Copa America: Can Colombia go all the way after dominating Group A?

Copa America Centenario has been kind to Colombia during the group stage, but James Rodríguez’s health and their fallacies in defense could point to future problems against tougher opposition.

PASADENA, Calif. – Everything is going according to plan for the Colombian National Team after two games in Copa America Centenario. Two wins, two goals for James Rodríguez and a secure spot in the Quarterfinals have Jose Pékerman’s men breathing easy ahead of the last match of Group A against Costa Rica on Saturday.

Rodríguez has been the star, as expected, despite suffering a shoulder injury that nearly kept him out of the game against Paraguay. After much confusion on his status, the Real Madrid midfielder was able to start the game, recording a goal and an assist as the Colombians edged La Albirroja 2-1 at the Rose Bowl.

“Everything is easier when you really want to play,” said Rodriguez after the team’s win, adding that he needs to be careful in upcoming games because his shoulder is exposed to further damage. Colombia manager Pékerman shed more light on the star’s injury, revealing that his shoulder is still hurt.

“The problem is that [the injury] could happen again,” said Pékerman during a press conference following the game. “He would have to repair [his shoulder] with surgery later on.”

Rodríguez’s health is not the only concern for the Colombians as they attempt to win Copa America for the second time in their history.  The team’s defensive line has been particularly careless as they committed 22 fouls in their own half over the course of two games. Both the US and Paraguay weren’t able to capitalize on those situations because of their own inaccuracies and some exceptional goalkeeping from David Ospina. Still, as Colombia moves forward in Copa America, they’ll be wise to rectify their fallacies as more effective teams, like Argentina or Mexico, won’t be as forgiving.

“We have the whole week and we hope we can correct that aspect,” said midfielder Guillermo Celis, who came in as a substitute in the second half against Paraguay and was caught out of position when Víctor Ayala scored what might be an early contender for goal of the tournament.

“We’re putting in a lot of work in that aspect and our intention is to get better, but you have to give credit to the opposition for their effectiveness,” said Pékerman, who praised Paraguay’s intensity in the second half. “[Miguel] Almirón is excellent, [Oscar] Romero is excellent, and there are no words to describe Ayala with the goal he scored on us.”

Pékerman’s compliments are certainly well-deserved, but they are also worrisome. Paraguay struggled to score against Costa Rica in their opening match but they were very difficult to contain in the second game. If Colombia struggled against Paraguay’s offense, what can be expected when they face the likes of Ángel di María, Luis Suárez or Alexis Sánchez?

Ospina, who has been in magnificent form in goal for Colombia, downplayed those worries, saying that his defenders “have done things well tactically” and adding that it’s common to give up dangerous set pieces against physical teams like the United States and Paraguay.

“We’ve done well scoring early on and it was their responsibility to come out and cut our lead,” Ospina explained. “It’s normal to have a lot of clashes and give up a lot of fouls in these games. We’re not worried.”

Next: US back on track as they defeat Costa Rica

Pékerman will have plenty of time to figure it out as his team has already qualified to the next round of Copa America with a game to go in the group stage. Colombia will face Costa Rica in Houston on Saturday and, depending of that result and what happens between the US and Paraguay, they’ll face one of the winners from Group B, which includes Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Haiti.