Congratulations to the young winner of our Copa America competition!

Ryan Allison, 13, correctly predicted that Uruguay would win the Copa America before the group stages had even kicked off. Ryan is now the proud owner of a Leo Messi signed Adidas F50 boot. Here he is with his prize!

With Liverpool Icon Luis Suarez on fire throughout the tournament, Uruguay claimed their first Copa America title since 1995 after defeating Paraguay 3-0 in the final in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Thank you to everyone who entered. With more giveaways and competitions to follow, make sure you keep your eyes peeled and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Well the Copa America has now been and gone, having thrown up some interesting suprises along the way!

To coincide with the historic tournament, Icons were giving a way an Adidas football boot, personally signed by the greatest player in the world today, Leo Messi. All our winner had to do, was correctly predict the winner of the competition.

 

Last night it was Uruguay who took home the coverted Copa America trophy, for a record 15th time. We have emailed Ryan, our lucky random winner who correctly predicted Uruguay.

Thank you to all of our fans on Facebook, followers on Twitter and subscribers to our newsletter who entered the competition.

 

Highlights of Luis Suarez and the boys' celebrations last night can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG0-1ppIOwg

 

In the second in a series of guest blogs for Icons, Daniel Colasimone, editor of the excellent Argentina Football World, gets to the root of Argentina's Copa America failure. 

There was little improvement to be noted in Argentina’s second game against Colombia. I had bussed it up to the city of Santa Fe the previous day with my ‘Hand of Pod’ colleague Dan Edwards, not knowing whether we would be allowed into the game or not.

Even accredited journalists are required by tournament organisers to apply for tickets to each game, and we often do not find out whether we’re in or not until the day before – which has caused quite a lot of inconvenience for those of us travelling around for games. Being (relatively) young and (allegedly) reckless, we decided to risk it, and in on every occasion we have ended up with match tickets.    

The Selección once again lacked cohesion against a promising young Colombian team in the atmospheric stadium known as ‘The Elephant’s Graveyard’. Again, Messi probed, the strikers missed chances and Batista switched between his two stock formations. In the end, Argentina were lucky to escape with a 0-0 draw, with Colombia looking more likely to score in the second half.

Notably, the Santa Fe crowd, who had been so supportive to begin with, began to turn on their own team. Messi’s head dropped noticeably as he was well marshalled by the excellent Colombians, especially defensive midfielder Carlos Sanchez.

The roadshow of mediocrity moved on to Cordoba, the blondest city in Argentina due to a high proportion of families with German blood. ‘Che’ Guevara spent most of his childhood there, and perhaps Batista was overwhelmed by a similar revolutionary zeal when he decided to drop Tevez, Lavezzi, Cambiasso and Banega for Agüero, Di Maria, Gago and Higuain and fully embrace the least worst of his two plans, the 4-2-1-3 attacking formation, for the must-win match against Costa Rica.

The renamed and revamped Mario Alberto Kempes stadium proved to be a booming stronghold, with the boisterous locals expressing their support for Argentina, and Messi especially. ‘Messi, we believe in you’ and ‘Messi: They talk a lot, but they know little’ were two of the banners displayed by fans, after the Barcelona man had once again unfairly been allotted much of the blame for Argentina’s shoddy performances so far by certain clueless factions of the local media.

And the little genius repaid the people of Cordoba in kind. He turned in an astounding performance, setting up a dozen gilt-edged goalscoring opportunities for his strikers. If they had not been so wasteful, the game could have finished 8-0. As it was, Argentina won by three clear goals, and qualified for the quarter finals.

Their inability to finish first in Group A meant that instead of staying in Cordoba for the quarter finals, Edwards and I had to roadtrip it back to Santa Fe where Argentina would take on fellow Copa America heavy hitters Uruguay. 

Tomorrow, the final part of Daniel's analysis will offer 5 simple reasons why Argentina failed. You can read Part One here.

 

In the first of a series of guest blogs for Icons, Daniel Colasimone, editor of the excellent Argentina Football World, gets to the root of Argentina's Copa America failure. 

Having travelled around to watch Argentina’s four games in this Copa America the recurring theme surrounding their insipid campaign seems to have been not so much the lack of a game plan but the lack of tactical flexibility required to discover an effective game plan.

Coach Sergio Batista, after a honeymoon period lasting several months, was on the receiving end of heavy criticism from the local press leading into the tournament. Some of it was justified.

