One of the most anticipated events of this summer in the sports world is the Copa América, which kicks off next weekend on June 14.
This competition puts South America’s top national teams against one another in order to crown a champion of the CONMEBOL field of teams. Outside of Europe, South America is undoubtedly the strongest soccer continent on earth.
Many teams will compete to claim the crown as the winners of the Copa America, including Argentina, Brazil, and the reigning champions, Chile. However, if we had to pick a favorite for this year’s competition, we would have to go with Uruguay.
Uruguay is, believe it or not, the national team which has won the most Copa Americas in the competition’s history. The winners of 15 Copa Americas, however, haven’t taken home the trophy since 2011 after Chile’s recent dominance.
This year, we expect the Sky Blues to claim another title. Here’s why.
Uruguay is a veteran team that has tons of experience in competitions such as the World Cup and this tournament. While other countries have stars like Leo Messi (Argentina) and James Rodríguez (Colombia), Uruguay’s team is a solid bunch that has played in tons of important games together.
Veteran defenders such as Diego Godin, Martin Cáceres, and Jose Giménez form a back line that even the most talented teams will have trouble scoring against. The defense is this small South American country’s strength, and they should be able to make it difficult for opponents to put the ball in the net.
While Uruguay’s strength is in its experience, they also have a rising star playing in their midfield. Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira is one of the game’s biggest young talents at only 23 years of age, and I expect him to come out on the international stage in this tournament.
Finally, up front, it would be silly not to mention Uruguay’s experience and goal-scoring ability. Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani might be getting up there in years, but they can score goals like few other duos. Add young stars like Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez to the equation, and Uruguay should score enough goals to win.
Other teams might have flashier players or bigger names, but I expect Uruguay’s mix of veteran leadership and youthful talent to propel them to this year’s title.
They won’t have an easy road ahead of them, but La Celeste has more pieces to compete for a title than any other nation competing in Copa America’s 2019 edition.
