Colombia (National Football)

When Colombia beat Argentina 5-0 in Buenos Aires in 1993, it was supposed to be the result that signaled the arrival of Los Cafeteros as an elite footballing side.

The nation headed into the 1994 World Cup in the USA full of confidence that their Carlos Valderrama-inspired side could achieve success.

Sadly, though, the pressure proved too much for the team to handle, and the side crashed out of the tournament with just one victory from their three group stage fixtures.

It was a result that left the country reeling, with the aftermath and assassination of defender Andres Escobar leaving deep scars on football in the country. Colombia's deep issues with narcotrafficking throughout the 1990s also did little to help the situation.

Now, though, it appears that the South American nation may be finding their feet once more as a footballing power. It is, though, largely thanks to the work of an Argentine coach.

When Jose Pekerman took control of the Colombian national team at the start of 2012, few could have imagined the speed at which he would change the outlook of football in the country.

Winless in their opening two home qualification fixtures for the 2014 World Cup, it looked like Colombia may be set for disappointment once more. Pekerman, though, has turned the side's fortunes around, with the side well on course to reach the finals.

Pekerman arrived with a considerable reputation, having guided Argentina's Under-20 side to three World Cup titles and overseen the development of the likes of Pablo Sorín, Juan Román Riquelme and Pablo Aimar in his six years in charge.

His senior level Argentina side at the 2006 World Cup was also heralded as being one of the best footballing sides on show until a surprise elimination on penalties to Germany.

On arrival in Colombia, he reverted to the default formation of much of South American football: 4-2-2-2. Since then, he has established a settled unit of players who look set to take the team to next year's tournament.

In many respects, Pekerman has been fortunate. He has arrived as manager at a time when Colombia is producing talent with a regularity missing in recent years. However, given his past record of guiding young players, there could be few people better suited to integrating such players.

With limited resources at senior level for the moment, though, he has formed an effective team unit. In certain positions, the team is blessed with high quality players, but Pekerman has also made a fine job of blending less heralded players into important roles.

Defensive midfielder Erwin Valencia of Fluminense has been preferred to the more heralded Carlos Sanchez, for example, while Inter Milan's Freddy Guarin is being kept out of the team by domestic-based Macnelly Torres.

Up front, meanwhile, Teofilo Gutierrez is also seen as a better fit to the side than Porto's free-scoring forward Jackson Martinez.

Pekerman is making bold calls in choosing players depending on their fit in the team's system, avoiding the frequent mistake committed by international managers in picking players based on reputation.

The result is a team of players who are well suited to the roles in which they are being picked. At the same time, the likes of Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez and Pablo Armero add real quality to the side.

Colombia have had that quality in their ranks for a few years and, at the 2011 Copa America, were one of the standout teams of the early stages. Pekerman, though, has given the side belief in their abilities and adjusted the side to give greater protection to what is an ageing central defensive unit.

With members of the victorious Under-20 side from January's South American championship no doubt set to come into the side ahead of the World Cup next year, there should be more young talent on show.

That younger generation should be headed by Pescara attacking midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero, who has the potential to reach the very top of the game.

Colombia are highly unlikely to win the 2014 World Cup, but they will likely surprise many with their showing.

Los Cafeteros have become a highly effective unit over the past twelve months and, with a greater familiarity of the Brazilian conditions than most, they stand a good chance of going far in the competition.

Colombia’s national team continues to make progress as they seek their first World Cup berth since 1998.  This past Friday, Colombia cruised to a 5-0 victory over Bolivia in Barranquilla, Colombia.  With 19 points, Colombia is in second place in the CONMEBOL standings. 

Argentina, with an extra game played, currently has 23 points while Ecuador has 17 points.  The race for 4^th and 5^th place in the qualification tables is very tight with Uruguay, Chile, Venezuela and Peru all within two points of each other at 11 to 13 points each.

Unlike previous World Cup Qualification campaigns where Colombia struggled to stay in the top five, this Colombian squad, coached by Argentine Jose Pekerman, is playing with a level of confidence and swagger that has not been seen since the days of Faustino Asprilla, Carlos Valderrama and Freddy Rincon.  

