World-famous footballers will be stepping out at Craven Cottage tonight as Colombia play USA in an international friendly.
World Cup quarter-finalists Colombia boast the talents of midfielders James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado, but they will have to be on form to beat a resilient American team.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s men had a fantastic showing in Brazil and will look to build on that as they prepare for the Copa America.
USMNT are built on a strong team ethic but they still have a number of individuals that Los Cafeteros will have to be wary of.
Jozy Altidore may have found it difficult to find his form in the Premier League but is impressive at international level and 19-year-old Julian Green is an exciting prospect.
Colombia will be without world renowned striker Radamel Falcao who is recuperating from an injury.
However, Colombia still have a number of attacking options to choose from in Jackson Martinez, Adrian Ramos and Carlos Bacca.
Of course, with nothing at stake in the game it will give Klinsmann and his opposite number Jose Pekerman a chance to experiment.
Pekerman has opted to call up four uncapped players while Klinsmann has called up two, including 20-year-old Jordan Morris who plays for Stanford Cardinals, a college team.
Surprisingly, with this game being played in London, between the two squads there are only four players who play in the Premier League.
They are Carlos Sanchez (Aston Villa), the solitary Colombian playing in the Premier League, Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City) and Altidore (Sunderland).
After facing USA, Colombia go on to face Slovenia four days later while this is USA’s only game of the international break.
Star man: James Rodriguez
Danger man: Julian Green
Last time they met: October 13 2010, USA 0-0 Colombia
Picture courtesy of treevis, with thanks
