With the recent releases of Copa America Centenario rosters we thought we would take a look at the players in the Bundesliga who will be appearing for their nations at this summers tournament.
Dario Lezcano of Paraguay was a winter signing for FC Ingolstadt. Scoring only two goal he was a starting in 15 matches and came off the bench in the two other league matches over the ruckrunde. While normally a team that scored its goals from set pieces Lezcano provided an additional threat from open play making runs complementing club leading scorer Moritz Hartmann. Playing off the main striker will give an outside change of getting out of the group stage.
Bobby Wood spent the 2015-16 season in the Bundesliga second division with Union Berlin scoring a record for Americans in Germany with 17 goals. His tally caught the interest of Hamburg who beat other clubs for his signature. A player with a low center of gravity Wood has show himself to be nimble and able to put in the scrappy goal which could rightly be the deciding factor in a close match.
John Anthony Brooks solidified himself within the Hertha Berlin defense in 2015-16. Being a big part in his clubs rise to Europe qualification he signed a long term contract to keep him with the club. Preferred center back of Jurgen Klinsmann’s Brooks will be playing every moment of this tournament. Brooks has scored goals from set pieces and it will provide a weapon to the USMNT.
Christian Pulisic was known as a U-17 international who was given a chance at Borussia Dortmund and in 2015-16 he took it with both hands. Breaking into the starting 11 of one of the biggest teams in the world the youngster made an impact immediately. Scoring goals and creating on field magic Pulisic is now considered that next future star and over the next few years will be one to monitor. USMNT fans will be getting excited that Christian chose them over Croatia its now time to see what happens at the national team level.
Fabian Johnson has been busy in 2015-16 with Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga and Champions League. Despite the change of coach early in the season Johnson has been a constant starter in the midfield creating width. The Foals were an attacking force to be reckoned with and Johnson was right there for it all. On Jurgen Klinsmann’s no call up list Johnson led the squad to a great run of form and Fabian has been brought back to the fold. Attacking on the wing is his best use, hopefully used correctly by the USMNT.
Luis Gustavo made the move from Bayern Munich to Wolfsburg to ensure that he would be a focal point of a team. Wolfsburg in 2015-16 was not up to their expectation as to what had been reached the previous season. Making the quarterfinals of the Champions League Gustavo was one of the key players in reaching that stage. Playing the defensive midfield role this past year was rough as the attack was not cohesive and the trickle down effect was real. For Brazil he will succeed but there is the question if Dunga’s style will work in a tournament format.
Douglas Costa came in to Bayern Munich for a big transfer fee and became a big part of the Bayern attack. Costa has gone from strength to strength and has blossomed in his first season in Germany and has been hard to overlook . For Brazil Costa shows an attacking option that will be needed since Neymar will not present.
Javier Hernandez joined Bayer Leverkusen and a star had arrived in the Bundesliga. Chicharito was an instant success with his new club. He was finally the focal point of a squad which had not been the case at Manchester United or Real Madrid. With that he blossomed and can be considered one of the biggest stars in the league and has made people reconsider what kind of player he is. For Mexico their success is so linked with his success that the Bundesliga star will dictate the success of Mexico in the Copa America.
Arturo Vidal made the choice to join Bayern Munich after leaving Juventus when they had just lost out on the Champions League final. The jump was mostly successful in adjusting to a club the size of Bayern with ingrained ways of doing things. A maverick of a player Vidal has found his role at FCB and in joining up with Chile he will be ready for the challenge of the Copa America. Now that the competition isn’t in his home country there won’t be as much distraction.
Charles Aranguiz was hailed as a great pickup by Bayer Leverkusen when he was signed. Sadly being injured in training he didn’t return to the playing field until April so only a small sample size was gleamed. An industrious midfielder for Chile whose work load on the national team will only continue over the next few years.
Eduardo Vargas was hailed as a coup for Hoffenheim but the season didn’t pan out as initially expected. As opposed to challenging for a European place as last year the club started horribly and ran through three managers by seasons end. Next season will hopefully be more fruitful. For Chile Vargas has extensive experience playing in Northern Europe, that should bode well for this Copa America.
