Futbol In The Americas (The Series)

By JC at February 23, 2012 | 6:30 am | Print

 

This is my introduction to a new series where I’ll profile every futbol playing country in the Americas, their soccer history, World Cup history, the players of yesteryear along with the present and their futures.

The fact that soccer is big in the Americas is a no brainer. The reason soccer is as popular as it is is that it’s the only professional sport in most of these countries: The only  sport played in the streets by kids of all ages. And, until very recently, soccer was really the only chance at a professional career the majority of the athletes in most countries had, I believe that’s one of the big reasons why soccer is so big in practically every other country and not here in the states. Growing up here in the USA you have many choices, several of them incredibly well paid at the professional level, and some of the best athletes that could have gone on to soccer careers will choose the more popular sports such as football and basketball. In the Americas, in the absence of football, basketball and baseball, the best athletes will naturally gravitate to soccer by default.

The soccer history of the Americas may not be as glamorous or alluring as the soccer history from Europe, but to me it’s just as important, it has shaped world soccer as we currently know it. With this series not only are we going to profile the big powerhouses such as Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, but we want to introduce you to some of the best lesser known soccer countries, along with some of the greatest players you probably never heard of.

I’ll start by going over some of the Confederations and tournaments you need to know:

CONFEDERATIONS

• CONMEBOL: The South American Futbol Confederation, It was founded after the inaugural Copa America in 1916 by 4 nations, (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil). Currently there are 10 members in the Confederation. The original four plus Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia.
• CONCACAF: The North America , Central America (UNCAF) and Caribbean (Caribbean Futbol Union) Futbol Confederation, Formed in 1961 in  Mexico, CONCACAF has 40 member associations, including Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana on the South American continent.

NATIONS TOURNAMENTS

• COPA AMERICA: Started in 1916 By host country Argentina to celebrate the country’s 100th birthday. Argentina invited  the national teams from Chile, Brazil and Uruguay (Tournament winner). Since 1993 12 nations participate in the tournament, including all 10 CONMEBOL members plus 2 members of CONCACAF. Current Champion: Uruguay
• GOLD CUP: Started in 1941, current format changed in 1991. the Gold Cup finals has grown into a 12-nation championship, with countries qualifying from the three regions of CONCACAF. USA has won this tournament 4 times (1991, 2002, 2005 & 2007) Current Champion: Mexico

CLUB TOURNAMENTS

• CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Started in 1962 as the Champion’s Cup , CONCACAF changed it’s current name and format in 2008. 24 teams get invited from Central America, North America and The Caribbean. 2 MLS teams have won this tournament (DC United in 1998 and LA Galaxy in 2000). Current Champion: Monterrey (Mexico)
• COPA LIBERTADORES: Started in 1960 by CONMEBOL, Changed to it’s current format in 2005. 38 teams get invited, 35 of the clubs belong in member nations of CONMEBOL and 3 clubs from Mexico. Current Champion: Santos (Brazil)
• COPA SUDAMERICANA: Started in 2002 by CONMEBOL, it has changed format several times since its start, current format calls for 47 teams, all from CONMEBOL member nations. 6 from Argentina, 8 from Brazil and 4 from the other 8 Nations. Current Champion: Universidad De Chile (Chile)
• RECOPA SUDAMERICA: Started in 1989 by CONMEBOL, It’s a showdown between the two champions of CONMEBOL’s Club tournaments (Copa Libertadores & Copa Sudamericana). Current Champion: Internacional (Brazil)

Next week I’ll continue this series with Argentina, where they’ve been playing futbol for over 100 years. Hope you enjoy!

Featured The Americas CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, Copa America, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Gold Cup, Recopa Sudamericana