As an American, this is a match up that I am absolutely dreading. Not only because Colombia is ranked 4th in the world in the most recent FIFA rankings, but also because I find myself secretly pulling for Colombia to take this tournament. I shamelessly admit that they got me hook-line-and-sinker at the last World Cup. From my school boy crush on James Rodriguez to their coordinated post goal cellys and rabid fan base I never had a chance. While Brazil and Argentina may be the faces of South American soccer success, Colombia embodies the soul of the continent.

That said, it doesn't take a soccer analyst to understand that the US faces an uphill battle to steal a point out of this match. The US's lack of roster consistency is concerning. Klinsmann has been tinkering with his first team lineup in almost every game the Americans have played since the last World Cup. While Bradley and Dempsey, and even Jermaine Jones, will certainly highlight the lineup, the rest of their supporting cast are relative no names. The fact of the matter is that outside of a few American mainstays, the US player pool is an indistinguishable group who possess a relatively similar level of above average talent. The one exception to this is 17 year old Dortmund wunderkid Christian Pulisic, who has emerged, fair or not, as the future face of American soccer.

Colombia, on the other hand, has talent all over the field. Led by all world midfielder James Rodriguez, the "Coffee Growers" possess a free flowing attacking mentality that makes soccer fun to watch for the casual viewer. However, the Colombian roster does have a few head scratching omissions, most notably at forward with Victor Ibarbo, Adrian Ramos, Teo Guitierrez, and all-time national team leading scorer Radamel Falcao all missing the cut. Even without these weapons, and also missing an injured Jackson Martinez, a strong midfield led by Rodriguez teamed with Juve star Juan Cuadrado and constantly underrated Carlos Sanchez should be able to control the central third of the field and create attacking opportunities for their rookie forwards. 

Bottom Line: U.S. keeps it competitive with heart and hustle, but Colombia dictates play and possession and in the end have too many horses for the mix-matched American squad to cope with. Final score: 2-1 South Americans.