The Hard Rock Stadium in the American Miami will be the scene of the practice match between Colombia and Venezuela this weekend. Of a friendly nature, however, will probably not be noticed, because both neighboring countries have been at odds with each other for years.
Colombia:
Colombia is on the edge of a new era. After six years of national coaching at Los Cafeteros, the Argentinean nestor Jose Pekerman found it beautiful and he delivered his contract. This to the disappointment of the players. “Under his leadership, we have made enormous strides,” said commander Radamel Falcao. James Rodriguez agreed: “He will always be my best trainer ever.”
The Colombian Football Association is now eagerly looking for a successor. According to quality newspaper El Tiempo, our own Guus Hiddink is one of the candidates. I can imagine that he does see potential in this talented group, although Onder 20 national coach Arturo Reyes is currently meeting the Colombian honors. The focus is in any case on the future, because the selection for the game against Venezuela has no less than nine debutants. One of them is defender Jhon Lucimi, who moved to Racing Genk this summer. Old-timers such as Juan Cuadrado, David Ospina and Falcao are also present and have to provide the experience with a combined international total of 241. The main absentees are James Rodriguez and Yerry Mina, who are both still struggling with the aftermath of a busy World Cup summer.
Venezuela:
Venezuela is a bit of the black sheep of South America, because unlike the rest of the continent, the country prefers baseball to futbol. However, that could change in the near future. Last year, Venezuela reached the final of the World Cup Under 20 years, in which England finally narrowed 1-0. El Vinotinto, however, still has a long way to go, because in qualifying for last summer’s World Cup they were completely without a chance.
However, as a talented generation seems to be coming, it is logical that national coach Rafael Dudamel chooses fresh blood. No fewer than ten players from the current selection have fewer than five caps behind their names. One of them is midfielder Sergio Cordova, who last year made the most beautiful goal of the youth World Cup and now defends the colors of Augsburg. Yangel Herrera won the Bronze Ball during that World Cup, but he has not been summoned enough for the game against Colombia. The experience should come from Tomas Rincon and Salomon Rondon, together accounting for 152 international matches.
PREDICTION: Colombia to win @ 1.58
