CANADA VS. COLOMBIA
Tuesday, October 14, 9:15 p.m. ET
Red Bull Arena – Harrison, N.J.
TV: Sportsnet World (streaming at sportsnet.ca)
On paper, it seems like a colossal mismatch. On the field … well, it will probably be a colossal mismatch there, too.
Colombia, ranked No. 3 in the world by FIFA after their run to the World Cup quarterfinals, will bring international superstars like Radamel Falcao and James Rodríguez into the fray. Canada, who earlier this summer hit an all-time FIFA ranking low of No. 122 amid a 16-game winless streak, will bring an assortment of untested youngsters – and will be without their best player, Atiba Hutchinson.
Still, when head coach Benito Floro was offered a late opportunity to face off with one of the world’s top teams, he jumped on it, knowing that the experience could pay dividends for Canada in crucial matches ahead.
“The match against Colombia will be very difficult for us due to the quality of the opponent,” Floro said in a news release. “At the same time, the game will be a very interesting test for us, as we need to see our competitive level and our spirit against top teams.”
The Canadian team took that same approach ahead of its last clash with a South American superpower, a friendly in Buenos Aires on May 24, 2010 against Argentina. Canada fell by a score of 5-0 that day, and only four players from that game – Andre Hainault, Nik Ledgerwood, Adam Straith and Pedro Pacheco – are part of Canada’s roster against Colombia.
While losses like that can indeed provide valuable lessons, Floro will be hoping that the Colombians – who will be eager to perform in front of a friendly, receptive crowd at Red Bull Arena – will not be able to halt the momentum Canada gained from a long-awaited victory last month at BMO Field.
HISTORY
Canada achieved one of their greatest glories on the men’s side back on Feb. 27, 2000 – which, as luck would have it, is the last time these two teams met. It was a rainy day at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles when Canada met Colombia in a most unexpected CONCACAF Gold Cup final.
Goals on either side of halftime from Jason de Vos and Carlo Corazzin lifted Les Rouges to a 2-0 win over the South Americans, allowing Canada to lift the Gold Cup trophy for the first – and thus far, only – time.
CANADA OUTLOOK
Canada are actually undefeated in 2014 (though that only includes three games) and got a big boost last month with a 3-1 win over Jamaica, the team’s first international victory in nearly two full years. After the Colombia friendly, Canada will close out their calendar year on a visit to Panama City next month, with plenty of important games coming up.
There’s next summer’s Gold Cup, which not only provides continental bragging rights, but will also give Canada their only opportunity to qualify for the highly-touted Copa América Centenario in 2016.
Depending on the format CONCACAF uses for the upcoming World Cup qualification process, Canada could be jumping into its Russia 2018 campaign as early as June 2015. With rumors of home-and-away knockout showdowns being part of the early qualifying process, Floro will have to ensure his program – still undergoing a rebuild – can get needed results on the field.
Roster note: Jordan Hamilton, the 18-year-old Toronto FC striker currently on loan to Trofense in Portugal, was officially added to the Canadian squad shortly after the initial roster release. Kyle Bekker, who was originally on the roster, has opted to remain with TFC during its playoff drive, and has been replaced by FC Augsburg II defender Daniel Stanese.
COLOMBIA OUTLOOK
After years as an afterthought in CONMEBOL, Colombia reintroduced themselves as a global power earlier this year, blazing their way into the World Cup quarterfinals and falling just short of the tournament’s final four after a narrow loss to the host Brazilians.
Oh yeah, and that all came without their captain, Falcao.
Colombia once again lost to Brazil in a friendly on Sept. 5, a 1-0 decision at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. Now they’re back on US soil for a pair of showcase matches at Red Bull Arena, first against El Salvador on Oct. 10 and against Canada four days later. Los Cafeteros are looking to tune up ahead of next year’s Copa America and the following year’s Copa América Centenario (where they could, at least in theory, meet El Salvador and/or Canada again).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Canada – Julian de Guzman. The veteran will be relied upon heavily to try and control things in the Canadian midfield – a big task against a team of Colombia’s power, and an even bigger task without his longtime Canadian teammate Hutchinson alongside him. But de Guzman, who built up plenty of experience in Germany and Spain before coming to MLS as a Designated Player, has stepped up for Canada against a big South American team before.
Back in 2008, he scored a highlight-reel goal for Les Rouges against Brazil at what is now CenturyLink Field in Seattle in a slim 3-2 win for the Brazilians. The 33-year-old, who last played for Skoda Xanthi in Greece, will be hoping to pull some similar magic against the Colombians to perhaps catch the eye of a new club team.
Colombia – James Rodríguez. If you watched this summer’s World Cup – even a little bit – you know his name very well. The 23-year-old was the undisputed breakout star in Brazil, leading the tournament with six goals and adding two assists. The question going in was, “What will Colombia do without an injured Falcao?” – James was the answer.
He parlayed his sensational performance on the grand stage into a long-term deal with Real Madrid. With World Cup, La Liga and UEFA Champions League experience under his belt this year, the versatile attacker will be looking to feast on the Canadian backline.
ROSTERS
Canada
GOALKEEPERS: Lars Hirschfeld (Valerenga/Norway); Milan Borjan (Ludugorets Razgrad/Bulgaria); Quillan Roberts (Toronto FC)
DEFENDERS: Nik Ledgerwood (Energie Cottbus/Germany); Jeremy Gagnon-Laparé (Montreal Impact); Andre Hainault (VfR Aalen/Germany); Doneil Henry (Toronto FC); Adam Straith (unattached); Karl Ouimette (Montreal Impact); Luca Gasparotto (Airdrieonians/Scotland); Daniel Stanese (FC Augsburg II)
MIDFIELDERS: David Edgar (Birmingham City/England); Julian de Guzman (unattached); Pedro Pacheco (CD Santa Clara); Manuel Aparicio (Toronto FC); Issey Nakajima-Farran (Montreal Impact); Marcel de Jong (Augsburg/Germany); Dylan Carreiro (Arbroath/Scotland); Hanson Boakai (FC Edmonton)
FORWARDS: Tosaint Ricketts (Hapoel Haifa/Israel); Cyle Larin (University of Connecticut); Marcus Haber (Crewe Alexandra/England), Jordan Hamilton (CD Trofense/Portugal)
Colombia
GOALKEEPERS: David Ospina (Arsenal/England); Camilo Vargas (Santa Fe/Colombia); José Fernando Cuadrado (Once Caldas/Colombia)
DEFENDERS: Pablo Armero (AC Milan/Italy); Juan Camilo Zúñiga (Napoli/Italy); Cristian Zapata (AC Milan/Italy); Santiago Arias (PSV/Netherlands); Éder Álvarez Balanta (River Plate/Argentina); Pedro Franco (Besiktas/Turkey); Jeison Murillo (Granada/Spain)
MIDFIELDERS: Fredy Guarín (Inter Milan/Italy); Abel Aguilar (Toulouse/France); Carlos Sánchez (Aston Villa/England); Juan Guillermo Cuadrado (Fiorentina/Italy); James Rodríguez (Real Madrid/Spain); Alexandra Mejía (Atletico Nacional/Colombia); Juan Fernando Quintero (Porto/Portugal); Carlos Carbonero (Cesena/Italy); Edwin Cardona (Atletico Nacional/Colombia)
FORWARDS: Radamel Falcao (Manchester United/England); Teófilo Gutiérrez (River Plate/Argentina); Jackson Martinez (Porto/Portugal); Adrián Ramos (Borussia Dortmund/Germany); Carlos Bacca (Sevilla/Spain); Yimmi Chara (Deportes Tolima/Colombia)
