. June 24, 2007 SouthAmerica: Copa America will start on Tuesday June 26, 2007 in Venezuela and the tournament should go from June 26 to July 15, 2007. Brazil has a new national team â and some important Brazilian players are missing and they are not going to play on this Copa America such as Adriano, Ronaldinho and Kaka. I still hope that Brazil will win Copa America 2007 â but Argentina has a better chance to win it, because Argentina is playing with all their best players and I just saw Riquelme playing various games in the Copa Libertadores of America that just ended this past week and he is playing a spectacular soccer â Today Riquelme can be ranked among a handful of the best soccer players in the world. It will be interesting to see the Brazilian team grow with each game as they keep playing together, but it will be very hard for any team in the 2007 Copa America to beat the Argentinean national team - right now Riquelme will be the difference - He is a great soccer player. But I still hope that Brazil will be the champion of the 2007 Copa America Tournament. ********** âSouth American heavyweights Brazil, Argentina enter Copa battleâ By Enrique Vidal, CARACAS, AFP The China Post - Taiwan Sunday, June 24, 2007 South American heavyweights Brazil and Argentina enter battle with ten other nations as the world's oldest international football tournament, the Copa America, gets underway in Venezuela starting Tuesday. Argentina will be bidding to end their 14-year Copa America drought at the expense of defending champions Brazil, who beat them on penalties in Peru three years ago. The 42nd edition of the 12-team tournament, which showcases South American football and was first played in 1916, is taking place in baseball-mad Venezuela for the first time from June 26 to July 15. The competition, which is held every two years apart from when it clashes with a World Cup year, will also allow players to show what they have and secure potentially lucrative transfers to European leagues this summer. After the disappointment of last year's World Cup, favorites Argentina and Brazil will be looking to lay the groundwork for their 2010 world qualifying campaigns. But Uruguay, Colombia and Chile have been rebuilding and are hoping to cause some upsets, with Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia also looking to make their mark. Venezuela will be counting on their home advantage to lift them with the two invitation teams, the United States and Mexico, both bighitters from the Concacaf region (Central American and Caribbean). Brazil, in Group B with Mexico, Chile and Ecuador, have a new look side from the team which were shocked in the World Cup quarter-finals by France. Dunga took over as coach from Carlos Alberto Parreira last July and has ruthlessly swung the axe with stalwarts Ronaldo, Robert Carlos, Cafu and Adriano, not featuring. Ronaldinho and Kaka have both requested to be overlooked as they recover from their seasons in Europe. Dunga is looking to blood new talent with midfielder Elano (Shakhtar Donetsk) and striker Vagner Love (CSKA Moscow) both getting the nod, along with midfielders Anderson and Joshua, full-back Kleber and defender Alex Silva. Defender Juan, who has agreed a moved from Bayer Leverkusen to AS Roma, Werder Bremen midfielder Diego and Arsenal's Gilberto Silva as well as strikers Robinho (Real Madrid) and Fred (Lyon) have also been included. Dunga's confidence has been boosted by recent positive results in friendlies including a 3-0 win over Argentina and a 4-0 rout of Chile. "The art of soccer does not exist, soccer is a competition, it is like life. In life only results count," said Dunga enigmatically. Brazil open against Mexico on June 27 in Puerto Ordaz. Argentina coach Alfio Basile is counting on a mixture of youth and experience as he looks for a record 15th Copa title and their first since 1993. Basile has called up a strike force including Barcelona's teenage star Lionel Messi, West Ham's Carlos Tevez and Hernan Crespo with midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme returning after quitting last year. Riquelme, 28, on loan from Villarreal in Spain scored both second leg goals to help Boca Juniors win their sixth Copa Libertadores title this week, while Crespo won the Serie A title with Inter Milan. "I have a team who have won titles, who have been victorious," warned Basile. Argentina open on June 28 against the United States, in Maracaibo. Their Group C also includes Paraguay and Colombia. For hosts Venezuela, drawn in Group A with Uruguay, Peru and Bolivia, the tournament is being seen as a way of improving their country's image. President Hugo Chavez, whose government is flush with cash from booming oil prices, has ploughed a record US$1,000 million into ensuring their biggest sporting event since the 1983 PanAmerican Games goes off without a hitch. That figure dwarfs the US$24 million spent by Uruguay in 1995, the US$10 million by Bolivia in 1997, 20 million by Colombia in 2001 and 13.2 million by Peru in 2004. Three new stadiums have been constructed and another six overhauled for the event which will take place in nine cities. New roads have been built and systems of transport improved. Source: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/sports/113224.htm .
