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Colombia Team Guide

The Colombians have an unfamiliar look about them as they have named a squad that contains only 5 European based players and a number of youngsters who are being groomed to take Colombia to their first qualification for the World Cup finals since 1998. The national team is in the process of being rebuilt after being for many years arguably the third strongest team on the South American continent. Much like Paraguay of today the Colombians qualified for three straight World Cup finals stretching back to Italia 90 and although their best performance came in 1990 they had at least charted their way through the tortuous qualifying process that is the South American qualifying pool. However, two failures in 2002 and 2006 have cost successive coaches their positions. Success at the Copa America when hosting a weakened version of the tournament in 2001 (Argentina refused to play and Brazil sent a team made up of domestic players) and reaching the semi finals last time around has failed to mask the fact that Colombia aren’t the force they once were.

With this in mind a new coach has been installed; Jorge Luis Pinto and a young squad has been selected. Whilst success at this Copa America isn’t a pre-requisite qualification for the World Cup in 2010 is certainly on the agenda. Colombian football is still a topsy-turvy footballing world but Cucuta Deportivo surprisingly made it to the semi finals of the Copa Libertadores this season with a number of players included in this squad.

If Colombia are to succeed in this tournament then they will have to shine early-on as they have been placed in a tough looking group C with my tournament favourites Argentina plus Paraguay and the USA.

In goal the Colombians have a number of options including the hugely experienced Miguel Calero who along with Mario Yepes was one of two players who represented Colombia at France 1998. Calero has spent the last 7 years in Mexico with Pachuca winning the Copa Sudamerica (a rough equivalent of the UEFA Cup) with them last season as well as numerous Mexican titles. Other options include Cucuta’s slightly eccentric (part of the job description to be a South Americian goalkeeper?) ‘keeper Robinson Zapata who shone on his side’s run to the semi finals of the Copa Libertadores and Agustin Julio from Tolima also in Mexico.

Defensively is where Colombia from a European perspective will be most familiar. The two main central defenders are Luis Perea from Atletico Madrid and Ivan Cordoba fro Inter Milan. Perea came to Spain via Boca Juniors where he forged a reputation for being a tough tackling defender who is quick and pacey. He is reportedly one of the quickest defenders in the world and has had a good season for the Madrid based team. The other likely starter in the Colombia defence is Ivan Cordoba who won the Italian Championship with Inter Milan at a canter this season playing an integral part in their defence. Despite only being of small stature he has a great leap and is excellent in the air, so much so in fact that he headed Colombia’s winning goal in the Copa America of 2001. However, there is some belief that Cordoba may be moved to the right side of defence, a position he occupied whilst at San Lorenzo in Argentina. His position may be filled by veteran centre-back Mario Yepes currently plying his trade at PSG in France. Yepes is returning from a long term injury having hardly played for PSG this he is on his day despite his lack of pace an excellent defender with outstanding organizational abilities and was the captain of the team that won the Copa America in 2001. Aquivaldo Mosquera a team mate of Miguel Calero at Pachuca could be another option, he is a tall central defender who may feature if Yeyes isn’t fit enough to play a role in the side.

Colombia should therefore be very strong in defence and look on paper with the pace of Perea, the organisation of Yepes and the heading ability of Cordoba to be well balanced.

John Viafara is the best known midfielder and is currently plying his trade in the Championship for Southampton. He first came to prominence in America de Cali’s run to the semi finals of the Copa Libertadores in 2004 and despite a disappointing spell on loan at Real Socieded in Spain whilst under contact at Portsmouth has shown himself to be an excellent defensive midfielder. Viafara is also versatile since he can also be deployed down the flanks although he is most effective in the middle. He’ll have his work cut out as Colombia haven’t named many defensive midfielders in the squad. Fabian Vargas currently on loan in Brazil with Internacional from Boca Juniors was once a team mate of Viafara’s at America de Cali and also featured in the side of 2004. He is more adventurous and is looking to re-establish his credentials after a couple of disappointing seasons with Boca Juniors. As back up Colombia have called up another of the Cucuta players Macnelly Torres who has played well in the centre of midfield and can also be employed in the hole behind a lone striker, an option tried out in a recent friendly.

On the flanks David Ferreira another product of America de Cali and also part of the team that did well in 2004 could be one to shine. He is currently another Colombian player plying his trade in Brazil for Atletico Paranense who got to the final of the Copa Libertadores in 2005 in his first season with them. Since coming to Brazil he has scored 21 goals in 78 appearances for the Coritba based outfit. He can play on either side but generally prefers the right side, capable of delivering an excellent cross as well as getting involved from the flanks.

From the left is the attack minded Andres Chitiva the 3rd player of the team under contact at Pachuca. A key player of the team that won the first ever inter-continental competition for a Mexican side he is a pacey left winger who excels at both dribbling and crossing. He has won three titles whilst with the Mexican team and such is his dedication to the team he has became a naturalised Mexican so that he doesn’t take up a foreigner berth on the side. He, however, remains fiercely loyal to Colombia and was thrilled to be finally involved with the team aged 27 when he was called up for Jorge Pinto’s first team in March.

Looking to try and profit from the crosses will be several strikers who have been called up for this selection. Scoring goals has been a problem for the team and with this in mind several untried relatively young players have been called up.

Only one European based player is in the reckoning for a striking place, Edixon Perea who plays for Bordeaux in France. He is the most established of the current strikers on the international scene having been called into the national team for a series of friendlies in the USA one of which was against England a game in which he scored (Colombia went on to loose 2-1). However, he hasn’t fulfilled expectations during his stay in France. On his day Perea is a dangerous striker capable of causing opposing defences problems. He can also play on the wing, which is where he has usually been involved for Bordeaux, where he is less effective.

Sergio Herrera can hardly be referred to as a youngster now aged 26 the striker under contract at Deportivo Cali has 14 caps to his name but has managed only 2 goals in those games. Another slightly older striker included in the squad is Luis Gabriel Rey yet another player involved with the Mexican league. His finest scoring form occurred in 2004 for Atlante when he managed 12 in 19.

Hugo Rodallega at 21 could be the star of tournament for Colombia and is an exciting prospect. However, after a fine 2005 with Deportivo Cali when he managed 12 goals in a mere 16 appearances - he has, gone off the boil failing to find his scoring touch in Mexico. He now is under contract at Mexican club Monterrey but was loaned last season. He will be hoping a fine Copa America re-establishes his credentials. Now 23 Cesar Valoyes with Independiente Medelllin could be another bright prospect for the future. He is agile and quick and his movement could cause problems for the opposition.

Jorge Pinto is looking to forge a team that is “dynamic, aggressive and direct” and will be filtering out which players he wants to move forward with and which ones he will discard. Playing for an international future should help to focus the player’s minds! Whilst the avowed aim is qualifying for the World Cup in 2010 who knows? Colombia with their strong defence will prove difficult opponents to break down and if they can find the right combination up front they may yet qualify from a tough looking group C where only Argentina look assured of qualification.

Key player: John Viafara has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to keep the midfield ticking over and dictate the tempo of the play. If he can help screen the back four as well as ferry the ball forward in the same industrious manner that fans of the Saints have become accustomed to then Colombia could be a force in this tourrnament

Posted by Walter Townsend on Saturday, 23rd June 2007

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