International tournament season is one of the best parts of the summer. Not only is everything a celebration of soccer and culture but it's also a time to see players from teams who you'd probably rarely watch during a grueling club season. Copa America is a tournament that's great for that as South American national teams consist of plenty of domestic league talent but in this year's edition, Concacaf will be involved only increases the intrigue.
A few young stars in this tournament are already on the move to big clubs around the world and Copa America will be a chance to get to know them. Let's take a look at some players to watch:
Kendry Páez, Midfielder, Ecuador
Looking at which young player may have the biggest impact on their national team during the tournament, it's hard to not start with Ecuador's 17-year-old starlet Kendy Páez. The Chelsea-bound midfielder is currently with Independiente Del Valle until July of 2025 when he joins up with the Blues, but during this tournament, he'll show the world why Chelsea have already signed him. This is an Ecuador side brimming with stars such as Moises Caicedo, Willian Pacho, and Piro Hincapie but Páez may be on track to be the biggest. Already set to be the creative force behind La Tri, look out for Páez to be everywhere creating chances for Enner Valencia and the rest of the team.
Endrick, Forward, Brazil
Another 17-year-old with their future already sealed, Endrick will be heading to Real Madrid in July once he turns 18 and the Brazil lineup will be able to offer a glimpse of the future as he'll be alongside Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior but he's already shown that he can contribute scoring in three of Brazil's last four matches. Able to play as a forward or a winger, Endrick is coming off a season where he scored 13 goals in al competitions for Palmeiras, an impressive return for his age. Growing in confidence by the day, this is a tournament where he'll truly break out.
Daniel Pereira, Midfielder Venezuela
Enjoying a strong season for Austin FC despite the team's underperforming as a whole, Pereira will be one of the MLS names in contention for Venezuela's midfield along with Jose Martinez. But while both are defensive-minded, Pereira, a former No. 1 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft out of Virginia Tech, has two assists this season to follow up a five-assist season last campaign for Austin. Venezuela is a team short on creativity so having someone in the squad who can cover ground and turn defense into attack will be the difference of getting out of a tightly contested group.
Valentín Carboni, Midfielder Argentina
Breaking out near the end of the season for Monza, Valentín Carboni was involved in five goals this season catching the eye and making Argentina's Copa squad alongside another 19-year-old, Alejandro Garnacho. Lionel Messi has praised Carboni's talent and this could be a time when we begin to see Argentina's future at the 10 in a world without Messi. La Albiceleste have done a good job of balancing their present with their future during recent years and Carboni could be the latest young player to make the breakthrough as they'll have the luxury of being ahead by halftime in most games allowing the ability to rotate and get different players experience.
