More than 70,000 people watching soccer at a Stadium in the United States (the Super Bowl XLII last Sunday had an attendance of 71,000). That number is already great and it can become even more amazing if we say that the game meant almost nothing. I said ALMOST.

It was a friendly match between USA and Mexico. A match that was officially called a friendly but in smaller proportions I’d risk to say that this rivalry could be compared to a Brazil X Argentina.

The game was in Houston, Texas. So it was only natural that a big part of the crowd was of Mexican supporters but I saw a lot more USA painted-faces than the usual.

The game itself was quite exciting. Typical of a great rivalry. Things heated up after a few rougher plays and 2 goals to each side.

Both teams showed weaknesses in their defenses and all the goals happened from crossing balls to the opponent box.

Mexico didn’t really impress me. The team showed lack of organization and missed a brain in the midfield to control the pace of the game, distribute the ball and create plays. That used to be Cuauhtémoc Blanco’s role and I didn’t see anybody doing it. The good thing was that Vella proved he’s ready to play for this team. He had a very good first half and left the field under the crowd’s ovation. Gio took his place and besides a few tricks and through balls attempts he didn’t have a lot of time to show more.

 

On the USA side the big deception was Donovan the Diva. A player with talent but who many times disappears in the game, hiding himself from action and not contributing to the team. But on the other hand I’d say goalkeeper Tim Howard is definitely the man for the number 1 jersey and Jozy Altidore is more and more becoming the striker everybody wants to see. Strong, efficient and never giving up a play. He didn’t have a lot of touches on the ball but when he did he bothered the Mexican defense.

The 2 x 2 score was fair and it was also a good price for the great crowd that was present at the Reliant Stadium this Wednesday night.

And for the “title” of “King of the CONCACAF”. It still belongs to the USA who won the CONCACAF Cup last year. Mexico will have another chance to claim the “title” in the World Cup Qualifying this summer.

Tonight I'm not gonna post a match report. I'm sure most of you already know how the game went, But I wanna start a discussion on "why Argentina won that game and why Mexico lost it". 

The first answer is the obvious one: Argentina scored goals. Mexico didn't.

But football (I decided to use "soccer" only if I write about the MLS) ... so, football, is a much complex game and a more elaborate answer is required for such a great game.

When Argentina came to the field to warm up the players seemed confortable, happy with each other, CONFIDENT. They knew they were ready for it. They knew they had all the tools to build their path to the final. And that's when the win started.

Mexico on the other hand seemed tense. Maybe it was the necessity to beat the team that got them out of the 2006 World Cup, maybe it was the need to prove that this generation of great young players are able to give their best at all levels. And win titles.

Somebody in another blog here in OLEOLE mentioned "LACK OF CHARACTER". I wouldn't go so far to say that players like Guardado, Castillo, Rafa Marquez or Oswaldo Sanchez lack character but maybe the team as whole need to work on the psychological factor that makes the difference in the decisive games.

When this Copa America started I predicted Argentina as the Champions but as the competition moved and Argetina showed great games after great games I started to think that at one point they would fail and 2 days ago I said that Mexico would upset them. 

But in todays game I realized that I should have kept my initial prediction. If you look at Riquelme's face you can see a mature yet passionate superstar. He is not conceided and as a leader for this team he doesn't allow that on his team mates. He has the attitude of a Champion.

And them you have fact that Mexico failed to score in the first have when Guardado had the chance and the ball decided to hit the post. Maybe he should've used his right foot to take that shot but what is meat to be will be. And that ball was meant to hit the post.

Argentina once again kept their posture, got their game together and soon started the famous "KILLER BEE ATTACK".

The first goal came in the end of the first half and then on the second half magic happened!!!

I believe Maradona and many other "inchas fanaticos" had tears in their eyes when they saw Messi, in a sutile lobby shot put the ball far, far, far from Oswaldo Sanchez but softly inside the net.

The third came in a penalty taken with extreme class by Riquelme.

And Argentina is like an full Classical Composition by Verdi... It has a soft begining, sometimes causing some tension but them comes the powerful part, "Il Addagio" the climax that makes everyone astonished and in the end the relief, the classy conclusion of the spectacle.

Messi - not a promise anymore, a beautiful reality 

Mexico was a great rival but not enough to disturb the almost perfect Argentine Orchestra.

