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Oh, How the Plot Thickens

Justin Mazzarese

Sports Editor

With spring training just underway, some would think that a column about the media warming up to Barry Bonds or even a simple break down of the year to come in baseball would be appropriate, right? But another column about soccer? It�s hard for me to believe too. It�s kind of like taking the first drag of your first cigarette, you can only say �no� to it for so long before you finally give in to the peer pressure.

If you have a friend, and with each beer you have with him you learn more about the ways of the game outside the confined walls of the Atlantic and Pacific. You cannot help but get excited about the world of soccer, especially when you�re watching a broadcast of the Copa America draw in Spanish on the internet. Copa America, what�s that? Don�t worry; I am still in the kiddy-pool with this one too.

Although you cannot feel it right now, the world, or should I say South America, is buzzing about this year�s Copa America tournament. This is a tournament that pits some of the top teams in the world against each other. The participants include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. So where does the United States fit in, and why should we care?

There are the 10 teams mentioned above who are constants in the tournament and there are two invited guests; the first, Mexico, has been a constant since 1993. The other is a rotating door of Costa Rica, Honduras, the United States and Japan. So what makes this year�s special? This is America�s first time involved in the tournament since 1995, and don�t they just look like a fish in a pond full of sharks? With their win against Mexico last week it may be accurate to say that we may do some eating ourselves. But I am no soccer analyst.

Need some more storyline? Remember when Columbia�s Andres Escobar was shot dead because he scored against his own team when Columbia was playing the United States, in the United States? The murderer yelled �Goal!� with each shot. Come July 5, Columbia and United States will square off almost 13 years to the day of Andres� death, which occurred on July 2, 1994.

This tournament has bigger implications than a simple invitation. This has World Cup proportions with the host of the 2014 World Cup to not to be decided until November. Brazil was the obvious choice with the rotation system moving to South America, but crime and inability to prepare has lessened their chance and has given the once laughable bid of Columbia some leg weight.

There are also rumors that the hosts maybe a little to the north. While a United States bid once seemed farfetched, with Jerry Jones proclaiming that he wants to host the World Cup in his new billion-dollar stadium, it may be closer to the truth than one might think.

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