Batista failed badly on the man-management side of things, especially regarding the Carlos Tevez affair. After insisting for months that Tevez was surplus to requirements, on the eve of the tournament, Batista did a complete about face and named the Manchester City forward in his squad. He even went so far as to select him in his starting line-up for the opening two games.

Hollow press conferences where he spoke without conveying any actual information and a penchant for posting kitschy pictures on Twitter further estranged Batista from the Argentine media. Going into the tournament, Batista's ideas for the national team did not seem too outrageous at all, at least in my mind. He spoke of exploiting Argentina's greatest asset, Lionel Messi, to his full potential.

He spoke of a Barcelona-style formation, designed to allow Messi to feel most comfortable and to take advantage of Argentina’s abundance of adept passing midfielders and skilful forwards. Batista’s ‘Plan B’, should the Barcelona-cloned 4-3-3 fail to function, would be to switch to a 4-2-1-3, with Messi as enganche (playmaker) behind three forwards. Well and good.

The Selección’s first match was against supposed whipping boys Bolivia in the shiny, roofed La Plata stadium. It’s a newly improved stadium, unique in Argentina that it is not rundown and exposed to the elements, but also in that it lacks much of the atmosphere of most grounds here.

Batista made his first tactical mistake before the match started by, as I’ve already mentioned, shoehorning the people’s choice, Carlos Tevez into the starting XI in place of Angel Di Maria, who had started on the left side of attack in recent friendlies. His midfield three was Javier Mascherano, Ever Banega and Esteban Cambiasso; all ‘number fives’ ostensibly – defensive midfielders with passing ability – with Messi in the ‘false 9’ role in the centre of the front three.

Cambiasso was curiously the midfielder usually found furthest forward, however, rather than the player expected to combine most with Messi, Banega. It didn’t work, and Argentina looked just as lacking in team fluidity as during last year’s World Cup.

Messi left defenders for dead but found nobody to link up with. Tevez went on solo runs that were easily halted by well-positioned defenders. There was no overriding thought pattern linking everything together.

At half time Batista switched to Plan B, bringing on Di Maria for Cambiasso, but Bolivia had scored within minutes of the restart. Argentina at least looked more dangerous, and eventually levelled through substitute Kun Agüero who volleyed in superbly. Bolivia, however, held on for the draw.

Perhaps Bolivia had come to this Copa America with a newfound resolve? Perhaps they would be the surprise packets of the tournament? We would find out in later group games that it was in fact a very limited Bolivian outfit, further damning Argentina’s performance in retrospect.

A post-match interview with one of the Argentine players may have taken the edge of the freezing polar winds that could be felt in all corners of the Estadio Único, but the mixed zone turned out to be an unregulated zoo. Short of crowd surfing my way to the front, there was no way of getting a word with Mascherano, Agüero and co. 

Stay tuned next week for Parts Two and Three of Daniel's assessment of Argentina's Copa America shambles...

 

Well, we did ask for it. After spending last week previewing the Copa America, eulogising the South American game and salivating over the array of talent that was going on display, it was inevitable that the first round of fixtures would turn up with a touch of the damp squibs. But whilst none of the 'Big 3' showed up, there's still plenty to talk, moan and speculate about, which is what we'll be doing in our round up. Don't forget, we're running a Copa America competition on the blog and also have a whole range of Copa goodies in our online store. 

Group A

In a tournament that has traditionally been very kind to the hosts, we were expecting Argentina to cruise through a group that looks straightforward on paper. Since their 1-1 draw with minnows Bolivia, though, there have been calls for the head of coach Sergio Batista. Argentina have often been slow starters (Cameroon 1990, anyone?) and fans could do well to remember that Bolivia trounced them 6-1 in the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and although Batista doesn't curry favour like Diego, they should still bounce back. Icons' own Sergio Aguero looked brilliant after coming off the bench, scoring a fantastic equalising volley. With the first choice triumvirate of Messi, Lavezzi and Tevez coming in for particular criticism back home (Messi unluckily so), he could force his way into the starting line-up. Bolivia, on the other hand, were fantastic. They had a gameplan to stifle the hosts and stuck to it, seeking out Marcelo Martins on the break and eventually getting lucky when Edvaldo Rojas' flick was deflected into his own net by Ever Banega. They should take heart from an encouraging opening performance.

