The Copa America is just around the corner, kicking off on Friday when the US and Colombia face off.

Every major tournament comes with major surprises. Who would have thought that Spain would be the first team eliminated from the 2014 World Cup after almost a decade of dominance? Who would have expected Costa Rica to be the little engine that could for a while or that Brazil would get demolished 7-1 at home as it fell from grace? Or even last summer when Peru became a Copa America darling, finishing third. Or who would have expected Lionel Messi to score a total of zero goals in leading Argentina to the final of the Copa?

Yet many people likely predicted some of these outcomes, bold as those Prophesies might have been. Here are five bold predictions for this Copa America.

1. The US fails to get out of its group.

Pundits have the Americans making a deep run and why shouldn't they? They are playing at home and have a tried and tested group of veterans on the squad coupled with promising talent. That said, the Americans have a hard group to travail with the likes of Colombia and Paraguay putting up a front. Colombia is the favorite to win the group, a country with tremendous youth and an attacking identity that is simply too much for a meager US defense on its best day. Paraguay plays a constricting defensive style that will likely clog the US's possession play. Costa Rica will be without Keylor Navas, a huge blow as it stands, but they have had their luck against the Americans in the past. Look for a tough US performance.

2. Argentina will not win the trophy.

The Albiceleste is undeniably the most potent outfit in this tournament, but the same can be said for Argentina's squad the past two tournaments. And yet in the moment of making things happen, the team has floundered in two straight years. We all know the "Third Time's a charm" cliché, but the reality is that soccer is played by humans that exert their bodies in tremendous ways. And Argentina's top players have played deep into the summer for two straight years. At some point, fatigue is going to win the battle and it seems to already be taking some victories. Messi should be in the tournament, but he is a weary body that picked up a recent injury. He might be a God on the pitch, but he is human and at 28 is starting to enter that age where his body will break down. Throw in the other injury-prone superstars and you have a team that will be too tired to make a deep run.

3. Mexico will have a great showing, possibly even winning the whole thing.

Last year, Mexico was an embarrassment in this tournament, but this was the result of bringing a young crew to the party. This time around, El Tri has its heavy hitters ready to go and is playing on comfortable turf. Moreover, the team is better rested than a lot of the Copa teams that played deep into last summer. Finally, Mexico's 5-3-2 is a solid style to play against the more aggressive South American sides, giving El Tri a strong counter attacking option as well as the ability to absorb the potent offenses.

4. Kaka will have a tournament to remember

The Brazilian did not bow out of his national side with heroism. In fact, he was quietly booted off and thrown into oblivion after 2010, no longer seen as the face of the team. Kaka was not originally set to make this squad either but the injury to Douglas Costa gave him a chance to be the leader for a team sorely lacking in identity. He is not the same player he was in 2010 but he is still a highly creative one that is rounding back into a solid form for Orlando City. Look for him to be a beacon of leadership for the Selecao as they regain stature in the soccer world.

***Correction - Kaka has withdrawn from the tournament due to injury.

5. Uruguay will be the Champions

Luis Suarez is still scheduled to play in this tournament and even if he misses the first few matches, his team should be fine taking on one of the easier groups. But Suarez himself will be the difference in this tournament, likely crowning himself with glory as its best player and leading his nation to triumph when all is said and done.

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