Argentina-10th (3rd South America)
Bolivia-81st (10th South America)
Chile-14th (4th South America)
Colombia-32nd (6th South America)
Ecuador-69th (9th South America)
Paraguay-24th (5th South America)
Peru-35th (7th South America)
Uruguay-4th (1st South America)
Venezuela-47th (8th South America)
Schedule (long...a theme for this preview)
October 7, 2011
- Bolivia vs. Uruguay
- Venezuela vs. Ecuador
- Chile vs. Argentina
- Paraguay vs. Peru
- Colombia vs. Bolivia
- Peru vs. Chile
- Uruguay vs. Paraguay
- Argentina vs. Venezuela
- Bolivia vs. Argentina
- Ecuador vs. Paraguay
- Venezuela vs. Colombia
- Chile vs. Uruguay
- Argentina vs. Colombia
- Bolivia vs. Venezuela
- Paraguay vs. Chile
- Peru vs. Ecuador
- Ecuador vs. Argentina
- Chile vs. Bolivia
- Colombia vs. Peru
- Venezuela vs. Uruguay
- Paraguay vs. Bolivia
- Chile vs. Venezuela
- Peru vs. Uruguay
- Colombia vs. Ecuador
- Uruguay vs. Colombia
- Bolivia vs. Ecuador
- Paraguay vs. Argentina
- Venezuela vs. Peru
- Argentina vs. Peru
- Ecuador vs. Uruguay
- Colombia vs. Chile
- Venezuela vs. Paraguay
- Uruguay vs. Argentina
- Paraguay vs. Colombia
- Chile vs. Ecuador
- Peru vs. Bolivia
- Uruguay vs. Bolivia
- Peru vs. Paraguay
- Argentina vs. Chile
- Ecuador vs. Venezuela
- Venezuela vs. Argentina
- Paraguay vs. Uruguay
- Chile vs. Peru
- Bolivia vs. Colombia
- Argentina vs. Bolivia
- Paraguay vs. Ecuador
- Uruguay vs. Chile
- Colombia vs. Venezuela
- Colombia vs. Argentina
- Venezuela vs. Bolivia
- Chile vs. Paraguay
- Ecuador vs. Peru
- Argentina vs. Ecuador
- Bolivia vs. Chile
- Peru vs. Colombia
- Uruguay vs. Venezuela
- Bolivia vs. Paraguay
- Venezuela vs. Chile
- Uruguay vs. Peru
- Ecuador vs. Colombia
- Colombia vs. Uruguay
- Ecuador vs. Bolivia
- Argentina vs, Paraguay
- Peru vs. Venezuela
- Peru vs. Argentina
- Uruguay vs. Ecuador
- Chile vs. Colombia
- Paraguay vs. Venezuela
- Argentina vs. Uruguay
- Colombia vs. Paraguay
- Ecuador vs. Chile
- Bolivia vs. Peru
Argentina
- 2011 to date: 7-2-5
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 12-7-4
- vs. Group opponents: 249-67-101
- 2011 to date: 0-5-5
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 4-11-3
- vs. Group opponents: 68-151-73
- 2011 to date: 4-3-5
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 12-7-3
- vs. Group opponents: 158-162-95
- 2011 to date: 5-3-1
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 6-7-5
- vs. Group opponents: 98-102-82
- 2011 to date: 3-3-7
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 6-7-5
- vs. Group opponents: 69-139-68
- 2011 to date: 5-3-7
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 11-6-6
- vs. Group opponents: 169-144-95
- 2011 to date: 4-2-6
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 3-11-4
- vs. Group opponents: 117-169-85
- 2011 to date: 6-2-4
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 9-8-8
- vs. Group opponents: 213-128-105
- 2011 to date: 5-6-5
- 2010 WC Qualifying/Finals: 6-8-4
- vs. Group opponents: 39-120-38
A few other interesting statistics:
Series with most games played: Argentina/Uruguay. 101 games played.
Series with fewest games played: Argentina/Venezuela. 18 games played.
Series with most wins/losses: Argentina/Chile. Argentina leads 51-6-21.
Series with most ties: Argentina/Paraguay and Argentina/Uruguay. Both series have 26 ties.
Series with highest/lowest winning percentage: Argentina/Venezuela. Argentina has won all 18 matches the teams played in history.
Series closest to .500: Ecuador/Venezuela (11-10-1 Venezuela) and Colombia/Peru (15-14-18 Peru).
Team Glimpses
Argentina
Argentina has the best overall record, Most Finals appearances and most World Cup championships (tied with Uruguay) of all the teams in CONMEBOL qualifying. And yet a lot of questions float around this team. Are they mentally focused? Are they wasting all the talent they have? Are they too old? Very few nations have the passion for international soccer as Argentina and much is demanded from the national team. 2 focuses for Argentina in qualifying. Can they find some kind of attacking option that makes use of all the great options available to them (Messi, Tevez, Di Maria, Higuain, Aguero, etc.)? Argentina has no dearth of attacking options, but finding combos that work for them has been a struggle. And can their defence hold up? Argentina's goal differential in 2010 qualifying was a mere +3 in 18 games and they were booted from the 2010 World Cup on the back of a 4-0 defeat to Germany who ran circles around the Argentina back line. Argentina should have the luxury of using qualifying to work out some of these problems but should they fall in to a rut at any point in qualifying, don't be surprised if their fans turn on them and the team falls in to a panic mode.