In the other game, Colombia defeated a severely depleted Costa Rica side by a single goal. Again, though, the headlines were all about the poor show put on by the supposed star players. Coming off the back of an extraordinary season with Porto, Rademal Falcao was expected to take the tournament by storm, but looked subdued throughout before being withdrawn in the second half. Indeed, Costa Rica looked the more likely to score until Randall Brenes was sent off on the half hour mark. Adrian Ramos scored soon after to seal the points and provisional top spot in the group for the Colombians, but they'll have to improve if they're to see make a real impact on the tournament.

Group B

If Argentina being held to a 1-1 draw was a surprise, then the sight of Brazil failing to score against Venezuela, traditionally the continent's weakest side, was stupifying. The defending champions certainly had chances. Alexandre Pato hit the bar and Mano Menezes' side could have had a penalty for handball close to half time. Despite some good link up play between Neymar and Pato, the Brazilians were frustrating and as Venezuela grew in confidence, they stretched their illustrious opponents in the second half and had several half chances to secure the victory themselves. As it was, neither side could break the deadlock and Menezes has since faced similar criticism to Batista from his homeland. The Brazilian press are insistent that despite wholesale changes to the lineup, the side has not progressed since the Dunga era. Anything but a victory in their next game against Paraguay is unthinkable.

Paraguay, too, are desperate for the points after their 0-0 draw with Ecuador left Group B still seeking its first goal. The game was arguably the worst of the six played, with little in the way of quality shown by either side. 

Group C

Uruguay were fancied by many before the tournament's kick off, but they too struggled to get out of the blocks, drawing 1-1 with a spirited Peru side. The goals came from Luis Suarez (Uruguay) and Jose Paolo Guerrero (Peru), both of whom we tipped to shine last week. In what was perhaps the liveliest of all the drawn games, Peru struck first when Hamburg's Guerrero slotted home a through ball in the 23rd minute. Suarez stepped up to convert a fantastic pass from Nicolás Lodeiro (our One to Watch) to even things up, but neither side were able to step on and seize the three points. 

It was down to Chile, then, to provide the best entertainment of the opening exchanges. Shorn of the gung ho managerial stylings of Marcelo Bielsa, we were unsure what to expect from the 2011 edition, but their neat passing and tidy movement was at times a joy to behold. It was the Mexicans, though, who took the lead. Having triumphed in the Gold Cup earlier this summer, they let most of their star players go on holiday and fielded an experimental, inexperienced lineup. Nestor Araujo gave them the advantage against the run of play in the first half after Chile (most notably star striker Humberto Suazo) had missed a host of chances. It was left for substitute Esteban Paredes and Arturo Vidal to score the two second half goals Chile deserved, but they will need to improve their finishing if they have real designs on causing an upset. 

As for our predictions...well, Icons' own Dan Jamieson is leading the chase. Our MD tipped Chile to win and Luis Suarez to top score and whilst it's still early days, they are looking like sage choices indeed. Here's hoping for an exponential increase in quality when we get to round two.

 

Tim Vickery, the BBC's South American correspondent, has a surefire way to avoid being wrong, with his oft recited adage of: "Always make your predictions after the event." Well call us foolhardy, but we in the Icons office love a good prediction and having built up towards tonight's Copa America opener all week, we've been itching to throw in our two cents. Not only that, but we've been rifling through our battered old contacts book (well, Twitter) and enlisting some of the most respected names in sports journalism and blogging to offer theirs, too. They're a brave lot, unafraid of eggy faces and we'd like to thank them all for participating. Why don't you let us know your thoughts on the footballing carnival of the summer? Tweet us, or get us on Facebook, but before doing so, you might want to brush up on your tournament knowledge with Parts One, Two and Three of our Copa America 2011 preview. Also, don't forget to check out our fantastic Copa America competition, where you can win a signed Messi boot and the Copa America section of our online store. Now, let's get on with it.

Dan Jamieson 

Dan is the Managing Director of Icons. He is also player / chairman of Grantchester Road and a lifelong Liverpool fan.

Winner: Chile
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer: Luis Suarez (Uruguay)

Ben Soley 

Ben is the Icons Marketing and Promotions Executive and another Liverpool fan (they're everywhere!).

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Argentina
Top Scorer: Neymar (Brazil)

Finbarr Bermingham

Finbarr is the editorial intern at Icons, the guy who mans the Twitter desk and an Arsenal supporter.

