Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon 2011 - getting ready for the WC 2011

Re: Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon (r) 2010/2011

Kinda. Although Hungary's U20 team did well in the last World Cup.

 

Re: Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon (r) 2010/2011

holy crap colombias group...but I think it's great that they get such great sparring before the WC

 

Re: Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon (r) 2010/2011

Agreed.

Word is that James will be playing, so there's no excuses now. I'm anxious to see how how Lara will fit him in with Cardona.

 

Re: Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon (r) 2010/2011

---------Zapata----------
Ortega/Fabian Castillo---Cardona---J-Rod
----?????-----Javier Calle-------
Arias---Franco--Medina--Saiz/Viafara
-------Mosquera/Bonilla----------

We still have Muriel and Castillo as strikers on the bench.

On paper this is a crazy good team or at least this offense was scary pre-sudamericana. Hopefully Muriel will still be a good striker but coming off the bench as he didn't do much this season in Spain and Zapata has been tearing it up for America de Cali.

Our defense is good as well as long as we don't play Ospina. What worries me is the goalie and our 2 CMFs.

 

Re: Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon (r) 2010/2011

Zapata has NOT been tearing it up. After his first few goals in the opening weeks he's retrograded back to the average player he's always been. Nothing special.

Central mid is, as you said, the biggest problem. Sebastian Perez might give the midfield a much needed physicality.

Ospina...goddam. In the 4 games he started this year for Huracan his team gave up 11 gols. Better positioning or speed on his part could have prevented 9 of them.

 

Re: Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon (r) 2010/2011

haha Ospina starts in Argentina????? What division 5th?

 

Re: Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon (r) 2010/2011

LOL primera bro. Shocking really. He must have some crazy connections

 

Re: Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon (r) 2010/2011

Of course not. But that's more or less the idea Lara sold to keep his job.

 

Re: Torneo Esperanzas de Toulon (r) 2010/2011

Correct

 

Is Gustavo Cuellar even in the radar?

 

I don't want to sound too confident but JRod and Cardona in top form will be the greatest thing to watch. I haven't ever seen midfielders like them and hope they do well and get promoted to the senior team. Cardona > Gio Moreno

 

I can't wait to see them play. Cardona will be free to roam if defenses key in on James so it is almost like a pick your poison type of situation.



*Note to everyone* Please post links for the toulon matches in this thread. I will appreciate them in the near future.

 

Yes. He's been in practically every call-up since the Sudamericano. I expect he'll make the final cut, or at least i think he should, being how the other Cms (Cabezas, Didier Moreno, Jimenez) have been rather unsuccessful.


James and Cardona...no coach should find a way to not score with the two of these kids. But I also thought the same thing about Ortega and Cardona. It's just a matter of Lara fielding an actual striker for the two of them to work with and a couple competent central mids so that they can focus on attacking.

 

the NT should be first especially when we are hosting a big tournie for the 1st time. Its probably the 4 biggest tournie in NT levels after WC,Euro Cup and Copa America.

The French cup really does help sell our players abroad like it did for Chile. Its nice to give more players shots but we need a team that is playing well together and know each other like the back of their hands. Its really crunch time. I for one don't like when any Colombian coach doesn't bring his main team because I hate hearing that excuse. O we sucked because of the play offs or their clubs didn't want to let us use the player.

 

For Toulon:
DUVAN ESTEBAN ZAPATA BANGUERO Corporación Deportiva América
HECTOR ANDRES QUIÑONEZ CORTES Asociación Deportivo Cali
JUAN DAVID CABEZAS NUÑEZ Asociación Deportivo Cali
YERSON CANDELO MIRANDA Asociación Deportivo Cali
ANDRES RAMIRO ESCOBAR DIAZ Asociación Deportivo Cali
JUAN DAVID DIAZ GARCIA Asociación Deportivo Pasto
SEBASTIAN VIAFARA CARABALI Corporación Deportes Quindío
PEDRO CAMILO FRANCO ULLOA Club Deportivo Los Millonarios
DIDIER ANDRES MORENO ASPRILLA Santa Fe Corporación Deportiva
JOSE ADOLFO VALENCIA ARRECHEA Santa Fe Corporación Deportiva
CRISTIAN HARSON BONILLA GARZON Club Deportivo Bogotá Chicó F.C.
SANTIAGO ARIAS NARANJO Club Deportivo La Equidad Seguros
ANDRES FELIPE MOSQUERA M. Corporación Deportiva Bogotá F.C.
EDWIN ANDRÉS CARDONA BEDOYA Corp. Deportiva Atlético Nacional
JOHN STEFAN MEDINA RAMIREZ Corp. Deportiva Atlético Nacional
JONNY FERNEY MOSQUERA MENA Corp. Deportiva Envigado F.C.
JEISON FABIAN MURILLO CERON Granada Club de Fútbol (España)
JAMES DAVID RODRIGUEZ RUBIO Futebol Clube Deo Porto (Portugal)
LUIS FERNANDO MURIEL FRUTO Club Udinese (Italia)
LUCIANO ALEJANDRO OSPINA L. Club Atlético Huracán (Argentina)

This is more or less what i was expecting. Lara has a little love triangle with Cabezas and Ospina.

Positives:
-Getting James, Muriel, and Murillo together
-If Medina and Quinones start we have a pretty solid defense
-No Deiner Cordoba or Yesinguer Jimenez
-Yerson Candelo is a great player

Negatives:
-Cabezas and Ospina are inexcusable. They are practically players for the opposing squad.
-Diaz, Didier Moreno, and Mosquera have been sub par in most matches up until now.
-Why the hell has Johnny Mosquera taken Stiveen Mendoza's place?
-No defensive midfield!

Given that the WC is a couple months away and most players are done with their seasons, this is more or less the final squad. I'm hoping that Berrio, Cuellar, and especially Perez are off the list because of the playoffs but that doesn't seem likely.

It's a decent squad overall, but don't be surprised if players like Mosquera, Cabezas, and Ospina F&(* it all up. And each of them has a quality replacement who hasn't been called: Villate, Perez, and Uribe.

 

Heck of a team. I'd start Moreno myself but I have not seen Diaz play. Other than that we are on the same wavelength.