Kaka’s late withdrawal has hit Brazil
Photo: Thomas Gosse Jr
Brazil enter tonight’s match at the Rosebowl in Pasadena with somewhat less than a clear head.
No matter what the passage of time, the memory of that 7-1 thrashing at the hands of the Germans in their own World Cup will not die quickly. To put that into perspective, talk in Brazil at the start of the 2014 World Cup still revolved around that 1950 defeat to Uruguay in the World Cup Final.
If that pain was still raw after 64 years, there is no telling how long the pain of 2014 will last. The country began 2015 still badly needing a diversion.
Since then, Brazil have played six competitive games in qualifications for the 2018 World Cup, with two wins and three draws out of six. They sit an embarrassing sixth, two places if only one point behind behind Chile in 4th, the last certain qualification place. It should be pointed out that they are undefeated in their last five but needed a stoppage time Alves goal to avoid a humiliating loss in the Defensores del Chaco in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion.
That was on March 29th, and the mood of Brazilian sport has been given no cause to improve since.
The summer Olympics in Rio were supposed to be a second showcase for the massive South American nation. Instead the world headlines have concerned the Zika virus, the corruption allegations against President Rousseff, and failed drug tests from London.
The people of the Samba Nation could badly do with a morale boost and the Copa America represents the last chance before the Olympic flame is finally lit in Rio.
It was into that atmosphere that Dunga leads his troops but he has been hit badly by withdrawals with Kaka, Luiz Gustavo, Rafinha, Ricardo Oliveira and Ederson all now being unavailable.
Ecuador sit second in the CONMEBOL table with 13 points from six games. Their sole loss came in their last game in Colombia in March and that followed a poor result, a draw at home to Paraguay but they have notable results such as a draw in Argentina. Despite that, they will fancy their chances at a depleted Brazil.
The two sides have not yet met in World Cup Qualification and that, perhaps more important tie, is set for September 1st in Ecuador, in the next round of the competition.
Peru and Haiti make up the rest of this group and neither sides will be discounting the dangerous Peruvians but both have beaten them in World Cup Qualification without conceding a goal, though Peru were the away side on both occasions.
Nonetheless, as is so often the case in these Seed 1 v Seed 2 group openers, both sides would be happy with a draw and a point although a massive Peruvian win in Seattle earlier in the day might rattle both cages a little.
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