New faces and old names

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - The 2006 Copa Libertadores kicks off this week with a host of new faces and some of the biggest names in South American football conspicuously absent.

The list of those missing South America's premier club competition reads like a who's who of South American football. Boca Juniors, champions three times in the last six years, are out following a poor run of form in Argentina. Barcelona from Ecuador did not make it into the draw and neither did Olimpia from Paraguay, champions in 2002.

America and Cruz Azul, two of the sides who did so much to help put Mexico's on the Libertadores map, are both missing, as are Deportivo Galicia, one of Venezuela's top clubs.

Another surprise absentee is Penarol, the Uruguayan side that has won the Libertadores on five occasions, more than any other side bar Argentina's Independiente.

All those South American clubs top Conmebol's (the region's footballing confederation) national rankings in their individual countries, a rating system based on performances in international competitions since 1960, the year of the first Libertadores.

The absence of such big names has made way for other up and coming clubs and several are taking part in the tournament for the first time. Brazilian sides Goias and Paulista will both see Libertadores action for the first time, while Union Espanola from Chile are back in the competition after a 31-year break and Union Atletico Maracaibo of Venezuela are there for only the second time in their short history.

However, the most keenly watched new side will be tiny Uruguayan side FC Rocha. The surprise team in this year's draw, Rocha won the Uruguayan Apertura league in December, becoming the first team from outside the capital to take the title since the league began in 1932.

Rocha manager Luis Gonzalez put together a team of journeymen on a shoestring budget - the monthly wage bill was around £6,000 - but they overcame the odds and were rewarded first with the title and then with a Libertadores draw that will see them take on Velez Sarsfield from Argentina, Universitario from Peru and experienced Ecuadorans Liga Deportivo Universitario.

Gonzalez confessed that even he was surprised his team held their nerve to win the league and said he had no idea how his team of youngsters would cope with the step up in class to the Libertadores.

'It will be a great experience, there's no doubt about that,' he told Conmebol's website. 'There are kids who don't have passports, who've never been on a plane, that don't know about the effect of playing at altitude, that have never even played against a team from another country. Of course, we are going to have objectives, but it is all going to be new for us.'

	“	'There are kids who don't have passports, who've never been on a plane, that don't know about the effect of playing at altitude, that have never even played against a team from another country.' ”
		— Rocha manager Luis Gonzalez

Rocha have at least been spared facing one of the Brazilian sides in the tournament. Brazil has six teams in this year's contest, one more than Argentina, thanks to the presence of defending champions Sao Paulo.

Sao Paulo, however, may struggle to repeat last year's performance. Few players remain from the team that beat Liverpool 1-0 in December to win the World Club Championship. Gone are Amaroso (to AC Milan), Cicinho (to Real Madrid) and Grafite (to Le Mans). Of the club's big names, only Uruguayan defender Lugano and goal-scoring keeper Rogerio Ceni remain. Even manager Paulo Autuori could not resist the lucrative offers that flooded in after their record-breaking year. He headed off to Japan to manage Kashima Antlers in January.

As Sao Paulo watched their big names leave, their big rivals, meanwhile, have been preparing to launch an assault on their title by bringing in reinforcements. City rivals Corinthians have never won the competition and are desperate to add the Libertadores to the Brazilian league title they took last season. Within moments of winning the league, manager Antonio Lopes was already planning how to write his name into the club's history.

'It's a great source of anxiety for Corinthians,' Lopes acknowledged. 'It's a title we've never won and you can rest assured that the group is being prepared for it. We have a squad that's capable but for a competition like this one we need to bring in a few extra pieces.'

Those pieces picked up in the close season include Brazilian midfielder Ricardinho, striker Rafael Moura, who came from Paysandu, and Chilean goalkeeper Johnny Herrera.

Elsewhere, contenders were also adding to their squads. Palmeiras have Edmundo back alongside Juninho; River Plate, with former favourite Daniel Passarella back at the helm, signed experienced Paraguayan centre half Julio Cesar Caceres and former Birmingham striker Luciano Figueiroa; while Newell's Old Boys, who finished fourth from bottom of the Apertura table in December, have added a bit of bite to their side with the signing of combative Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gavilan.

The one difference this year is that the title will not be decided until August. The final stages of the tournament have been put back because of the World Cup Finals in Germany. The Libertadores will take a break after the quarter-finals in May and will resume on June 19 when the first leg of the semi-finals are scheduled to take place. The two-legged final will be held on August 2 and 9.

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