DUNGA OUT, USA IN ?

Well, I am no longer distracted by the progress of the English team in Euro16, we've won a game and as usual the lads kept us all on our toes until the final minutes before we could get out from behind the sofa and hold our heads high. Thank you Roy for making what were obvious substitutions.

Elsewhere favourite teams are falling by the wayside in America. The Brazilians are out of the South American Championships, the Copa America Centenario, held this time in the USA. The long standing "Best Nation in the World" failed to get through their group and manager and a national hero, Dunga, has been sacked. The 45th anniversary of this competition includes 10 teams from CONMEBOL (South America countries) and 6 from CONCACAF (Central and North America).

Massive stadia in the USA are hosting the matches and distances between locations are enormous. In Group A the USA and Colombia qualified, B Peru and Ecuador, C Mexico and Venezuela and D Argentina and Chile. The USA are already through to the next stage beating Ecuador in Seattle. From mountain to sea level!!

The South American Championship of Nationas is the World's oldest surviving international tournament. First held in 1910 in Buenos Aires with Brazil, Uruguay and Chile invited to take part. Brazil did not turn up! The home side won in the last group tie after the game had been postponed following the burning down of the Racing Club stand. They beat fierce rivals Uruguay 4-1.

The second championship was again held on Argentina in 1916 to celebrate the country's independence centenary. Uruguay won topping a 4 team league-Brazil did turn up. Many regard this as the first proper tournament.

Brazil did not take the earlier competitions seriously and then there were only two tournaments held between 1959 and 1975 when Brazil was particularly strong. Frequent brawls took place so organisers were not very keen to hold the competition. In 1959 ten players from Brazil and Uruguay ended up in hospital, inevitably these fights discouraged nations from taking part. In 1963 Bolivia hosted the competition at ridiculously high altitude and won unsurprisingly.

Since 1975 tournaments have been regularly held with guest additions from Central America, USA, South Korea and Japan. It is the mark of the USA's progress in SOCCER that we find them in the final stages of this year's competition and hosting it.