Bolivia, U.S. show promise, while Colombia struggles

	The U.S.' three-and-out showing at the Copa América was frustrating, as was the erratic play of talented Eddie Johnson (far right). AP
	MAILBAG Submit a comment or question for Tim. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

BARQUISIMETO, Venezuela -- While eight teams march on to the quarterfinals of the Copa América, the other four go home to recriminations and postmortems. Not qualifying for the second round in a tournament that only eliminates one-third of the teams is clearly a failure.

Some of the four, though, can be excused for casting a rueful look at Uruguay, which snuck into the last eight without doing very much of note.

The Uruguayans have been one of the most disappointing teams in the tournament, managing a single goal in three games despite being drawn in the weakest of the three groups. But I wouldn't bet against them spoiling the party on Saturday and eliminating host Venezuela in the first of the quarterfinal matchups.

Perhaps the team that was most pleasing on the eye in Uruguay's group was Bolivia, eliminated after two draws and a defeat.

There is much for coach Erwin Sánchez to look back on with a smile. His team had a clear tactical pattern; it threw the strikers wide, and kept the midfield compact. The man on the ball usually had good options for a first-time pass, and when the fullbacks pushed forward, they were often able to create 2-on-one situations in wide areas.

On an individual basis, Sánchez was able to recuperate Jaime Moreno. Once hailed as a teenage prodigy (he played the Copa as a 17-year-old all the way back in 1991), Moreno had seldom delivered for the national team, and had been out of contention for years. The Bolivian public did not want the D.C. United star back, but he proved himself worthy of his place with aggressive displays and two goals. At the other end of the age range, teenage attacking midfielder Jhasmani Campos scored a wonderful goal against Peru and showed flashes of promise.

But poor defending in the air always looked likely to cost them, and it did. The goal they conceded against Uruguay and the two they let in against Peru all came from an inability to deal with crosses. Center backs Ronald Raldes and the veteran Juan Manuel Peña are fine players, but they are too similar as a pairing. There is an urgent need for a commanding center back to deal with the aerial threat.

But if Bolivia could at least take some consolation from picking up two draws in Group A, the team eliminated from Group B picked up no points after losing all three of its games. Ecuador's players are scratching their heads as they ask themselves how this came to be. They had excellent spells in all three matches, and appeared to have victory against Chile in the bag in the opening game. The level of their play was no worse than that they showed in reaching the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup.

But amid the gloom, there are bright spots for coach Luis Fernando Suárez. One of his objectives going into the competition was to further the process of rebuilding and rejuvenating a side that is growing old together after two successful World Cup qualification campaigns. He is now further along the line with this.