Sport360 provides an insight into all the 12 squads that are competing in the Copa America 2015.

Group A

BOLIVIA

Star Player: Marcelo Martins Moreno

Coach: Mauricio Soria
Previous Best: Winners,1963
One to watch: Alejandro Chumacero
Strengths/Weaknesses: It’s abundantly clear from their last seven matches where Bolivia struggle; goals. They’ve not scored in four of them and were battered 5-0 by Argentina in a pre-tournament warm-up so it doesn’t bode well for them.
Verdict: Horrid form having just won twice since the beginning of 2013 they are nailed on to finish bottom of Group A. If they can somehow get Marcelo Martins Moreno scoring again they may have some hope of getting some points on the board.

ECUADOR

Star Player: Jefferson Montero
Coach: Gustavo Quinteros
Previous Best: Semi-finals, 1959, 1993
One to watch: Miller Bolanos
Strengths/Weaknesses: Enner Valencia and Montero provide much of the thrust in attack but defensively there are concerns; an April friendly against Argentina exposed that. Nine of the 23-man squad have three caps or less each
so inexperience is an issue too.
Verdict: They were the only South Americanteam to fail to qualify for last year’s World Cup and improvements since have been scarce. Los Amarillos have won just twice in their last seven outings and with Chile and Mexico in their group it’s unlikely they’ll qualify for the knockouts.

CHILE

Star Player: Alexis Sanchez

Coach: Jorge Sampaoli
Previous Best: Runners-up 1955, 1956, 1979, 1987
One to watch: Angelo Henriquez
Strengths/Weaknesses: La Roja are strong all over the field but it is their energy, typified by box-to-box Arturo Vidal, that really stands them out from the rest. They are organised and can score goals from several different areas. As for weaknesses, do they truly believe they can compete alongside the powerhouses of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay?
Verdict: The Chileans are coming into the tournament off a hugely impressive World Cup. They host this year’s tournament, so how well they do might well depend on how they handle the pressure. Chile should top their group,
meaning they will play the best third-placed side and likely avoid a quarter-final against Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil or Colombia.

MEXICO

Star Player: Rafael Marquez
Coach: Miguel Herrera
Previous Best: Runners-up 1993, 2001
One to watch: Raul Jimenez
Strengths/Weaknesses: Lack of experience is an obvious downfall for El Tri with much of the squad made up of players from the Mexican Liga MX. Legendary skipper Rafael Marquez is a rock (albeit an ageing one) at the centre of defence so Herrera’s men will be no pushovers.
Verdict: Invited to take part in this year’s Copa, it’s going to be a busy summer for Mexico with the Gold Cup to negotiate in the coming weeks too. Herrera has clearly opted to prioritise the Gold Cup and this is something of a shadow squad for the South American showpiece. Still, though, their Group A draw has been kind and should comfortably progress to the knockout stages.

Group B

ARGENTINA

Star Player: Lionel Messi

Coach: Gerardo Martino
Previous Best: Winners 1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1991, 1993
One to watch: Ever Banega
Strengths/Weaknesses: They have the planet’s best player so they don’t really need much else. However, La Albiceleste have quality in every department and ironically that’s actually been a hindrance, as Martino is blessed with
so many options. Finding the right balance has historically been a problem for Argentina and it often fails to come together when it matters. Still, they have Messi.
Verdict: With Brazil in ‘transition’ and not exactly looking the force of old this could be their year to an end a 12-year trophy droughtand equal Uruguay’s record 15 Copa America haul. Having finished as the best South American team at the World Cup in Brazil, Argentina will expect success in Chile.

JAMAICA

Star Player: Rodolph Austin

Coach: Winfried Schafer
Previous Best: N/A
One to watch: Kemar Lawrence
Strengths/Weaknesses: Plenty of youthful exuberance, particularly in midfield, but they’ll struggle to score goals in an
extremely difficult Group B.
Verdict: On paper, the Reggae Boyz sit as the undoubted outsiders and would require something of a miracle to make it through the group. Holding midfielder and captain Rodolph Austin is without a club, though, so could become a cult hero.

