Colombia's real level of competition during the last World Cup back in 2014, was one of the most refreshing surprises of the whole tournament. James Rodriguez scored the best goal of the tournament and they only needed to progress for the upcoming major competitions in years to come. During the last Copa America back in 2015, Colombia got eliminated really early and didn't reach their full potential. But this time in 2016, they actually proved that they have everything to be considered among the best national teams of the continent.
With a joyful offensive style, the Colombia national team played some of the best football in the competition. Sadly their lack of centre-forwards was the main reason why they weren't able to hurt the Chilean National team on the semifinals, they only had James and Carlos Bacca to get them out of a tight situation. However, last Saturday they proved to be one of the best teams in the competition by dominating the United States in the match for the tournament's third place.
Manager Jose Pekerman believes his team can give much more to football in general, he said: "Being on the podium is good. Ratify the mentality that the group has.The more times we can get to these stages, the closer we are to win titles. It is a very positive growth of the boys. People have to understand what international competition is about and the balance. We are in the playoffs and have seen the ups and downs of the different teams."
Photo credit: Seleccion Colombia