The first two rounds of the CONMEBOL qualifiers have come and gone with some major surprises.
From underdogs performing masterfully to dark horses making amends without top stars to heavyweights imploding, these first two rounds have been nothing short of riveting. Here are the biggest takeaways thus far.
Arsenal reclaimed the Community Shield after taking down Chelsea 1-0. Arsenal also won the award last season, but many anticipated this matchup between the 2015 Premier League Champion Chelsea and the FA Cup winner Arsenal.
This game featured a plethora of story lines, but none more preponderant than José Mourinho vs. Arsène Wenger. For years the former held the advantage, not losing a single game against the Arsenal manger. Prior to Sunday's game, Mourinho held a record of seven wins and six draws against Wenger with no defeats.
But streaks are meant to be broken and this one was no exception.
How Arsenal did it was all the more impressive. Here are some takeaways.
The Copa America is now headed to the semifinals and the world has experienced a great deal of elation for major winners and yet a plethora of disappointments from those that were expected to do so much more.
Of the four remaining teams in the tournament, two of them were expected to make deep runs. The other two remaining sides were among the three worst teams in World Cup 2014 qualifiers. Those two sides, Peru and Paraguay, are where they are on their own merit but there is no doubt that they left rather disappointing sides in the dust.
Here are the biggest disappointments of the quarterfinals at the Copa America.
Colombia needs some major changes for its upcoming game against Argentina. Check out our in-depth analysis on the nation's struggles in this Copa America and why Radamel Falcao's time as a starter needs to end.
The first round of the Copa America has come to an end. As is usually the case with major tournaments, there are bound to be a plethora of disappointments to take away from the opening batch of games.
Often times these disappointments involve teams that fail to live up to expectations and crash out quickly from the competition. In a forgiving competition in which only four of 12 teams are eliminated, there are bound to be disappointments among teams that still have life. Here they are.
In 2012-13, the "Tiger" Radamel Falcao scored a whopping 28 goals in 34 games. That career-high came on the heels of putting in 24 goals a year earlier. It was at that point that Falcao made a major career move and took his talents from Madrid to Monaco where he was expected to be a lethal force alongside fellow Colombian James Rodriguez.
Chelsea maintains their lead in the English Premier League (EPL) after 1-1 draw against fourth-place Southampton while second-place Manchester City and third-place Manchester United fail to make up ground in the standings. Arsenal managed to creep into the top five with a key victory on the road against West Ham United.
Making his second start of the season, Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, on loan from French Ligue 1 club AS Monaco, scored his second goal of the season for Manchester United, bailing them out after falling behind to Aston Villa on Saturday.
One of the biggest stories of the summer transfer window was the arrival of Radamel Falcao to Manchester United on loan. How will Falcao fit Into Manchester United's attack? Will he displace Robin Van Persie?
Radamel Falcao has been at the center of rumors for months despite being inactive for six months. The superstar has been linked with Real Madrid for weeks, but recent reports indicate that Manchester City might be interested in bringing in the Colombian. Where should he go?
Both options are certainly enticing for Falcao. But which is the better one?
Despite losing to Brazil 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup, Colombia has bright future with a young core of players that have proven they can play with anyone in the world.
Portugal coach Paulo Bento is confident that star forward Cristiano Ronaldo will be fully fit in time for their upcoming campaign in 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil next month.
