Copa América: Colombia seeks return to glory

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay - Colombian forward Radamel Falcao García has soccer on his mind - even when he's not awake.

"I dream about being champion of the Copa América, of the World Cup, of everything," he said after being named to the team's 22-man roster for the tournament that will be held from July 1 through July 24 in Argentina.

If Colombia is going to make Falcao García's dream a reality, the star forward will have to shine as bright as he has playing for Portugal's Porto. Falcao García scored a record 17 goals during this year's Europa League season, two more than the previous mark set by Germany's Jürgen Klinsmann in 1996.

Falcao García said Colombia, which won its lone Copa América title in 2001, can defeat the best teams in South America. Colombia placed fourth in 2004, its best finish since a third-place showing in 1995.

"The main objective is to get to the World Cup, but we want to take advantage of the opportunity we have in Argentina," said Falcao García, who has scored 72 goals the past two seasons for Porto. "Winning the Copa (América) is in my heart, is in my mind. If it weren't, I wouldn't go."

Colombia is in Group A at Copa América, where it faces Costa Rica, ranked 56th in the world by FIFA, on July 2 in Jujuy; fifth-ranked Argentina on July 6 in Santa Fe; 102nd- ranked Bolivia on July 10 in Santa Fe. Colombia is ranked 50th.

But Falcao García said the Cafeteros are playing for something much bigger than themselves.

"We are 40 million Colombians," he said in a message broadcasted to the Andean nation shortly after the roster was announced. "Only 11 on the field representing the country, but behind us are all of you celebrating and crying. We are all one people: 40 million of us will go to the Copa América."

But Coach Hernán "Bolillo" Gómez does not want Colombians to set their hopes too high.

"My priority is the World Cup (2014 in Brazil)," he said during a media conference. "I'm not saying we will win the Copa América, because if we lose they will say we failed."

Gómez said he didn't want to relive 1994, when the team's expectations had never been higher. The Cafeteros were among the favorites to win the World Cup, with legend Pele going as far as predicting they would win it all.

But Colombia didn't play well. It opened with a 3-1 loss to Romania before falling, 2-1, to the United States. The team concluded its World Cup with a 2-0 win over Switzerland.

"I carry around in my head what happened in 1994," he said. "If you say you're going to be the champion and you don't make it to the second round, they say it's a failure."

Gómez added: "In soccer, there is always a disagreement at the end of a match and someone never ends up happy. I want to win all the matches and I always go out to win. I will try to do my best and we will try to win many matches."

A major reason why expectations for the Cafeteros are so high is because 18 of the team's 22 members play in leagues outside of the Andean nation, meaning they are in high demand on the international market.

The Cafeteros also haven't given their countrymen much to cheer about recently, as they've failed to qualify for the past three World Cups.

"Colombia has created a group that is very good at the defensive level, although we still need more offensive power, but in general terms, we are a strong national team," defender Luis Amaranto Perea, who plays for Spain's Atlético Madrid, said in a statement. "There are good players, people who have been scoring lots of goals for their leagues and we hope they now find the target."

Amaranto added: "Colombia is bringing together a new group, but we are all performing in Europe. We do not feel inferior to anyone. We are not going to limit ourselves, we want to compete and get as far as possible."

Defender Mario Alberto Yepes, who has captained the Colombian national team since 2008, said he expects the squad's fans to make playing in Argentina feel like they are playing in Bogotá.

"I am very happy that the Copa América will be in Argentina because I hope to meet up there with many people from Colombia," he told FIFA.com. "The last time we played there we had a lot of fans on the bleachers and I hope for the same now. Many people will travel to see us and we are going to be very well supported. In addition, it is always a joy to return to a country that gave me so many things."

These are the players who will represent Colombia at the next Copa América:

• Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Nice, France) and Luis Enrique Martínez (Once Caldas, Colombia)

• Defenders: Mario Yepes (Milan, Italy), Aquivaldo Mosquera (América, Mexico), Luis Amaranto Perea (Atlético Madrid, Spain), Christian Zapata (Udinese, Italy), Pablo Armero (Udinese, Italy), Camilo Zúñiga (Napoli, Italy), Yulián Anchico (Pachuca, Mexico) and Juan David Valencia (Atlético Junior, Colombia)

• Midfielders: Juan Guillermo Cuadrado (Udinese, Italy), Elkin Soto (Mainz, Germany), Abel Aguilar (Hércules, Spain), Freddy Guarín (Porto, Portugal), Carlos Alberto Sánchez (Valenciennes, France) and Gustavo Bolívar (Deportes Tolima, Colombia)

• Forwards: Hugo Rodallega (Wigan, England), Adrián Ramos (Hertha Berlín, Germany), Teófilo Gutiérrez (Racing, Argentina), Radamel Falcao García (Porto, Portugal), Jackson Martínez (Jaguares, Mexico) and Dayro Moreno (Once Caldas, Colombia).

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