Between 1967, when they made their Copa America debut, and 2007, when they hosted the tournament, they went 42 consecutive Copa matches without a win. In the 1975 tournament, they were humiliated 11-0 by Argentina.
Even more recently, the Venezuelans were a pushover. Brazil beat them 7-0 at the 1999 Copa America and 6-0 on Venezuelan soil in a World Cup qualifier the following year.
But those days are gone.