Forever overshadowed by perennial South American football giants Brazil and Argentina, Colombia were still coming into World Cup 2014 with fairly high expectations. Then star striker Radamel Falcao went down with a grisly injury last month. Even though it looks like there is a decent chance he could be back in time for the Cup, Colombia’s hopes for a deep run in Brazil this summer have taken a serious hit, because they rely so heavily on Mr. Falcao.
They have other players, for sure. Fellow forward Jackson Martinez and midfielders James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado will be making sure the Colombians avoid an early exit. It’s just that this team thought they had top four aspirations. FIFA currently ranks them 5th in the world and their group in Brazil is one of the weaker draws. Group C features Greece (decent, but flawed), Japan (dangerous, but beatable), and Ivory Coast (talented, but aging). So, that’s the good news, even if they are Falcao-less.
Other good news? They now have a new World Cup away kit! Adidas has released the kit in Red with White, which is a nice change-up from the yellow and blue of the home jersey. Dark blue accents can be found throughout the away kit as well. The jersey has a large dark blue stripe on each arm, the shorts are white with three blue stripes, and the sock are mostly a dark blue. The crest is the same color, which is different from the red and yellow on the home jersey’s crest that recalled the national flag. A dark blue and white crest ties the kit together wonderfully here.
On the back of the neck is a graphic that reads “#UnidosPorUnPais”, which has to be the first time (and certainly won’t be the last, unfortunately), that I have seen a hashtag on a uniform. Anyways, I believe this translates to “#TheCatisintheBag”, but I didn’t really pay attention in high school Spanish. Actually, a quick Google search tells me that it translates to “#UnitedForACountry”. That makes more sense.
As their superstar forward tries to get back to full strength before June, Colombia now have two elegant, modern kits from adidas when they head to Brazil. Only one of those things will actually help them win games, but at least Colombian fans will look good while they continue to wait for their team to get out from under the shadow of their South American counterparts.
What do you think of the new Colombia Away Kit from adidas? Do you like the red on white look?
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