Eight games down, 24 to go. The Copa America is only just getting started, but first impressions last.
All 16 teams have taken to the pitch in the United States, and The Athletic has been keeping a close eye on each one. Here is how the competition is shaping up.
Group A
Argentina 2-0 Canada
Peru 0-0 Chile
Group B
Ecuador 1-2 Venezuela
Mexico 1-0 Jamaica
Group C
United States 2-0 Bolivia
Uruguay 3-1 Panama
Group D
Colombia 2-1 Paraguay
Brazil 0-0 Costa Rica
Uruguay: A+
Even when you know what’s coming, the energy and intensity of a Marcelo Bielsa team never fails to catch the eye.
His aggressive methods seemingly gel with a fired-up Uruguayan group — players who relish the defensive challenge of marking man-for-man and hunting for the ball over the pitch, but also possess the athleticism to spring forward with pace and power in attack.
They came flying out of the blocks against Panama, peppering Orlando Mosquera’s goal with nine shots in the opening 20 minutes. Completing five more crosses than any other side, and launching the most direct attacks (eight), the variety of chances they can create, with the relentless Darwin Nunez up top, bodes well for the rest of the tournament.
A few concerns were raised about tiredness in the second half, but Bielsa calmly put those to bed after the game.
“We conceded 15 minutes, but that doesn’t mean you can put Panama’s performance on par with the opponent that they lost to tonight.”
Ominous.
United States: A
Anything less than a win against Bolivia would have set alarm bells ringing for the U.S. men’s national team, but they dealt with the considerable pressure professionally.
Christian Pulisic’s moment of magic after two minutes settled things down and helped Gregg Berhalter’s men take control of the game, allowing their in-possession ideas to take shape.
As we can see from the pass network below, Antonee Robinson pushed on from full-back, allowing him to link up with Pulisic and Gio Reyna. The distribution and defensive protection of Tyler Adams and the advanced positioning of the two central midfielders — Reyna and Weston McKennie — helped the U.S. find spaces behind the Bolivian midfield line.
Despite his goal, Folarin Balogun was not too involved in the build-up, and right-back Joe Scally was a lot more conservative in place of the injured Sergino Dest.
There is plenty to think about before a slightly trickier Panama tie, not least the striker position, where Ricardo Pepi took six shots and missed three Opta-defined ‘big chances’ in a breathless 25-minute cameo from the bench. Johnny Cardoso also showed himself as a capable Adams replacement should Berhalter want to manage minutes before a huge challenge against Uruguay next week.
It could have been more, but two goals and plenty of slick passages of play represent a job well done.
Colombia: A
Nine wins on the bounce and 24 games unbeaten, Colombia are just about the most in-form international side in the world.
Their first-half performance against Paraguay was electric. They dominated possession and looked threatening every time they went forward. James Rodriguez rolled back the years with wonderful deliveries for both goals, Luis Diaz skipped past packs of Paraguayans all by himself, and Jhon Arias was a constant thorn in Mathias Villasanti’s side, operating almost exclusively in the left half-space to link the two star players together.
Intensity levels did drop after the break, setting up a needlessly nervy final 20 minutes, but Colombia can take on anyone at their best.
Argentina: A
Each of Argentina’s last six competitive victories have come with a clean sheet, but their 2-0 tournament opener was far from a classic defensive display. A defiant Canadian side mustered nine shots on goal — the most Lionel Scaloni’s side have faced in more than 18 months — while Jonathan David and Stephen Eustaquio might have punished them with close-range headers on another day.
Nonetheless, as clear favourites to progress in Group A, three points set them well on their way. After a slow start, they turned up the heat in the second half, generating more expected goals (xG) in 45 minutes (2.58) than any other team has managed in an entire Copa America game so far.
There were some encouraging performances too. Lionel Messi made up for his wastefulness in front of goal by creating five big chances for his team-mates, while Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez — the forwards who do not score as many as they should for their country — both ended up with goals.
It was not vintage, but Argentina had started their last two tournaments without a win, and have gone on to lift the trophy anyway. Three points on the opening day can’t hurt.
Costa Rica: A
Now, you weren’t expecting to see Los Ticos up here, were you?
