Every four years, football writers from around the world will be whimsically redeployed from their usual stations and assigned to the Copa America, CONMEBOL’s continental competition in which Argentina and Uruguay reign supreme. Mandatory column inches are filled with empty statements and verbose nothingness, playing on global stereotypes and hinged on whatever relevance can be mustered to European audiences. Meanwhile, those who still intoxicate themselves with that idealistic and pure endeavour once known as journalism actually leave their bedrooms, dare to do some research, and provide insights that made each one seem like a 21st century Nostradamus.
Predictions along the lines of ‘Peru won’t get out of their group’, ‘fans aren’t happy with Ecuador’s Head Coach’, and, ‘the US still have a long way to go’ made these journalists prescient oracles when Peru in fact exited bottom of their group without scoring, Felix Sanchez Bas was dismissed by Ecuador after a quarterfinal exit, and the hosts USA failed to get out of their group and promptly started lifting their skirts in the direction of Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino.
The bravest writers, perhaps giddy from the fresh air found on leaving the house, quietly whispered that Venezuela could end the tournament as overachieving underdogs. With Salomon Rondón rottweiling up front and Yeferson Soteldo poodling in behind, the silently heralded next generation had reference points of experience and excellence to leash onto.
Teenage sensation Kervin Andrade, who had notched up more goal involvements in Brazilian football (11) than Endrick (6) so far in 2024, was called up, as was Jon Aramburu (Real Sociedad, La Liga) and Telasco Segovia (Casa Pia, Liga Portugal). On a five-game unbeaten run and sitting fourth in World Cup qualifying, there was no need to embellish Venezuela’s credentials – they just needed to be heard in the first place.
In typical fashion, the Venezuelan Football…
Source link : https://www.footballparadise.com/venezuelas-copa-america-built-on-faith-but-broken-by-misfortune/
Author : Jordan Florit
Publish date : 2024-08-29 13:29:57
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