Winner: Uruguay
Runner Up: Argentina
Top Scorer: Radamel Falcao (Colombia)

Follow Finbarr on Twitter

Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan is the author of three books about football, Behind The Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football, Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics and The Anatomy of England: A History in Ten Matches. He is the editor of The Blizzard and writes regularly for The Guardian, Sports Illustrated, The Independent and many more. He is an occasional guest on the Guardian's Football Weekly podcast and the BBC's World Football Phone In.

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer: Alexandre Pato (Brazil)

Follow Jonathan on Twitter

Kat Petersen

Kat is a sub-editor of the aforementioned Blizzard and is currently accompanying Jonathan at the Copa America.

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer: Alexandre Pato (Brazil)

Andy Brassell

Andy is a football journalist and an expert on European football. He works for the BBC as their European football correspondent, appearing regularly on the World Football Phone In on 5Live and on BBC World's World Football Review. He also writes for ESPN Soccernet, The Blizzard, The Independent and many more. He is the author of the book All or Nothing: A Season in the Life of the Champions League.

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Mexico
Top Scorer: Falcao (Colombia)

Follow Andy on Twitter

Luke Moore

Luke is a writer, producer, broadcaster and pundit. He is a co-founder, co-producer and co-presenter of The Football Ramble and has appeared on ESPN's Talk of the Terrace, BBC Radio London, BBC 5Live, ITV.com and Sky News.

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Argentina
Top Scorer: Humberto Suazo (Chile)

Follow Luke on Twitter

Marcus Speller 

Marcus is the presenter and broadcaster of The Football Ramble. He has occasionally appeared on Sky News as a pundit and is also a stand up comedian.

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Brazil
Top Scorer: Humberto Suazo (Chile)

Follow Marcus on Twitter

Dan Brennan

Dan is the owner of Libero Language Lab, which provides translation services to the sports industry. He also writes for FourFourTwo, When Saturday Comes, Champions, World Soccer Digest and other publications.

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Brazil
Top Scorer: Leo Messi (Argentina)

Follow Dan on Twitter

Guillem Balagué

Guillem is a football journalist and a regular pundit of Sky Sports' Revisita de la Liga. He has contributed to The Times, The Observer and The Metro and is renowned for breaking transfer stories via his personal website

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Brazil
Top Scorer: Leo Messi (Argentina)

Follow Guillem on Twitter

Paolo Bandini

Paolo works for the Guardian's sports desk and writes weekly columns on Serie A and the NFL. You can hear him regularly on the Guardian's Football Weekly podcast

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer: Edison Cavani (Uruguay)

Follow Paolo on Twitter

Rupert Fryer

Rupert is a journalist and a South American football expert. He is the editor of the South American Football website and writes for the Guardian, The Observer, The Football Ramble, Goal.com, Sport 360 and Fox Soccer

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer: Neymar (Brazil)

Follow Rupert on Twitter

Iain MacIntosh

Iain is a football journalist who writes for the New Paper (Singapore), Sports Illustrated, The Irish Examiner and OPM. He appears on the Red, White and Blue podcast.

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer: Neymar (Brazil)

Follow Iain on Twitter

Adrian Clarke

Adrian is a former Arsenal player and a football journalist. He is the former news editor of Icons and has co-commentated for Arsenal TV. He is the owner of Sport Media Solutions.

Winner: Uruguay
Runner Up: Brazil
Top Scorer: Neymar (Brazil)

Follow Adrian on Twitter

Scott Wilson

Scott is the Chief Sports Writer for The Northern Echo

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer: Alexandre Pato (Brazil)

Follow Scott on Twitter

Huw Davies

Huw is a staff writer, blogger and sub-editor at Four Four Two and the author of The Week Spot blog.

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Mexico
Top Scorer: Alexis Sanchez

Follow Huw on Twitter

John Timmins

John is a Senior Designer for London 2010 Olympics and the goalkeeper for Grantchester Road FC.

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Mexico 
Top Scorer: Neymar (Brazil)

Dr Lee Watson

Dr Watson is the agent of Guillem Balagué.

Winner: Uruguay 
Runner Up: Argentina
Top Scorer: Edison Cavani (Uruguay)

Simon Jalie

Simon is a freelance journalist and La Liga expert who writes for Soccer International.