Bolivia
Bolivia holds the dubious honour of being the only CONMEBOL team without a victory in 2011, a bad sign heading in to a stretch of 4 qualifying matches in 5 weeks. Surprisingly, their best result of 2011 came in the Copa America when Bolivia tied Argentina 1-1. Rather then use that as a momentum boost, Bolivia promptly dropped a pair of 2-0 losses to Colombia and Costa Rica. Bolivia doesn't have the talent to compete with most of the other CONMEBOL teams, and they lack the depth to be able to grind out points in a long qualifying campaign. Long way to go until qualifying ends but Bolivia is already a longshot to qualify out of South America.
Chile
In a bit of a surprise, Chile finished 2010 qualifying just one point out of 1st place. A big reason for that is their prolific offence which scored 32 goals in 18 games last campaign, second only to Brazil. South America is known for fast-paced attacking soccer but Chile is a team that tries to take that to a whole new level. They are a team that can pile on goals when in a rhythm but can also be susceptible to counter-attacks as a result. Chile might want to consider reeling in their offence a bit this time around to ensure more defensive zone responsibility (22 goals allowed in 18 games in 2010 qualifying). Chile will benefit more then most teams this campaign from Brazil's non-participation. 2 of their 5 losses last campaign came to Brazil, who also knocked Chile out in the 2010 Finals.
Colombia
Colombia is looking to return to the World Cup Finals having failed to qualify for the last 3 tournaments after featuring in all 3 Finals in the 1990s. Biggest thing for Colombia is consistency, they're a team that doesn't always show up 100% and if you do that against anyone in CONMEBOL, odds are you're going to lose. Colombia is in good form right now having gone 2-1-1 at the Copa America which included a draw with Argentina. Since then they've picked up a pair of victories in friendlies versus Jamaica and Honduras. Colombia has one of the easiest 2011 schedules of a CONMEBOL team (away to Bolivia, home to Venezuela and Argentina) and needs to take advantage of that and jump out to an early lead. Colombia has the strength to qualify for the Finals, but they need to show up every game, something they aren't known for.
Ecuador
Good news for Ecuador; they enter qualifying on a 3-game win streak. Bad news; they didn't record a win in 10 games prior to that and those 3 wins were in meaningless games against inferior competition. Ranked 9th (of 10) in CONMEBOL, Ecuador has fallen a long way from the team that advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2006 World Cup. If you need to see where the downturn really occurred, look no further then 2010 qualifying. Ecuador finished 6th, 1 spot out of a playoff berth with CONCACAF and just 1 point behind Uruguay. Needing just 1 win in their final 2 matches, Ecuador could not close things out losing to Uruguay and Chile in the final month of qualifying ensuring they would not go to South Africa. Losses like those can be devastating and Ecuador does not appear to have recovered from those defeats. A new qualifying period provides an opportunity to recover but it's possible that the will and determination of this team has been irreparably damaged.
Paraguay
I don't know if any team on the world stage is consistently overlooked as much as Paraguay is. Paraguay is coming off of 4 straight World Cup Final appearances, a quarterfinal berth in 2010 and a 2nd place finish in the Copa America this year. And yet when people talk about the powers in South America, it's usually limited to Brazil, Argentina and recently, Uruguay. I can't see Paraguay complaining about flying under the radar but they deserve to be in the same conversation with those other teams. Like Chile, Paraguay finished 10-5-3 in 2010 qualifying and only a last day loss to Colombia prevented them from finishing first in the group. Unlike Chile is Paraguay's strategy and approach to the game. Paraguay is much more of a defensive-minded team surrendering less then 1 goal per game through the 2010 World Cup. Paraguay won't score as many goals as other South American teams but they are very sound in their own end and can win games with their defence.
Peru
I'm a little skeptical of Peru's success so far in 2011. Peru has just 2 losses on the year and is coming off a shock 3rd-place finish at the Copa America. But this is also a team that hasn't qualified for the finals since 1982, finished last in 2010 qualifying and was nearly kicked out of that campaign for governmental interference. Maybe I just haven't seen enough of them; maybe they've made a huge turnaround in the past couple years. But until I see a few games in this campaign, I remain cautious. Peru scored the fewest goals last campaign (11) and surrendered second most (34, (Bolivia, 36)). Both of those numbers need to change drastically if Peru wants any shot at qualifying.
