Crazy Copa América

It's fair enough to assume that most of us like at least a little stability in our lives. The comfort of knowing, barring absolute disasters, that you can rely on certain things.

Copa América: Embracing its unpredictability. (Image from Facebook.)

Even in the world of sport where stability, nay predictability, might not be what we always want, we do have certain bankers. 

You know, like in rugby where the All Blacks always win and in football where you can never write off the Germans. Sticking with the round-ball game — but something that is pretty much true of most sport — you also have the regularity of its main tournaments. The World Cup comes every four years, the same with the European Championships, on the even-numbered years between the global contest, as in this year.

Yet, as tends to be the wont in South America for many things, the Copa América arrives at any old time. It doesn't appear, or at least hasn't heretofore, to follow any plan. Well, if it does, it's not a straightforward one. (Maybe they're right on this one?)

Fair enough, this year's renewal, hot on the heels of Chile 2015, is marking the competition's centenary. Yet, it's not even being played on South American soil. No, it's taking place in the grand old US of A. 

At least it means that none of the Conmebol teams will have home advantage; but the USA will. It wouldn't exactly be the best of etiquette to throw a party in somebody else's gaff without inviting them, now would it?

Indeed, the venue choice has raised eyebrows among some of the participants, with Uruguay manager Óscar Washington Tabárez questioning the United States' suitability on this occasion, especially as games are going to be played all over the vast nation. His side, for example, will be travelling from west (Glendale) to east (Philadelphia) and back west (Santa Clara) again for their three group matches.

Whatever about the merits of this edition — the inclusion of six invitees, namely Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama and hosts US, could be seen as weakening its credibility further — there is still a 'copa' to be won.

Looking at it from adopted-Colombian eyes, the competition gives José Pékerman's selection the opportunity to continue their unbeaten ways in competitive matches, having won two on the bounce in the World Cup qualifiers. It also represents a chance to erase the memories of a rather mediocre showing 12 months ago.

How far can Colombia go in the Copa this year? (Picture from Facebook.)

Their game with the United States on 03 June gets the tournament under way. Home advantage is usually a big help in the Copa América, but considering it is not the States' 'baby' so to speak, Colombia might be just that little more up for it (although the bookmakers, perhaps tellingly, see it differently).

A result in that one could set them up for a bit of a run, as Paraguay should be dispatched and Costa Rica, as one of the invited nations, mightn't be overly pushed. Yet making positive predictions about Colombia, as last year showed, is risky business.

That aside, it's likely the winner will come from one of South America's heavyweights. Take your pick from Argentina, Brazil, Chile or Uruguay (yep, we're going all out there). We'll be, um, 'patriotic' and include Colombia as well, but with a semi-final against Argentina, Chile or Uruguay on the cards should they get that far, making the decider might be just beyond them.

But hey, whatever the outcome, at least the Colombian team will have a few weeks in what is a second home for most of their fellow countrymen. Plus, there's always another Copa not too far away.
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Colombia's Copa?

With the club season, both domestically in Colombia and abroad, put to bed, attention on this side of the world turns to the Copa América.

Chile provides what will be, um, the chilly venue for this year's renewal. The winter weather apart, there are solid reasons for Colombian football followers to feel warm inside ahead of the tournament. Indeed, it could be argued that things have never been better for La Selección.

Falcao: The Colombian captain has been at his best in the national jersey. (Photo: Facebook.)

Last year, they had their best-ever run at a World Cup, unluckily and controversially losing out to hosts Brazil at the quarter-final stage. The painful manner of that defeat aside, the second-half performance together with the previous four games did prove that Colombia can go toe to toe with the global superpowers. This is reflected in the Fifa (don't snigger) world rankings, where the side remains in fourth spot, with third-placed Argentina the only South American side above them.

Plus, with the proven quality players they have at their disposal, José Pékerman's side have the potential to go far. You also have the Radamel Falcao factor, who will be keen to put a disappointing loan spell at Manchester United behind him; there's a belief in some quarters that back in the comfort of the national set-up, El Tigre will be a far more potent animal than what we saw in England.

