Surprising final four set to go for Libertadores glory

	Unlike São Paulo's Libertadores champion squads of the past, this edition is short on star power -- but it's long on character. AP
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One Mexican, a Paraguayan and two Brazilians ....

No, it's not the start of a joke. Nor is it the list of Latin America's ambassadors at the G-8 meeting. They do represent Latin America in a gathering, but Argentines have been excluded. Same with anyone from Chile or Uruguay, and definitely no Colombians, Venezuelans or Bolivians. Peru is out.

We're talking about the biggest soccer event on earth nowadays, the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores. While soccer fans in Europe are still getting warmed up for their national leagues and continental cups, South America is glued to the screen and filling up stadiums to see the best soccer anywhere.

And to the surprise of many, two phenomena are happening before our eyes.

First, no Argentine clubs are remaining in the final four. It's a rare occurrence and surprising, given that Argentina owns the most Libertadores titles.

Second, Mexico -- obviously not part of South America -- is more than a revelation. Mexican clubs are merely invited to participate in the tournament, but now they're taking over at the expense of the traditional South American powerhouses.

Mexican clubs can't really "win" the Cup. Sure, one can emerge victorious as the Copa Libertadores champions, but it can't represent South America in any international event, such as the Club World Championship. This hasn't happened yet, but the fact that they're getting closer and closer is a looming problem for the South American confederation.

But first, let's discuss what has happened in the past few months. In this year's 45th edition of the Libertadores, the semifinals pit the defending champions, São Paulo, against Chivas of Mexico, while the surprising Libertad of Paraguay will face Brazil's Internacional.

These are the last four standing from a field of 26 qualifying clubs augmented by six teams that reached the tournament through an elimination round. Traditional powers such as Colo Colo of Chile and Oriente Petrolero of Bolivia were out before the 32 teams got started.

The biggest surprise is Libertad, which really deserves to be here. Founded more than 100 years ago, it's definitely one of the most veteran clubs in South America. But it's only the Paraguayans' sixth appearance in the Libertadores. And the team from the capital city of Asunción has now gone further than River Plate, Palmeiras, Vélez Sarsfield or even Mexico's Tigres.

Now Libertad is seeking to go even further in its second-ever berth in the semis. Young head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino has instilled in his team a fierce, fighting mentality. Star strikers Hernán López, Sergio "Pato" ("Duck") Aquino and Roberto "Toto" Gamarra will look to shock heavily favored Internacional.

Tickets for Thursday night's first-leg match in Asunción sold out in two-and-a-half hours. Libertad's passionate fans are eager to see the fate of their "Gumas," a nickname that derives from a comic-strip character named Giuseppe Gumarello -- himself a passionate Libertad fan with whom the Italian immigrant communities of the Paraguayan capital could relate.

Now, with the space I have left, we turn to a very special club: São Paulo. The three-time Libertadores champions (and three-time club world champions) are the overall favorites to repeat. But unlike the power-packed title teams of the past, this group is a squad without major stars.

Well, except for one man: the guy between the poles, Rogério Ceni. He's no ordinary goalkeeper. In fact, he's close to becoming the all-time goal-scoring netminder. As a world champion with Brazil at the '02 World Cup, then again with São Paulo's title run last season, Ceni has been perhaps one of the true remaining gentlemen of football.

It's not often that a 'keeper takes the prize as man of the match, especially in a game that features star players such as Steven Gerrard, Amoroso, Cicinho, Fernando Morientes and Harry Kewell. But Ceni topped them all in last winter's Club World Championship, when his brilliant performance helped São Paulo upset Liverpool in Tokyo.

As São Paulo visits Guadalajara to take on Chivas in Wednesday's night's first leg, Ceni will have to be at his best again -- his experience will be invaluable. São Paulo will also rely on its tough coach, former player Muricy Ramalho, a direct disciple of the late, great Telê Santana.

The key players against Chivas include Ricardo Oliveira -- on loan from Spain's Real Betis -- alongside Alex Dias and young Thiago. On defense, veteran fullback Júnior -- a reserve on the '02 Brazilian World Cup team -- is still doing the job. But the world's eyes are on brilliant Uruguayan defender Diego Lugano, who will almost surely move to Spain in the coming months. Other players to watch include Mineiro, a last-minute call-up to Brazil's Cup squad, and Josué, the hardest worker of the team.

São Paulo and Chivas will meet again after matching up twice in this year's group stage. The Guadalajarans beat the defending champs both times by the same 2-1 count. The time to settle things, as they say, is now.

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