The World Cup is just four months away. With each passing week, we'll preview two of the 32 competitors leading up to the biggest tournament on the planet. The order is not pre-determined or predictable; we want to keep this exciting.
Group C is wide open by most accounts, but many have picked Colombia to be the favorite. Can Los Cafeteros pull off their best run in the tournament? We will find out in June.
History
Colombia has never had a particularly great track record in the FIFA World Cup. The team only participated in one tournament from 1930 through 1990; that lone tournament was in Chile in 1962 and saw the team finish in 14th place with zero wins, one draw and two losses. More embarrassingly, the team conceded 11 goals in three games; the team has never had such a poor display in the tournament since.
That isn't to say that Colombia has had any palpable success on the world stage. In 1990, many expected the team to make a deep run but it was stopped in the round of 16 by Cameroon; that is the farther Colombia has ever gone in the tournament, but it must be noted that the team only earned one win, one draw and one loss in the group stage and finished third behind West Germany and Yugoslavia.
1994 was yet another major failure for the nation. Despite being considered a front-runner, Los Cafeteros finished fourth in their group behind Romania, Switzerland and the United States. The loss to the Americans featured the own goal by Andres Escobar that quite possibly cost him his life; Escobar was murdered after the game.
Colombia would then qualify for the 1998 tournament but would finish third in its group behind Romania and England; the team managed one win against Tunisia.
The team then failed to qualify for the 2002, 2006, and 2010 editions of the tournament.
Big Stars
Radamel Falcao is the superstar, but his status with the team is unknown. The Colombian striker was injured during a French Cup match and recently underwent surgery. Even though Falcao harbors hope of playing in the tournament, most believe that he will miss out on his big chance to play on the world stage. In his absence Colombia has James Rodriguez, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Jackson Martinez, Macnelly Torres, Freddy Guarin and Teofilo Gutierrez to fill out the offense. None have the same fame as Falcao, but all of them are more than capable of picking up the offensive load.
Chances in the Tournament
Colombia's group includes Cote d'Ivore, Greece and Japan. On paper that would not seem like a difficult group, especially when one looks at Chile's fate. But Colombia has struggled in the tournament before and could very well blow it. However, most expect Los Cafeteros to win this group and get to the round of 16 at the very least. That could lead to a matchup with Uruguay, Italy or England, depending on which team finishes second in Group; that would also depend on whether Colombia finishes first or second in its group.
Will they win the tournament?
Anything is possible, but Colombia's track record does not bode well for the team. Of course, most of this team's top stars are in their prime, likely increasing their desperation for a chance at glory. Colombia has pace and scoring prowess and could overpower some teams offensively. Look for Colombia to win its group and have some impact in the knockout rounds.
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