Gustavo Alfaro’s new-look side were expected to struggle at the Copa America. They have been conceding plenty of goals in recent months, and have the youngest squad. The average number of international appearances stood at just 17.7 per player before a ball was kicked, not helped by the retirement of legendary goalkeeper Keylor Navas a month ago.
Despite their inexperience, they used every trick in the book to protect their 0-0 draw with Brazil. Defending resolutely in a 5-3-2, they were physical, shuffled across quickly to double up on tricky wingers, and left no second ball unchallenged.
They offered very little in attack and rode their luck, but few can begrudge Costa Rica a famous well-earned point.
Venezuela: A
Speaking of plucky underdogs, Venezuela are riding the crest of a wave.
The Vinotinto look revitalised under Fernando Batista, who has instilled a high-pressing style of play centred on the defensive tenacity of Jose Martinez and Yangel Herrera in midfield. The wingers on either side are zippy, confident and fun to watch, while the hulking figure of 34-year-old Salomon Rondon is in the line-leading form of his life.
All of the above played their part in a 2-1 win over 10-man Ecuador, and although they were slightly panicky at times in possession — rushing attacks with the initiative on their side — it is hard not to get swept up in the enthusiasm and joy surrounding this team.
In an open group, three points against one of the stronger sides represent a wonderful start.
Canada: A-
France, the Netherlands and Argentina — Jesse Marsch has not had it easy since taking over as Canada’s head coach.
He has not seen his team score, but it’s not been for lack of trying. Canada took the game to the world champions in the first half, and probably should have taken the lead through Eustaquio or Alphonso Davies, getting to the byline with some encouraging passages of play and cutting back into the penalty area.
There were signs of Marsch’s risky defensive approach, squeezing up high and leaving the long ball in behind open — an avenue nearly exploited as Angel Di Maria raced through on goal after just 10 minutes. But generally, they chose their moments to engage well and looked lively and dangerous when they could nick the ball high up the pitch.
Sharpen up in front of goal, and Canada might fancy their chances of escaping this group.
Mexico: B+
Three points in the bag, but Mexico’s 1-0 win over Jamaica was not hugely convincing.
Building up as they always do under manager Jaime Lozano, with a holding midfielder and two advanced central midfielders, they struggled to find a consistent path through to Luis Chavez and Orbelin Pineda in those dangerous pockets of space. In turn, they dropped deeper to get on the ball, and most of the play was comfortably in front of the Jamaican defensive line.
It also meant that striker Santiago Gimenez struggled to get into the game, taking just 16 touches before being substituted early in the second half. There was a flash of his potential, dropping the shoulder and firing a shot to the near post, but a player with 23 league goals for Feyenoord last season was only peripherally involved.
It is not all bad news though. Winger Julian Quinones looked capable of tearing through at any moment, while Chaves reminded us how capable he is from long distances with five dangerous shots on goal, though a potentially serious injury to captain Edson Alvarez sours the aftertaste of an inconclusive victory.
Jamaica: B+
Still searching for their first Copa America goal, Jamaica couldn’t have got much closer.
Michail Antonio’s header, disallowed for offside, would have been just reward for a positive team performance, organised in their defensive 5-2-3 shape and dangerous on the transition.
Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson experimented with the side, bringing winger Bobby De Cordova-Reid into midfield in place of tough-tackler Damion Lowe. Although it was defensively risky, the Fulham attacker was quicker to move the ball forward on the turnover, driving several opportunities on the transition with expansive progressive play.
As the pass network below illustrates, Jamaica defended deep but hit their outlets further up the pitch as quickly as they could.
Possession-based Ecuador are up next. Jamaica will fancy their chances of hitting them on the break.
Paraguay: B+
It was looking like it could get ugly for Paraguay at half-time: 2-0 down to a rampant Colombia, having seen just 28 per cent of the ball.
Daniel Garnero’s side are very much defence-first — they had scored just twice in nine games leading up to the Copa America — but they deserve credit for how they dragged themselves back into the game. A raft of positive substitutes on the hour mark, including the introduction of live-wire winger Ramon Sosa, helped them to hit the wings quickly and exploit Colombia’s forward-thinking full-backs.
