Colombia walked away with an expected win in their final tune-up game ahead of the Copa América Centenario opener against the United States, topping 10-man Haiti by a 3-1 scoreline.
Los Cafeteros opened the scoring early through Tijuana forward Dayro Moreno, who put a mis-hit shot past Haiti 'keeper Johnny Placide after a spell of early pressure. They were surprisingly pegged back in the 35th minute by Haiti’s Wilde-Donald Guerrier, though, as the wide man lost his marker to head home a corner.
However, a second yellow card shown to Les Grenadiers’ Max Hilaire in the 39th minute changed the complexion of the game, and Colombia would add two in the second half through a chipped finish from Juventus wing back Juan Cuadrado and a debut goal from 21-year-old center forward Roger Martinez.
Sporting KC midfielder Soni Mustivar entered the came as a 48th-minute substitute for Haiti, while former MLSers Mechack Jerome, James Marcelin and Jean-Marc Alexandre also saw action for the Caribbean nation.
Colombia featured a fairly strong lineup, with AC Milan forward Carlos Bacca and Dayro Moreno leading the line behind Cuadrado and young domestic sensation Marlos Moreno. The South American side also saw Milan defender Cristian Zapata and Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina go the full 90 minutes.
The United States and Colombia will face off in the opening match of Copa América Centenario on Friday evening at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California (9:30 pm ET, FS1). Haiti will begin their Copa América campaign on Saturday when they kick off Group B play against Peru at CenturyLink Field in Seattle (7:30 pm ET, FS2).