One of the keys to Pekerman’s success has been his ability to stick with a consistent lineup.

Even though a player like Fredy Guarín (Inter Milan) on paper is probably rated higher than nearly all of the midfielders on the roster, Pekerman has continuously relied upon Edwin Valencia (Fluminense), Abel Aguilar (Deportivo de La Coruña), Macnelly Torres (Atlético Nacional) and James Rodríguez (FC Porto) to be the everyday midfield.  

This group has proven game after game to be the right midfield of choice—sometimes the right players on the field are better than the best players available.

Each player plays a specific role in Pekerman’s master plan.  Valencia is the ball winner and defensive specialist.  Aguilar plays the “Gilberto Silva” role of making short quick passes and playing in a box-to-box role—his presence on the field can go unnoticed at times which means his job is being done properly. 

Torres is the secondary playmaker who pushes forward but in a more conservative fashion while James is the primary playmaker and is the driving force behind Colombia’s attack.  Colombia without James is essentially the Colombia people are used to seeing 1998–2010. 

For the first time in a long time though, Colombia’s midfield has quickly experienced a high-class problem in the form of Juan Guillermo Cuadrado (Fiorentina—on loan from Udinese).  Initially used in the “super sub” role, Cuadrado has become one of Colombia’s most important players. 

In his first starting role under Pekerman, Cuadrado was the man of the match against Brazil.  Not only did he score the lone goal for Colombia, he essentially took the game into his own hands and had the most touches and showed no fear against the Brazilians. 

In Colombia’s next friendly against Guatemala, Cuadrado once again stepped up and proved how important he can be to Colombia’s attack, as los cafeteros were without James and Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid) for that match. 

Cuadrado’s explosive pace and his "no-fear" attitude to take on any defender one-on-one make him a legit concern for any opposing team.  Consider Cuadrado to be a Colombian version of Theo Walcott (Arsenal), but is less injury prone, more consistent and more versatile on the field as Cuadrado came up as a defender for Independiente Medellin before developing into a winger in Italy. 

In the match against Bolivia, Cuadrado started the game as the right back, but since Colombia was hardly threatened by Bolivia’s attack, Cuadrado carried the game on his shoulders and proved his worth in this world cup qualifier match.  To the casual fan, one would have thought he was the playmaker, as Cuadrado is not afraid to lead the attack——a mentality absent from past Colombian midfielders pre-Pekerman.  

With the game essentially out of reach by the 80^th minute, Pekerman pulled Cuadrado off the pitch after a rough knock as a precaution and put in another speedster Pablo Armero (Napoli) who needed the playing time due to minimal appearances with his new club.  Needless to say, Armero was not rusty as he laid a brilliant cross that led to a goal by Falcao and scored his first goal for the national team in the 93^rd minute. 

This Tuesday, Colombia head to Venezuela who come home after a rough 3-0 defeat to Argentina.  The last time these teams faced each other (November 2011), Colombia was without Pekerman, Falcao and Cuadrado, which resulted in a 1-1 draw in Colombia. 

This time around, Colombia comes to the pitch with a more cohesive team and a game plan.  Should Pekerman stick with Armero and Juan Zuniga (Napoli) as the fullbacks and his core midfield of Valencia-Aguilar-Torres-Rodriguez, watch out for Cuadrado to be the first player off the bench to change up the pace of the game early in the second half. 

With James coming off a recent injury at the club level, expect Guarin to get some minutes as well.  The powerful midfielder looked sharp in the last ten minutes of the Bolivia match as he set up the final two goals from Friday’s game.  Players like Guarin and Cuadrado are crucial x-factors that will be vital to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. 

Also on the bench are players like Aldo Ramirez (Morelia) who has been excellent cover for Torres, defensive midfielder Carlos Sanchez (Valenciennes) and the up and coming Juan Fernando Quintero (Pescara) who was the key to Colombia’s sub-20 South American championship winning team. 

Even though he is unlikely to be getting playing time on Tuesday, the youngster will benefit from the training sessions and will be integrated into the system after the sub-20 World Cup later this summer. 