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Brazil
Top Scorer: Leo Messi (Argentina)

Follow Simon on Twitter

Daniel Colasimone

Daniel is a football writer and the editor of Argentina Football World.

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Unspecified
Top Scorer: Leo Messi (Argentina)

Follow Daniel on Twitter

James Appell

James is a sports writer, travel journalist and Russiaphile. He writes for ITV and The Football Ramble.

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Brazil
Top Scorer: Edison Cavani (Uruguay)

Follow James on Twitter

David Hartrick

David is the co-editor of the football website In Bed With Maradona.

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Argentina
Top Scorer: Neymar (Brazil)

Follow David on Twitter

Sam Kelly

Sam is a Buenos Aires based football writer who contributes to ESPN Soccernet, When Saturday Comes and In Bed With Maradona. He is also the producer of the Hand of Pod podcast.

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Argentina
Top Scorer: Luis Suarez (Uruguay)

Follow Sam on Twitter

David Cartlidge

David is a Spanish football expert and co-editor of Spanish Football.

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer: Neymar (Brazil)

Follow David on Twitter

Mark Sylvester 

Mark is a freelance football journalist who writes for BT Vision. He was the ghostwriter of Henrik Larsson's biography

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Chile
Top Scorer: Carlos Tevez (Argentina)

Carl Lyons

Carl is the Marketing Director of Top Table

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer:.Leo Messi (Argentina)

Dale Robinson

Dale is a Global Marketing Executive for TOFFS, the world's leading supplier of retro football shirts.

Winner: Uruguay
Runner Up: Colombia
Top Scorer: Radamel Falcao (Colombia)

James McDaid

James is the editor of the 2Footed football blog.

Winner: Brazil
Runner Up: Argentina
Top Scorer: Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

Follow James on Twitter

Ghost Goal

Ghost Goal is a football website edited by Oli Baker and Adam Bate. The pair started the site after growing frustrated at the perceived narrow scope of the mainstream football media. Ghost Goal was named as one of the Guardian's 100 Best Football Blogs and the pair have written for ITV, When Saturday Comes, CalcioItalia, Soccerlens, In Bed With Maradona and more.

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Brazil
Top Scorer: Edison Cavani

Follow Ghost Goal on Twitter

Laura England

Laura is the main buyer of Sports Endeavours, the US soccer partner of Icons

Winner: Argentina
Runner Up: Uruguay
Top Scorer: Falcao

England may have declared itself to be the 'Home of Football', but there's undoubtedly a place on Earth where the spirit of the game is at its most pure. South America has never failed to serve us up the kind of football we crave: slick, passionate, skilful and entertaining and our love affair with their brand of the beautiful game shows no sign of losing its spark: the internet has been positively ablaze with anticipation ahead of tomorrow's Copa America kick off. Continuing our tournament theme, today we've got a preview of Group C, featuring some of the most exciting names in the competition. Don't forget to visit the Copa America section of our online store, where we've got signed shirts, boots and photos of some of the biggest names in the competition's history.

Uruguay

 

The history: Despite spending a few decades in the doldrums on the world stage, Uruguay are one of the most successful nations in South American football. Twice World Cup winners, they've also won the joint most Copas along with Argentina (14). Their last victory, though, was in 1995, an anomaly they'll be hoping to remedy in Argentina this year. Indeed, this rejuvenated side is almost certainly the most talented to come from Uruguay in decades. Having reached the World Cup Semi Finals last year, they'll fancy their chances.

The star players: The Uruguayans arrive in Argentina with a seriously strong squad. Big names come in the form of Diego Forlan and Edison Cavani, whilst Icons' favourite Luis Suarez (above) made a huge impression on the Premier League following his January move to Liverpool from Ajax. They've got top level experience all over the park and will take some beating.

One to watch: Wily veteran Oscar Tabarez has fused youth and experience in this exciting outfit. Abel Hernandez finished an injury hit season at Palermo in fine fashion, although he may struggle to dislodge the established forward line. Keep your eyes peeled for Nicolas Lodeiro, who is on the books of Ajax and has been linked in the past with a move to Liverpool.

Impress your mates: In 1975, an international match between Chile and Uruguay was abandoned after 19 players were sent off.

Chile

 

The history: Chile have surprisingly never won the Copa America, with their best performances coming as runners up on four occasions. An impressive World Cup performance with Marco Bielsa at the helm brought this thrilling current generation of players to the attention of the world and despite the manic coach's departure, they'll be confident of making it through to the knock out rounds.

