The historic Copa Sudamericana: Which U23 players could get ESC from the qualifiers?

Louis Smith, our South American expert, delves in the second tier CONMEBOL club tournament to find some off-the-radar talent from the qualifiers

The Copa Sudamericana is one of the most exciting competitions in world football, largely due to its unpredictability.

In the Copa Libertadores, for example, there is always a strong chance that a Brazilian club will be there or thereabouts in the final, but with the Sudamericana, the mixture of rotation in the group stages and early knockout rounds uncovers players who would not normally get regular game time or first-team football.

For sides outside of Brazil’s riches, there is always a chance to perform on the continental stage. It has helped clubs like Independiente del Valle blood in young talent for export to Europe, a model that has worked for them with two titles in recent years.

(Andy: IdV have recently agreed to sell 17-year-old Justin Lerma to Dortmund for €4m after appearing in their Libertadores & Sudamericana matches. No doubt there are clauses for future achievement in there too.)

The road to the final in Barranquilla, Colombia, at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez is well underway.