Colombia Soccer Team
The Colombia national football team is the national
team of Colombia and is controlled by the
Federación Colombiana de Fútbol. Colombia has
made four World Cups, but only one before the 1990s: in 1962.
They only advanced past the first round once.
The team is considered slightly above-average
in ability in the CONMEBOL region; they are stronger than
Ecuador, Venezuela, and Bolivia, not quite as strong as Brazil
and Argentina and often find themselves evenly matched with
Paraguay and Uruguay. They are also known for producing good
performances in preliminary tournaments and friendlies but
seem to collapse in important matches. A 2001 Copa América
win gave their backers hope that the side may yet join the
top flight of international football.
The team has been peripherally involved in two
of the greatest personal tragedies to hit football in recent
years. In 1994, defender Andrés Escobar scored an own
goal in a World Cup match against the United States; shortly
after the team returned to Colombia, Escobar was murdered.
In 2003, at a Confederations Cup semifinal, the Colombians
watched as Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé collapsed
and died on the pitch due to an undetected heart condition.
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