Among the base he had in the Copa America, plus those called to the morphocycle that took place in Bogota, Reinaldo Rueda today has a range of 53 players to assemble the squad that will have in the triple elimination date in September, in which he will face Bolivia in La Paz, Paraguay in Asunción and Chile in Barranquilla.
(We suggest: Luis Díaz, the goal scorer with Porto)
The call is expected for this Tuesday and, on paper, there would be no big surprises, although the arrival of someone who has not been part of the work of recent months is not ruled out, given that the season in Europe , where the vast majority of the team is, is just beginning. What is the current state of the group?
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The goalkeepers that brought Roda to the Copa America were David Ospina, Camilo Vargas and Aldair Quintana. Ospina does not play an official match from the famous definition from the penalty spot against Argentina, in the semifinals of the tournament. Sunday was a substitute in the game Naples 2, Venice 0. However, his experience puts him in the front line to be called.
Vargas, meanwhile, is having a great time with the Atlas: he has only conceded two goals in six games. He reached a mark of 705 minutes without being scored in the Mexican League, counting three games last season. And Quintana also has 462 minutes without conceding a goal with Nacional in league matches. This semester is undefeated.
David Ospina (left), with Yerry Mina.
The right-backs that brought Roda to the Cup arrive at full speed. Daniel Muñoz he has played all five games of the Genk this season (two of them against Shakhtar Donetsk in the preliminary round of the Champions League), four of them as a starter and all in that position. He even scored a goal in the local league. I Stefan Medina has perfect assistance with Monterrey, playing every minute of the season. However, it should be noted that four of the six games he played were as central defense.
The case of the left side remains a mystery. Yairo Moreno and William Tesillo, both initially called up for the Cup, are in full competition. However, they alternate in various positions.
The first, who went from León to Pachuca, has played five games, but has not only played as a winger, but also as a defender in a line of three and as a winger on the left. One detail: they gave him the shirt number 10. And Tesillo has played all six games of the Lion, but four as central defense.
Frank Fabra, called on the fly after Yairo’s injury, was not called up in Boca’s first two games this year. Just in the last three days he was a starter, in the midst of the crisis of his team.
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The two central defenders of the Selection, Dávinson Sánchez and Yerry Mina, were starters this weekend in the Premier League. On Dávinson, despite many rumors about his departure, DT Nuno Espirito Santo has given him confidence and played well both games this season with Tottenham. Mina was a substitute on the first day and on Saturday, against Leeds United, he had an acceptable performance.
Dávinson Sánchez (right) In action against Wolverhampton.
Lindsey Parnaby. AFP
Carlos Costa and John Lucumí, the two central defenders of the Genk, were starters in the Champions League, but have lost space in the Belgian League. Neither was called up this weekend for the match against Royal Antwerp. What does come with continuity is Oscar Murillo, starter in the five games of Pachuca.
Wilmar Barris, the brand winger who had the most minutes in the Cup, is already active in the Russian league with Zenit. He has been a starter in the last four games.
Mateus Uribe, who was his teammate in the starting lineup until he was injured before the quarterfinals against Uruguay, has already competed again and was a starter in the last two games in Porto. His replacement in the starting line-up, Gustavo Cuéllar, also starts the season with A-el-Hilal, with whom he has been a starter in the first two games. On Friday, against Al-Taawon, he was substituted.
Two of the convened ones that generated controversy were Sebastián Pérez and Baldomero Perlaza. The first came with continuity in the Boavista, playing the first four games of the season, but last Monday he was injured in the match against Paços Ferreira. This weekend was not called.
Perlaza, meanwhile, had missed the first date because Nacional’s DT, Alejandro Restrepo, gave him a break after arriving from the Copa America. He hasn’t left the headline since.
From the middle of the track forward, speaking of the Cup list, there are high peaks, but also worries. Juan Guillermo Quadrat i Luis Díaz they started the season very well, with good performance and goals in Juventus and Porto, respectively.
Instead, the case of Edwin Cardona it is worrying: it had a conflict with Mouth when not arriving for the series of Liberating Glass against Athletic Mineiro. He has only played two of the team’s six games in the Argentine league, was sent off against Argentins Juniors and is now injured, with a thigh problem.
Luis Diaz, player of the Port.
Another particular case is that of Jaminton Campaz. He was in the morphocycle that Roda did in Bogotá, but he has only played 45 official minutes this semester, the second half of the match that Tolima won against Aliança Petroliera, on July 31st. Then came his request to leave and the transfer to Gremi, where he has not yet made his debut.
Speaking of Guild, what does come on in a possible call is Miguel Ángel Borja, who in four games with this club has scored three goals. Of the ‘9’ called up to the Copa America, he is the one who arrives in the best shape.
Alfredo Morelos and Luis Fernando Muriel were already reported with goals in the Rangers and Atalanta, respectively. What he has yet to score is Rafael Santos Erase, who has started in the first two games of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. He already made an assist against Borussia Dortmund. Duván Zapata, who had not been a starter in the preseason, is injured and is unlikely to reach the call-up.
Also in full form is Yimmi Chara, who has played all seven Portland Timbers games since returning from the Cup. He has scored two goals.
And those of the morphocycle?
While waiting for the evolution of the base from the outside, Roda made a morphocycle in Bogota with 26 players, thinking mainly about the adaptation to the height of La Paz. Three players who were in the Copa America were part of this work: Aldair Quintana, Baldomero Perlaza and Jaminton Campaz.
Roda worked with four archers, all with continuity in their clubs: Quintana, Álvaro Montero (Tolima), Andrés Mosquera Marmolejo (Medellín) and Carlos Mosquera (Patriots).
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On paper, the DT had two right sides, Andrés Román and Yerson Candelo. The first reappeared at a very high level in Millionaires and could be tab in the call. The second is playing continuously in Nacional, but more as a winger on the right.
Roda set his sights on two left sides on the morphocycle: Álvaro Angulo, from Águilas Dorados, and Dairon Mosquera, from Santa Fe, who was injured and was replaced by Germán Gutiérrez. Angulo had already been in the first local microcycle. They were all headliners this weekend.
There were three central ones in the morphocycle: Andrés Llinàs, of Millionaires, who had a great party against the Medellín, after some doubts in the previous parties; Fainer Torijano, from Santa Fe, who has not been seen at a good level, and John García, from Equitat, who responds to a team that receives few goals.
Roda worked with five front-line players (Perlaza, Alexander Mejía, David Loaiza, Sebastián Gómez and Stiven Vega) and seven players who can play in the second line either as wingers or as hookers: Campaz, Esneyder Mena, Andrés Andrade , Daniel Mantilla, John Arias, Jhon Velásquez and Kelvin Osorio. The best ones are Andrade and Mantilla. Those from Santa Fe are very affected by the team’s bad campaign and Arias has just been transferred to Brazil.
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In the morphocycle there were only two strikers: Fernando Uribe, who scored again this weekend after four dates, and Harold Preciado, who has been playing as a midfielder. Both are in full swing.
This Tuesday, Roda will give his list and start the operation of a very hard elimination date. It remains to be seen if the DT will surprise again.
José Orlando Ascencio
Sports Sub-Editor
@josasc