. June 26, 2007 SouthAmerica: Copa America starts today. Here is the schedule for Brazilâs first 3 games: June 27, 2007 @ 21h50 - Brazil x Mexico July 1, 2007 @ 17h05 - Brazil x Chile July 4, 2007 @ 21h50 - Brasil x Equador Note: Above times are based on Brasiliaâs local time. *** Copa America â Venezuela 2007 Group â A Venezuela Bolivia Uruguay Peru Group â B Brazil Mexico Chile Ecuador Group â C Argentina United States Paraguay Colombia .
. June 26, 2007 SouthAmerica: Copa America starts today. Here is the schedule for Brazilâs first 3 games: June 27, 2007 @ 21h50 - Brazil x Mexico July 1, 2007 @ 17h05 - Brazil x Chile July 4, 2007 @ 21h50 - Brazil x Equador Note: Above times are based on Brasiliaâs local time. *** Copa America â Venezuela 2007 Group â A Venezuela Bolivia Uruguay Peru Group â B Brazil Mexico Chile Ecuador Group â C Argentina United States Paraguay Colombia .
if they are, they will almost definitely take the title. brazil wont be much without dihno juninho kaka and gang.
. June 26, 2007 SouthAmerica: Reply to Ryan Hall Here is the list of the players that are supposed to play the Copa America 2007. Argentina is playing with the best players they have in Argentina. But Juan Román Riquelme will be the difference between Argentina and the other teams. ******* Latest Bookmaker odds as of June 26, 2007 Argentina â 6/4 Brazil â 23/10 Uruguay â 10/1 Mexico â 11/1 Venezuela â 25/1 Colombia â 29/1 Paraguay â 36/1 USA â 50/1 Chile â 55/1 Ecuador â 66/1 Peru â 80/1 Bolivia â 200/1 Source: http://odds.bestbetting.com/football/copa-america/winner ******* Brazil: Elenco - Seleção Brasileira GOLEIROS Helton Data de nascimento: 18/05/78 Clube: Porto (POR) Jogos pela seleção: 4 Gols sofridos: 4 Doni Data de nascimento: 22/10/79 Clube: Roma (ITA) Jogos pela seleção: 1 Gols sofridos: 0 LATERAIS Daniel Alves Data de nascimento: 05/06/83 Clube: Sevilla (ESP) Jogos pela seleção: 6 Gols: 0 Gilberto Data de nascimento: 25/04/76 Clube: Hertha Berlin (ALE) Jogos pela seleção: 17 Gols: 1 Kléber Data de nascimento: 01/04/80 Clube: Santos Jogos pela seleção: 8 Gols: 0 Maicon Data de nascimento: 26/07/81 Clube: Inter de Milão (ITA) Jogos pela seleção: 17 Gols: 0 ZAGUEIROS Alex Data de nascimento: 17/06/82 Clube: PSV Eindhoven (HOL)/Chelsea (ING) Jogos pela seleção: 5 Gols: 0 Alex Silva Data de nascimento: 10/03/85 Clube: São Paulo Jogos pela seleção: 0 Gols: 0 Naldo Data de nascimento: 10/09/82 Clube: Werder Bremen (ALE) Jogos pela seleção: 2 Gols: 0 Juan Data de nascimento: 01/02/79 Clube: Bayer Leverkusen (ALE)/Roma (ITA) Jogos pela seleção: 53 Gols: 3 VOLANTES Fernando Data de nascimento: 03/05/81 Clube: Bordeaux (FRA) Jogos pela seleção: 1 Gols: 0 Josué Data de nascimento: 19/07/79 Clube: São Paulo Jogos pela seleção: 2 Gols: 0 Mineiro Data de nascimento: 02/08/75 Clube: Hertha Berlin (ALE) Jogos pela seleção: 8 Gols: 0 Gilberto Silva Data de nascimento: 07/10/76 Clube: Arsenal (ING) Jogos pela seleção: 54 Gols: 3 MEIAS Anderson Data