I'd rather Copa America remain a CONMEBOL tourney of 12. As always, it has its 10 CONMEBOL participants and 2 invitees. Mexico has proved itself worthy (financially and competitively) of being invited every time. The US has not, because it has rejected so many times and to be honest does not have as long of a track record against CONMEBOL opponents as Mexico has. However, the US has recently grown into a top 30 team in the world and is still growing in the soccer world. Plus, the fact that it can potentially add sponsor and tv deal money, the US will always be thrown an invitation. I am against making this an intercontinental championship and expanding to 16 teams. This is a CONMEBOL tourney and should not have to become a CONCACAF/CONMEBOL tourney. The GOLD CUP should be maintained and enhanced so Mexico and US does not have to depend on Copa America as their only opportunity for challenging play. Regarding the frequency of the tourney: Holding it every 4 years on the same time as the EUROs makes sense if you want squads like Brazil and Argentina to have their best teams. Their star foreign-based players would be compelled to play and could not give the excuse of needing rest or fight with their clubs to let them play because the Euros on their clubs were allowed to play in the European Championships. And for those who believe the US isn't worthy of an automatic invite, then invite the winner of the Gold Cup (or runner-up if the winner should be Mexico) as the 12th team. Therefore, the Gold Cup gets the added incentive of having its champion in both the Confederations Cup and Copa America.
The US came twice to the Copa America, and one of those times made it to the semis. I think that's a more than decent "track-record", imho. Metro
I'm from neither the nort nor the south of America, so you guys can believe me when I tell you that I'm not biased. I think the whole "USA is not worthy" or "CONCACAF is not worthy" discussion is pointless. I think that an all American Copa America would only help promoting the American teams, no matter if they're from CONMEBOL or CONCACAF. If the US or any other country wasn't worthy of participating, they wouldn't qualify anyway. I think most South Americans who oppose this idea are just afraid that their "superior" teams might get their ass whipped. I mean, it would be most likely that Argentina and Brazil will win 9 out of 10 times. But still, this kind of competition can only help the development of soccer anywhere on the American continent. I say: If the SA teams are so much better as some people say, they have nothing to fear. But it's just unfair to let the NA teams rot in CONCACAF where there is no real competition. It would probably even be best if CONMEBOL and CONCACAF would completelya merge. This would only increase competition. So after all, I totally think it would make perfectly sense to have the Copa America every 4 years with teamy from both, the north and the south of America. It works perfectly in Europe and the EURO has almost as much meaning as the WC does for European teams. And I would love to have a similar tournament in America. It probably still couldn't cope with the European Championship, but it would already be much closer than the Copa America of today.
most SA dont want concacaf teams in the Copa because well simply put they have their Gold CUP CAF and the AFC have their cups Uefa has theirs OFC has theirs why cant we be allowed to have ours?
As an outsider I would love to see a 16 team Americas tournament. I think it would be a great spectacle that could sell itself around the World as the Euro tournament does. At the least it would help sell South American football in the lucrative North American market. However its entirely up to the footballing nations of America.
And playing mainly with college players. There has been now more than 10 years of professional players, (it's funny to see USA as a "developing-country", excuse the analogy). 2007 will show there faces turning more toward soccer with a lot of TV exposure in different tournaments. USA can and will be a force to be reckon with. I am from south America and I hate all the bitchin' about integration. There is a new world order in politics and economics, everyting is about getting together and move on to something that is beneficiary for all people. One wall that devided has come down a long time ago. Why can't some people get rid of the wall in their minds. Mankind is going to get only stronger working together towards a common goal, an ultimate goal of justice and opportunity for all. Integration is better than a false regionalism, and selfishness is a vice not virtue. Soccer as sport is to bring people together, IMO Copa America for all.
i dont think the africans or asians or even the euros attempt to sell their continental chamionship to the North American Market i just dont see the need for Conmebol to do it its our continental tourney dammit its bad enough our Copa Sudamericana has concacaf teams that get preferential treatment now if it was up to me I would kick all Concacaf teams out of our tourneys, even the Libertadores
i prefer every two years playing it in 2008 at the same time euro is played, and in 2010 in january like african cup
No one is trying to take away the SA tournaments or disallowing the right to have one . Simply new teams just entered the competition it is that simple.
once other teams from other regions enter ti its no longer a Conmebol only tourney.. every other region has their exclusive tourney..we at least I want one its that simple
Why can't you do both? Four-year cycle Year 1: World Cup Year 2: Copa America and Gold Cup Year 3: Supercopa America (whole hemisphere) Year 4: World Cup qualifying
Israel is a member of UEFA. Therefore, they get to play the World Cup qualifiers and the EURO Qualifiers in UEFA as UEFA MEMBERS. The US, Mexico and the rest of CONCACAF aren't CONMEBOL MEMBERS, so you can see where the complaining originates. If a true Copa America (the whole continent) is gonna take place, both confeds are gonna have to merge in everything and not just for Copa America play.
I don't know if I'd like that too much. Don't really like the idea of having a Copa America every 3 (or 2) years as it is. Plus UEFA would complain that their players are leaving too often (they already b*tch enough about it).
Of course everybody is allowed to have their own turneys. I was just trying to say that it would help both to join forces. Actually, I even think it would be best to merge CONCACAF and CONMEBOL and to form a strong panamerican federation. That way, SA would have a better chance of getting additional teams to the WC, it would give them more popularity in NA and give them more chances to promote themselves on the NA market, plus it would also help promote the game itself in NA since USA and Mexico would finally have some serious competition. But a thing like that cannot be forced upon anyone. It'll only work if both sides want it.
I personally think it's better to just combine CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. CONCACAF has 3 1/2 WC spots, CONMEBOL has 4 1/2 spots. Combine that and it's 8 spots all together which should be good enough for all the best teams to be in. I think it'll be mutually beneficial to both sides.
Change it. Shorten qualifying or perhaps combine it somehow with the regional tournaments. Perhaps offer an automatic bid to a team that wins a regional tournament and offer byes to those who do well.
I think that's a bit too unrealist. No reason to have both a Copa America and a "Super Copa America."
I just can't see the South Americans being run by Jack Warner. Face it as long as every fed has equal voting power Jack Warner or some other person from CONCACAF is going to be running the show. CONMEBOL might not be perfect but at least they know how to run the Copa Lib, Copa Sud, and Copa America. On the other hand Jack Warner can't run a club competition or a national team one.