Even if he's not, his presence around the squad is only beneficial for what is already a confident, tight-knit group. (For the record, he did score the only goal in Colombia's recent friendly win over Costa Rica and looked relatively sharp.)

To keep that confidence high, a good start will be key. Yet the opener, a tussle with Venezuela, is far from straightforward. Remember, Colombia only took one point from six off their neighbours during their last meetings in the South American World Cup 2014 qualifiers. But the fact that Colombia made it to the finals while Venezuela watched from the sidelines should mean that the former is a much stronger proposition this time around.

A mouthwatering 'revenge' clash with Brazil also awaits in the group stages. However, it could be said that Colombia missed the boat 12 months ago to get one over the five-time World Cup winners. It's unlikely Dunga's men will be as fragile this time around.

Is Colombia's 2015 edition good enough to replicate the 2001 heroes? (Photo Facebook.)

Peru completes the group and while nothing can be taken for granted, Colombia should be taking three points from that game.

In any case, the way the draw is, finishing second in the group may not be such a bad thing as the likes of tournament favourites Argentina and perennial winners Uruguay could be avoided until the final, if Colombia were to get that far. On the flip side, a potential semi-final battle with hosts Chile would be no gimme, to say the least. But if you want to be the best you've got to beat the best and all that.

It certainly promises to be an intriguing three weeks of football, with at least five teams that can be considered as genuine contenders to lift the trophy on 4th July.

Whether Colombia can emerge as South America's top dog, we'll have to wait and see. It's time to let the football do the talking.

'Relax, there's always Germany'

Right, I already knew a tiny segment of support existed in Colombia for, to say the least, a less-than-glorious period of German history and the accompanying beliefs associated with it. However, I wasn't aware that love of the 'Fatherland' here is much deeper and more general.

Germany's/Austria's & Colombia's finest? Perhaps not. (From Facebook.)

Or so it appears to be anyway, given the delight that greeted Germany's annihilation of Brazil in the World Cup semi-final. Fair enough, the controversial manner of Colombia's defeat to their Latino neighbours left a bitter aftertaste. Thus, getting behind Brazil, in the thinking that if they became champions you could say Colombia were beaten by the best (as incredulous as that now sounds), would have been difficult for many.

 
Yet, that considered, gleefully basking in their demise doesn't exactly reflect well on the people here. Had things been the other way round, that is to say, Colombia thrashed Brazil after the latter fortuitously beat Germany, I doubt the Germans would be celebrating the success. No, they'd wait to get their own, direct payback.

The other way to look at it is that Colombia as a team has much to learn. Yes, this has been a great tournament for them. The swashbuckling performances that saw them power their way to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history have been a big highlight in what has been a memorable World Cup in so many aspects. Colombians have every right to be proud, as they are, of their new heroes. It deserves to be celebrated, as it has been.

The challenge now, though, is to build on it, to continue the upward curve. It's a pretty decent bet that José Pékerman, the cool-headed, shrewd Argentinian in charge of Colombia, wasn't jumping for joy watching Germany dismantle Brazil. More than likely he was thinking of what might have been.

For it could be said that Germany exposed Brazil for their naivety (plus many more inadequacies) in the same way that Brazil exposed Colombia, albeit in not as near a dramatic way and with the help of some dodgy officiating. 

Against Brazil, Colombia let the occasion and the aura of their opponents get to them for a large part of the match. It was only in the final stages that the players seemed to realise that Brazil could be beaten. Alas, by then, the damage was done.

'If the hat fits ...' (Photo from Facebook.)

The great teams are at their best when the pressure is truly on, when the stakes are at their highest. Germany, the Portugal game aside, were far from impressive getting to the last four – in typical fashion, they were efficient, no more no less. They are where they want to be now, though, and you'd be a brave man to bet against them – unless, of course, you're Argentinian or Dutch.

