What's fueling Colombia's dominant Copa América run, and can they upset Argentina?
Colombia might be an underdog against Argentina in Sunday's Copa América final, but Lionel Messi & Co. will have their hands full against a side that is now unbeaten in its last 28 matches, a new record in Colombia men's soccer history.
That streak continued in impressive fashion in Wednesday's semifinal when Colombia defeated Uruguay, 1-0, despite playing most of the match with just 10 players after defender Daniel Muñoz was sent off with his second yellow card of the first half for elbowing Uruguay's Manuel Ugarte.
Colombia has some recognizable faces, such as Liverpool winger Luis Díaz and former Real Madrid midfielder James Rodríguez, who is having a resurgent Copa América with a tournament-high six assists. But head coach Néstor Lorenzo's side hardly bests the on-paper blue-chip talent of Messi's Argentina or fellow CONMEBOL heavyweight Brazil.
Rather, it's the mentality of this Colombia team that has made it so dominant, as "FOX Soccer NOW" co-host and former Colombia women's national team player Melissa Ortiz opined when Wednesday's result went final.
"The amount of passion and sweat [from] these young players, a man down this entire half … defending with all their lives, but still going at it," Ortiz pointed out. "They didn't sit back. They didn't park the bus."
That tenacity is why Colombia's chances to win Sunday's title game should not be dismissed despite going against a star-studded Argentina side ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA and eyeing its third consecutive major tournament win.
"This Colombia team — you see the unity, you see what Néstor Lorenzo has built with all the players that he's selected," Ortiz said. "There were a lot of questions [from Colombian fans and media] on the player selection before Copa América. And what they've done — not only in Copa América but 28 matches unbeaten, and not just against … little teams, but against tier one teams, world-class teams that they've beaten and knocked off. This is insanely impressive."
Ortiz said that while she picked Colombia to win before the tournament partially out of bias, she also came into this summer as a confident fan given the team's recent form and 5-1 drubbing of the U.S. in a pre-tournament friendly.
"They've just done so well — offensively, defensively, every line possible," Ortiz said. "Unfortunately, without Daniel Muñoz after his red card today, that's going to be a massive loss. … This game against Argentina's going to be a real test.
"Richard Rios, who's been a mainstay in the midfield, especially in this Copa América, got subbed off injured today. So without two main key players going into that Argentina game, that will be a huge challenge."
However, the key to Colombia's hopes against Argentina will likely be Rodríguez, who is having his best run of form since his breakout 2014 World Cup that was followed by a decade of mostly disappointing performances for club and country.
"When your set piece taker [Rodríguez] is the assist leader, that's just incredible," Ortiz said. "On top of that, you have players that are good at scoring those [passes] and putting those in the back of the net. … Set pieces are a big part of Colombia's success, but there are other components of their success, too, whether it's in the run of play, in the build-up or in the attack.
"I can't stop repeating it — 45 minutes, an entire half, and more with 10 men, and they didn't sit back or park the bus. They went after it. … I am so incredibly in awe [and] proud.
Melissa Ortiz and Alexi Lalas react to Colombia's semifinal win
"Colombia as a country has been waiting for this exact moment, for the men's team to impress," she added. "We saw the women's team impress in the World Cup last year, and that brought so much joy to the nation, and now this is just incredible. The amount of money I'd pay right now to get on a jet to Charlotte and party with mi gente. It's unexplainable."
Ortiz may not be headed to the East Coast to join her fellow Colombia fans, but she could get a pretty good consolation prize Sunday — a win over Messi and Argentina.
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