Copa America 2015 Team Guide: Peru
The 2015 Copa America gets underway in Chile on June 11, with 12 nations taking part: All 10 from the CONMEBOL region as usual, with two invited nations from CONCACAF.
Our week-long feature looking at each team taking part in the tournament now turns to one of the least-fancied sides involved, Peru, who will play in Group C along with Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.
Check out our guides for the other teams:
Squad
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Peru finalised their squad well before the end of May, with Cristian Benavente of Real Madrid’s youth teams not making the 23 after the cut. Experienced forwards Claudio Pizarro and Paolo Guerrero remain involved. Reuters (via Yahoo) has the final list:
Goalkeepers: Pedro Gallese (Juan Aurich), Diego Penny (Sporting Cristal), Salomon Libman (Cesar Vallejo).
Defenders: Luis Advincula (Vitoria Setubal), Carlos Zambrano (Eintracht Frankfurt), Pedro Requena (Cesar Vallejo), Hansell Riojas (Cesar Vallejo), Christian Ramos (Juan Aurich), Yoshimar Yotun (Malmo), Jair Cespedes (Juan Aurich).
Midfielders: Josepmir Ballon (Sporting Cristal), Edwin Retamoso (Real Garcilaso), Carlos Lobaton (Sporting Cristal), Carlos Ascues (Melgar), Joel Sanchez (Universidad San Martin de Porres), Paolo Hurtado (Pacos de Ferreira), Juan Manuel Vargas (Fiorentina), Christian Cueva (Alianza Lima).
Forwards: Andre Carrillo (Sporting CP), Jefferson Farfan (Schalke), Paolo Guerrero (Corinthians), Claudio Pizarro (Bayern Munich), Yordy Reyna (RB Leipzig).
Manager
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Ricardo Gareca only took over as manager of Peru’s national team in February, and the Argentinian will have his work cut out to hit the ground running.
We spoke to South American football writer Juan Arango (@JuanG_Arango) to gauge just how Gareca might approach the tournament with the squad he may not be too familiar with:
“Gareca has had two friendly matches to get an idea of what he has available. Look at this tournament to be one for him to get a feel for the squad leading up to October when World Cup qualifying begins. They are in a very tough group alongside Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela and you have to doubt this team will get to the semis like in 2011.”
Thirteen of the 23-man squad are based in Peru, while Gareca was working in Brazil in 2014 with Palmeiras.
Star Man
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Jefferson Farfan has only really just returned from injury, playing the last two months of the season with Schalke after watching on for most of the campaign, but he will be hugely important to Peru’s hopes of progression.
A talented all-round attacker who, when fit and firing, is a threat with his pace and dribbling at opposition defences, Peru really need him to have a positive impact on the attack as a whole, with others such as Pizarro not really having had much game time.
One to Watch
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Benavente might have been the one had he made the final cut, but in his absence we’re looking at Andre Carrillo as a younger player who could have a big impact.
The Sporting Lisbon winger has featured heavily for his club this season across all competitions, including the Champions League. He represents something of an alternative option to the established, but not necessarily consistently effective, name of Paolo Guerrero in the front line.
Plenty of pace and dribbling ability means he’s easy on the eye, but Carrillo also had plenty of end product this season as he clocked up 18 assists in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
Tournament Record
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Despite not qualifying for a World Cup since 1982, Peru’s Copa America record since then has been generally respectable, culminating in a third-place finish in 2011.
Winners: Two (1939, 1975)
Runners-up: Never
Last four: 12
Most recent finishes:
2011: Third place
2007: Quarter-finals
2004: Quarter-finals
2001: Quarter-finals
1999: Quarter-finals
Fixtures
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14 June, 6:30 p.m. (CLT)—Estadio Municipal German Becker, Temuco
Brazil vs. Peru
18 June, 8:30 p.m. (CLT)—Estadio Elias Figueroa, Valparaiso
Peru vs. Venezuela
21 June, 4 p.m. (CLT)—Estadio Municipal German Becker, Temuco
Colombia vs. Peru
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