The players of the Colombian national team with coach Néstor Lorenzo (right), in training prior to the Copa América.
Photo: FCF
Very important weeks are coming for football at the national level. It all starts this Saturday, since the two matches that Colombia will have in the run-up to the Copa América will be played on the same date as the two finals of Colombian professional football, in which Bucaramanga and Santa Fe are looking for the first star of 2024. On the 8th In June the national team plays against the United States, at 4:30 pm and on the 15th it plays against Bolivia, at 4:00 pm Both games with a signal from Caracol Televisión and Gol Caracol.
While leopards and lions – in Bucaramanga first, on the 8th, and in Bogotá later, on the 15th – define the champion in the BetPlay League, at the same time the soccer country will also be aware of the last steps of the national team in the preparation of the Cup America.
There is expectation because the team arrives with the pretensions of a candidate. For some, it is in the top-3, along with Argentina and Uruguay, for current events. However, obviously including Brazil and the local United States, a more realistic projection would indicate that Colombia enters the deck of the five contenders to win the tournament.
Therefore, Saturday’s game against the Americans can be an excellent thermometer for the Colombian team. Not because you have to prove anything in a friendly match, for that, in that type of scenario, the tricolor has already beaten Spain and Germany (candidates to win the Euro Cup). But yes because they will have the good opportunity, before going into action, to face one of the most promising teams in the tournament.
Néstor Lorenzo, the coach who has Colombia undefeated for 18 games (21 if you look at the statistics a little before his arrival), does the last tests of his laboratory, the final experiments before the ball rolls in the Copa América .
How does Néstor Lorenzo see the preparation of the Colombian team?
Colombia arrived in Washington this Thursday after leaving Barranquilla, where the team was concentrated for the last two weeks. The team was delayed in leaving for the United States, since until Tuesday it was able to have the full roster of 28 players.
Of the squad that traveled to North American territory, two will be discarded by Lorenzo. The Argentine has already warned that he takes them all into account and that the two friendlies that the team has ahead will be fundamental to define the squad that is going for the title. “Everyone is fine. They know that the final list for the Copa América has not yet been defined,” the coach explained in the press conference he gave before the trip.
For the Argentine, not only the duel against the United States will be key. The match against Bolivia also seems definitive in order to prepare for the tournament: “Exactly that same day that we played against Bolivia we must give the list of 26 and in case of any eventuality we are going to wait until the last minute. The group knows that being here is already a source of pride for them. There are other guys who could have been there quietly and who are out for different reasons, because of the physical, the technical or because of the competition that exists in a position.”
This is where the latest tests of the Argentine strategist take place, defining the squad. In defense there is overpopulation of centers. The full-backs seem defined, but in the rest of the rear positions there could be casualties. Carlos Cuesta, Davinson Sánchez, Jhon Lucumí, Yerry Mina and Yerson Mosquera will fight to stay on the list.
In the midfield the situation is similar, since in the two middle areas there are many names for the number of positions available. In the recovery zone, no one doubts Jefferson Lerma and Kevin Castaño. However, it seems that the last place will be fought by Matheus Uribe, Richard Ríos and Sebastián Gómez. The easy way, of course, would be to think that Gómez is the one who drops out, since he has not been part of the process and joined the call at the last minute. However, they called him for a reason.
If not there, there could also be a surplus of summoned players in the creation zone. No one moves James Rodríguez and Jhon Arias, in theory. But between Jorge Carrascal, Juan Fernando Quintero and Yaser Asprilla there could be some left over.
At the front things are more closed, however. Luis Díaz is a permanent fixture, but Luis Sinisterra’s physical condition could play tricks on him. His permanence will depend on that. Lorenzo has, on the other hand, four nines: Jhon Córdoba, Jhon Jáder Durán, Miguel Borja and Rafael Santos Borré. One could come from there, although it seems unlikely.
“Here we have a microcycle prior to the Cup, which is the matches and we always have to be prepared for any eventuality. If I say that it is due to overcrowding in a position, they are going to start speculation and I don’t want to. I want the players to compete, to show themselves, to see whoever is better and whoever we see can fulfill more than one position. There are many things, but the final decision and choice will be very fine. Today we don’t know, we have an idea of a replacement and what they have played for. But today the door is open for the 28″, the Colombian national team coach said in this regard.
The United States and Bolivia will, consequently, be the judges to define the squad with which the national team will face the most important tournament of the year. It is the great objective of Néstor Lorenzo’s team, who since he arrived has set the goal of winning the Copa América.
