qualify for a Euro!

The team is coached by Frenchman Willy Sagnol who played in the 2006 World Cup final. The team has various players who have played in various leagues around Europe and North America. Top players include Guram Kashia, midfielder Nika Kvekveskiri and goalkeeper Giorgi Loria. In the past year and a half, they’ve had wins to Cyprus, Thailand, Montenegro and Luxembourg. They’ve also had a draw and a loss to both Norway and Scotland and losses to Spain. Anything can happen in football and it’s possible Georgia can provide another big upset here in Germany.

-Portugal (6): Here in Germany, the Seleção das Quinas qualified for their eighth straight Euro and ninth in total. This has been an incredible time for Portuguese football as they achieved a win in 2016, a runner-up in 2004 as hosts and to third-places. Not all is smooth sailing. Portugal definitely wants to do better than their Round Of 16 finish from the last Euro where they really underplayed.

Since World Cup 2022 ended, the team is managed by Spain’s Roberto Martinez. This Euro looks to be the last you might see Cristiano Ronaldo play. There’s loads of talk of whether he’ll make this the sixth Euro he scores a goal in, extending the record he set in the last tournament. Portugal is more than Cristiano Ronaldo. There’s also goalkeeper Rui Patricio, defender Pepe and midfielder Bernardo Silva. Since the World Cup, they’ve had a 2023 of straight wins against Slovakia, Iceland, Luxembourg and Bosnia-Hercegovina. This year, they had wins against Sweden, Finland and Ireland but also losses to Croatia and Slovenia. Euro 2024 is another chance for Portugal to rise to the occasion and shine.

-Czechia (36): Back when they were part of Czechoslovakia, they only qualified for three Euros but won in 1976. Ever since the Czechs and Slovaks went their separate ways in 1992, Czechia has qualified for every Euro! They even finished runner-up in 1996 and third in 2004. The Narodak, which is not their official nickname, are known for strong play but they’re also known for inconsistency. The biggest notice is that since the Czechs split, they’ve only qualified for a single World Cup.

The team is coached by Ivan Hasek who was just hired this year and who played for the last-ever Czechoslovakia team in the World Cup back in 1990. Top players include midfielder Tomas Soucek, defender Vladimir Coufal and forward Patrik Schick. In the past year and a half, they’ve had wins against North Macedonia, Armenia and Norway. They’ve had a win and a draw against Moldova and Poland and a draw and a loss against Albania. Germany is the stage offering for Czechia to prove itself and again show how good they are.

My Predictions: This is easy to predict but there are no guarantees. I think Portugal and Czechia will qualify with Turkey qualifying via the wildcard.

EURO 2024 EXTRAS FOCUS

The Logo

The logo for Germany 2024 is a unique design. It’s an image of the trophy in a background full of a multitude of colors. The colors are not just arranged for fun but mixed together to show the unity of nations. If you look close enough, you’ll see many flags or flag colors in the arrangement. Bottom left is Germany, the three up above can be either Italy or Hungary, France or the Netherlands in the three after that, Belgium in the three after that. You get the idea. There are even colors in the pattern resembling flags of nations that didn’t make it like Estonia, Armenia and Ireland.

The Official Ball

Once again, Adidas is the maker of the official football of Euro. It was unveiled in November 2023 and its name is Fussballliebe, meaning ‘love of football.’ It’s pattern-designed with back wing shapes and shapes of red, orange, blue and green. The many colors are there to show the qualified nations’ vibrancy to the tournament. Technology also plays a part in this official ball. This is the first UEFA to feature ‘Connected Ball Technology,’ where it contains internal electronic sensors, detecting movements and assisting referees in making decisions.

The Official Song

“Fire” – Meduza, OneRepublic and Leony: The song is a collaboration of an Italian electronica group, an American pop-rock band and a German pop singer. The song is an upbeat melody. The lyrics make hardly any reference to football. Instead, the lyrics focus on unity and triumph.

And there you have it. That’s my look at UEFA Euro Group F. That also makes it my last look at the UEFA groups. Tournament starts on Friday June 14th. Who will win? Will it be a team that’s won before? Or will it be a new team? It will all be decided in a month’s time.

WORKS CITED:

WIKIPEDIA: UEFA Euro 2024 – Symbols. Wikipedia.com. 2024. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2024#Symbols>