BUT.... Now can this perfect Orchestra keep the CONFIDENCE and TRANQUILITY to coldly execute its revenge against a Brazil full of ups and downs???

Well, I hope so... I the name of the good football... In the name of "PLAY BEAUTIFULLY"

WHAT DO YOU SAY???

ARGENTINA will impose their beautiful game against Brazil???

 ******  OR ******

 ROBINHO + his entourage will sing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" just like Adriano did 3 years ago???

We will have a lot to discuss until sunday!!!

URUGUAY 

Although Uruguay collects 14 Copa America titles, the team has been a big disappointment since their last continental trophy in 1995 when they hosted Copa America.

The nation also failed to qualify for the last World Cup. Of course this is a reflex of the poor performance and lack of quality in the national clubs competition. When was the last time Peñarol or Nacional hit the news?

The country is small and with no media attention there's no investment, without investment there's no local evolution in the sport.

When a good player emerges in Uruguay it doesn't take long until a club from Europe or from the neighbors Brasil and Argentina sneak him away from his land with promises of better incomes and more visibility. i don't blame them.

But now Uruguay has the chance of a come back. And waht a come back that would be! La Celeste will face Brazil in the semifinals and they are motivated!

This year they want to take a step further than their second place in the 1999 Copa America.

The thing about analying Uruguay is that not all of the players are really known to most of people. But what is easy to tell is that every sector of the field has its leader.

Carini has been the goalkeeper for La Celeste since 1999. I still remeber when they talked about him as the new Mazurkiewski but maybe because of the poor performance of the national team in the last years that promise is still only a promise, but Carini is a solid, experience leader for the team and as they say, a good team starts with a good goalie.

La Celeste plays with 3 center backs and that's where you're gonna find not only a great player but also the main team leader and captain: Diego Lugano. The 26 year old is a natural winner. He is the one who really knows the ways of the brazilian soccer after playing (and winning titles) with São Paulo FC.

Diego Scotti and Dario Rodriguez complete Uruguay's defensive line.

Five players will block the midfield and create the plays. I honestly and humbly don't know a lot about them. SO PLEASE HELP ME WITH MORE INFO ON URUGUAY'S MIDFIELDERS. SoyManya81, this is a job for you my friend.

Than we complete La Celeste with Diego Forlan and Alvaro Recoba.

"El Chino" Recoba is a national team player for uruguay since 1995. He has been playing for Internazionale of milan since 1999. He is not the most efficient striker but he's consistent and a fighter. There's no lost ball for Recoba.

Forlan is the goal man. He is a quite oportunist player but has ups and downs during a game. Sometimes clumsy, sometimes genius. But its better not to leave him unmarked because his 54 goals in 3 seasons defending Villareal can talk more than any words I write here.

Diego Forlan wants to revive Alcides Gigghia and send Brazil back home

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BRAZIL 

Brazil is always Brazil.

This sentence itself summarizes what this nation represents for soccer in the world. In every single soccer competition in the planet that Brazil participates they can be considered one of the favorites to win. That's why "A seleção Canarinho" causes so much discussion when they can't play what everybody expects.

Many critics are blaming coach Dunga for letting go of players like Ze Roberto, Kaka, Ronaldinho. Adriano, Ronaldo and bringing some new faces like Afonso Alves, Elano and Vagner Love.

But we cannot forget that in the last Copa America (2004) coach Carlos Alberto Parreira didn't use Ronaldinho, Kaka, Robinho nor Ronaldo and yet that young team beat a powerful Argentina in the final in an electrifying game decided on the penalty shoot-out.

Which brings us back to the first sentence: BRAZIL IS ALWAYS BRAZIL.

I mentioned prevously that every good team starts with a good goalie. This isn't the case with Brazil. Doni does not offer the crucial safety that a great goalkeeper should offer. I would never hire him to play for my team and I believe I'm not alone in this. But oh, well...

Brazil's defense is not individually weak. Alex and Juan are actually good defenders. But the problem is the lack of coverage when the wings attack, and boy, they like to attack. Maicon and Gilberto are naturally offensive (not so good ones) but they sometimes go up at the same time leaving the load to the defensive midfielders and to the center backs.

Mineiro and Gilberto Silva - who is the team captain - are solid defensive mids. They are not very good passers and this can create problem when Brazil tries to connect midfield and attack.

