After loss to Australia, Canada men face far different challenge against Colombia

After failing to break down a resolute five-man Australian defence in a 1-0 loss Friday to the 25th-ranked Socceroos, No. 26 Canada faces an altogether different challenge Tuesday when it takes on No. 13 Colombia.

Brimming with individual talent, the Colombians have already booked their ticket to next year's World Cup by finishing third in CONMEBOL qualifying with a 7-4-7 record. They showed their mettle at last year's Copa America, losing 1-0 in the final after extra time to Argentina.

Colombia is coming off a decisive 4-0 win over No. 14 Mexico on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, thanks to goals from Luis Diaz, Jhon Lucumi, Jefferson Lerma and Johan Carbonero.

"It's a big challenge," said Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio, both of whose parents were born in Colombia. "It's a great team with recent results that are very strong."

"This is a big opportunity for us to prove to ourselves that we are continuing to move in the right direction," added Canada coach Jesse Marsch.

The two sides meet at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., the home of the New York Red Bulls. 

"When we had the opportunity to play Colombia, I jumped on it immediately because I just know that between the way they play, the type of players they have, the success they've had in recent years, the physicality that they'll bring, that all these things will feel like what a high-level opponent at the World Cup will feel like," Marsch told a news conference Monday in Whippany, N.J.

"It's a privilege for us to play against them. And we're not just treating it as an experience. We're treating it as a game that we want to go out and win."

It's the first of three straight games against South American opposition. The Canadian men close out