Copa America 2024 Preview

The 48th edition of Copa America is here, and Houstonians, Texans, and Americans alike will have the unique opportunity to experience it firsthand, as the entire tournament will take place in the United States. With matches scheduled in Houston, Austin, and Dallas, Texas stands out as the state with the most host cities, boasting three in total.

When I conceived the idea of writing a quick preview for each team participating in Copa America, I knew I had to rally my international friends and soccer colleagues for insights. Just as Superman has the Justice League and Tony Stark has the Avengers to call upon, I reached out to acquaintances as far north as Montreal, Canada, and as far south as Buenos Aires, Argentina, drawing on relationships built over years of playing and covering soccer in Houston. The result: a compilation of insights from some of the most knowledgeable soccer enthusiasts I know, providing us with insider perspectives on all the national teams involved.

Each team was posed four crucial questions, aimed at giving soccer fans a deeper understanding and direction when following their favorite national squads. So, without further ado, let’s delve into the questions.

Each contributor was asked the same set of four questions:

What’s an outcome your country would consider a successful appearance in this tournament?
Which players will be key players for your country in this tournament?
Any young stars that we should be looking out for?
What would have to go right for your country to go all the way?

Here are their responses.

GROUP A

*(image via Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)*

ARGENTINA

Argentina is the current champion, who in Hollywood fashion, beat Brazil in the Maracana with a magical goal by Angel Di Maria in the last edition of the Cup. For insight on the champs I reached out to two fellow Argentines, Lucas Putallaz (@Lucasputallaz92) and Lean Farias (@Lean_Farias).

Lucas:

The only and right answer should be “CHAMPIONS” of America once again.
The four that are in the best form for me are Julian Alvarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis MacAllister and of course you always have to add Lionel Messi to any list.
Julian Alvarez, at only 24 years of age, is still a young player to watch for. Enzo Fernandez, at 23 years old, and Valentin “el Colo” Barco are among the newest/youngest stars. (Editor Note: Barco got left off the final roster)
It might sound obvious but to win every game they come across. (Cristian speaking here, I think Lucas is referring to the 2022 World Cup when Argentina started what would tun out to be a World Cup championship with a loss against Saudi Arabia which complicated things, to a certain extent, in the following matches).

Leandro:

Argentina has to defend the title of “Champion of America”, therefore the only successful result would be to lift the trophy once more.
Giovani Lo Celso will have to consolidate himself as the main partner in the midfield of Messi and Julian Alvarez as the top goal scorer for Argentina.
If he gets his chance and fits well with the team, Alejandro Garnacho has everything to be the “revelation” player for the team.
To keep the same hunger of glory, no thinking we are better than everyone else, because everyone will want to beat Argentina.

CANADA

The neighbors up north will be participating in their first ever Copa America and they open against none other than the defending champions, so let’s see what Yvan (@Yvan.delialavictoire) from La Victoire FC had to say.

Maybe this is only me speaking, but simply getting out of the group stage would be considered a successful appearance. I think it's going to be quite difficult, but if they're able to get out of the group, then it would create momentum for the knockout stage and then who knows what can happen!
With the new coach, I think everyone who is going there will have something to prove. Important players like Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, Stephen Eustaquio and Tajon Buchanan are going to be key for the team. We've lost the leadership group from the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, but I think this represents an opportunity to take a step towards this role. Then, I'd also like to see players like Ismael Koné and Jacob Shaffelburg also push for a more important role. These two can really surprise us this summer.
I think the likes of Theo Bair, Moïse Bombito, Luc De Fougerolles, and Mathieu Choinière could contribute. Again, with a new manager, I think there's an opportunity for them to challenge the status quo. It'll be important for them to make the most of the minutes they get.
Getting a positive performance and at least one positive result in one of the two first games will be very important for the team. After that, the 3rd game can be a crucial step towards knockout rounds and then, anything can happen. From the team perspective, it would be crucial for all the players to buy into Jesse Marsch's philosophy right from the get go. We have to keep in mind that this Copa América is an important preparation for the 2026 World Cup!