Paraguay’s bright spark was undoubtedly Julio Enciso, who scored his first international goal with a precisely steered volley at the back post. He took four shots, completed six take-ons and was not afraid to dig in defensively — all positive signs after a lengthy injury that ruled him out for most of the Premier League season at Brighton & Hove Albion.
A positive result against Brazil on Friday would leave them in a strong position to qualify. Give the ball to Enciso, and get players around him.
Peru: B
It’s been a tough couple of months for Peruvian football, so a 0-0 draw to kick off Copa America is not a disaster.
The 71-year-old Jorge Fossati has steadied the ship, switching to a 3-5-2 to stop the defensive rot. They did not create too many opportunities against Chile, but were intense in the challenge and kept the game within arms reach to attack from set pieces.
Piero Quispe held his own in the midfield battle, completing seven tackles and looking lively with the ball but, in truth, it will be a colossal effort to haul this ageing squad through to the knockouts.
Chile: B
Much like Peru, Chile have endured a difficult start to World Cup qualifying, as a ‘golden generation’ of their own begins to fade.
A string of encouraging friendly performances under new boss Ricardo Gareca raised the mood, and they were in better shape to take the initiative on matchday one.
As it turned out, Chile conjured up just one shot on target against Peru and were all too easily bogged down in a scrappy, stop-start game.
None of their talented attacking quarter could get involved — striker Eduardo Vargas had just 19 touches of the ball before being hooked, while Alexis Sanchez miscued a golden opportunity early on. Even Dario Osorio, their exciting young winger, looked bereft of ideas after coming on at half-time.
With Argentina up next, the Chileans will need to seriously up their game to avoid a one-game shootout with Canada for the knockouts.
Brazil: B
Sometimes, it’s just not your day.
Two contentious penalty shouts waved away, a thunderous strike against the post, and a quick game of penalty-box pinball that invariably ended up in row Z.
Brazil were frustrated by a resolute defensive block, but Dorival Junior’s side carved out openings, even if their finishing let them down. After all, they took 48 touches in Costa Rica’s penalty area and allowed just two at the other end.
Savio’s performance off the bench was encouraging. He was quick to take on his man and drive into dangerous areas with the ball at his feet. He probably should have had an assist, cutting inside from the right and laying the ball off for Bruno Guimaraes, who curled a close-range effort over the bar.
They will likely face a similar proposition against Paraguay on Friday, but there were plenty of moments of quality in their opening game that suggest their luck should turn.
Ecuador: B-
Poor Felix Sanchez can’t catch a break. His own fans have already chanted for him to leave, and then his star striker goes and kicks someone in the face.
Ecuadorians are unhappy at the cagey, possession-based football that the Spaniard has brought to the national team, despite positive results. That negativity will not have been helped by defeat to Venezuela, even if a red card left his side facing an uphill battle for over an hour under the beating San Francisco sun.
Being a man down from the 22nd minute makes it difficult to evaluate the performance, but this is a disastrous start. In a wide-open Group B, one more slip-up will spell the end of a Copa America campaign featuring the country’s most talented crop of players in living memory.
Panama: B-
Thomas Christiansen could not have asked for a trickier start, but he was not about to make excuses.
Having developed a crisp, possession-heavy playing style across four prosperous years in charge of Panama, the 51-year-old bemoaned basic mistakes in their 3-1 loss to Uruguay.
“In the second half, there were lots of errors, misplaced passes of three, four and five metres that we don’t usually miss,” he told the media after the game, “those created opportunities for Uruguay to transition and when they can do that, they are lethal. Our confidence dropped and we gave them too much”
Despite some positive spells and a wonderfully taken goal, Panama were flattened. Expect a more competitive performance against the U.S., with some of those mistakes ironed out.
Bolivia: C
Expectations were low, and the reality checked out. Bolivia lack the technical quality to compete with the continent’s best sides.
Antonio Carlos Zago has injected some aggression into the forward press, and they certainly did not make life comfortable for Gregg Berhalter’s side, but without their recently retired talisman Marcelo Martins Moreno, they seriously lacked an out-ball up top.
Uruguay up next. Good luck.
(Top photos: Alexis Quiroz/Jam Media/Getty Images; Richard Callis/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5588194/2024/06/25/copa-america-team-rankings/
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Publish date : 2024-06-25 06:33:55
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