A win at Venezuela will give Colombia plenty of breathing room and a comfortable place in the CONMEBOL standings as Colombia will travel south and face Argentina on June 7, 2013—a match that will certainly fill seats at any soccer bar.  See you on Tuesday in Venezuela!

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On Wednesday night, the Colombian National Team will play its first game of 2013 in an international friendly against Guatemala in Miami, Florida.

Preparing for the Central American Nations Cup, Guatemala is fielding a team comprised of all domestic players that lack the experience the Colombians bring to the table. Recent results include back-to-back 3-1 losses to Paraguay and the United States.

On paper, this matchup does not attract the same sexiness that the Brazil-Colombia friendly attracted back in November, but the match will be beneficial for players who have not played as much recently due to the injuries James Rodriguez (FC Porto) and Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid) recently sustained.

Goalkeeper

David Ospina (Nice) will get the nod once again to lead the defense. Outside of a major injury, Ospina will continue to remain the No. 1 goalkeeper for Colombia. Surprisingly, the only other keeper called up for the friendly was the ageless Faryd Mondragon (Deportivo Cali). The 41-year-old Colombian legend will serve a great mentor to the 24-year-old Ospina. Would a call-up to some of Colombia’s younger keepers have made some sense given the circumstances of this match?

Defense

Once again Jose Pekerman continues to stick with his core defensive unit of Juan Zuniga and Pablo Armero (Napoli) as his full-backs and center-backs Mario Yepes, Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Carlos Valdes (Santa Fe), Aquivaldo Mosquera (America) and Luis Perea (Cruz Azul).

Expect to see both Zuniga and the speedy Armero on the flanks where Colombia’s attack will begin. Zuniga has become Colombia’s equivalent to Dani Alves—playmaking from the backline and moving the ball up the pitch faster than the average defender—while Armero brings pace and a strong left foot on the other side of the pitch. If Armero were to develop his right foot and better shot taking skills, he could be considered up there with Marcelo as a world class LB.

This game would be perfect for the in-form Zapata to get some playing time as he has been receiving several opportunities at Milan in recent games. Between the other center-backs, a game like this would benefit Mosquera and Valdes the most given the number of caps both have. Mosquera had a challenging game in November against Brazil as he had to cover Neymar for a good portion of the match. For a game like this, I think Pekerman will most likely go with Yepes and Zapata to start (Yepes has not played for Milan since December, so he needs the match fitness) in the first half and the second half will feature the other defenders to get some time on the pitch.

Midfield

What used to be Colombia’s biggest weakness has now become one its strengths. Anchoring the midfield will either be Edwin Valencia (Fluminense) or Carlos Sanchez (Valenciennes). Both midfielders have done a great job under Pekerman, but it seems that Valencia has been the regular starter and Sanchez has been the defensive sub in the latter part of the recent qualifiers.

In the “Gilberto Silva” role, Pekerman has at his disposal Aldo Ramirez (Morelia), MacNelly Torres (Atletico Nacional) and Abel Aguilar (Deportivo de La Coruña). In this role, the main responsibility has been to serve as the link between the defense and the attack with short quick passes.

Watch and see how these three players receive the ball only to make a short quick pass to the next player. While the runs and one-on-one challenges will be done by players like Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina) and James, players like Aguilar, Ramirez and Torres will be playing in that setup role. This is where Pekerman differs greatly from past Colombian managers. Before Pekerman, there was never any organization in the midfield; but now, each midfielder has a role and the players stick to that role.

Attacking-wise, be on the lookout for Cuadrado and Freddy Guarin (Inter Milan). The absence of James creates a golden opportunity for Guarin and Cuadrado to create some goal opportunities. Against Brazil, Cuadrado was arguably the man of the match as he clearly had the most touches with the ball and scored the lone goal for Colombia.

Guarin’s situation is quite interesting as Colombia has been able to convincingly win recent key qualifier games against Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay without the star midfielder. While he has clearly proven to be a world class box-to-box midfielder at the club level, Pekerman has a high-class problem in figuring out how best to utilize Guarin with current key players James, Torres, Aguilar/Ramirez and Valencia as the regular starters.

