06/28/2024
The Colombian coach, Nestor Lorenzosurrendered to midfielder James Rodríguez, who guided the coffee growers’ classification to the quarterfinals of the America Cup of the United States 2024 by beating Costa Rica 3-0 this Friday in Glendale, Arizona.
“TO James Rodriguez I have known him since I was a child and I always knew how useful he was. I know the love he has for these colors, that’s why it hurt me a lot when he was criticized so much, that’s why I trusted him, because his commitment to the national team is supreme”said the Argentine at the end of the match on the second day of Group D.
“Now he runs less and thinks more, and that helps him too. He has a team that surrounds him well and that gives him alternatives to his game.“He added. “There is a very even group, it is very difficult to define who is the so-called starter.”
The 32-year-old “10” once again had a good game in the rout against the Ticos, which allowed the coffee growers to extend their winning streak. 25-match invincibility.
In addition, he added his third assist in the tournament by enabling the striker John Cordoba with his weak leg, the right one, to score the decisive goal.
“James is one of the best crossers in the world”said the coach, regarding two set-piece collections in which the talented midfielder left defender Davinson Sánchez, who scored the second goal, well served.
Lorenzo highlighted the performance of his team against Costa Rica, which surprised in its debut by drawing goalless with Brazil, although he pointed out that his eleven “has a lot of room to improve to compete with the best.”
“Each game is a different story, Today we found it through control, possession, positioning, and that helped us not to suffer,” he explained.
Although he avoids favoritism, Lorenzo sent a wink to the coffee fans: “You can’t give advice to people’s emotions, we also get excited and excited. What am I going to tell the people? Enjoy it and I hope it lasts a long time (the good moment).”
Colombia will look to finish at the top of Group D when it faces Brazil on Tuesday in Santa Clara, California.
“We would like to play a great match against Brazil as well, so we will not let ourselves get complacent. Thank God the whole squad is performing well, so we can put together a good team,” he said.
