Copa America 2015: Tournament Winners and Losers

Saturday night brought the 2015 Copa America to a close, as Chile won the final on penalties (4-1) against Argentina to claim the trophy on home soil.

Almost a month of enjoyable and sometimes crazy international football in South America has ended, leaving us to sift through the celebrations—and, in some cases, the wreckage—to seek out which teams and individuals left the biggest impressions, both in a positive and a negative sense.

Here are our biggest winners and losers of the Copa.

We'll start off with the team who finished in third place for the second successive tournament. Peru's attacking intent was thrilling to watch at times, and they deserved their progress throughout the Copa.

The pace of Jefferson Farfan down the flanks, the direct play toward striker Paolo Guerrero and the quick and aggressive support from the midfield meant that Peru, who only finished seventh out of nine sides in World Cup 2014 qualifying, were an extremely watchable and entertaining side.

Guerrero—who hit five goals at the 2011 Copa—finished as joint-top scorer for the competition this time around with four to his name, level with Eduardo Vargas of Chile.

A year ago, Neymar's World Cup ended at the quarter-final stage after Brazil beat Colombia, the victim of a severe back injury caused by a knee from Juan Camilo Zuniga.

Fast forward to this summer, and Neymar's Copa America ended after a game against the same opposition—but this time it was of his own making. He stretched past the breaking point, frustrated by rival players and the referee, and he got himself suspended for four games for kicking the ball at an opponent and then head-butting Jeison Murillo as he left the field.

Brazil weren't all that impressive with him in the side, and they exited tamely without him, making it another tournament that Neymar was unable to see through to the conclusion.

Every major tournament sees a number of players enhance their reputations, and for goalkeepers, it's usually the spectacular saves and increased visibility that sees them rightly placed on a pedestal for a few weeks.

At the World Cup last year, the likes of Keylor Navas and Guillermo Ochoa impressed most. During the Copa America, Colombia's David Ospina reminded everyone of his qualities with a string of good performances, none more so than against Argentina in the quarter-finals.

Ospina only conceded once in the four Copa games he played for Colombia, that being against Venezuela, but it wasn't enough to see his team through, as they lost to the Albiceleste on penalties, 5-4. In the 90 minutes against Argentina, though, Ospina kept his nation in the tournament with some fantastic saves, including an improbable double stop to deny Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi from close range.

The two invited CONCACAF nations turned out to be big disappointments at this year's Copa America.

Jamaica's first participation in the tournament saw them set a trend: 1-0 loss, 1-0 loss, 1-0 loss. They exited as a result of finishing bottom of Group B without making an impact. They were the only side not to pick up at least a point.

As for Mexico, their squad was weaker than normal as they had to make up two national selections to enable participation in both the Copa and Gold Cup—the latter being their priority—but they were still a disappointment, as they failed to win a game and also finished bottom of their group.

The two invited sides were the only ones in the tournament not to take at least one victory from their games. Better will be hoped for next year if the centenary version goes ahead.

Whether they ended up victors or not, Chile's players were getting a mention here for their continued ability to rise above their usual level of performance and pull out big results.

A fine side to watch for style, with aggressive off-the-ball work and pace, Chile have a few top-class stars—Claudio Bravo, Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal—and rely on the collective improvement of second-tier players. That latter tier certainly shows up when playing for La Roja.

Gary Medel, Mauricio Isla and Eduardo Vargas are three prime examples. They all have their qualities and have long played in European football, but they also all fail to show their best form for extended spells at club level. Put on the red of Chile, and it's a different animal.

2011 most certainly marked a high point for Uruguay, as they won the Copa America after an impressive World Cup the previous year—but it's likely that will be the crowning moment for their current era.

Without key players Luis Suarez (suspended), Diego Forlan (retired from international football) and Martin Caceres (injured), Uruguay's squad simply didn't have enough about them to even come close to retaining the trophy. They weren't helped by Edinson Cavani's red card against Chile in the quarters.

Going forward, Uruguay have a great back line to work with—Fernando Muslera in goal, Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez in central defence—but after that, they appear far too workmanlike to really threaten the top end of South American football. Beyond Suarez, they lack ingenuity and creativity, and other sides are certainly beyond them in attacking options right now.

Uruguay could struggle to finish in the top five of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

In 1997, Bolivia hosted the Copa America and went all the way to the final, ending as runners-up. From that point until this year—five tournaments and 18 years—they failed to win a single match at the Copa America.

It was with tremendous relief, pride and celebration, then, that they finally ended that streak this time around, beating Ecuador 3-2 in their second group game.

A three-goal haul in the first half put them well in control, though Ecuador battled back and 'keeper Romel Quinonez had to be at his best to preserve the long-overdue victory. That, along with a draw with Mexico, sent Bolivia through to the knockout stage on foreign soil for the first time since 1995. They eventually exited in the quarters to Peru.

Nobody is quite sure why Dunga was reappointed as manager of Brazil a year ago, but the decision hasn't worked well at all. Friendly victories have been plentiful and the squad appeared to be refreshed and rejuvenated with certain inclusions, but the Selecao were unimpressive and hesitant in attack as they exited at the quarter-final stage of the Copa.

In two spells as coach of the national team, Dunga won the Copa America once—in 2007—but his attempts to take on the World Cup and this Copa tournament have been abject failures.

Legendary right-back and World Cup winner Cafu said, per CA2015.com, that his nation is "lacking commitment and desire" and has "lost respect" in the eyes of its opponents and rivals. It's hard to see how that will change if Dunga continues in his role.

And to the final itself: Chile needed penalties but finally crossed the line to become champions of the continent, winning their first Copa America and doing it on home soil in Santiago.

Jorge Sampaoli and his players deserved it on the day, being far more adventurous and full of self-belief in a final that failed to capture the on-field excitement that had been seen in the preceding fixtures.

Vidal and Bravo had already had memorable years at club level, winning multiple trophies, but the culmination of work at the international level will top those triumphs for everyone involved.

We finish with the beaten finalists: Argentina.

It's not just this Copa America, and it's not even just the World Cup of a year ago. Argentina have now lost three of the last four Copa finals—four major tournament final defeats in barely more than a decade for an international team that hasn't crossed the line as winners since 1993.

Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria shone in the buildup, but neither could make an impact in the final. Gonzalo Higuain spurned a huge chance to win—again. Manager Tata Martino got his tactics wrong, being far too conservative. Penalties didn't go their way.

That all conspired to mean yet more agony for Argentina, and the wait to be victorious on the international stage goes on.

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