1
ARGENTINA
Became the Copa America Champions for the first time since 1993 with their much craved first international triumph for the world’s best footballer Lionel Messi, through a historic win in the finals. Their continued strong play in the World Cup qualifiers earned the Albi Celeste the top spot. Recently, an impressive 3-0 win against Bolivia featured a hat trick by Messi.
2
BRAZIL
The Selecao experienced a disappointing Copa America performance by becoming the first Brazilian team to not win the tournament while being the host, losing 1-0 to arch rivals Argentina in the final match. However, Coach Tite’s squad is loaded with talent and currently leads the CONMEBOL standings for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
3
URUGUAY
After tying with Peru, Uruguay scored back-to-back wins against Ecuador and Bolivia to move up in rankings to third place, which would secure their ticket to Qatar 2022. The team has plenty of experience with veteran Coach Oscar Tabarez. Thirtysomething duo strikers like Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez have lost a step but remain as dangerous goal scorers. They also enjoy a stout defense, well anchored by center back Diego Godin
4
COLOMBIA
The Cafeteros pushed Argentina to a penalty kick shootout in the spirited Copa America semifinals. While not having a Carlos Valderrama type star player, they are a balanced team with a dangerous counterattack. Right now, they are in fifth place for the qualifying standing, so they must battle it out for one of the four spots in next year’s World Cup.
5
ECUADOR
The team is currently in fourth place in the CONMEBOL standings, which would potentially send them to Qatar. However, they had a dismal Copa America performance, with an early exit from the tournament under Coach Gustavo Alfaro.
The strongest part of the team is their defense, so they are overly dependent on counter attacks.
6
PARAGUAY
Fighting against Colombia and Ecuador for the final South American ticket to the Qatar World Cup. Showing ups and downs, the team often plays up to competition when facing giants like Brazil or Argentina. Conversely, they don’t always beat the teams they should, as exhibited during the World Cup qualifying game ties with Peru and Bolivia.
7
MEXICO
Despite a loss to the United States in this past summer’s Gold Cup, Mexico, under Coach Tata Martinez still sits atop of the World Cup qualifying standings. They are an experienced squad with established stars like Guillermo Ochoa and emerging ones like Diego Lainez.
8
PERU
Although the team currently sits at the bottom half of the qualifying table, they are quite capable of turning things around. Evidence of this is their recent Copa America semifinal run, where they almost beat the Brazilian giants but ultimately fell short. They have a world class midfielder in Renato Tapia and an excellent leadership with yet another proven Argentine coach, Ricardo Gareca. Don’t count out la Blanquirroja just yet.
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TOP 8 PLAYERS-LATIN AMERICA
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Lionel Messi | ARGENTINA
An absolute phenomenon. Finally lifted his well-deserved international trophy with a well-balanced Argentine team during this summer’s Copa America.
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Neymar | BRAZIL
While he may have to step it up, the star of the Brazilian team is still among the world’s best players. Neymar is the spark that ignites the Selecao engine.
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Luis Diaz | COLOMBIA
He scored the best goal of the Copa America tournament, with a tremendous scissor-kick against Brazil. The Colombians now have a dangerous striker in Luis Diaz, who is always a threat to score goals.
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Yoshimar Yotun | PERU
A veteran Peruvian player who played his fifth Copa America for his national team, leading Peru all the way to the tournament semifinals. His leadership and presence were felt throughout the pitch.
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Diego Lainez | MEXICO
Scored a golazo against the United States in this summer’s Gold Cup. Great attacking wingers are hard to find but it looks like the Tri have found one in this 21-year-old rising star, and a player to watch.
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Casimiro | BRAZIL
One of Brazilian Coach Tite’s favorite players, as he directs midfield action with precision and is a team leader. Key player responsible for setting up Neymar with scoring chances in his role as “field general”.
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Emiliano Martinez | ARGENTINA
It appears Argentina now has their best goalkeeper in decades. Three straight shutouts during Copa America and his controversial trash talking antics vs Colombia, steered Argentina to the championship. Diego Armando Maradona himself would have been proud, no doubt.
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Piero Hincape | ECUADOR
The 19-year-old Ecuadorian star player is one to watch in the future. He made several mistakes during the Copa America tournament and also in recent qualifiers for the World Cup 2022 but showed flashes of brilliance. This young player’s raw talent and promise is undeniable.
