A lot of what was needed to be said has been said; because in the end of the day, winning our regional tournament or not does not mean that we would automatically win the following world cup. 2018 was one who didn't win their regional competition and same with 2014. 2022 was when we saw a regional winner win the world cup because of their form and I argue that us being a finalist means that we are on the right path. I do think as pointed out, we are towards the path of winning our first star and doing even better.
Brighton loaned him to Belgium was doing ok then he got injured. His contract I think expired and is currently a free agent he 25 and interesting option once he finds a team as well as the kid from New England revolution that got 3-4 starts then got injured
It takes a lot of variables (and "lucky" bounces) to win a World Cup. Form, health,confidence/mentality, tactics, talent, draw, bracket path, reffing decisions, etc. etc. I do not think talent is there yet nor the mentality so I think it would be silly for any of us to say this team will win the World Cup. However, we will be a de facto "home team" with all the fans already living in the USA. We have experience playing in the USA working with the logistics of travel and time zones already. We have a manager who has given us confidence playing his style with an identity. We have depth and can plug- and- play at most positions if there are injuries and suspensions. (And we have two more years to tinker and patch up the cracks of the team.) I think things are set up for a good run. Semis like Morocco 2022 should be there for the taking. But with it being an expanded World Cup with one more knock-out round it makes it harder to predict. Plus all the third place teams that will be an interesting factor the tournament has not seen since 1994.
* i would like to see our match fitness improve over the next two years. * Lucho = become more of a playmaker / central role / passer than the guy who just tries to dribble past 2 defenders * in game IQ improves (temperment - i..e Munoz) * a team of 26 starters. Having someone like JFQ is nice but * let the younger kids get more experience - can't be relying on Uribe, Borre off the bench when time and time again they don't deliver and miss sitters in front of the goal. same with Borja - offered nothing except scoring a penalty. 2016 copa libertadores is ancient history... how do players like that get rewarded with playing time in the final and someone like Sini - who managed to create goal scoring opportunities with a man down, gets zero time in the final?
at Quintero's age, i don't see him changing his ways and improving his fitness levels to be a 90 minute player. he's good to have when playing against MLS-quality players... I just don't like the idea of having guys like Borja / JFQ on the team just for penalties and wait until minute 105 to play them...you said it best when having Lauturo as a sub for the NT is like a cheat code...that's the kind of depth we need to aspire to and we actually had it at one point but never really maximized it (Falcao/Teo as the key guys and Bacca/Jackson should have been a nightmare against any team) sadly i think Uribe/Borre will be part of the team for the next 2 years...every coach has those players that we just cringe at when they are on the field and this cycle - it's going to be Uribe/Borre...
agree with some of these points but not on Diaz. Why would you change the characteristics that make a player 'different' and that work. Every successful team needs at least 1 man on the squad who is willing to go on 1 v 1s and break those lines of pressure. I would rather find another Diaz on the RW or a playmaker #10/#8 that can bring out the best attributes of the players around them. I think for our Copa final Munoz's flank was the one that was needed the most to at least release some of the pressure from our LW. I think come WCQ and especially WC, where league season has to end much earlier, there's some gas in the tank. But for elite teams that play league finals, champions, local cups, it's a long season and a 6-8 game tournament can just burn you out. Hence why a deep bench is so important. I think that's a bit of what happened to some of the star players in this copa and in hindsight even matches vs Brazil and Panama and Bolivia we should just have rotated the squad even more. Guys like Diaz and Valverde were running on fumes coming into this Copa and you could see they were struggling to bring their best. Even Lerma who had just come back from injury eventually had to succumb to the exhaustion of playing and not being match fit in every match, including friendlies. This is also what's plagued James. He starts real hot and in Russia after giving it all in the match vs Poland he picks up the injury for the stages where we needed him the most. Let's see how Lorenzo plans to use James for WCQ, specially at the point where we're already qualified.
