Paraguay

Page by: Dominic Elzner. Apr 2016.

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“Los Guaraníes”

Current FIFA Ranking: 39

Copa America Record: Fourth place in 2015; 22 top-four finishes total

Manager: Ramón Díaz

Overview

Paraguay is the weakest team in Group A, coming in ranked 39th in the FIFA World Rankings. Being in a “group of death” with fourth ranked Colombia, 25th ranked Costa Rica, and 29th ranked United States makes life difficult for Paraguay, but not impossible. In World Cup qualifying matches, Paraguay has played Brazil and Argentina to a draw, and defeated fellow Copa America participant Peru, showing that they are also a force to be reckoned with.

National Narrative

In 2010, Soccer in Paraguay was at its peak. The team qualified for the 2010 World Cup, and was very successful. In the group stage, Paraguay played group-favorite Italy and New Zealand both to draws, and defeated Slovakia 3-2. This allowed them to finish atop their group, and advance to the knockout round.

In the first round of the knockout round, Paraguay took on Japan. It was a disappointing game for Paraguay—they had much more possession time but the game ended scoreless. However, Paraguay came alive in the penalty shootout, and defeated Japan 5-3 on penalties. The dream ended in the quarterfinals. Paraguay was taking on Spain—one of the favorites to win the whole tournament. In the 57th minute, Oscar Cardozo was awarded a penalty kick, but it was saved. Spain then took the ball down the field and were awarded a penalty—which was also saved. David Villa then scored the only goal of the game, striking the post then bouncing off the other post and into the goal.

Paraguay came back strong in the 2011 Copa America. They advanced out their group, and were drawn against Brazil in the quarterfinals. In the game, Brazil tried to score as much as they could and break the will of Paraguay. However, the defense stood strong, and they ended the game with a 0-0 tie. In the penalty shootout, Paraguay won the shootout 2-0, keeping their Copa America hopes alive.

In the semi-finals against Venezuela, it was much of the same. After a scoreless game, Paraguay won in the penalty shootout again—advancing to the final without even scoring a goal. In the final against Uruguay, Paraguay could once again not score a goal. However, Uruguay sliced through the defense, and won 3-0.

This marked a sharp decline for the national team. They failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup—placing ninth in their qualifying table. However, in the 2015 Copa America they started to trend upwards. Paraguay advanced out of the group stage again, after defeating Jamaica and tying with Argentina and Uruguay. They were slotted with Brazil once again, and just like in the Copa America in 2011, defeated Brazil in penalty kicks. However, in the semi-finals against Argentina, their magic ran out, losing 6-1 to the eventual runners-up.

The question remains: Which national team will show up to the 2016 Copa America? Will it be the one that advanced to the semi-finals and finals of the Copa America against top ranked teams? Will it be the one that could not qualify for the 2014 World Cup? In this tournament, Paraguay will look to show that the 2014 qualification process was an anomaly, and they can be successful in the tournament. But if they cannot find a way to advance out of the group, look for critics and fans alike to talk about the downward trend that the team has been on.

Players to Watch

Derlis Gonzalez

• Club: Dynamo Kyiv
• National Caps: 19
• Goals: 3

Gonzalez is young—only 22 years old—and has spent time with some of the greatest clubs in Europe. Currently, with the Dynamo Kyiv, he has already scored a goal and has two assists—in just eight appearances. However, it is easy to showcase his importance to the Paraguay national team by looking at last year’s Copa America. In the quarterfinal against Brazil, the 22 year-old drew a foul in the penalty box and converted the penalty shot to tie the game. After extra time, Gonzalez stayed calm, and knocked down another penalty shot to help his team win in the penalty shootout to advance to the quarterfinals. In this Copa America, look for him to make plays on the wings, and help take pressure off of his teammates.

Roque Santa Cruz

• Club: Málaga
• National Caps: 110
• Goals: 32

Santa Cruz leads the Paraguay national soccer team in national caps with 110, and plans on using his experience to help his young team in the Copa America. At the age of 34, Santa Cruz will look not only to mentor young players like Derlis Gonzalez, but help provide a spark for his team. He has been doing that recently, providing seven goals and one assist for Málaga in 13 appearances during the 2014-2015 season. This season, he has struggled more, scoring just 3 goals and providing one assist in 19 appearances. Look for him to get back on track during the Copa America.