The line-up of the four finalists for Copa América 2024 is complete, with Argentina, Canada, Colombia and Uruguay still alive.
It’s time to select our best XI from previous quarter-final action.
Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
Boy, does this man love to carry Argentina on his shoulders! After conceding an equalizer in the 91st minute, the Aston Villa goalkeeper put in another heroic performance on penalties to see Argentina beat Ecuador. In his four penalty shootouts, he faced a total of 18 penalties and saved eight of them!
RB: Jon Aramburu (Venezuela)
It wasn’t meant to be for Venezuela, but the 21-year-old Real Sociedad defender burst onto the international scene. Aramburu made two goal-line clearances, an impressive 11 tackles and set up Salomon Rondon against Canada. In the entire tournament he made 26 tackles and also won a penalty. All this with just five letters in your name!
CB: Lisandro Martínez (Argentina)
An unlikely name opened the scoring for Argentina in the quarter-finals when the Manchester United player headed towards the far post. It is considered his first international goal. Vital for club and country, as always.
CB: Davinson Sanchez (Colombia)
The Galatasaray defender has played every minute of the tournament for Colombia so far and was vital in the clean sheet against Panama, with a 100% tackle completion rate (four) and an aerial winner. Colombia conceded just two goals in four games thanks to his interventions!
LB: Alphonso Davies (Canada)
Alphonso Davies quietly put in an elite defensive display for the #CanMNT today, showing the value it can add to LB
Some key #s:
32/37 passes (86%)
5 passes to the 3rd end
5/6 tackles
2 interceptions
9 defensive actions
13 recoveries
08/16 duelsLead by example from the rear pic.twitter.com/xfzObaFWhT
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) July 6, 2024
The Bayern Munich star is a growing influence for Canada on and off the field. The 23-year-old exorcised his Qatar 2022 demons and converted his penalty in the shootout. Coach Jesse Marsch also admitted that his role as the new captain has boosted Canada’s confidence and belief heading into this tournament.
CM: Fede Valverde (Uruguay)
The Real Madrid star was on the pitch against Brazil, which helped Marcelo Bielsa’s men control the game. He registered three shots (two of which tested Alisson), a key pass, a dribble, an aerial win, five tackles and converted the first penalty. A complete performance!
CM: Manuel Ugarte (Uruguay)
Another Uruguayan deserves to be highlighted thanks to the midfield partnership he created with the teammate above. The Paris Saint-Germain player was the metronome, constantly sending Uruguay forward with quick passes, and had a 90% pass completion rate against Brazil, as well as two key passes. His extremely calm penalty also secured the victory.
CAM: James Rodriguez (Colombia)
Of course, we have to include the Player of the Tournament candidate. The Colombia captain has five assists and a goal to his name, and has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence on the big stage. The former Golden Boy of Colombian football is leading his team on the pitch on a 27-game unbeaten run and has shown no signs of slowing down! Can he guide them to the end?
Screenplay: Rodrygo (Brazil)
Although Brazil failed to become the powerhouse of the past, the man who wore the number 10 shirt did not have such a bad individual performance. The Real Madrid striker made two shots, four successful dribbles, one successful aerial and one tackle. It was his cunning on the wing that met Nahitan Nández’s challenge and ended up seeing him sent off with a big lead for Brazil.
ST: Salomon Rondon (Venezuela)
A Venezuelan legend. The 34-year-old CF Pachuca striker scored the best goal of the quarter-finals. His cheeky strike against Canada was the furthest goal (39.6 metres) in a Copa América match since Opta data was available (2011). He also became Venezuela’s all-time leading scorer in the competition (seven) and converted his penalty.
LW: Jacob Shaffelburg (Canada)
Jacob Shaffelburg wrote his name in Canadian football history last night, solidifying himself as a star who is here to stay on the national team.
– 1 goal
– 1 big chance created
– 2 shots on target
– 36 touches, 5 in the opponent’s area
– 1/2 accurate long balls
– 2/2… pic.twitter.com/fsZ1PS8BwN– Canadian Football Talk (@CANFutbolTalk) July 6, 2024
One of the stars of the tournament, the Nashville SC winger emerged as an explosive and decisive player for the Canadians. All three goals for his country came in a knockout match (including the one that helped them reach the Copa América). The Canucks still struggle to find goals, but if they can get it right with this star, they could be on the right track.