CHILE

Chile’s two championships came back to back in 2015 and 2016, with their “Generacion de Oro” surpassing their neighbors on the other side of the mountains both times from the penalty spot. Let’s check in with Esteban Nuñez (@esteban_nunez_escobar) to see what we can expect from CHI-CHI-LE-LE.

It’s tough to say, because of course every team wants to be the last one standing but I believe a just result for Chile would be reaching the semifinals (and why not dream for a third championship :) ) to get the gears turning for the qualifiers and ultimately the 2026 World Cup.
The “Golden Generation” for Chile had great success but unfortunately it’s part of our past, and now we have to rely on those new players with a few of them that play in the top European leagues.
Out of the young stars I would keep an eye out for Darío Osorio and Felipe Loyola, while also the media in Chile talks about the great work of Luciano Cabral. We just have to see if coach Gareca makes him part of his list. (Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, Cabral did not get the call)
We would need for Profe Gareca to change the scheme that previous coaches had implemented and for the players to put their “big boy pants on” since a good amount of these players are young and they are playing one of toughest tournaments where the demand to perform is very high.

PERU

The two time winners are looking to repeat the 2019 run in which they reached the final, falling short against a powerful Brazil. We caught up with Luis Cadiz to get a little more insight on the Peruvian squad.

First, more than any specific place, playing with heart in each game would be a successful tournament in me eyes. Lastly, a top 4 finish should accessible if they play that way.
Piero Quispe and Wilder Cartagena are two key players for this Peruvian squad.
Joao Grimaldo and Quispe are two youngsters that we should keep an eye out for in this Peruvian squad.
Players understanding Jorge Fossatis’ 3-5-2 scheme quickly. This will increase the chances of Peru going all the way.

GROUP B

ECUADOR

The 1990s was the last time Ecuador was in the final four at Copa America. Let’s see what 2024 has in store for them with our boy Sebastian Salazar (@Topstrikernine), founder of Volt League here in Houston, TX. Here is what he had to say about La Tricolor.

In my opinion, a successful appearance would be a semifinal. Despite Ecuador evolving these past years, there's still doubts with the manager and what not, but I think that it's time to change the mentality and aim for the final because we have the man power to achieve it. But, realistically speaking a semifinal appearance would be enough to get everyone to get behind the manager and consider it a successful appearance because historically Ecuador is bad in Copa America.
There's a few key players. I think this will be one of the best teams in Ecuador's history, in terms of names. I think the defense is going to play a big part in the squad with the likes of Willian Pacho from Frankfurt and Piero Hincapie from Leverkusen to lead it, a "great defense makes an even greater offense”.
A young star I have to mention is Kendry Paez. I believe we are going to witness something special from that kid. Playing as a starter at his age is impressive and I believe he will be wearing the number 10. I really hope he shows us what the new era of Ecuadorian football will look like.
For us to go all the way. It is not a sporting thing because we have a solid squad, it's more about the mentality. We have to stop with the loser mentality of coming to a tournament and not truly believing glory can be achieved. The talent is there now and it's about locking in and playing with heart.

JAMAICA

This will be the third appearance for the Reggae Boyz in this competition. Unfortunately for them, they have never been able to accumulate points in the last two installments that they participated in. We checked with the folks at MG Sports (@MGsports_media) to see what we can expect from the Caribbean squad.

Advancing to the knockout rounds would be recorded as successful.
Demarai Gray and Leon Bailey (if available). Also, Michail Antonio, Ethan Pinnock & Bobby Reid.
Young upcoming stars are Dujaun Richards (from Chelsea) and Kaheim Dixon, who plays locally. Both are very exciting.
This is a top level competition so we would need every possible thing to go right for us, a bit of luck, the coach spot on with his tactics and the players applying themselves.

MEXICO

Mexico is the only team outside of CONMEBOL that has ever reached the final (1993 & 2007). Our in-house resident Mexican Rudy (@RudySegura10) had this to say about El Tri.