Forwards

Falcao’s injury will most likely allow young strikers such as Luis Muriel (Udinese) and Carlos Bacca (Club Brugge) to get some international experience. Also expect to see both Teófilo Gutiérrez (Cruz Azul) and Jackson Martinez (FC Porto) to split time up front. While Gutiérrez has been the regular starter under Pekerman, Martinez cannot be overlooked as he has been effective with the national team with 6 goals in 16 caps—not to mention the fact that he has been quite the replacement for Falcao at Porto —another high class problem for Pekerman.

While there are no surprises with this current roster, look for Colombia to use this game as an experiment to see how they can play without Falcao and James. Unlike the recent Brazil friendly, expect to see several substitutions after the first half and look for the players that have not received as much playing time over the past year to seize the opportunity to prove they can play an integral role with the national team.

Look for Colombia to strike early and experiment with different strategies by the second half.

Prediction: 3-0 victory for Colombia. See you in Miami!

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After nearly 11 years of underachieving—since their 2001 Copa America championship victory—the Colombian National Team has finally been playing to their potential.  Years of defensive play and rotating lineups, game after game, finally stopped when the old guard of managers was no longer involved. 

Prior manager and former Colombian legend Leonel Alvarez started sticking to a core team that consisted of David Ospina (OGC Nice), Juan Zuniga (Napoli), Pablo Armero (Udinese), Mario Yepes (AC Milan), Carlos Sanchez (Valencienes), Abel Aguilar (Deportivo La Coruna), Freddy Guarin (Inter Milan) and Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid). But the results didn't coincide with the talent at hand. 

After a rough start to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Alvarez was replaced with Jose Pekerman, former Argentina manager during the 2006 World Cup. Pekerman has an exceptional reputation for organizing tactics and playing to win as opposed to playing not to lose—the Colombian mentality for many years.

Pekerman, who has been a big fan of incorporating playmakers on the pitch (Juan Riquelme with Argentina during 2005 and 2006), brought back to the national fold players like Aldo Ramirez (Morelia) and Macnelly Torres (Atletico Nacional) who were used sparingly under managers such as Eduardo Lara, Hernan Dario Gomez and Jorge Pinto. 

But even more crucial has been the emergence of James Rodriguez (FC Porto). 

The attacking left midfielder brings pace, ball control, free kick ability, and pinpoint passing.  At just 22 years old, James has already become Porto’s best player and has changed Colombian soccer to an attack-oriented team. 

The days of hunkering down no longer exist as James has had “man of the match”-like performances against Bolivia (2-1), Peru (1-0), Uruguay (4-0), Chile (3-1) and Paraguay (2-0).  While James is already a household name in Colombia and Portugal, expect him to become a mainstream star in due time like his former Porto teammate and current best striker in the world, Radamel Falcao.

Falcao has been the epitome of consistency over the past four years.  Ever since leaving River Plate in Argentina, the striker has become more dangerous with each passing game.  While at Porto for two seasons between 2009 and 2011, the striker led the Portuguese powerhouse to a Europa League title while setting the record for most goals scored in the tournament. 

Receiving an offer they could not refuse, Porto sold Falcao to Atletico Madrid, where the striker linked up with his former River Plate manager Diego Simeone.  Without wasting any time in transition to the new league, Falcao had the third most goals in La Liga during the 2011-12 season and was integral in leading Atletico to the Europa League title, Atletico’s second such title in three years and Falcao’s second title in as many years. 

The world really took notice of the No. 9 when he scored a hat-trick in the first half against Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup, leading Atletico to a 4-1 victory.  So far in the 2012-13 campaign, Falcao has yet to slow down and has been able to keep up with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as top scorers in La Liga. 

Between the rise of James Rodriguez and the tactics of Pekerman, Falcao has been able to duplicate his club form at the national team level by scoring five goals in the last six matches (five of those games being World Cup Qualifying matches).

Additional factors such as super-sub Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina) and defensive midfielders Carlos Sanchez and Edwin Valencia (Fluminese) have been able to provide a good balance of possession and defense, thus allowing players like Falcao and James to roam more freely up the field.

The main concern for Colombia has been in the middle of the defense.  While captain Mario Yepes (AC Milan) has been able to prove that there is still gas left in the tank, one must wonder if the 36-year-old can continue to play amongst the world’s elite.  What he lacks in match fitness (not the everyday CB for Milan), he makes up for with his brains and leadership. 