PARAGUAY

Star Player: Lucas Barrios

Coach: Ramon Diaz
Previous Best: Winners 1953, 1979
One to watch: Derlis Gonzalez
Strengths/Weaknesses: Paraguay have a squad at varying ends of the experience spectrum. Justo Villar, Paulo da Silva and Roque Santa Cruz all have 100 caps, but eight members of the squad have fewer than 10. Once a giant of South American football, Paraguay, these days, find themselves struggling for an identity. They wretchedly finished bottom of CONMEBOL’s nine-team league for 2014 World Cup qualifying.
Verdict: They reached the final in 2011 but went on a major giant-killing spree and it will take more heroics to get half as far this time. In a group containing Argentina and Uruguay, Paraguay’s best hope of reaching the knockout stages is by finishing as one of the best third-placed teams.

URUGUAY

Star Player: Edinson Cavani

Coach: Oscar Tabarez
Previous Best: Winners 1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011
One to watch: Giorgian De Arrascaeta
Strengths/Weaknesses: Although Tabarez has tinkered with his policy of selecting veterans, there is still a lot of experience in this Uruguay squad. Defence is La Celeste’s strongest area, but they look a little light in midfield and may struggle to create scoring opportunities.
Verdict: Tabarez’s men are the reigning champions, but will have to do without their talisman and one of the best players on the planet, Luis Suarez. In his absence, expect Cavani to flourish now that he will be out from under his
compatriot’s shadow. Their major issue will be trying to beat Argentina to topping the group, because if they finish second their quarter-final opponent is likely to be a resurgent Brazil.

Group C

COLOMBIA

Star Player: James Rodriguez
Coach: Jose Pekerman
Previous Best: Winners 2001
One to watch: Radamel Falcao
Strengths/Weaknesses: Los Cafeteros have an embarrassment of riches in attack with Falcao, Carlos Bacca and Jackson Martinez to call upon. A side familiar with themselves Pekerman’s men are strong but can be exposed in the full back areas.
Verdict: This is largely the same squad that took Colombia to the World Cup quarter-finals. last summer and you’d expect them to go deep in Chile too. Have struggled in the Copa America since winning it in 2001, though, and will have to battle it out with a resurgent Brazil for top spot in Group C.

BRAZIL

Star Player: Neymar

Coach: Dunga
Previous Best: Winners 1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007
One to watch: Casemiro
Strengths/Weaknesses: As per usual, Brazil have bucketloads of talent, but at a home World Cup last year their porous defence was brutally exposed by Germany, and they seem clueless without Neymar. Do they have the mental strength to rebound in Chile?
Verdict: The Samba Boys will, of course, be among the favourites but, despite their good form under Dunga, they have a reputation to re-build after their humiliation on home soil. They have improved markedly since then, however, winning all nine games since Dunga took charge for a second stint, scoring 20 and conceding just two. 

PERU

Star Player: Juan Manuel Vargas
Coach: Ricardo Gareca
Previous Best: Winners 1939, 1975
One to watch: Andre Carrillo
Strengths/Weaknesses: Unity. 13 of the 23 man squad play in Peru. Gareca though only took charge in February and surely hasn’t had enough time with his team to be able to go as far as they did four years ago.
Verdict: After an impressive showing at the last tournament, where they trounced Venezuela to finish third, hopes are again high that Peru might make a run to the knockout stages once again. However, the tournament might have come to soon for Peru to make an impact, with the South American stage likely to be used as an experiment for World Cup qualifiers which begin in October.

VENEZUELA

Star Player: Salomon Rondon

Coach: Noel Sanvicente
Previous Best: Fourth place 2011
One to watch: Jhon Murillo
Strengths/Weaknesses: Have historically been a tough nut to crack but Sanvicente is trying to implement a more attacking style than that of predecessor Cesar Farias, although that is proving more difficult to transcribe onto the
pitch.
Verdict: They will be outsiders and it will be a shock to even qualify from the group with Brazil and Columbia to try and navigate past.