Mexico has historically done well in Copa America since being invited. However, in 2 of the last 3 tournaments, El Tri has failed to advance past the group stage. Mexico's group doesn't have a powerhouse country from South America, but it will be challenging for them. Jimmy Lozano blew up the national team by bringing fresh blood into the squad, which includes a lot of inexperience. A successful appearance would be to make it to the semi-finals, but I think that's shooting over the moon.
The players that will be key to Mexico's success in the tournament will be Edson Alvarez, Orbelin Pineda, and Roberto Alvarado. Edson has been promoted as the captain and will need to be the leader with his experience for the rest of the squad. Orbelin is a jack of all trades but will need to find success up the field. Alvarado was probably the best player in Liga MX this season. He is firing on all cylinders and will be asked to be the most dangerous man on the field for Mexico.
Santi Gimenez is a young star trying to break through globally. He has played well in Europe but struggles with Mexico, and there is no confidence from the staff in him. If he can find the back of the net in the first match against Jamaica, Lozano will have to play him more minutes with the fans pressuring him to do so.
The team chemistry will need to ramp up in days and the players will need to have the Midas Touch. With only 7 players in Europe and only 1 getting meaningful minutes (Edson Alvarez), the level of playing field is not even close to Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and even the United States.

VENEZUELA

The Vinotinto’s best appearance at a Copa America was a fourth place back in 2011. We checked in with Juan Pereira (@JpHouSports), a young Venezuelan sports journalist in Houston to give us the inside scoop on this squad and what we can expect from them this year.

Considering that Ecuador and Mexico are good teams that most people would rank higher than Venezuela, a successful appearance would be to make it out of the group stage and reach the next round. Knocking out one of Mexico or Ecuador from the group would send shockwaves through the CONMEBOL community.
The three players that I expect to deliver star performances are Yeferson Soteldo, Salomon Rondon, and Yangel Herrera. All three of those players have performed well on the international level, with Herrera specifically becoming a key player for the Girona side that competed with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Soteldo is fast and can deliver balls into the box very well, and with Salomon Rondon as the striker, you can bet that their connection will be the most important factor for this Venezuela squad.
I don’t know if Kevin Kelsy will make the roster, but it’s likely that Jon Aramburu will. Aramburu is a young fullback for Real Sociedad and towards the end of the season, he began to feature more and more in the first team, to the point that they subbed him into a Champions League match against PSG. The sky is the limit for him, and a good showing at Copa America can boost his stock and set him up for a big move.
For us to go all the way, we have to win the group in order to avoid an early match against Argentina. (As long as they win their group!) If we do that and Argentina gets knocked out early, I can see us going on a run of form that somehow wins us the whole thing. Unlikely? Definitely. However, stranger things have happened before in soccer.

GROUP C

BOLIVIA

Bolivia’s best result, other than their first and only championship in 1963, was when they hosted the tournament back in 1997. This year they face only one CONMEBOL opponent and two from CONCACAF in the group stage. We spoke to Jhonathan Montenegro to see what we can expect from Bolivia in this Copa America.

We won the championship in 1963 and were 2nd place in 1997 baby! Why not dream for another championship.
Ramiro Vaca and Gabriel Villamil would be a answer for both question 2 and 3.
See above : )
For everyone who’s playing Bolivia to forfeit their matches!!! On a serious note, for Bolivia to be successful they have to counter attack to almost perfection and be able to contain their opponents defending in blocks.

PANAMA

Last time Panama participated in Copa America was back in 2016, where they only won one of their matches. In this edition, they will face Bolivia, Uruguay, and the hosts USA. Michael Leonard, Panamanian and owner of @lets_get_lyt let us know what we can expect from the Central American nation. Will they be able to get more than three points this time around?

