Argentina finishes No. 1 -- why does it feel so sour?

Lionel Messi (left) and Juan Román Riquelme had big years, but the top-ranked Argentine national team won't look back at '07 fondly. AP

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Argentina ends the year ranked No. 1 in the world, swept both South American club competitions in 2007 and may boast the most balanced domestic league in the world. So why does it feel like the year is ending on such a down note?

At the club level, 2007 couldn't have been better. Not only did Argentine clubs win both the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, but also the upbeat trend of smaller clubs rising to prominence continued.

What was particularly impressive was the determination of Argentina's less fashionable clubs: Lanús shocked the nation by winning the Apertura Championship, while Arsenal went a step further by lifting the Copa Sudamericana.

Lanús' incredible title run could be considered one of the greatest campaigns in recent history. The cash-strapped club, which had never won a domestic title in 92 years of existence, went undefeated in its final 10 league matches and clinched a title that seemed to be out of its reach.

Not only did Lanús play a very attractive style of soccer under Spanish-born coach Ramón Cabrero, but it also ended up as the league's highest-scoring team with 34 goals, an achievement usually achieved by the likes of Boca Juniors, River Plate or Independiente.

In the Clausura Championship, San Lorenzo, which hadn't come close to challenging for the title in a number of years (14 short seasons), won 14 of its 19 league matches and ended the season as huge six-point winners. El Ciclón went undefeated in its four clásicos against the major Buenos Aires clubs, including a historic 3-0 victory over Boca at the Bombonera.

But internationally, it was surprise package Arsenal that made a stand with the Sudamericana title. The tiny club from Sarandí, which had no right to even make a claim in the competition, swept away a number of higher-profile teams, including San Lorenzo, Chivas de Guadalajara, River and Club América, before winning its first-ever title.

Many boil Arsenal's success down to the fighting spirit of the side, its determination and aggressiveness on the field. That was exactly the manner in which Arsenal won the title, as it came from behind to beat América on the away-goals rule with a late strike in the title decider in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires. Arsenal proved that no matter the circumstances, smaller clubs are more than capable of defying the odds if they set their minds to it.

Then again, it was one of Argentina's major clubs that won South America's ultimate club competition, the Copa Libertadores. Boca Juniors brushed aside all opposition on the way to their sixth title, capping it off with an emphatic 5-0 aggregate victory over Brazilian side Grêmio of Porto Alegre in the finals last June.

It was a hugely important victory for Argentine soccer in general, as its clubs hadn't lifted the Libertadores title since Boca beat Santos in the decider back in 2003. Over the past couple of years, Argentine clubs had to put up with watching two consecutive all-Brazilian finals (São Paulo vs. Atlético Paranaense in '05 and São Paulo vs. Internacional in '06).

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