Will River Win the Copa Sudamericana?
By Andy Pearson
River Plate team photo
Courtesy of Club Atletico River Plate Oficial
Champions League and Europa League. Everyone has heard of them. Has anyone heard of Copa Sudamericana? If you live in South America you better have. The Copa Sudamericana is the South American version of Europe’s Europa League. Teams from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela all compete to be one of best in South America. After a long and grueling competition, the last two to remain are Argentina’s River Plate, and Colombia’s Atletico Nacional.
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River Plate has done pretty well for themselves, to say the least. They are one half of the biggest rivalries in the world, against Boca Juniors, and are the most successful team in Argentina’s history. They have won the league title a record 36 times. Second place goes to their rivals Boca Juniors with 30 titles to their name. On top of that, River Plate has some international success to their name as well. They have won the Copa Libertadores twice, in 1986 and 1996. On top of that, if things go their way on December 14th, they could lift their 37th title from Argentina.
In the other corner is Colombia’s Atletico Nacional. Nacional themselves boast quite the impressive record. They are tied with Millonarios for most titles in Colombia’s history, with 14 titles. They won both titles in 2013, and went on to win the first of two titles in 2014 and came in second in the second title.
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On top of that impressive feat, they have won the Copa Colombia twice and the Superliga Colombia once. Needless to say that in Colombia, this is one of the teams to constantly be on the lookout for. While they don’t have such an impressive record internationally, they still were able to life the Copa Libertadores once, in 1989.
The final of this prestigious tournament is played in two legs; each team will be home once and away once. The first leg was held back on December 3rd, and it was a 1-1 tie. The second leg is on December 10th, in Buenos Aires, where River Plate will be in front of their loyal and thirsty fans. Being at home, River Plate has a clear advantage, as their atmosphere will be like none other. Argentine soccer is truly a spectacle to see, and it will be very hard for Nacional to dethrone River Plate in their home, especially with River Plate with that ever important one away goal.
December 10th, one of two South American champions will be crowned; will they be from Argentina or Colombia?