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By Michael Lopez

Feeling a little fútbol withdrawal today? After an intense three weeks, the 2011 Copa América battle has come to an end, with Uruguay clinching the top prize. Sunday's victory marked the 15th cup for the South American strikers and they fought hard to earn it.

Facing Paraguay in Buenos Aires' Estadio Monumental, they played a very aggressive match and defeated their rivals 3-0. But don't think it was just the star forwards who got all of the glory for the win. Uruguay's goalkeeper, Fernando Muslera, put up an impenetrable force field between the posts.

Luis Suarez also deserves a lot of credit for nabbing the Copa. Not just for his performance in the finals match, but for the entire series. He scored his first Sunday goal, 12 minutes into the match. Diego Forlán also drew huge cheers for kicking in two more points later in the game.

When it was all said and done, flashing cameras exploded, confetti dropped from the sky, and tons of jersey wearing fans erupted in cheers. Diego, in particular, seemed to get very emotional about the win.

"This title means a lot to me because my grandfather won, my father won and now I won," Forlán enthusiastically said. "Three generations who led this tournament, Forlán will be the last name in the history."

And scoring this Copa América victory has literally turned the La Celeste guys (as they're commonly called) into fútbol royalty. As you may recall, they earned a very respectable fourth place title in last year's World Cup standings and are now primed to compete for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Some writers have even gone so far to say that Uruguay is now the best team in South America, labeling the footwork of Forlán and Suarez as a "killer combination." As you may recall, Argentina's Lionel Messi has been getting a fair share of hype recently, but his fame may soon be eclipsed by La Celeste's dynamic duo.

All we're saying is, don't be surprised if you see Diego and Luis sporting big smiles on your Wheaties cereal box in the near future. Congrats to Uruguay on an incredible win!

Were you rooting for Uruguay in the finals? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Copa América, Diego Forlán, futbol, Hot Stuff, Luis Suarez, Sports, Uruguay

By Michael Lopez

Only one more game awaits before the Copa América crowns a new winner. And after a couple of dramatic matches this week, it looks like Uruguay and Paraguay will be the teams facing off in Sunday's Buenos Aires finale.

Penalty kicks seem to be the recurring theme in this year's Copa battles. As with Argentina and Brazil last week, the final shootout is what clinched Paraguay's victory over Venezuela.

Though many had hoped the Venezuelan underdogs would advance, Paraguay's strikers Lucas Barrios and Néstor Ortigoza kicked in essential goals.

"Today we played bad, we played good," Ortigoza said. "The important thing is we won."

Uruguay had a much easier time ousting Peru. Defeating their rivals with a 2-0 victory, the Uruguayan team now has the chance to claim their 15th Copa América title. Luis Suarez was definitely the "golden boy" of their last match, scoring both goals amid cheers, hoots, and hollars.

So what's next? The big showdown on Sunday afternoon. And if these past matches are any indicator of what's to come, expect massive crowds, intense standoffs, and quite a few penalty kicks.

Who are rooting for, Uruguay or Paraguay? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Copa América, futbol, Lucas Barrios, Luis Suarez, Néstor Ortigoza, Paraguay, Sports, Uruguay