Colombia faces the brave Costa Rica of Gustavo Alfaro, an old acquaintance

The second date of Group D of the Copa América faces Colombia and Costa Rica. The coffee growers did what was expected and beat Paraguay 2 to 1, despite the fact that at the end of the match they suffered more than necessary; The Ticos unexpectedly pulled out a long-suffering draw against Brazil. The two teams hope to continue adding to secure their place in the quarterfinals. For this they have different motivations. Colombia, led by Néstor Lorenzo, wants to extend its undefeated record, in which it has already gone 21 games without losing. On the rival side will be Gustavo Alfaro, a Colombian soccer expert and who may be the championship coach who knows Colombia best, even more than Lorenzo. The duel starts from the blackboard and will take place on the field.

Alfaro’s voice is familiar to the ears of Colombian fans. His calm and serene tone became a regular feature of the football successes and failures of the last two decades. For long periods, which he alternated with his work as a technical director, he was an analyst for Caracol Television in the Colombian national team’s matches. No other network had the rights to broadcast, so watching the Colombian team meant listening to him. His observations served to digest the premature elimination from the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and contributed to the collective jubilation after the resurgence of the tricolor team led by his compatriot José Néstor Pékerman, who qualified for Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018. This Friday, the Argentine coach will once again see up close the players he studied dozens of times and knows by heart. He will do so, of course, as a rival.

The Central American team, which on paper seemed to be the weakest rival in a group that also includes Brazil and Paraguay, is in high spirits after drawing in its debut. With an ultra-defensive approach, including a line of five defenders, they blocked the powerful Brazil, which had Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, recent Champions League winners with Real Madrid, in its forward line. Without fear of what people will say and appealing to pragmatism, Alfaro prioritized tactical order and organized his players so as not to give away a single meter. The statistics show that, although the Costa Ricans did not shoot a single shot on goal, they left with a clean slate and a valuable point against the five-time world champions.

In the press conference after the match, Alfaro said that the Copa América was an opportunity to “seek answers” ​​in preparation for the next World Cup qualifiers. His squad does not have the great figures of years past, such as Keylor Navas or Brayan Ruiz, but it does have a capacity for dedication that the coach himself praises. “Hopefully they will start to look at us with respect,” was one of the most forceful phrases he gave to the media at the SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California.

Added to the trust he has in his players is his prior knowledge of Colombia. It will not be the first time that he faces the coffee team. While he was Ecuador’s coach, between 2020 and 2022, he clashed against Colombia three times. The balance is positive for Alfaro. Although he won, drew and lost, the victory was a resounding 6-1 win. It was on a Quito afternoon in November, in 2020, when the Ecuadorians gave a deployment chair to a gray Colombia and forced the departure of the then coffee coach. Carlos Queiroz. They were the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. Colombia would end up eliminated; Ecuador would qualify directly after occupying fourth position in Conmebol. On the other hand, the coffee victory came by the slightest difference in the 2021 Copa América, which was played behind closed doors in Brazil due to the pandemic.

But there is very little left of the Colombia that did not make it to Qatar, and that was thrashed in the Ecuadorian capital. Néstor Lorenzo took over the reins in June 2022 and has never known what it is like to be defeated. The coffee growers have the second longest unbeaten streak in their history, including victories against Germany, Brazil and Spain, and they have players at a high level. Perhaps the clearest example is the full-back Daniel Muñoz, who plays for Crystal Palace in the Premier League and was the scorer of the first goal in the first matchday against Paraguay. The former star of Atlético Nacional went from being a reliable defender to one who projects himself into the attack and creates scoring opportunities. Something similar happens with midfielders Jefferson Lerma and Richard Ríos, who show a performance on the field that had never been seen before. Colombia, at times, is once again showing the quality it exhibited in the era of Pékerman, for whom Lorenzo was an assistant and right-hand man.

In the preliminary calculations, Colombia is the one that is called to obtain the three points. It will not be easy. The Central Americans come with the momentum of a draw that tastes like victory. Alfaro will use all his tactical repertoire to stop the creation of James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz, whom he has seen in their best stages and studied extensively. The curtain is still waiting to open at the University of Phoenix stadium and for both teams to show off their repertoire. Colombia can extend its unbeaten streak or Costa Rica can continue making history.

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