Argentina vs Colombia live updates: 2024 Copa America final team news and Lionel Messi latest

Nestor Lorenzo is into his second year as Colombia’s head coach. His appointment, in June 2022, was controversial. Lorenzo is Argentinian and he succeeded Reinaldo Rueda, a Colombian who failed to lead his nation to qualification for that year’s World Cup. Foreign managers in Colombia tend to divide the fanbase, though Lorenzo’s previous ties to the Colombian national team helped eased that tension.

He was the chief assistant under Jose Pekerman, another Argentinian, who coached Colombia to the 2014 and 2018 World Cup tournaments, either side of a third-place finish in the 2016 Copa. Pekerman remains well respected in Colombia and that helped Lorenzo earn some respect from the demanding fans and media who cover the team.

This is only Lorenzo’s second head-coaching position. After a lengthy career as an assistant at the club level and his time on Pekerman’s staff, he managed Peruvian side Melgar for a year and a half before getting the Colombia job.

Despite that lack of experience as the top man, Lorenzo is yet to lose. The streak (which stands at 28 if you also count games played under Rueda) includes friendly wins against Germany (2-0) and Spain (1-0), and a key World Cup qualifying defeat of Brazil (2-1) in November last year. Colombia also thrashed the USMNT, 5-1 away, in a Copa warm-up game.