Knowing how tough the competition in Copa America is, an outcome my country would consider a successful appearance is to reach the quarterfinals of this tournament.
Panama has lots of skillful players. Although, I believe Adalberto “Coco” Carrasquilla, Christian “Fulo” Martinez, and Michael Murillo are the key players on this squad.
With so many amazing up and coming players, as far as young stars that we should be on the lookout for will be Fulo Martinez.
One of the main things in soccer/futbol is scoring goals. Panama needs to find the back of the net every chance they get.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Soccer in the United States has grown tremendously, and the talent can be seen from its local league to its national team. We had Bayou City Soccer’s own Joey “Stats” Chabala to give us some insight into the stars and stripes.

Winning a knockout game is almost a must, unless they happen to come up against Brazil in the first round. Being competitive with a Brazil or Argentina is also a must.
The obvious answer is Christian Pulisic as he is still the best player the country has ever produced. Outside of Pulisic, it would be either Weston McKennie or Jedi Robinson as both are coming off monster seasons.
The whole team is young but the one with biggest ceiling in this tournament that has yet to prove himself with the national team is Malik Tillman, who had an outrageous season in Holland. Johnny is another name if Tyler Adams is not fit enough to play every game.
Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna need to be fit and ready to contribute at a high level. Adams is the best defensive midfielder when healthy and Reyna can unlock a defense better than almost any player at this tournament when he’s actually fit to play. The defense will also have to hold strong with their being big questions marks over the right back and goalkeeper positions this tournament.

URUGUAY

The 15-time winners, with Marcelo Bielsa in charge, look to lift the trophy once again after a 10+ year drought. We checked in with Leo Muñoz, a local soccer coach here in Houston, to give us some insight on the “Celestes”.

I think semi finals or finals would be a successful tournament due to the quality of players we have.
I believe some of the key players will be Ronald Araujo in the defense, he is one of the top defenders in the world at the moment. Federico Valverde in the midfield, he just won the Champions League with Real Madrid and La Liga. Also, I think Darwin Nunez could be really lethal if he can be confident in the final third.
I really like Facundo Pellistri. He didn’t get much playing time at Manchester United but he does well when he plays for Uruguay.
This year, with Marcelo Bielsa and having a younger team. I think in order for us to win, the team has to stay consistent and rely on the experienced players. Luis Suarez being one of them; hopefully his experience will help the team go all the way and win the competition.

GROUP D

BRAZIL

Leonardo (@Idoru_gtmv), all the way from Brazil, helped us break down what the “Verde Amarela” as they attempt to win this competition for the 10th time.

Considering the expectations placed on our biggest stars and our newly signed coach, anything outside of a finals appearance would be considered an absolute failure. Getting to the finals is the least that's expected from a stacked team playing against below average South American teams. Winning the whole thing is what we need to retake our confidence, but a loss to a strong adversary like Argentina or Uruguay wouldn't be too harsh considering the slump we've been in ever since Tite left after the 2022 World Cup.
Our key players will definitely be the guys who just won the UEFA Champions League. Rodrygo and Vini Jr. will be playing their hearts out in this tournament, you'll see the absolute best of them. They're probably going to be the most lethal attacking duo in this entire tournament, so with them playing well I think Brazil will be in a pretty great position to win it all. Honorable mention to Alisson, who's always a reliable goalkeeper for this kind of tournament, and also to Endrick who I will talk more about in the next response.
Yes, Endrick is THE young star to keep your eye on for this tournament. With his stint at Palmeiras having just ended and with him being Madrid bound, you can expect him to be giving 200% of himself to make a good impression heading into the beginning of his European career. The future Real Madrid star is also the future of the Brazilian national team, and this will be his first opportunity to start writing his history with the Seleção.
Honestly, I think we’ve got exactly what it takes to go all the way. As long as our star players are on top of their game, I think that we're at least finals bound. What has to go right for Brazil to win it all is stay strong mentally in order to deal with one of the better teams in the finals. Basically, we can go home with that trophy if we don't do exactly what we did in the finals vs. Argentina a couple years ago.

