The Copa America is the international championships of South America and brings together 11 teams from that continent in addition to Jamaica who have been invited to complete the line-up. The teams play each other on a round robin basis in three groups of four teams. The top two from each section progress to the knockout rounds and the two best third place teams also move on to the quarter finals.
Click here for the Copa America schedule.
The tournament s played every four years at the end of the season following the World Cup. Chile are the hosts this year and will be hoping home advantage can help them win the tournament for the first time. Uruguay have won most titles with 15 in their history followed by Argentina with 14 wins. Brazil have won Copa America eight times but generally focus on the world championship rather than local issues. Only seven nations have ever been champions of South America and the hosts have won three titles in the modern era since 1975.
Fantasy soccer games require an 8-man roster, including a goalkeeper and two defenders, midfielders and forwards plus one flexible pick who can play anywhere in the field. Rosters should include players from at least three different teams. Points are awarded for different elements of the game. Forwards score points through goals, assists, shots, crosses and fouls drawn. Defenders and goalkeepers win points by not conceding goals and all players are penalised for red cards.
Goalkeeper
Claudio Bravo (Chile) was Barcelona’s regular keeper this season when they won the domestic double in Spain and the Champions League. He joined Barcelona from Real Sociedad at the end of last season and played 37 times for the champions. He made his debut for Chile in 2004 and has played in 89 full internationals.
Defenders
Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina) has been a regular in the Manchester City side that has won the English Premier League two times in the last four years. He is an excellent defender but also provides assists and in an attacking formation virtually plays as a wing-back or wide player. He has represented Argentina in full internationals since 2005 and won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. .
Thiago Silva (Brazil) is considered to be one of the best defenders in the world. He captained Brazil in the World Cup last year but did not play in the semi-final which his team lost 7-1 to Germany who won the title. Silva plays his club football for PSG in France and has scored three goals in 52 internationals.
Midfielders
Phillippe Coutinho (Brazil) did not make the World Cup squad last year but has just had an impressive season in England playing in an average Liverpool side that finished sixth in the table. Coutinho scored some crucial goals for his club and opened his account for Brazil in the a warm-up match for Copa America against Mexico.
Juan Cuadrado (Colombia) moved to Chelsea in England from Fiorentina for whom he scored 20 goals in 85 matches. He played 12 times for Chelsea and helped the side win the Premier League for the first time in five years but has yet to score for his new club. He first played for Colombia in 2010 and had four assists in the World Cup last year in five matches.
Forwards
Alexis Sanchez (Chile) scored a wonderful goal for Arsenal in their English FA Cup Final win over Aston Villa at Wembley at the end of the season. He also scored two goals at the same venue when Chile beat England in 2013. Sanchez has scored 118 goals in 434 domestic matches and 26 times for Chile in 80 internationals including twice in the World Cup last year.
Lionel Messi (Chile) has a phenomenal scoring record for Barcelona but a more modest return of 45 goals in 97 matches for Argentina. He is currently the best player in the world and some pundits believe he is the best ever. He was voted the best player at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where he helped Argentina reach the final and scored four goals. He netted the first penalty in the semi-finals against Holland.
Flexible
Neymar (Brazil) has the job of making Brazil fall in love with the national team again after the humiliation of the 7-1 loss to Germany in the World Cup. He did not play in that match due to injury but at that stage he had scored four goals in the competition but was unable to add to his tally due to not being fit for the 3rd/4th place match. Neymar has scored 43 goals in 63 matches for Brazil.
