Team overview
By Paul Tenorio | @PaulTenorio |
It has been a rough go for Venezuela, of late. La Vinotinto currently sits in last place in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying with five losses and just one draw, against Peru. Maybe saying “of late” isn’t entirely accurate. Venezuela’s current state doesn’t depart too much from its national team’s history. The country has never qualified for a World Cup, the lone CONMEBOL team with such a distinction. Its best finish in a Copa America was fourth place in 2011.
The Centenario, therefore, represents an opportunity to make history for the Venezuelans. They will look to advance in the tournament a year after finishing at the bottom of their group. Last year’s tournament did have a bright spot, a surprising 1-0 upset of Colombia in the first game, only to go out with a pair of one-goal losses to Peru and Brazil.
That win over Colombia was one of just two wins for Venezuela in the last year. The only other victory: 1-0 in a friendly over a less-than-full-strength Costa Rica side in February. Otherwise, Venezuela has managed just two draws, with Paraguay and Peru, and eight losses. The biggest issue has come in front of net: La Vinotinto has scored more than one goal in a game just twice in that 12-game stretch.
Key player
Salomón Rondón – The West Brom striker is the leader of what he recently called the “golden generation” of soccer in Venezuela – a growing group of players overseas. Rondón transferred to West Brom this year from Zenit St. Petersburg and made a solid impression in Tony Pulis’ side, scoring eight goals in 33 English Premier League appearances. This came after netting 28 times in two seasons with Zenit. The 26-year-old striker has solid size and athleticism, and he’s a good fit in the different systems run by Venezuela, usually either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1.
The question is where he’ll line up in the Centenario. He’s been used up top and in the midfield in recent games, and depending on the formation the team runs he could move around to places where his goal-scoring is less effective.
Along with Rondón, Venezuela will rely on midfielder Tomás Rincón, who plays for Genoa in Italy; midfielder Juan Pablo Añor, a 22-year-old who has emerged this season with Málaga and started the last two World Cup qualifiers; and right back Roberto Rosales, Añor’s teammate at Málaga. One intriguing option is 28-year-old forward Christian Santos, who has netted 41 times in the last two years for NEC Nijmegen in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Manager spotlight
Rafael Dudamel took over the Venezuelan national team in April, stepping into the role vacated by Noel “Chita” Sanvicente, who lost support of both the fans and players after the poor run of form over the last year. Venezuela’s involvement in the FIFA scandal also caused players to speak up over their hope for change in both the staff and the board of Venezuela’s soccer organization. Sanvicente resigned by “mutual agreement” following his team’s 4-1 loss to Chile in a World Cup qualifier on March 29.
Dudamel is a former national team goalkeeper and the coach of the Venezuelan under-20 national team. He spent his first few weeks as the new coach on a world tour meeting with the players in his squad to talk about the present and future of Venezuelan soccer. Whether that will aid a turnaround is yet to be seen. Dudamel’s first games in charge of the national team will come just a few weeks before kickoff in the Centenario in a trio of friendlies against Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Success looks like…
Advancing out of group play.
If that seems like too little to ask, it’s not. This Venezuela team has struggled mightily in the last year, and hasn’t had a bright stretch of games since winning four of five early in 2015, including two against Honduras. La Vinotinto will be looking to show they can compete in a strong group that includes Mexico, a team with aspirations of winning the whole tournament, and Uruguay, which currently sits atop CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying with a 4-1-1 record.
Both of those games will be tough asks of Venezuela. Uruguay, most notably, has given up just four goals in its six qualifiers, making for a difficult match-up for Venezuela. Mexico’s attacking prowess will create issues against a Venezuela team that conceded 16 goals in six games from October through March. Venezuela must fix its defensive issues going into the Centenario tournament, and if they can pull off an upset over one of the two favorites to get out of the group, it would be a sign of growth ahead of World Cup qualifying resuming in September. A run similar to the 2011 Copa America – where they fell to Paraguay in penalties in the semifinal – would be a bonus.
Failure looks like…
Another bottom-of-the-group finish at the Copa America.
La Vinotinto were considered one of the more favorable draws out of South America, but to finish below both CONCACAF teams in their group and at the bottom of the standings for the second time in two years at a Copa tournament would amount to a bust.
For that reason, the first group game of the tournament against Jamaica, which just last year advanced to the CONCACAF Gold Cup final, could be the most important result of the tournament for Venezuela. For one, it will set up the team’s confidence going into its two tougher games. Assuming the two expected powers in the group advance, however, that game against Jamaica could settle who finishes in the basement.
Venezuela has seen little go right since its 2011 Copa run. They finished just outside of the fifth and final spot in 2014 World Cup qualifying, leaving them out of the tournament. It happened in devastating fashion. Venezuela had a bright start in qualifying, but got five out of a possible 15 points in its final five games to see Uruguay move past them. Venezuela won just five of its next 21 games in the two years-plus since. Another poor Copa showing would only add to the misery.