all i am saying for lucho is that all the things we praise him for now will be things that we will be criticizing him for in a couple of years. we loved Cuadrado early on for his ability to use his pace/dribbling on the right side - it was a breath of fresh air compared to the traditional pass backwards approach we saw between 1999-2011. unfortunately, the "Cuadradic formula" was spammed to the point where it broke down our flow of the game during the 18 cycle and many games of the 22 cycle. all good players change their style of play over their careers - lucho or players like him cannot / will not make a career of constantly trying to out dribble others....time is undefeated that way.... look at how players like Cr7, Messi, Schweinsteiger, etc. evolved their style of play from dynamic wingers to central roles. by the way - we have that other player that can bring out opportunities for others - Luis Sinisterra. he's great at creating space for others and has the ability to score and provide assists. how we find a lineup where the two can be on at the same time is another story.... is it one less central midfielder or giving more opportunities to Sini on the right side? we have seen guys like Borre/Uribe get rewarded for their botches while Sini has not gotten many opportunities beyond 65 minutes in any single game....check out his match history and the number of minutes he gets. i know he's had some injuries here and there, but Sini should be a core guy by now - not someone who only saw 1, 25 and 4 minutes of action over 3 Copa America games. Uribe saw 32, 45, 15, 90, 30, 15 minutes over 6 games Borre saw 58, 13, 14, 30 minutes over 4 games
Yeah, I figured you would mention Cuadrado and he was spectacular when 1st saw him play for us but then did get very selfish in his play. I hope Lorenzo will make a note of that and make him be a bigger part of the overall team. The Sini thing has to be something in confidence or locker room stuff we dont know about because he does have an excellent 1 v 1 skillset. Wish J Arias was used more as a winger as well. I know Lorenzo has given him a different team function but it does really limit his best play on that RW.
I don’t think it was Cuadrado being selfish as it was following orders. Cuadrado has typically been a 90 minute guy for us and there’s no way anyone would get the green light for that kind of play without it being approved by a head coach. Didn’t someone once take a free kick and over-rode James and we never saw him again after that? I think it was Dorlan Pabon? Agree with all your other points
Or even him just not being ready for many minutes due to all his injuries over the last couple years. But I assume if he was cleared to play by the medical staff he should have been available for more minutes/ appearances.
I think maybe a little bit of both, I think alot of managers see Cuadrado doing well for Colombia and see how vital he was at a club like Juve and don't have the stones to drop him or tell him to change parts of his game. We suffered for that for years I think, because even if you're going to be a guy who sometimes goes alone and dribbles at least if you're doing it progressively or in positions to go direct to goal the team still benefits, with Cuadrado most of his dribbling didn't go anywhere and he always wanted it to feet and never was making runs behind so it didn't help the team the way that Diaz does.
coach mentioning Cuadrado by name and Falcao saying he moved to Millos to play for the NT.... are both very worrisome. Would you guys be ok with Falcao and Cuadrado if it meant we dropped Borre and Uribe On a serious note hope neither get called unless its a December/January non fifa day friendly at home as their final game with the NT and they only play like 20-30 minutes.
I think Lorenzo would create a nightmare for himself if he called up Falcao, because once he is in, it won't be easy to get him out. He's too much of a lovable icon and both fans and journalists would cuestión why he was subbed out/why is only starting at the bench etc etc Cuadrado even though he's also liked doesn't come with the same pressure, people would take it better if he got dropped in the future.
Falcao would have to absolutely ball out at Millos both domestically and whatever South American tournament they will be playing in. I am not sure that will happen so I am leaning towards a we probably won't see him play for Colombia again. But we have doubted him before so you never know. I think Cuadrado's situation is a bit more clear to me. If he is healthy and playing in a top league I think there is a good chance he gets called up. If he is battling injuries and playing in Mexico or Saudi Arabia he may still be called but less likely.
Falcao can't offer anything at all for Lorenzo's system so I think its unlikely, he can't press at all really and Lorenzo does not want to play strikers who are just poachers, Borja was an aberration imo because of the added roster spot and he was only a last ditch gamble if losing, but Falcao can't really offer explosive goal scoring anymore. Cuadrado could fit I'd imagine, but it would be a mistake to risk it, he's been toxic on the field and he's not good enough to risk it, Lorenzo has made a team that follows his plan, they all bust their ass to press and they all for the most part are unselfish and can move and pass the ball quickly, Cuadrado hasn't done that for us for 10 years.
Even if they don't seem to fit or a risk, I must agree with CrzD. Lorenzo mentioning them makes me think they both have at least a tiny bit of a chance of being called up. Cuadrado moreso than Falcao obviously. It also depends on injuries and suspensions and form to other players in the pool. We have enough dudes at 9 but if they are all injured or get card suspensions then Falcao may have a chance (as crazy as it sounds). And it is even more applicable to Cuadrado at wing/midfield.
I pretty much agree with those that say that we don't need JGC or Falcao, and that we'll be stuck with Uribe and Borre for the foreseeable future. Regarding Lucho, I hope he doesn't change his style, but hopefully he can add a long pass to switch the ball when he's being pressured by two or three opponents, instead of a short backward pass.