The star players: Alexis Sánchez (pictured) has been the name on everyone's lips this summer. The attacker lit up Serie A last season as part of an exhilarating Udinese side. He's said to be on the verge of a move to Barcelona, where he will be in excellent company. Humberto Suazo has a terrific goalscoring record at club and international level and could reap the dividend of Sánchez's expert service.

One to watch: He may lack the silky skills of Sánchez and the finishing prowess of Suazo, but Gary Medel's tough tackling and no nonsense distribution has earned him the title of 'The Chilean Gattuso'. The midfielder moved to Sevilla from his homeland in the January transfer window and should provide the platform for his more illustrious teammates to thrive upon.

Impress your mates: The Estadio Nacional in Santiago was used as a prison camp for political opponents of General Pinochet, following his seizure of power in 1973. 

Peru

 

The history: The Peruvian national side have lifted the Copa America twice, in 1939 and 1975 - the only final games they've ever played in. Memories of the golden generation of the 1970s have faded and with the retirement of Nolberto Solano and injuries to key players, Peru's prospects in 2011 aren't looking too hot.

The star players: Claudio Pizarro and Jefferson Farfan have been ruled out of the competition with injuries, so goalscoring responsibility lands firmly in the lap of Paulo Guerrero (above). The striker has impressed sporadically in his time in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and Hamburg, but will need to hit the ground running if they are to qualify from a difficult group.

One to watch: Uncapped forward André Carrillo has just been snapped up by Sporting Lisbon and may be given an unexpected opportunity to shine in Argentina. In what's an inexperienced squad, though, many of the youth players will be asked to step up to the plate.

Impress your mates: Star man Guerrero was fined up to €100,000 for launching his water bottle at one of his own team's fans last year. The Hamburg fan, who was said to have been abusing Guerrero, was hit square in the face.

Mexico

The history: Perennially invited to the Copa America, Mexico have been to the final twice, the last time losing to hosts Colombia in 2001. They've got a great international pedigree, but one wonders about the wisdom of having them along in Gold Cup year. 

The star players: Having triumphed in said Gold Cup earlier this month, the Mexicans are shorn of almost all of their big name players. They've taken ten uncapped players with the only exile being Gio Dos Santos. He may have gone flat during his time with Spurs, but the former Barca starlet has always thrived at international level, making us wonder just what he's done to annoy Harry Redknapp.

One to watch: There are any amount of potential stars on the Mexican panel. Oribe Peralta has a decent goalscoring record in his homeland, so we're tipping him to get amongst the goals in Argentina.

Impress your mates: Giovani Dos Santos was the subject of a musical tribute with a difference, courtesy of Mexican pop star Belinda. She penned a song about losing her virginity to the Spurs forward and complimented the ballad with a tattoo on her ankle. Unfortunately for Belinda, the pair have split. We have no idea what happened the tattoo.

 

Yesterday, we kicked off our coverage of the Copa America with a preview of Group A, featuring Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia and Costa Rica. Today, the focus shifts to Group B, featuring bookies' second favourites Brazil. Let's see what the group has in store. Don't forget, you can view our full range of Copa America merchandise by visiting our main site. 

Brazil

 

The history: Despite being the most successful nation on the global stage, Brazil have historically flattered to deceive at continental level. They've won just eight Championships, compared with 14 each for Uruguay and Argentina. That said, four of those eight have come in the last five editions, with the Brazilians winning each of the last two. They will be going into the tournament with every intention of improving on a disappointing 2010 World Cup in South Africa, so write them off at your peril.

The star players: All the talk in the run up to this one has been about the boy wonder, Neymar Santos (pictured above after scoring recently against Scotland). As he looks set to seal a big money move abroad, the Copa America could prove to be the perfect shopping window. Along with captain Lucio, Robinho, whose early career followed a similar trajectory to Neymar, is the most experienced member of the squad. He has just undergone a season of rejuvenation under Massimiliano Allegri at AC Milan and the pair together could be dynamite.

One to watch: Scouts had been flocking to Brazil to see Paulo Henrique Ganso turn out for Santos until a long term knee injury struck him down last summer. On the comeback trail, he's been linked with a big money move to Milan in January. Tall, elegant and with a sublime touch, we're hoping Ganso will show us what all the fuss is about in Argentina.

