Seth Romsa

Summer soccer is in full swing, as the European Championships started off strong this past weekend, while the Copa America will take its turn in the spotlight starting on Thursday.

COPA AMERICA

Looking to defend an international title for the first time, Lionel Messi and Argentina kick off the tournament on Thursday night against Canada at 6 p.m. as the host United States will have a small preview of hosting the 2026 World Cup in two years’ time.

Games will be played throughout the country over the next month, as the four groups will battle for one of the top international trophies.

Despite being the defending champions, Argentina appears to have one of the toughest groups in Group A, as Peru, Chile and Canada will attempt to play spoiler.

Argentina should come out on top, while the other three teams duke it out for second place.

I feel it will come down to Peru and Canada for the second spot, as Chile has fallen off the pace since its two tournament wins in the mid-2010s.

Canada is a strong up-and-coming team that I feel fell short at the World Cup, and should take second in the group.

Group B has a significant drop in quality from Group A, with Mexico and Ecuador looking like frontrunners ahead of Venezuela and Jamaica.

Mexico has continued to lack quality in recent years, and it would not shock me if there is an upset that sees Mexico out in the group stage.

However, I feel as if Mexico takes second just behind Ecuador which impressed at the World Cup despite falling in the groups, while Venezuela and Jamaica fail to get out.

Group C will be another battle at the top, as the United States and Uruguay will likely battle for the top.

I have always been critical of the U.S. soccer system but have seen improvement in recent years.

A draw recently against Brazil just before the group stages does bring some signs of hope for the Americans, but only time will tell for yet another international tournament.

I believe the U.S. will edge out Uruguay for the top spot while Panama and Bolivia do not make it out of the groups.

Brazil has tons of young talent in Group D that has not yet performed for the national team consistently, with that group hopefully finding a way to break through.

Those young talents include players such as Vinicius Junior who led Real Madrid to yet another Champions League title recently, but has only scored three goals for the Brazilian team in 29 appearances.

It should be noted that the Brazilian squad has been criticized recently by former legend Ronaldinho for the lack of quality, saying he won’t watch the matches due to the form of the Brazilian players.

Yet again, it should be easy for Brazil to make it out of its group on top, while I could see any of Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay making it out.

Based on the quality of play and players, I think Colombia will be second out of the group.

Once again it feels like it will be a collision course of two titans in this tournament, with Argentina and Brazil being the two clear favorites after winning the last two editions of the Copa America.

If Argentina continues its recent international success, I could see either of them winning, while the United States and Uruguay look the most likely to play spoiler.

Messi should be at the forefront once again in potentially his final tournament, but there are plenty of young talents on display just waiting in the wings for an opportunity.

EUROS

The Euros have been off to a great start, with most of the favorites playing up to their potential while some teams have looked to play spoiler.

Germany and Spain have looked the best, while certain teams such as Ukraine, Scotland and to some degree Croatia have looked a step behind.

Not even halfway through the group stages, plenty of goals have been featured as the tournament has seen tons of great moments including the fastest goal in tournament history by Albania against Italy.

Tons of sights and sounds have made the rounds on social media, including a fun display by the Netherlands supporters in the streets of Germany, and Albanian fans even breaking spaghetti in front of Italian fans.

This is one of the best times to be a soccer fan once both of the tournaments are running simultaneously, as games will be airing from very early in the morning until mid-afternoon for the Euros in the United States, while the Copa America will pick up in the afternoon into the evening making for approximately 14-16 hours of soccer each day.

This tournament is already shaping up to be a fun one, with the battles around the world for continental supremacy.

TOURNAMENT IMPORTANCE

Both tournaments have made headlines recently, as many involved continue to bicker back and forth about which tournament is more important in terms of international importance.

Players from Europe have been claiming that the Euros is a more important tournament than the World Cup in recent years, which to me is just blasphemy.

Just because these teams play each other constantly in Europe does not mean that the tournament is more difficult or important than the World Cup in any sense of the word.

Winning the World Cup is the most important thing that a country can do, while the continental tournaments bring a different experience to the big stage.

The Euros and Copa America are difficult in their own right, as the Euros have a lot of top teams, while Copa America typically sees more difficult and physical battles.

Both of them are important competitions. I would give the slight edge to the Euros for second place in the importance of international recognition, but Copa America is no slouch when it comes to being a difficult competition.

Each tournament will crown one champion in approximately a months’ time, and I am sure we will see plenty of spectacular goals and unforgettable moments throughout the month.

All of that will finish up just before the Olympics, as those trials for swimming, track and gymnastics are kicking off with the teams looking to make an impact for their country at the end of July.