Josué is the one that will intermediate this transition he will work as defensive midfielder when Brazil doesn't have the ball and he will help Julio Baptista supplies the forwards when the ball is recovered.

Julio Baptista started the competition on the bench (so did Josue) but he gained the position by playing a very good second half against Ecuador and an even better game agains Chile. He will do what Kaká would be doing if he was on this team. The only difference is that he is NOT Kaka.

Vagner Love finally found his way to the net last game. It would be embarassing if he didn't right? After all there were 6 goals and even Josué scored his. He is dangerous and if he can finally find a confortable position on the field he can really bother a defense.

Do I need to talk about Robinho??? Pelé's protegé has proved he was for sure one of the main responsibles for Real Madrid's title in La Liga. The fast, talented, and extremely smiley forward TERRORIZES defenders with moves that almost one of them already know but they still can't stop him. Will he be able to lead Brazil to a back to back Championship?

 Robinho might be the man to help Dunga keep his job

*******************************************************************************

MEXICO

After losing the Gold Cup a don't think the Mexican supporters thought that their team would play so well in the Copa America. But I said that on the first post of my former blog;  Mexico feels much more confortable playing against South American teams. It suits their game, their speed, and then there was Castillo. I still didn't understand why Hugo Sanchez didn't put the kid to play against the USA since the beginning, but that's part of the past now.

Castillo is the present. The gift for all the Mexican supporters who were waiting to see this team finally take home this cup. The gifted mexican born, uruguayan breed, is a star in greece but chose to wear his homeland jersey. He is not only the present, he also represent the possibility of a brilliant future for Mexico soccer.

But can they beat the favorites???

Ochoa or Sanchez?? What a pleasant difficult task. If Brazil suffers for not having a trustworthy goalkeeper, Mexico has two.

Rafa Marquez is the maestro of the defense. Solid, experiencend and talented. He is always where he should be and with very good passes makes the transiction to the midfield.

Torrado is the destroyer. He is fast and discipline. Sometimes not very good passing the ball but always there to take it away from the opponent.

Guardado was the man we were waiting to see back on the team. And he came back as if nothing had happened: playing hard, showing his talent, he might be one of my favorite players of this team.

Then there is Nery Castillo... The man that humiliated Brazil's defense with a goal that is probably the most beautiful of the competition. Determination, talent and passion. If Mexico wins this title he should be the one taking the trophy home for a week just as a reward for the great performace he's displaying.

Oh, and I can't forget GRANDPA Cuauhtemoc. I wouldn't even like to play on the same team with him. He cries, he complains with everybody and about everything. He is just like that old grumpy grandpa that hates everything. BUT he is very important for this team. In 15 minutes on the field (that's how much time he can play without collapsing) he is able to create amazing plays, score goals and of course annoy the opponent and the referee, oh and ME.

It might take a whole army to stop Nery Castillo from scoring 

********************************************************************************

ARGENTINA

The better the team the easier it is to talk about.

If soccer was a fair game we could just give Argentina the Cup and that's it.

The best team so far. 100%. 4 games, 4 expressive wins. The team scored 13 goals and suffered only 3.

They came to this competition THIRSTY... They want this Copa America sooo bad and they are playing so well and they have so many talents that what could go wrong???

Well, we are talking about soccer my friends... Anything can happen. La Albi-Celeste has 14 titles (just like Uruguay) but it also has been 14 years (since 1993) that they don't win the competition.

In addition to that, for the last 3 world cups Argentina is said to be one of the favorites, always bringing great players, but also, always letting its fanatic supporters down.

I would hate to see Riquelme, one of the most talented players of this generation, retire from the National team without the glory of winnig a last tittle with the jersey that once belonged to Maradona. He deserves it. The whole team deserves. But between deserving and actually winning it's a long way.

Messi, Tevez and Riquelme the wonder kids and the master

**********************************************************************

NOW WITH MY PREDICTIONS:

I know we have two VERY HARD games to predict but I'm not afraid to risk. I can be wrong tomorrow but it's all part of my job so here we go

BRAZIL will beat URUGUAY (the score doesn't really matter at this point)

and... ARGENTINA will be surprised by MEXICO's fast attack.

The Final will be between:

BRAZIL  x  MEXICO