2007 Copa América: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:38, 9 November 2006

Revision as of 00:54, 10 November 2006

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{{nft[[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica}}]] had been provisionally extended an invitation by [[CONMEBOL]] upon an initial rejection from the {{nft[[USA national football team|USA}}]] team. However, the latter later decided to accept the invitation leaving the former out of the competition.

===Speculated===

The [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]], as winners of the [[2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup]], have a standing invitation to take part in the tournament. As of [[October 30]], [[2006]] they have accepted the invatation. Scheduling conflicts with [[Major League Soccer]] have prevented the U.S. from participating in the Copa América since 1995, but [[United States Soccer Federation]] president [[Sunil Gulati]] has recently said he will send the U.S. National Team.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/30/AR2006063000642.html] However, it is also rumored that Brazil will withdraw; the 2007 Pan American Games will be held in Brazil during the Copa América, and blanket television coverage of that event in Brazil will leave the country without a television network with spare time to air the Copa América. But Brazil will participate and send a youth squad to the Pan American competition.

[[CONMEBOL]] is considering expanding the number of competing nations to 16. Rumours included [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] and [[Spain national football team|Spain]] (the former colonial powers) as invited nations, along with the 4 best teams from CONCACAF, presumably [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]], [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]], [[Costa Rica national football team|Costa Rica]] and [[Trinidad & Tobago national football team|Trinidad & Tobago]], with [[Guatemala national football team|Guatemala]] (fifth in [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)|CONCACAF 2006 World Cup qualifying]]) or [[Panama national football team|Panama]] (runners-up of the 2005 Gold Cup, and the nearest Central American country to South America) as backup options if the USA choose not to enter the competition.