The depth chart for the defensive line is quite thin, so it is crucial that players such as Zuniga, Armero, Yepes, Luis Perea (Cruz Azul), Aquivaldo Mosquera (America) and Carlos Valdes (Philadelphia Union) stay active and healthy.  So far the defensive core has been able to perform well in every match, but Pekerman must be sure to phase in new players as the qualifiers continue so that any potential defender is prepared to handle such a high-pressure role. 

To wrap up 2012, Colombia will face Brazil in an international friendly on November 14 at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. Brazil is starting to form an identity by putting together a core team that includes Neymar (Santos), Hulk (Zenit), Oscar (Chelsea), Ramires (Chelsea), Lucas Moura (Sao Paulo) and veteran playmaker Kaka (Real Madrid). This match will be a good test for Colombia.

For the first time since the days of Carlos Valderrama and Faustino Asprilla, Colombia now has a team that is not only playing to their potential but is in control of their own destiny as they look to qualify for their first World Cup appearance since 1998. 

With less than two years to go before the 2014 World Cup, things are looking very bright for Colombia.

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As Colombia looks to escape the doldrums of mediocrity, Los Cafeteros will go head to head against Ecuador this Saturday, only to face Chile just a few days later.  

After losing 1-0 to Spain last month, Colombia will look to get on the offensive against Ecuador and escape from a bunkering style of play that Colombia has adopted over the past few years.

On the other hand, Chile will be a more daunting task given Colombia's recent track record against the Chileans.  Chile is loaded with young and experienced talent after coming off a solid World Cup campaign.

Hernán Darío Gómez aka "El Bolillo" appears to be on the right track as Colombia looks to face Argentina, Japan and Bolivia in the group stage of the Copa América this July.  Since Gómez took over, he has been on a mission to put together the best possible team.  With Leonel Alvarez (1990 and 1994 World Cup Midfielder for Colombia) as his assistant, it appears Colombia is well on their way to being a competitive team once again.

When Colombia faced Spain, they finally decided to call up a squad that was comprised mostly of players from European clubs rather than domestic players who are older and past their primes.  In a surprising twist of events, Colombia nearly pulled off an upset, but did well enough to improve the morale of the supporters.  Many supporters were ecstatic with how the Colombians played despite the result.  

For these upcoming matches, Gómez called up a very similar list of players that we saw against Spain.  Hopefully this will be the core team for not only the Copa América, but for the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers which will start later this year as well.

David Ospina, the 22-year-old OGC Nice goalkeeper, will be the one stopping the shots once again.  The young keeper from Medellin is getting better each game, but will need to improve on his ability to catch the ball as Ospina does have the tendency to deflect shots that are catchable.

Defensively, Juan Zuniga (Napoli) and Pablo Armero (Udinese) will be on double duty as they are defenders who love to attack.  

In the middle, the situation is interesting.  Captain Mario Yepes, at 35, surprisingly still has what it takes to be a world class defender.  Against Spain, he was clearly the man of the match.  But the only problem is his lack of playing time for AC Milan.  Hopefully, Yepes can get sufficient playing time for Milan before the Copa América so that he will be able to handle the rigors of playing in three to six games in a short period of time.

The big question for Colombia is the other center back role.  Last month we saw Luis Perea (Atlético Madrid) as Yepes' partner, but his form has been very inconsistent over the last few years.  What makes little sense is why Gómez does not use Cristian Zapata (Udinese) more frequently in the middle.  Zapata is more than ready for full time action and will not get any better sitting on the sidelines.

To the satisfaction of many fans, Carlos Sánchez (Valenciennes) made his return against Spain after an unexplained three year absence.  The defensive midfielder did a great job of keeping the 2010 World Cup Champions at bay.  The 25-year-old midfielder is vital to the strength of the midfield.

Along with Sánchez, Abel Aguilar (Hercules) and Freddy Guarín (FC Porto) did a great job in the box to box role against the Wold Cup Champions.  Guarín, has been on quite a roll at the club level the past few months by not only scoring goals but playing impressive defense as well.  At the start of the season, it was unknown how Guarín would fit in the Portuguese side, but now he is turning into one of the most valuable players on the squad.  Aguilar, not the flashiest player, will do everything that is necessary to win balls and organize the offense.  

