SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Colombian national team may be ranked No. 3 in the world and may boast a potent attack capable of ripping defenses to shreds, but the U.S. national team doesn't see a juggernaut. The Americans see an opponent with flaws that can be exploited.
"Obviously, when you face a team with their talent, with what they have up front, with James, with Bacca, with Cuadrado, with Cardona, they're all players that are all difference makers," U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said ahead of Friday's Copa America opener. "They're also beatable. Every team has its strength and weaknesses. All of the teams out there have that. I think we learned a lot over the past couple of years with playing big teams and to come up with solutions against big teams, whether it's overseas in Europe or somewhere else. We manage to get very, very good results.
"We respect them a lot. They deserve a lot of respect, but on the other side, we have no fear," he added. "We have a team that is very hungry. We have players that can match-up with those players. This is the big stage for Michael Bradley. This is the big stage for Clint Dempsey. This is the big stage for Jermaine Jones. That's what they want to play. You have the opportunity now. Go out and play in that stage."
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The U.S. lost its previous meeting with Colombia, in November of 2014, but the Americans remember a close match that saw them create several chances that could have turned the tide if they had been converted.
"There’s no secret that their attacking players are very good, but I think even in the game in London we went toe-to-toe with them,” U.S. midfielder Alejandro Bedoya told Goal USA. “For as much as their attack is good, defensively they have a lot of flaws, weaknesses as well. Certainly, on the counterattack they’re very vulnerable."
The talk this week has been about wanting to try and go after Colombia's defense, which would seem to suggest Klinsmann will deploy a more attack-minded lineup than we have seen at times against higher-level opponents. He has hinted at the possibility of starting Kyle Beckerman in order to deal with Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez, but the more likely U.S. lineup will feature Michael Bradley in the defensive midfield role in a 4-3-3 formation.
The U.S. defense will have the tough task of trying to slow down the Colombian attack, but the projected back four is shaping up to be a strength for the Americans despite having only played a handful of minutes together as a group. Fabian Johnson will be matched up against Juan Cuadrado in of the game's key battles, while DeAndre Yedlin tries to contain Edwin Cardona on the opposite flank.
The Americans will look to match Colombia's physicality and try to unsettle their playmakers by not allowing them to get comfortable.
"You don't let them get in their rhythm," Cameron said. "You step on their toes a little bit, make them feel uncomfortable and take them away from their game. You don't let them dictate the pace of the game. There will be times where we have to weather the storm and where they're going to have possession and that's when we drop back, get our defensive shape, wait for it, and then go.
"It's going to be a difficult match, but we're excited."
The U.S. should have the edge in the stands as the home team, but a good number of Colombian fans are expected to converge on Levi's Stadium.
"In London (in 2014) it was all yellow, which was crazy," Bedoya said, recalling the edge in support Colombia enjoyed when the teams met in London in 2014. "We’re home now, and it doesn’t give us an edge but it should help us."
The U.S. enters the match on a four-match winning streak, having posted shutout victories against South American opponents Ecuador and Bolivia in recent friendlies. There is a positive vibe around the group, and as good an atmosphere in U.S. camp as there has been since before the 2015 Gold Cup.
"It's a good blend of youth, of experience," Bradley said. "I think there's good balance in the team and I think, again, there's big determination within the team to make this a special few weeks."
As much as the U.S. camp stated on more than one occasion that Colombia is beatable, a draw against the group favorite also wouldn't be a bad result for the U.S., particularly in a difficult group that also includes Costa Rica and Paraguay.
"We know the first game of every tournament is so important in terms of finding a way to come away with points," Bradley said. "]We'll approach this game as if it were the only game we're playing this tournament and be ready to do everything we can to come away with a positive result."
- Goal