Canada Take On Colombia at Red Bull Arena

Canada have announced an international friendly date with Colombia on October 14, at Red Bull Arena, in Harrison, New Jersey. It’ll undoubtedly by the toughest challenge that Canadian head coach, Benito Floro, has faced since taking over the helm. Colombia are currently ranked third in the world, while Canada are ranked 120th. Canada taking on Colombia will be the second match of a doubleheader taking place at Red Bull Area, with El Salvador and Ecuador kicking things off.

The Canadians have already begun preparing for the match as they have assembled in Cancun for a training camp, before heading to the United States on October 11th. Although it is great to see Canada train and begin getting ready for next year’s Gold Cup, the timing could not be worse with teams such as Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps fighting for their playoff lives.

The roster set to take on Colombia includes a total of seven Major League Soccer players, none of whom play for Vancouver. Floro has taken into consideration what an important time of year this is for MLS clubs, and has elected not to call on all of his players.

Notable absences include Atiba Hutchinson, Simeon Jackson, Patrice Bernier, Dwayne De Rosario, and Will Johnson, who suffered a season ending injury against Toronto FC a couple of weeks ago.

Considering Toronto FC play at Red Bull Arena on October 11, it is very likely that Doneil Henry and Kyle Bekker, will not join the rest of their Canadian teammates until after the crucial encounter against the Red Bulls.

It may only be a friendly and Colombia are ranked 117 spots higher than their upcoming opponents, but they have decided not to hold anything back when the two teams meet in New Jersey. Jose Pekerman is looking to take advantage of any time he can get with his players, and as a result, the likes of James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao, Jackson Martinez, and Juan Cuadrado, have all been included in Colombia’s roster.

COLOMBIA

Goalkeepers: David Ospina, Arsenal (England) Camilo Vargas, Santa Fe; Jose Fernando Cuadrado, Once Caldas.

Defenders: Camilo Zuniga, Napoli (Italy); Pablo Armero, AC Milan (Italy); Cristian Zapata, AC Milan (Italy); Santiago Arias, PSV (Netherlands); Eder Alvarez Balanta, River Plate (Argentina); Pedro Franco, Besiktas (Turkey); Jeison Murillo, Granada (Spain).

Midfielders: James Rodriguez, Real Madrid (Spain); Abel Aguilar, Toulouse (France); Carlos Sanchez, Aston Villa (England); Fredy Guarin, Inter (Italy); Juan Fernando Quintero, Porto (Portugal); Alexander Mejia, Atletico Nacional (Colombia); Carlos Carbonero, Cesena (Italy); Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Fiorentina (Italy); Edwin Cardona, Atletico Nacional; Yimmi Chara, Deportes Tolima.

Forwards: Jackson Martinez, Porto (Portugal); Radamel Falcao, Manchester United (England); Teofilo Gutierrez, River Plate (Argentina); Carlos Bacca, Sevilla( Spain); Adrian Ramos, Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Despite Canada being ranked 120th in the world and Colombia being ranked 3rd, the last time these two teams met, it was Canada who came away with the 2-0 victory. It is still one of the most talked about matches in history for the Canadian Men’s National Team, as it was in the Final of the 2000 Gold Cup. It is the only time that Canada has ever won the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The game in New Jersey won’t be as intense as the Gold Cup Final was, but probably won’t be as close either. Expect Colombia to absolutely demolish Canada, in a game that they will be able to score at will. However, it will be a good opportunity for the Canadians to see how they stack up against the world’s best, even if most of their own top players won’t be available.