Every 4 years when the Soccer World Cup takes place there always emerges a list of “favourites” and the “dark horses” or the “under dogs”. Latin America usually boasts of two powerhouses called Argentina and Brazil with the rest of the participants which may range from Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay who usually are considered to be the “also rans”.
The last world cup, we witnessed a revolution of some sorts with the Uruguyan football team “La Celeste” going beyond what Brazil and Argentina could achieve with all the glitz and glamour associated with them.
Some may say that it was after all a flash in the pan which takes place only once a century (in fact they are better than that with twice being Champions & thrice being placed 4th) and the football world cup is not even celebrating its centennial year until 2030.
So, it reallty doesn’t surprise me that they carried on with their 2010 World Cup winning form to win the latest edition of Copa America in Argentina where Brazil and Argentina could not even make it to the last 4. That says a lot…with all the focus on Brazilian Neymar & the mesmerizing Messi from Argentina…it was a team devoid of any superstars (Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez may be stars in their own rights) that eventually lifted the Copa America for a record 15 times.
For Forlan, this triumph is even more sweeter given the fact that he has carried forward the family legacy with his grand dad and father both having being past winners…
So, if Uruguay manages to qualify for the 2014 edition of the World Cup, it would be worthwhile to see if the soccer world still considers “La Celeste” to be a “dark horse” or a “favourite”???
If latter, it would mark a new chapter in the history of “La Celeste”.
