Copa Round One Wrap Up

I'm a couple days late, but these are a some assorted thoughts on the first round of group games in Copa America.

Mexico's Offense
Easily the best game of the first round, Mexico-Uruguay was thrilling and intense. The flow of the game shifted several times, with Mexico dominating the match aside from a 20-30 minute period early in the second half. Uruguay was able to claw their way into the game, after going a man and a goal down, but the energy they spent to do so was unsustainable, and they eventually cracked (mentally, physically and tactically).

Mexico was fascinating and massively impressive. They frankly looked like the best team in the tournament (and maybe all of the Americas), including even Argentina (not so sure about this, but it's pretty close). Juan Carlos Osorio had the team playing like a club side that has trained together for months, and it was stunning.

Their build up shape was what most interested me. Their nominal lineup was a 4-3-3,

But Mexico played a much more fluid and dynamic formation than it appeared on paper. The most notable and confusing movement came out of defense. Reyes, the left center back, pushed into midfield, while Rafa Marquez, the nominal pivot, dropped back; they effectively traded roles. Moreno, at left back, played a little more centrally, while Araujo at right centerback pushed out wider. Layun moved into midfield, leaving a back three of Moreno, Marquez and Araujo. This is sort of what resulted.

However, this is just a snapshot of a moment. The midfield and forward lines were very fluid, with much freedom of movement. As Istvan Beregi points out, the formation occasionally appeared as a 3-1-4-2, which had its benefits...

Really like this 3-1-4-2 setup from Mexico, quality diagonal ball from Marquez before the goal. pic.twitter.com/jayKJihd86

— István Beregi (@szteveo) June 7, 2016

and its shortcomings.

Mexico's build-up problems: CBs far from each other, bad connections, no circulation, easier to press. pic.twitter.com/GPNwIcjttN

— István Beregi (@szteveo) June 7, 2016

In the first half, Mexico dominated the match, completely outclassing Uruguay. They shut off for a while in the second, but once they needed a goal to win, they once again pinned Uruguay back. It isn't often that a great defensive team like Uruguay, with a defensive core from Atletico Madrid, is torn apart like they were in the first half. I'm super excited to see Mexico's other games, and see how they pan out.

Argentina's Counter Attack
The second best game of the first round was Argentina-Chile. Although Messi was left on the bench, recovering from injury and a trans-Atlantic flight, Argentina won the game easily.

Chile held most of the ball, particularly in the second half, but had some build up issues (see linked article), as well as the Argentine defense. Argentina, in a different role from normal, spent much of the game, after the first 20 minutes, defending and looking to break out on the counter attack. It was a strategic move that suited the Argentine side very well.

Chile were especially vulnerable on the flanks, where Angel Di Maria especially found great success attacking for Argentina. Even though they were defending, Argentina weren't passive at all, pressing Chile's center backs and disrupting their build up play.

The second half especially was a master class in counter attacking, as Argentina quickly broke from turnovers to win chances on goal. Chile's build up shape, with 3-4 players on the front line, put them in a poor position to counterpress, leaving the backline vulnerable to counters.

I'm interested to see whether Argentina continue to play more on the counter in the future. With Messi returning, and facing opponents who will likely cede possession to Argentina, I would expect Argentina to play more possessive soccer. But I would love to see more of the strategy from Argentina that we saw against Chile, most likely in the later stages of the tournament.

Poor Turnout
A lot of the talk from the first round has been on the quality of games, and the empty stadiums watching them. People have been wondering why the games have been more boring and defensive, especially given the pre-tournament hype. I think one of the most important reasons is the lack of down time between the end of the club season and the start of the tournament. The Euros are starting a whole week later, giving extra time for teams to train and players to rest. Players in Copa may simply be worn out, and not have the energy to slave through 108 degree weather in Orlando.

The low turnout at stadiums may be due to a lack of excitement about the competition. I mean realistically, how many people want to spend their Saturday afternoon watching Paraguay-Costa Rica or Haiti-Peru? It doesn't help that this tournament is largely viewed as a bunch of friendlies strung together, at worst, or a nice trophy at best. I think people simply aren't excited, and the lack of exciting play (outside of two games) doesn't help.