Copa America is W-I-D-E OPEN

What Am I?

The media in South America is having a field day!  First you have an out of sync Argentina FULL of star players, who haven't won a game while playing in front of their home fans - who are now DESPERATE for a win, or EVEN just a good game from their billionaire players.  Today, we saw how even the South American national teams are.  Brazil having to come from behind to just get a tie, and Venezuela (and it wasn't their baseball team!) beat Ecuador to go top of their group.  What is going on down in the freezing pampas down south?  Is it the Yerba Mate that everyone drinks down there?  Is it the lingering hangover - one year later - from another freezing and rainy summer tournament being held in the Southern Hemisphere?  WC 2010 in South Africa was also in the southern hemisphere - and like Argentina, their "winter" is like our summer.  OR - could it just be, that everyone has slowly caught up to the powers that are Argentina, Brazil, and dare I say it - Uruguay?  Colombia is showing off their somewhat "new" generation of players and what it is capable of (....playing great and never scoring....)  Last summer, Chile did the same while unleashing Alexis Sanchez to the world.  BTW: Sanchez is now ready to become Barcelona's most recent summer signing.

Here are some fresh thoughts.  Brazil has an incredible youth generation building (and the craziest hairstyles...), with Neymar, Pato, Elano, and the best one of them all - Ganso.  All are under 23 and capable of taking the Canarinho to the World Cup win in Brazil in 2014.  Argentina will only right the ship if they make a coaching change, and remember that there will only be one Diego, and there will never, never be a repeat of Mexico '86, where one player can single-handedly win the tournament himself.  They can keep going to the Church of Diego and chanting his name at every Argentina game, or writing songs about and for him (here is the man singing....) - but it will not help.  What they need, is to bring back Bielsa, or someone who can bring a system that works with this group of players, and stop catering to one single player - Messi.  The upcoming marathon which is called the South American World Cup Qualifying Tournament is going to be fun.  Everyone can beat everyone.  Brazil won't have to worry - they are in as the host and will welcome all comers in 2014 with their bikinis (the men) and their "tangas" (their women) in full force.  FYI - the link to the Maradona song is for the poor Argentinians still wondering what is happening down south - enjoy - you know who you are!