US Soccer Team: Participate in the Copa America

The United States national team's poor performance at the 2006 World Cup in Germany was the result of many factors, but one of the most important was the failure of the team to adequately prepare for the tournament by playing top-quality international competition. The team faced little in the way of adequate international competition to prepare it for its very tough first-round opponents; moreover, many of the team's players were not prepared for the pressure and intensity of World Cup play.







The past is the past, but we must learn from it. The time to start preparing the team for the 2010 World Cup is now. Unfortunately, the CONCACAF region that the United States plays its World Cup qualifying games in does not adequately challenge the team. Aside from Mexico, there is no team that can consistently provide a legitimate test for the United States. Thus, it is imperative that the US seek challenging competition outside of CONCACAF. One place to find this competition is the Copa America, the championship of Latin America, which has invited the US to each of its competitions since 1993 but whose invitations the US has turned down every time since 1997. The Copa America is the oldest international soccer tournament in the world and generally considered the third most prestigious, after the World Cup and European Championship.







Once again, COMNEBOL (the South American soccer federation, responsible for organizing the Copa America) has invited the United States to its next tournament to be held in 2007, and the United States has declined. Costa Rica has agreed to participate in the tournament in the United States' place, as one of two invited non-South American teams (the other is Mexico). This is a grievous mistake and one that will only harm the development of the sport in this country. Playing the top Latin American teams in the Copa America will provide a tough test for American players who currently have very little in the way of serious international competition between World Cups; furthermore, a successful performance in the tournament will increase the sport's visibility in the United States among casual sports fans and the US team's popularity among Hispanic immigrant communities. Additionally, there is the prospect of hosting a future Copa America and the considerable economic benefits this would bring (although the tournament is organized by COMNEBOL, Mexico is set to host the 2009 edition and there is no reason to think that, if the US were to become a regular participant, it would not eventually be selected to host).







We urge the United States Soccer Federation to re-consider its position of not participating in the Copa America as early as possible. Hopefully we can still take part in the 2007 edition; if not, we need to begin participating no later than 2009. It is absolutely imperative for the development of soccer in this country that we not pass up this wonderful opportunity.