Uruguay
Made true by virture of their winning the Copa America, Uruguay is the best team in South America right now. And yes, that includes Brazil and Argentina. Despite a shaky qualifying run which barely got Uruguay to South Africa, this team finished in 4th place and has been on a tear ever since. Biggest hurdle for Uruguay will be in replacing aging stars. Star player Diego Forlan is 32, and 7 other players on their most recent roster will be in their 30's come 2014. Whether or not Uruguay can usher in a new generation of players that can maintain their current level of play may be the biggest obstacle to challenging for the World Cup in 2014.
Venezuela
Holds the dubious honour of the fewest wins against all group opponents (39). Venezuela has historically had the least success of any team in CONMEBOL having never qualified for a World Cup Final before. One hindrance to Venezuelan success is that unlike most South American nations, most of their national team players play their club soccer domestically. Brazil and Argentina can pull this off as their leagues are almost on par with the top European leagues. Venezuela however is not of that calibre and the players are unable to develop to the same level as other teams can. Keeping players at home is beneficial if your league is of an elite calibre. If it is not, as is the case with Venezuela, you're actually hindering development, which is the case for Venezuela and a partial explanation as to why they've never been to a World Cup Final.
October Games
Game 1
Bolivia at Uruguay
October 7, 2011
Time: 3:00 pm EDT
Location: Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay
Game 2
Venezuela at Ecuador
October 7, 2011
Time: 5:05 pm EDT
Location: Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador
Game 3
Chile at Argentina
October 7, 2011
Time: 7:10 pm EDT
Location: Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Game 4
Paraguay at Peru
October 7, 2011
Time: 9:15 pm EDT
Location: Estadio Nacional Jose Diaz, Lima, Peru
Game 5
Colombia at Bolivia
October 11, 2011
Time: 4:00 pm EDT
Location: Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia
Game 6
Peru at Chile
October 11, 2011
Time: 6:45 pm EDT
Location: Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago, Chile
Game 7
Uruguay at Paraguay
October 11, 2011
Time: 6:45 pm EDT
Location: Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion, Paraguay
Game 8
Argentina at Venezuela
October 11, 2011
Time: 8:50 pm EDT
Location: Estadio Jose Antonio Anzoategui, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
8 games to preview so I'll run through each one.
Game 1: Worst team in South America on the road against the best team in South America. No game is a gimmie in CONMEBOL but this game is almost an exhibition match for Uruguay.
Game 2: Not much separating these 2 teams. Last played in July and Venezuela picked up a 1-0 win on a second half goal. Automatic advantage needs to be given to the home side in CONMEBOL and I would say Ecuador is a very slight favourite to win this game.
Game 3: Probably the most high-profile match of 2014 qualifying to date. Argentina and Chile are ranked 10th and 14th in the world respectively and this should be a phenomenal opener to their qualifying campaign. Definitely the must-watch game on October 7th.
Game 4: A trap game for Paraguay to open qualifying. Paraguay is coming off a successful qualifying campaign and quarterfinals appearance in South Africa. Peru finished last in 2010 qualifying but surprised everyone with a 3rd place finish at the 2011 Copa America in July. On the road, Paraguay has to be wary of an upset from an up and coming team.
Game 5: First game of qualifying for Colombia who rest on the 7th against a Bolivian team that will probably be looking to rebound from an early loss. Colombia is the better team but Bolivia has the greatest equalizer in the world when playing at home, as their stadium rests almost 12,000 feet ASL. Anyone playing Bolivia in Bolivia, better be in the best condition of their life.
Game 6: Very tough opening stretch of games for both teams coming off games against Paraguay (Peru) and Argentina (Chile). I'm curious to see what happens with Peru in this game; it should be illuminating in regards to whether or not their performance this summer was a fluke or not. Peru could challenge Chile or they could flop miserably on the road, we'll have to wait and find out which it is.
Game 7: A game that is really flying under the radar in qualifying, as it's overshadowed by the Chile-Argentina game 4 days prior. Uruguay is the best team currently in South America but Paraguay is nipping at their heels and gets this game at home. Another must-see game in South American qualifying.
Game 8: I'm a little skeptical of Argentina only because of how badly they struggled in qualifying last campaign. If I give them the benefit of the doubt, they should win this game despite being on the road. But it wouldn't be the first time Argentina's burned me by picking them.
Post-October Standing Predictions:
I try not to take this too seriously but in a 9-team group it's imperative for my sanity to merely observe. If I'm even close on this, that's just perfect. Also important to point out, since each team plays 16 points, put no stock in what happens this round. Qualifying will end almost two years to the week from when these games start. Yes the games are important, but in the grand scheme of things a loss or two is far less important then in other confederations. Last time around, Brazil was the only team to lose less then 5 (of 18) games and Uruguay qualified with 6 losses. It's a grind in CONMEBOL qualifying.
Anyway, here goes:
Argentina-4 pts
Chile-4 pts
Uruguay-4 pts
Ecuador-3 pts
Paraguay-2 pts
Bolivia-1 pts
Colombia-1 pts
Peru-1 pts
Venezuela-0 pts
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