de nascimento: 13/04/88 Clube: Porto (POR)/Manchester United (ING) Jogos pela seleção: 0 Gols: 0 Diego Data de nascimento: 28/02/85 Clube: Werder Bremen (ALE) Jogos pela seleção: 13 Gols: 1 Elano Data de nascimento: 14/06/81 Clube: Shakhtar Donetsk (UCR) Jogos pela seleção: 12 Gols: 2 Júlio Baptista Data de nascimento: 01/10/81 Clube: Real Madrid (ESP) Jogos pela seleção: 20 Gols: 3 ATACANTES Afonso Alves Data de nascimento: 30/01/81 Clube: Heerenveen (HOL) Jogos pela seleção: 2 Gols: 0 Fred Data de nascimento: 03/10/83 Clube: Lyon (FRA) Jogos pela seleção: 10 Gols: 4 Robinho Data de nascimento: 25/01/84 Clube: Real Madrid (ESP) Jogos pela seleção: 34 Gols: 7 Vágner Love Data de nascimento: 11/06/84 Clube: CSKA (RUS) Jogos pela seleção: 8 Gols: 2 ********** Argentina: A equipe principal da Argentina vai jogar a Copa America de 2007 com: Roberto Abbondanzieri; Javier Zanetti, Roberto Ayala, Gabriel Heinze, Diego Milito, Juan Sebastián Verón, Javier Mascherano, Esteban Cambiasso, Juan Román Riquelme, Lionel Messi Hernán Crespo. .
. Dunga will start the Copa America tournament with the following Brazilian team: Helton Maicon Alex Juan Gilberto Mineiro Gilberto Silva Elano Diego Robinho Vágner Love. .
. July 5, 2007 SouthAmerica: It is a painful experience to watch Dungaâs team play soccer. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) should fire Dunga as the coach of the Brazilian national team ASAP, and replace him with Luiz Felipe Scolari - âFelipao.â It is too late regarding Copa America, but it is not too late regarding the important qualifying games starting in September of 2007. Dungaâs Brazilian national team is playing very poorly â they are making a lot of mistakes and they are not playing the level of soccer that Brazilians are accustomed to see it â what we call in Brazil âO jogo bonito.â They should bring back Dida as the goalkeeper. The defense is playing terrible soccer and some of the players must be replaced. By the way, the under-20 Brazilian national team that is playing in Canada in the under-20 soccer world cup it is playing much better than the senior national team that is playing in Venezuela. The last 5 games that the Brazilian national team played â they played terrible soccer and they had 2 ties, one loss, and won 2 games â but the 2 games that Brazil managed to win the other team had plenty of opportunities to win the game â basically Brazil played less poorly than their adversaries. Brazil will be eliminated from Copa America since we donât have a team capable of winning that tournament â but as soon Brazil is eliminated the CBF should fire Dunga and replace him with Felipao before Brazil starts playing in September of 2007 the elimination games - to qualify for the world cup of 2010. The under-20 Brazilian national team has a better chance to go all the way in that tournament in Canada. In my opinion, Dungaâs team will not reach the final game of Copa America unless we have a real miracle. .