After another gala performance by the Inter Milan forward in a 4-0 rout of Mexico on Sunday, how to pull Adriano from the lineup when the tournament ends?

His rivals for a starting berth theoretically are untouchables. Ronaldo and Ronaldinho Gaucho are soccer's elite, stars of the Spanish league and World Cup champions in 2002.

But Parreira rested his starters and took a team of second-stringers and young promises to the Copa America. And Adriano has been a big reason for Brazil's success so far.

On Sunday, Adriano scored two goals and set up the other two as Brazil cruised past Mexico and into the semifinals against Uruguay on Wednesday.

Adriano leads all scorers with five goals. Big and rangy, he already he is earning comparisons with Ronaldo, who led all scorers when Brazil won the Copa in 1999.

But the 22-year-old striker plays down the parallels.

"Every player has his own history, and I have a lot of work to do," he said in an interview on Monday on Pele's Web site pele.net. "First, I have to run to help the team."

Chosen the game's outstanding player, Adriano said he felt better on Sunday at the low altitude of Piura, Peru, than in the thin air of the Andes, where Brazil played in the first round.

"In the beginning we couldn't catch our breath," he said. "Here, we're looser."

Still, he doesn't deny that he dreams of playing on Brazil's "A" team, which will assemble when the qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup resume in September.

"I think I could play on the main squad with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho Gaucho and all those established players," he said last week.

Adriano's chances could depend on how well Brazil fares against old nemesis Uruguay and a possible final against Colombia or archrival Argentina.

The win Sunday was especially satisfying for Brazil, which hadn't beaten Mexico since 1999.

"It was very convincing," said a normally reserved Parreira. "Brazil was superior from start to finish."

Brazil's sporting press, which criticized Brazil after last week's 2-1 loss to Paraguay, had nothing but praise for the team -- and especially Adriano.

"The name of the game," said the Rio daily O Dia.

"Emperor Adriano," headlined Lance.