Soccer Watch

If the Copa America is still inferior to the Euro Championship in anything but finance and publicity, you couldn't tell it from the play on the field in Peru. Detractors pointed to Brazil – who opted to send an essentially second-string, under-23 squad – as proof that this continental title is lacking the gravitas of that other one across the ocean. But maybe that's just how good Brazil is: The youngsters improved throughout the tournament and wound up lifting the trophy with a shoot-out win over Argentina on Sunday, after scoring late in injury time to earn a 2-2 tie in regulation. Along the way, they got huge contributions from players who now may be moving up into that Brazilian first string in the World Cup campaign to come. If the fans didn't get to see the best of the 2002 world champions, they may have gotten a first look at the 2006 world champions.

And with that, football's 2003-2004 season comes to a close. In South America, as in Europe, the stadia are empty, while the teams and players rest and plan and wait for next year. The 2004-2005 season begins in two weeks, with the opening of the Athens Olympics, the resumption of World Cup qualifying, and the start of Euro Champions League qualifying on Aug. 10.

If you're in need of an off-season fix, however, there are a couple of games on tap this weekend: The MLS All-Star game is Saturday (July 31, 1pm, ABC); and on Sunday, the U.S. women face China in their final pre-Olympic tuneup (Aug. 1, 1:55pm, ESPN2). The women open Olympic play Aug. 14 against Brazil; the U.S. men begin World Cup qualifying Aug. 18 against Jamaica.

The South Region, which includes Texas, was shut out of the 2004 U.S. Youth Soccer Championships last week, as California claimed six of the 12 national titles. Texas teams accounted themselves well, though, with two national finalists and seven semifinalists. –