Region: Conmebol
Coach: Ricardo Rozo
How They Qualified: Finished 2nd in Campeonato Sudamericano.
Prior Cups:
2007: DNQ
2003: DNQ
1999: DNQ
1995: DNQ
1991: DNQ
Roster (Average Age: 22.04)
Name | Pos | Club | Age | Caps/Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|
Paula Forero | GK | Gol Star | 19 | 10/0 |
Sandra Sepulveda | GK | Formas Intimas Medellin | 23 | 11/0 |
Alejandra Velasco | GK | Gol Star | 25 | 0/0 |
Nataly Arias | DF | Univ of Maryland | 25 | 11/3 |
Natalia Gaitan | DF | Univ of Toledo | 20 | 1/0 |
Fatima Montano | DF | Aguila Roja | 26 | 3/0 |
Yuli Munoz | DF | Estudiantes | 22 | 14/1 |
Kelis Peduzine | DF | Club Deportivo Eba | 25 | 19/2 |
Andrea Peralta | DF | Estudiantes | 23 | 24/1 |
Tatiana Ariza | MF | Austin Peay State | 20 | 10/1 |
Yulieth Dominguez | MF | Estudiantes | 17 | 12/3 |
Daniela Montoya | MF | Formas Intimas Medellin | 20 | 8/1 |
Diana Ospina | MF | Formas Intimas Medellin | 22 | 3/0 |
Yoreli Rincon | MF | Gol Star | 17 | 11/8 |
Carmen Rodallega | MF | Sarmiento | 27 | 29/4 |
Liana Salazar | MF | Univ of Kansas | 18 | 10/0 |
Orianica Velasquez | MF | Indiana Univ | 21 | 10/1 |
Lady Andrade | FW | Liga Bogota | 19 | 5/1 |
Katerin Castro | FW | Estudiantes | 19 | 5/3 |
Catalina Usme | FW | Independiente Medellin | 21 | 17/14 |
Ingrid Vidal | FW | Generaciones Palmiranas | 20 | 14/5 |
Recent Matches:
Date | Opponent | Competition | Result |
---|---|---|---|
6/20/11 | Wales | Matchworld | W 3-1 |
6/18/11 | New Zealand | Matchworld | L 0-1 |
6/15/11 | Denmark | Matchworld | W 1-1 (3-1 pk) |
4/24/11 | Mexico | Friendly | L 2-4 |
4/22/11 | Mexico | Friendly | L 2-3 |
11/21/10 | Argentina | Campeonato Sudamericano | W 1-0 |
11/19/10 | Brazil | Campeonato Sudamericano | L 0-5 |
11/17/10 | Chile | Campeonato Sudamericano | T 1-1 |
11/13/10 | Uruguay | Campeonato Sudamericano | W 8-0 |
11/11/10 | Brazil | Campeonato Sudamericano | L 1-2 |
11/9/10 | Venezuela | Campeonato Sudamericano | W 5-0 |
11/5/10 | Paraguay | Campeonato Sudamericano | W 3-0 |
9/20/10 | Chile | Friendly | W 2-1 |
9/18/10 | Chile | Friendly | W 2-0 |
Colombia is one of two teams making their World Cup debut in 2011. Their 1-0 victory over Argentina at Campeonato Sudamericano earned them a ticket to Germany, with Ingrid Vidal’s goal celebration conjuring memories of Brandi Chastain and 1999. So now that Colombia has arrived at the world’s stage, what will they do?
Colombia posted a record of four wins, two losses, and a tie over a brutal 17 day stretch in Ecuador to qualify for this World Cup. The two losses were certainly nothing to be ashamed of, both at the hands of Brazil, one of them by a single goal.
Since then, they have played only five official matches, two friendlies against Mexico, both of which ended in losses, and three matches in the Matchworld, winning two with their only loss coming against fellow qualifier New Zealand.
Like Mexico, Colombia’s roster features several players that play NCAA soccer here in the US. One, former Maryland Terrapin Nataly Arias, actually grew up in the United States. Four others were born in Colombia, Natalia Gaitan (Toledo), Tatiana Ariza (Austin Peay), Liana Salazar (Kansas), and Orianica Velasquez (Indiana).
The two big offensive threats for Colombia are midfielder Yorely Rincon and forward Catalina Usme. Rincon, who is just 17, scored five goals in seven matches at the Campeonato Sudamericano. She scored twice for Colombia at the U-20 World Cup in 2010. Colombia finished in 4th place in that tournament. She has a strong right foot and can score from distance.
Usme, at age 21, is Colombia's most experienced and talented striker. She teams up with the aforementioned Vidal to form a particularly dangerous duo up front for Colombia.
Experience for Colombia comes from midfielder Carmen Rodallega, defender Kelis Peduzine, and defender Andrea Peralta. Rodallega recently scored twice in the Matchworld competition against Wales.
In goal, Colombia may have two choices. 19-year old Paula Forero led Colombia through the qualification tournament and did a fine job. However, Sandra Sepulveda played in the three recent matches at the Matchworld Cup and may start in Germany.
There is no doubt that Colombia has several talented young players, but do they have enough? One has to believe that Colombia’s roster is not as deep as the teams they will be facing in Group C so game and player management will be very important for coach Ricardo Rozo.
Colombia will be heavy underdogs coming into this tournament. They are a very young squad and outside of the Campeonato Sudamericano, they have played few matches. The recent Matchworld competition gave them a dose of what they will be facing in Germany, but just a small dose.
Colombia is ranked just 31st in the world. Qualifying for this tournament was a major step for the future of their program. It will be an uphill battle for them to survive Group C, however, it would certainly be within the realm of possibilities for them to pull an upset.
Note: Some information for this article was obtained at www.fifa.com and www.colfutbol.org.
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