HOUSTON (AP) — Colombia has not lost for two and a half years, a total of 23 games that include 17 wins and five draws. Twenty of those meetings have been with Néstor Lorenzo, who has not known defeat since he began giving orders from the bench.
Colombia’s present is unbeatable as it faces the Copa América in the United States, with its debut on Monday against Paraguay in Group D.
It is a present that reminds us of the team led by Carlos Valderrama, Faustino Asprilla and Rene Higuita. With Francisco Maturana as coach, that Colombia went undefeated in 27 games, between June 1992 and March 1994.
But the sweet streak of the coffee team also invites caution in the face of the expectations that place them as one of the candidates capable of dethroning the defending champion Argentina and being able to win a second Copa América — the first since consecration as hosts in 2001.
Nobody has forgotten how Maturana’s Colombia ended up crashing in the 1994 World Cup, eliminated in the first round.
Three decades later, the Colombians — with Luis Díaz, James Rodríguez and Rafael Santos Borré as offensive banners — return to the United States.
“We have a lot to improve, we are not yet candidates, favorites or at the level of the countries that won the Copa América,” Lorenzo warned prior to the premiere at the NRG stadium in Houston. “We want to be in that group and grow in many points of view that we see within the group.”
“The idea is not to go crazy and continue transmitting what the National Team transmits,” he added.
UNRELEASED VICTORIES
The Colombian streak precedes Lorenzo’s cycle. They have not lost since the 1-0 setback against Argentina on the penultimate date of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, one in which they were left out.
With Lorenzo, Colombia arrives immersed in a streak of eight victories and is in third place in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The series includes the first victory against Brazil in the history of the qualifiers, a 2-1 in November of last year in Barranquilla, which was achieved by coming back with a double from Díaz
Furthermore, during the last year, they have achieved unprecedented victories against Spain and Germany in friendlies.
LORENZO’S FOOTPRINT
Everything has been hand in hand with Lorenzo after taking the reins in mid-2022. The 58-year-old Argentine was an assistant during the fruitful cycle of his compatriot José Pekerman, between 2012-2018, in which Colombia reached the quarterfinals in the 2014 World Cup and then the round of 16 in the 2018 tournament — lost on penalties to England.
Lorenzo’s team has been characterized by its direct play, collective work and strong personality. The midfield works like a whirlwind, with recovery as the watchword.
According to the players themselves, he is a strategist who is very aware of their well-being.
“He has been a person who has known how to revive the confidence of the people who had the misfortune of the last qualifying round,” mentioned Jhon Arias, the Fluminense winger, in an interview with the RCN network. “He gave them back their confidence, security and importance, which is important in a player.”
PARAGUAY WANTS TO RESURGATE
Paraguay, for its part, is trying to revive with Argentine coach Daniel Garnero. La Albirroja has not attended a World Cup since South Africa 2010. They have won the Copa América twice, in 1953 and 1979.
Their two most outstanding players are in Premier League clubs and have an offensive profile: Miguel Almirón (Newcastle) and Julio Enciso (Brighton). There is also veteran center back Gustavo Gómez.
The question for Monday is to decide who will be left with the task of neutralizing Díaz, the Liverpool star, something that would be for Gustavo Velásquez or Iván Ramírez.