Impress your mates: Brazil's former coach Dunga is so called because that's the Portuguese for Dopey. His uncle coined the name when Dunga was a kid as he believed he'd never grow beyond the size of Snow White's favourite Dwarf.

Ecuador

 

The history: Not only have Ecuador failed to win the Copa America, they've never even made the final. Their best performance was reserved for 1993's tournament, when they reached the last four as the hosts. The statistic is surprising, considering the Ecuador side of the past ten years is widely regarded as their best ever. But with many of them now in retirement, it's a team in transition.

The star players: The squad is largely home based, but there are a couple of names that fans of European football will recognise. Luis Antonio Valencia (above) is their star man and having impressed on his return from injury towards the end of Manchester United's season, he'll be hoping for a busy tournament. Top scorer Christian Benitez, too, has a point to prove, following an indifferent spell on loan at Birmingham City two seasons ago. 

One to watch: Eyebrows were raised when Sven-Goran Eriksson splashed out £5million on Felipe Caicedo in 2008. He failed to make an impact at Manchester City, but has impressed many since his move to Spain, where his goals kept Levante in La Liga. Keep your eyes peeled for the big front man.

Impress your mates: Ecuadorian football was rocked in the build up to the 2006 World Cup when the team's doctor was found to be 'people smuggling' by issuing fake visas to people trying to escape the country, under the national team banner. 

Paraguay

 

The history: Paraguay have won the Copa America twice: way back in 1953 and 1979 and have failed to make the Semi Final since 1989. After making the World Cup Quarter Final last year, though, they will be hoping to maintain their good tournament form.

The star player: Despite his stalled career in England, Roque Santa Cruz is the darling of the Paraguayan faithful. We're excited to see Lucas Barrios (pictured), though. Born in Argentina, he gained Paraguayan citizenship just before the World Cup and has just had an excellent season in Germany, helping Borussia Dortmund waltz to the Bundesliga title.

One to watch: Paraguay have triumphed at the Milk Cup, one of the world's premier youth tournaments, three times in the last ten years and the current squad is built around those teams. Having spent his formative years in Germany, we're looking to Nelson Valdez (now 27) to make good on the promise of his youth.

Impress your mates: One of Paraguay's star players, the prolific Salvador Cabanas, was shot in the head in the run up to the 2010 World Cup, whilst in a bar in Mexico City. Cabanas has not played since.

Venezuela

 

The history: Venezuela have traditionally been the runt of the South American litter, having never qualified for a World Cup and only making out of the Copa America group stages once (2007 - as hosts). Development of football in the northerly nation has been impressive, though, with investment in infrastructure coinciding with real progression in player quality.

The star players: The undisputed star of Venezuelan football is Juan Arango, who is now plying his trade with Borussia Monchengladbach having spent five successful years with Real Mallorca in Spain. As captain and talisman, Arango will need to be at his inspired best if Venezuela are to progress.

One to watch: Well, two actually. Our attention has been drawn to a couple of starlets in the Venezuelan squad: namely José Rondón and Yohandry Orozco. Rondón was one of the bright sparks in a disappointing season for newly minted Malaga in Spain's La Liga, whereas Orozco has been snapped up by Felix Magath's Wolfsburg in Germany.

Impress your mates: Between their initial entry to the series in 1966 and their defeat of Ecuador in 1994, Venezuela registered only one victory in South America's World Cup Qualifiers. The win came over Bolivia in 1982.

Keep reading to get our final group preview tomorrow and don't forget to enter our fantastic Copa America competition this way.

It wouldn't be summer without an international tournament and after the relative let down that was the 2010 World Cup, the lense is coming into focus over the continent of South America. The Copa America 2011 is almost here and it promises to be one of the best in living memory.

In the run up to Friday's kick off, we're going to be giving you a daily dose of previews, providing team by team guides. We'll be offering tips and suggestions as to who to watch out for and telling you who we think the Icons of Copa America 2011 are going to be. Today, we start with Group A.

Argentina

 

The history: Alongside Uruguay, Argentina are the most successful team in Copa America history with 14 wins. Their last victory, though, was Ecuador '93 when a side inspired by all time greats Batistuta and Redondo defeated Mexico in the final. Defeated finalists last time out, La Albiceleste will be hoping substance trumps style on the big stage, having flattered to deceive in major tournaments of late.

