The first of the Copa America semi-finals kick off tonight after two and half hectic weeks has seen twelve teams whittled down to four. The presence of two of those remaining sides comes as no real surprise, but that of the other remains something of a shock. Uruguay and Paraguay both enjoyed successful World Cup campaigns in South Africa last year, reaching a semi-final and a quarter-final respectively; however, Peru weren’t at the world cup, having finished rock bottom of the CONMEBOL qualifying table, and Venezuela have never even been to one. As La Nación put it this week, this has been ‘the cup of the humble.’

All four quarter-finals produced shock results as Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia all fell to teams the bookies were confident they would defeat. The post-mortems have been in full swing around much of the continent these past few days, with most attempting to explain how many results have gone against the grain. The timing of the competition is probably the best answer. Copa America has now found a new home in the international calendar, arriving one year after the World Cup and shortly before the next gruelling bout of qualifying. Its new slot means many of the nations arrive in states of transition. Of the five teams that harboured realistic ambitions of lifting the trophy at El Monumental on July 24, only Uruguay and Paraguay remain; both came into the competition with the same coach that led them through the entire World Cup process.

In their quarter-final with Argentina, Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez fielded eight of the eleven that faced Germany in their third place playoff at the World Cup (it would have been 10 if not for injuries to Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin). Of those that were eliminated by Spain in South Africa, ten played a part for Gerardo Martino’s Paraguay against Brazil. Mano Menezes, meanwhile, included just four from Dunga’s side that were knocked out by Netherlands. Argentina’s Sergio Batista fielded just six of the eleven that started their first group game less than three weeks ago, having completely abandoned project Buenos Aires Barcelona – the results of which were best summed up by Argentinian football historian Ezequiel Fernandez Moores: “Messi may be a false nine, but without the likes of Xavi and Iniesta, the other ten are also false.”

Another coach reaping the rewards of continuity and stability is Venezuela coach Cesar Farias, who was just 34 years-old when he succeeded Richard Paez four years ago. The Copa America of 2007 was played in Venezuela for the first time and signalled the emergence of football in the country. Prior to the tournament, Paez had achieved an unprecedented run of four straight victories in qualification; it would be major turning point. “[Success] is a question of mentality and that was we worked hardest on under coach Richard Paez,” former international Alejandro Cichero, brother of goalscoring hero Gabriel, told the FVF (Venezuelan Football Federation) this week. “We understood his message and changed our attitude. Not personally, but collectively.”

Farias took the reigns after Paez’ resignation following the Copa and has been smashing records ever since. La Vinotino finished 2010 qualifying just two points from a potential playoff with Costa Rica, securing their highest points total in qualification history. They reached the quarter-finals of the Copa for the second time running this year after finishing the group stage unbeaten. They then beat Chile to go one step further and make the semis for the first time in their history. Farias’ side are now unbeaten in eight out of the last nine Copa America matches. Prior to that, they had avoided defeat just seven times in 44. The coach insists his team’s achievements are due to the implementation a long term plan and a decade of hard work from everyone involved with Venezuelan football.

Another coach that’s led his team further than most would have imagined is Peru’s Sergio Markarian. The 67 year-old Uruguayan left his managerial position at large fuel distribution company in 1975 to pursue a job in football after seeing his beloved Uruguay humbled by Johan Cruyff’s Netherlands at World Cup of 1974.  “When I made that decision I got flack from most of those around me,” he told FIFA.com last year. “I had to sell my Mercedes Benz and start catching the bus.” In the 36 years since, Markarian has won seven league titles in three different countries, made it to the quarter finals of both the UEFA Cup and the Champions League, grabbed a Copa Libertadores runners-up medal and led Paraguay to the 2002 World Cup.

He took over from Jose del Solar after Peru had finished rock bottom of qualifying for 2010, managing just three victories and eleven goals in their 18 games. The loss of both Claudio Pizarro and Jefferson Farfan were a huge blow to Markarian’s Copa preparations, but the coach’s dogged 4-1-4-1 formation and a couple of standout performances from his two remaining stars, Paolo Guerrero and Juan Manuel Vargas, have restored the nation’s faith in its national team. Tonight Markarian’s career comes full circle as a he sets out to mastermind a Uruguayan defeat similar to the one that proved the catalyst for his life in football. “Obviously if I have to do it, I’ll do my job and do the best I can for Peru,” he said. “But I was born in Uruguay, I love the country and I want the national team to do well… It’s a source of professional satisfaction for me if I win, but then, after the game, I’ll be left with the feeling that my friends, compatriots and family will be sad.”

Copa America Semi-Finals
Peru vs Uruguay 19/07/2011 - 21:45 (01:45 BST)
Paraguay vs Venezuela 20/07/2011 - 21:45 (01:45 BST)