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Copa America


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They actually messed up the anthems again, the philistines.

 

Did they play the Uruguayan one this time? Is Donald Trump in charge of the anthems list? "Well they all look like Mexicans anyway."

 

Sampaoli was the architect of Chile's success. They are a shell of a team with him gone.

 

Sampaoli was the coach when they won last year's Copa, but the team's playing style has its roots in Marcelo Bielsa's reign as coach. Sampaoli is regarded as a Bielsa protege. I think Chile are missing both Valdivia and Mati Fernandez.

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I think Chile are missing both Valdivia and Mati Fernandez.

 

Certainly need one of them playing just to have a second player in the final third that can dribble with the ball, more than anything else. That said, the entire midfield was shit against Argentina, and Mena was pure Moreno. 

 

Odd sort of game really, neither side looked at the races.

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They won nothing with Bielsa and are an absolute disaster with the new guy. "Architect of success" was probably the wrong expression. Let's just say Sampaoli took them to another level that they may never match again.

 

Yes, you were wrong.

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Have a real soft spot for the Copa America as it was my first chance to see top-class footballers in person and not on the telly.

 

Growing up in Bolivia, a Wilstermann match was as close as I could get, and let's just say once you've watched the Argentine league (the choice of "big leagues" for most Bolivians) you can't really go back to watching that dross with much satisfaction.  But then it was our turn to host the Copa America in 1997.

 

Teenaged Ne Moe Imya was QUITE excited when my Dad told me he had managed to get tickets for the doubleheader (yes, they played two games back to back and sold one ticket for both of them) in Cochabamba, where we were living at the time.  I think it was Ecuador vs. Paraguay and then Chile vs. Colombia, though my memory could be wrong.  My heroes of Bolivia and Brasil (I was born in Brasil) were playing in the bigger cities but still - international football!

 

Unfortunately the games were dross, the one exception being in the Paraguay game.  At the time they were captained by Chilavert, well-renowned around the world for being a top keeper as well as a 'charismatic' (read: bit of a selfish gobshite) player.  About 60 minutes into a very dull 0-0 draw, a number of Paraguay fans in the upper tier started to chant "Chilavert! Chilavert!" (Paraguayans aren't much for creativity in their chants.)

 

So, showman that he is, the great man comes out of his box and starts to wave at the crowd.  This, of course, prompts a reaction and more chanting, so he starts to take his eye off the game and just play to the crowd, as the ball was up the other end of the pitch.  

 

About the time he was most distracted (it was only 10 seconds or so, but it was enough), one of the Ecuadorians nicked the ball about 60 yards out.  He spotted Chilavert way, waaaay off his line outside his own box and launched a shot.  The panic in the goalkeeper's body language was hilarious - he almost lost his balance, Harper-style, trying to turn around.  

 

Credit to him, though; he got back just in time to tip the ball past the post to avoid what would have been the great comedy goals of all time.  And that is my abiding memory of the 1997 Copa America (well, that and the fact that my two favourite teams made the final, forcing me to choose between the land of my birth and the land of my childhood - Bolivia won out for my support but not in the actual game).

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