The star players: Where to start with this current crop? The conveyer belt of Argentinian playmakers has been in overdrive of late... you can take your pick from Icons' own Leo Messi and Kun Aguero (above), Carlos Tevez and Angel Di Maria,  Diego Milito and Javier Pastore.

One to watch: Ever Banega has been pulling up trees in La Liga with Valencia this season. This is a chance for the classy midfielder to make his mark on the international stage.

Impress your mates:The great Fernando Redondo missed Argentina's 1998 finals campaign because he refused to obey coach Daniel Passarella's instructions to cut his hair.

Colombia

 

The history: The Colombians have a surprisingly poor record in the Copa America, despite churning out some of the continent's finest exports over the years. Their sole victory came on home soil in 2001, when they beat Mexico 1-0 in the final. Perhaps one of their most notorious contributions to the tournament's history was when eccentric, goalscoring 'keeper Jorge Campos threw a hilarious hissy fit after scoring an own goal against Venezuela in 1995.

The star players: Since the appointment of Andre Villas Boas as Chelsea boss, Radamel Falcao (above) of Porto has been strongly linked with the London club. Alongside Brazilian Hulk, he has been prolific in front of goal over the past season, firing a record 18 goals in the Europa League.

One to watch: Premier League fans will be interested to see how Wigan's Hugo Rodallega cuts it on the international stage, whilst there has been some clamour for the signature of Udinese defender Cristian Zapata over recent weeks.

Impress your mates: Colombia were involved in the highest scoring draw in World Cup history: a 4-4 tie with the Soviet Union way back in 1962.

Bolivia

 

The history: Bolivia are traditionally one of the weakest of the South American nations and are currently on an unenviable run of not winning a game since 1997. They have, however, lifted the trophy - way back in 1963 and it's no coincidence that their best performances have been on the extreme altitude of home soil. 

The star players: The majority of the Bolivian players ply their trade within the country, meaning outside South America they are something of an unknown quantity. Again, fans of Wigan may recognise the striker Marcelo Martins (above), who played on loan for them last season. Bolivia's highest profile player, he's been on the books of Shakhtar Donetsk since 2008 without really making a breakthrough.

One to watch: As one of the youngest players of the tournament, it might be worth keeping your eye on Juan Carlos Arce.

Impress your mates: In 2007, a physiotherapist admitted prescribing Viagra to the Bolivian national team to help them play at high altitude in the capital of La Paz.

Costa Rica

 

The history: Costa Rica are taking part in their fourth Copa America, having been invited to replace Japan following the earthquake and tsunami tragedies earlier this year. Despite being outsiders, their record is respectable and the Central Americans have twice been quarter finalists.

The star players: ... are all at home. Having competed in the Gold Cup earlier this summer, the squad taken by Ricardo La Volpe is young and experimental, with no household names. Randall Brenes (pictured) is the squad's top scorer with four international goals, but this should be a learning curve for all involved.

One to watch: Take your pick. There are nine uncapped players in the squad and only three have reached double figures for appearances. 

Impress your mates: The worst turnout for a Football World Cup qualifier was recorded in Costa Rica in 2006, when no one at all turned up to watch Costa Rica play Panama in a CONCACAF qualifier.

Don't forget to visit tomorrow to get your Group B Preview. Also, check out our fantastic range of Copa America merchandise, featuring Maradona, Messi, Kaka, Aguero, Suarez and Passarella.

 

The premier football festival of the summer is about to get underway. To coincide with this summer's Copa America in Argentina, Icons are giving away one of the most sought after pieces of footwear in the world today. We're offering an Adidas football boot, officially signed by the greatest player in the world today, Leo Messi, to fans of Icons on Facebook, followers on Twitter and subscribers to our newsletter.

 

All you have to do to is to answer this simple question:

 

Who will win the 2011 Copa America?

 

Email your answers to finbarr@icons.com by July 23rd to be in with a chance of winning. And remember, the winner will be selected from followers of Icons on Twitter, fans on Facebook and subscribers to our newsletter. So what are you waiting for? Good luck!

 

 

Terms and Conditions

Entries must be submitted by July 23rd

Entries must 'Like' Icons on Facebook, sign up for the Icons newsletter or 'follow' Icons on Twitter

A winner will be picked at random from all of the entries

All entrants will be added to the Icons' Newsletter mailing list

The prize will be despatched within 28 days of the competition's close.