James Rodriguez is racing against time to reach his best possible form for the 2026 World Cup. The Colombian has two months to achieve this, and from what has been seen so far with Minnesota United in the United States, he is far from the goal. Inactivity and other factors, such as his recent health problem due to severe dehydration, do not help
In that line, Felipe Cardenas, a journalist for The Athletic, commented on his X account. "I just watched James Rodriguez play 65 minutes in a U.S. Cup game. He will need a footballing miracle to regain his 2024 Colombian national team level before June," he said.
"Very far away. And very limited physically. With the ball he is always fine, but he does not look normal. Never. He found it difficult to press. He got tired very quickly," he said.
Not everything is negative with James
Despite Cardenas' negative assessment, Colombian media highlighted that James "registered 74 touches of the ball and achieved an 84% accuracy in his deliveries. According to statistical data, he maintained an 83% accuracy in passes in the opponent's territory, a performance that earned him a rating of seven points by the specialized platform SofaScore"
Cameron Knowles also wanted to be optimistic in his analysis of James' performance. "Very good. You see how he creates play, how precise he is with the ball and how he gets everyone else involved in the game," he told the press conference.
New opportunity for James against Timbers
After qualifying on penalties in the US Open Cup, Minnesota United will face Portland Timbers next Saturday. The match will serve to see if James Rodriguez has continuity in the starting eleven and also if his level is increasing after the training sessions held this week.