Attacking wise, Dayro Moreno (Once Caldas) will orchestrate the attack in Gio Moreno's absence.  Most likely Dayro will be attacking from the right side, while Gómez will either stick with Adrián Ramos (Berlin) on the left or possibly even start Hugo Rodallega (Wigan).  

While Ramos has struggled as a left midfielder (natural position is a striker), another option that has yet to be explored is 19 year old James Rodriguez (FC Porto).  While James is clearly the best option as the left winger, there is an immense pressure for Colombia to perform well at the Under-20 World Cup which is to be played in Colombia this summer.  As a result James will be playing in the yellow shirt, but against other teenagers who probably have a fraction of the accomplishments James has already earned.

Not calling up James to the senior national team right now is like telling Lebron James he has to play college basketball for a year before going professional.  James most likely surprised the Colombian Football Federation and surpassed everyone's expectations.

An interesting selection is the inclusion of Juan Cuadrado.  If he were a regular part of Udinese's lineup, there is no doubt Cuadrado would be the starting right midfielder. But, until he gets consistent playing time at the club level, we will have to settle for seeing the midfielder come off the bench in a super sub capacity.  Cuadrado has been a proven game changer, but lacks the fitness to play 75 minutes or more on a consistent basis.    

Absent against Spain, but ready to go against Ecuador and Chile is Radamel Falcao (FC Porto).  The striker has been world class the past two seasons for Porto.  Unfortunately, his opportunities in the yellow shirt have yielded average results.  This stems from playing in front of a weak midfield and playing on a team that has the tendency to park the bus more often than not.  

With this new midfield in place, Falcao should have some good chances to score some goals.  Other strikers that will be able to benefit from this stronger midfield are Rodallega, Víctor Hugo Montaño (Rennes) and Carlos Carbonero (Once Caldas).  Both Montaño and Carbonero are somewhat new to the international scene, so hopefully both strikers can take advantage of this opportunity to score and be in a position to become a recurring call up to the Seleccion.

During the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup, Colombia found themselves bunkering down and playing too defensively against most nations.  It was an exception, not the norm, anytime Colombia scored more than one goal.  This underachieving mentality does not make sense when there are clinical finishers such as Falcao, Rodallega and Dayro as a part of the attack. 

Additionally, between Aguilar, Sánchez and Guarín, these are three solid box to box midfielders who combine defense and ball control.  If these three are on the pitch at the same time, Colombia will be able to win and maintain possession.  It is time for Colombia to start controlling their own destiny as opposed to what we have seen from them over the last several years. 

Another crucial factor will be how well Guarín can transfer his club form to the yellow shirt.  At Porto, Guarín does not hesitate to use his powerful foot to take shots from outside the 18.  If players like him and Rodallega take shots from anywhere outside the box, it will keep the defense modest while making Colombia's attack unpredictable.  

Ecuador will be without key striker Felipe Caicedo (Levante) who recently went down with injury.  But Colombia will need to watch out for Antonio Valencia (Manchester United) who just returned from injury and is wasting little time finding his form.

In what will be a tougher challenge, Chile will be featuring many of the same players from the recent World Cup.  In top form at Udinese, Alexis Sánchez will make sure Ospina has a busy day in the goal. 

The big story with Chile though is the recent departure of Marcelo Bielsa.  Due to the political nature of the Chilean Football Federation, Chile shot themselves in the foot and lost one of the best managers in the world.  Hopefully, Claudio Borghi will not ruin what Bielsa spent the last four years trying to establish.       

After these two matches, Colombia is scheduled to just one more friendly before flying to Argentina for the Copa América. Should Los Cafeteros play with the same composure and aggressiveness that was seen against Spain, Colombia will be much closer to having a squad that can compete with the elite of South America. 

With the World Cup already a distant memory, continental tournament preparations are currently underway.  South America's tournament, the Copa America, is only less than a year away.  While Brasil looks to rebuild from the Dunga era and Argentina seeks to redeem themselves for the numerous mistakes made in the Maradona era, Colombia is trying to find an identity that has been missing for nearly ten years.  