COLOMBIA

Colombia hosted and won their only Copa America title in 2001. Two decades later they will attempt to lift the trophy for the second time, this time on American soil. Our friend Alejandro Rodriguez (dro_005) gave us an inside look into what we can expect from the “Cafeteros”.

I would say, with the current form of the national team, winning the whole tournament would be the outcome.
Luis Diaz (left wing), James Rodriguez (CAM), Daniel Munoz (right back), Camilo Vargas (goalkeeper), and Jefferson Lerma (defensive midfielder).
Yaser Asprilla (right wing) plays for Watford in England. Jhon Duran (striker) plays for Aston Villa. Richard Rios (center mid) plays for Palmeiras.
To go all the way, we have to hope for no injuries. Also, for all the players to hit top form and play as one.

COSTA RICA

This edition of Copa America will be the 6th time that “Los Ticos” will be competing in this competition. Their best results were quarterfinal appearances back in 2001 and 2004. We checked in with Jean Carlo Arce (@jeankadrumz) to see what we can expect from the Central Americans and if we can expect a better result this time around.

For Costa Rica at the moment, with the process of young players that we are starting, making it out of the group stages will be a good outcome and a motivating result for the team and the fans. I consider our group to be a tough one with Brazil and Colombia being our first 2 games then closing the group stage against Paraguay.
The key players for Costa Rica in the Copa America I would say is our young but experienced forward Manfred Ugalde. Playing in Europe for the last few years has gained him experience and improved his level of playing the game. If he is motivated and connects well with the team I think his goal scoring momentum can be key for us up top. Also Patrick Sequeira in goal. Patrick plays in Spain and even with him being young, he has been doing really well in international friendlies and World Cup qualifying games recently.
The Costa Rican young stars Ugalde (Spartak Moscow) and Warren Madrigal (Deportivo Saprissa) will be the players to watch for. They both are coming in from a great level with their clubs and are currently being watched by international scouts. I think this will be a very important tournament for them to shine and take their career to the next level.
It’s hard to go all the way with such a young team who, for a lot of them, is their first time playing games at this level. But they are young, motivated and hungry to make a name for themselves and get a permanent spot in the national team. I think if the players can get good results against Brazil and Colombia, this can be a good motivation for the team. They just have to believe they can play at this level and do what they know what to do. Everything is possible.

PARAGUAY

Ralph Hanna (@paraguayralph), one of the co-hosts of Guarani Vision, helped us with an inside look into the two time winners. Let’s see what we can expect of the Guaranis.

Daniel Garnero is only 4 games in, and the ultimate goal is to be here in two years at the World Cup. The Copa America is something of a distraction but a useful one to work on future formations ahead of the qualifiers. The more games the better, in the sense that it brings more practice, but there is little expectation past the group stages.
Brighton forward Julio Enciso is the most talented player by far and the one with most potential. His season was hampered by injury but Garnero (who handed him his pro debut at Libertad) will be relying on him to lead the line. In midfield they are missing Diego Gomez through injury so a lot of focus will likely be on Mathias Villasanti and Andre Cubas to provide the balance in midfield. Miguel Almirón has never had a consistent run of games with National Team so he has pressure to deliver a good tournament.
Gabriel Aguayo (19) of Cerro Porteño only made his senior debut earlier this year and was the biggest surprise on the list. He is a tricky winger with plenty of speed and likes to play down the right. Damian Bobadilla (22) is at São Paulo having impressed in Cerro last year - he would be an interesting option in middle if Garnero wanted to be more offensive.
A lot of luck! But mostly Enciso and Almiron would have to be on fire while captain Gustavo Gomez would need to show his Palmeiras form in a Paraguay shirt - something critics claim has yet to happen despite winning over 70 caps.

Copa America starts this Thursday with Argentina hosting Canada in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 7 PM central. If you would like to keep up with this year’s Copa America stay tuned to the podcast feed of Bayou City Soccer for a short recap on all the action of that day.

I want to thank every one that took some time to answer the questions and has made us experts on all 16 national teams that will be fighting to lift the trophy on July 14.

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