Goal-gifted Argentina still the Copa América favorite

	Lionel Messi, Hernán Crespo, Javier Zanetti & Co. have steamrolled opponents through two Copa América matches by a combined 8-3. Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Image
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If it keeps playing like this, Argentina should lift its 15th Copa América in a walk.

The most star-studded team in South America's grant tournament kicked off its campaign in sensational fashion last week when it hammered the U.S. 4-1. The Argentines then proved it was no fluke with another convincing 4-2 victory over Colombia on Monday. There's every reason to believe Argentina will continue to demolish its opponents at will and win its first Copa since 1993.

Argentina is clearly the team to beat, particularly because it has translated its work from last summer's World Cup into this competition, where so far it has dominated. The free-flowing soccer the Argentines produce has become a trademark of their game, as is the manner in which they keep the ball away from their opponents with tricky passing before looking to convert possession into goals.

This group has shown a level of quality that can't be matched by any team in the Copa América, or in the entire planet for that matter. At times it's difficult to understand how so many superstars can blend into the same team at once and still achieve excellent results.

With a squad consisting of the likes of Lionel Messi, Hernán Crespo, Juan Román Riquelme, Juan Sebastián Verón, Carlos Tévez and Diego Milito, there's no question where Argentina's power lies. When selecting his squad, manager Alfio Basile was concerned that he had much too many attackers to choose from and too few positions available.

Rarely do teams of even Argentina's stature have this amount of talent at their disposal, so it's no wonder there is so much pressure on Basile to make good use of it. But El Coco has been able to do exactly that so far, and it's the reason why Argentina has already scored eight goals after only two group matches. It may have only faced the U.S. and Colombia, but what should be taken note of is that the strength of both these teams is their defense.

Argentina creates goal-scoring opportunities, usually from the boots of midfielders Verón or Riquelme, two outstanding players that only recently returned to the national team after impressive seasons with their Argentine clubs.

Verón is the nucleus of the side, an intelligent player who holds the midfield together and releases long accurate balls to the flanks. He intercepts loose balls in the midfield and provides Argentina with the stability it was lacking at the World Cup.

Riquelme does a slightly different job: He creates Argentina's best attacking moves, assists the strikers and directs the pace of the game. He also gets on the box score, scoring twice against Colombia to make it seven goals in his last seven matches (with the national team and his club last season, Boca Juniors). At the moment, Riquelme is playing the best soccer of his entire career.

Then there are the main goal-getters, Argentina's strikers. Crespo will be out of action for the remainder of the tournament after straining a thigh muscle when he converted his third goal of the competition against Colombia. But this is unlikely to cause Basile too many headaches, as he counters with several other players who are more than capable of replacing the Inter Milan star.

Messi has shown flashes of his talent so far in the Copa América, but has yet to find his best form. As Argentina progresses in the competition, it's just a matter of time before the gifted youngster turns on the style. Argentina will look to him for the inspiration it needs in the decisive knockout matches, which are usually decided by a touch of brilliance.

Looking ahead, Argentina's campaign can only get harder. It may have already assured itself of a spot in the next round, but will have to beat a dangerous Paraguay side in order to be the group winner. This match is likely to determine much of its fate in the competition, as a victory will see it face easier teams en route to the final. If Argentina is able to do this, it will set up a quarterfinal showdown with Peru and should avoid archrival Brazil right until the grand final.

Best tournament in history?

From what we've seen so far, Venezuela is hosting arguably the most impressive Copa América in history. President Hugo Chávez invested more than $1 billion in a competition that is likely to be remembered for many years to come.

Venezuela -- known more as a baseball-crazy country -- has surpassed all expectations, as almost all matches have been played at sold-out stadiums that resemble those of a World Cup. Excited fans have flocked to Venezuela from all corners of the continent, and the prestige of the competition has grown immensely.

The quality of the soccer has also been positive, as the majority of matches have produced many goals and suspense right until the final whistle. With Venezuela having progressed to the second round of the competition for the first time in history, the popularity of soccer in the country will reach a level never seen before.