During the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers, Luis Pinto managed Colombia during 2007 and 2008.  After a string of less than favorable results, Ed Lara took over, but Colombia performed even worse, finishing outside the top five in South America, thus not qualifying for the World Cup for the third time in a row. 

These managers had the tendency to shuffle lineups every match, which prevented the team from establishing any sort of continuity – a trait shared by the strongest teams.  Furthermore, the style of play has been a far cry from how "Los Cafeteros" played in the 80’s and 90’s - we have now turned into a team that becomes content with draws against weaker sides and bunkers down against those whom are better or equally matched on paper, thus making a meal out of every game.  

Now managed by "El Bolillo," Hernan Dario Gomez (1998 World Cup Manager) is hoping to bring Colombia back to the tier of top teams in South America that is currently occupied by Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.  Between now and the Copa America, Colombia must stick with a core group of players that we can count on and expect to see in every match.

Currently, the squad is represented by goalkeeper David Ospina (Nice); defenders such as Juan Zuniga (Napoli), Cristian Zapata (Udinese), Pablo Armero (Udinese); and forwards such as Radamel Falcao (Porto) and Hugo Rodallega (Wigan).  Unfortunately, the midfielders have been a nightmare with only Giovanni Moreno (Racing) being the sole bright spot during the qualifiers (2 assists and 1 goal in 3 qualifier appearances - sadly the most production out of any one player). 

Absent from the national team over the past two years, Carlos Sanchez (DM; Valenciennes) and Aquivaldo Mosquera (CB; Club America) need to be brought back as they were both very productive during the first ten games of the 2010 qualifiers.  Since they were omitted from the team, the results became negative for Colombia.  Currently injured, Sanchez is on Gomez's radar.  As for Aquivaldo, hopefully his form at Club America can be similar to what it was before his form dipped at Sevilla.  

We must also move on from players such as Ivan Cordoba and Mario Yepes, who are still involved with the national team for reasons unknown to me.  They are part time players for their club teams and are nowhere near the form they were in back in 2001 when Colombia won the Copa America - if they were of the caliber of Javier Zanetti or Paolo Maldini, I would be singing a different tune about them, but these dinosaurs need to call it quits at the international level.   Let Zapata run the middle along with Mosquera or another young domestic defender that can benefit from the experience of international football.

Other role players included Juan Cuadrado (Udinese), Dayro Moreno (Once Caldas), Abel Aguilar (Hercules), Freddy Guarin (Porto), Adrian Ramos (Hertha Berlin), and Teo Gutierrez (Trabzonspor).  From the youth ranks Jairo Palomino (Atletico Nacional), Victor Ibarbo (Atletico Nacional) and James Rodriguez (Porto) will hopefully be a part of the team more often in the future.

A crucial element for Colombia is the progress of the midfield.  What Colombia has been lacking the last several years has been that one player who can be the general of the attack - someone who wants the ball and will do what it takes to get the ball into the back of the net.  Two players that come to mind are Dayro and Giovanni Moreno (no relation). 

GioMore, as I like to call him, is not afraid to take risks, but he has the tendency to take one too many.  Over time, he will continue to improve, but the fans and media need to be patient - they tend to be too critical if players do not play perfect football, hence the constant rotation of players we have historically seen.  Dayro has looked impressive for both club and country over the past few months.  If he can keep his head on straight, expect to possibly see him make a return back to Europe. 

The past few days we had friendly matches against Venezuela and Mexico.  We were able to win against Venezuela 2-0 but lost 1-0 to Mexico.  While there were moments of brilliance in both games, we still have a long way to go.  Player selections still need to improve, as do the tactics.  Between Gomez and his assistant, former defensive midfielder Leonel Alvarez, we are starting to see some regularity with the right players. 

By June 2011, I think we will have gone through enough growing pains to be ready for the Copa America.  While I don't expect us to win it all, I just want us to see us play well in the group stage and if we do lose in the knockout rounds, I want us to go out fighting – the days of bunkering down need to end.   Either there is light at the end of the tunnel or just another train coming right at Colombia – time will tell!