In contrast, Colombia lit up the tournament early doors but largely froze when they faced their first true mental and physical test. OK, you can talk about the dark elements that worked against them, but the reality is they weren't good enough on the day.

Developing that winning mentality is something that doesn't happen overnight – Irish people know all about that. There are many mental barriers to overcome. Occupying yourself with the failure of others tends not to help that process.

We can all learn from the winners – and in a football sense, the present team excepted, Brazil are in that category.

No doubt they will be back to scale the heights again. The challenge for the Colombias and Irelands of this world is to reach those heights. That's where the focus should lie.

Colombia: Here come the good times?

So the World Cup party rolls on and, thankfully, Colombia is very much still in the mix. These heady times that the country is going through, something mentioned on this blog a few weeks back, are not only continuing but also appear to be increasing in magnitude.

Colombia, World Cup champions? Why not?

Of course, having got to the last eight, should La Selección now fail to go further, the excitement and gushing pride and joy being experienced across the land will take a significant dent.

However, wherever the team finishes – here's hoping that's lifting the trophy – Colombians both near and far should, and no doubt will, be immensely proud of the efforts. They ought to be, especially so considering the lads went to Brazil minus their talisman Radamel Falcao, a loss that certainly dampened expectations ahead of the tournament.

In a number of ways, looking at events both on and off the field, this World Cup represents for Colombia what the World Cups of both 1990 and 1994 did for my homeland, the Republic of Ireland.

Granted, unlike the Republic in 1990, this is not Colombia's debut, but the country was a much different place back in the '90s when they last qualified. 

This time, like Ireland in the early '90s, there's a feeling that a bright new dawn is about to break. The football team could be seen not only as a manifestation of that, but also as an important part of it.

For one, José Pékerman's side is, with merit, filling Colombians with an enormous amount of pride and a sense that they are finally being talked about seriously, in a positive manner, on the world stage. (Incidentally, Pékerman is an 'outsider', an Argentinian, who is now very much seen as Colombian – à la the Englishman Jack Charlton who managed Ireland in '90 and '94.)

Then you have the enormous support the team is getting at the tournament, mirrored by the outpouring of emotion following each victory back home. Colombians, as the Irish did for Italia '90 and USA '94, have made their way in droves to Brazil, getting there by any means necessary, sourcing money however they can. Some would even sell their grannies.

Heck, in a further similarity, for two peoples who like to have a beer or two, Dublin's barmen went on strike for Ireland's opener in '94, the victory over Italy, forcing inhabitants of the capital to booze up at home. 

Here in Bogotá, we have to put up with ley seca (alcohol prohibition) for each game – it hasn't stopped the drinking or revelling though. Let's just hope La Selección doesn't suffer the same fate that befell the Republic in 1990 and lose to the hosts in the last eight.

This is all happening alongside a more general mood of optimism that seems to be sweeping over Colombia. There are green, or yellow if you like, shoots emerging signalling much better times ahead – economically, politically and socially. 

For sure, not everyone is sharing in that positivity and there are solid reasons for that, but there is a scent of peace in the air, that a solution to the more than 50 years of internal conflict can be found.

President Santos: Leading Colombia to a bright new dawn? (Photo: Facebook.)

Linked to this, in a financial and social context, things are improving for many Colombians – although, tackling the huge inequality that still exists must be one of the chief priorities for re-elected president Juan Manuel Santos.

This is all quite similar to the Republic of Ireland in the early '90s, just before the Celtic Tiger started to roar (remember that?) and politics largely took over from the gun in the Northern Ireland conflict. The island of Ireland was about to experience the good times for a change. Yes, they didn't last, but you can argue it was better to have them than not.

Thus, for what it's worth, the advice for Colombia right now from an Irish perspective, both at the World Cup and in general, is carpe diem.

In football terms, you're doing that pretty good so far. The other things might prove much trickier.
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For more Colombia-Ireland 'links', check out Colombia & Ireland – a tale of two old Catholic countries.

Reeling in the Years: 1994 gives a nice snapshot of Ireland entering the 'good times'.