For Wednesday’s clash between the U.S. and Colombia, Jack Bell of the New York Times profiles a small Colombian town that’s having a big influence on the national team: Cúcuta, a sprawling Andean town of 600,000 people residing on Colombia’s eastern border with Venezuela. Cucuta is home to Colombian Clausura champion Cúcuta Deportivo, which won its first-ever championship in December. Following victory over Tolima on the last day of the season, the club’s coach Jorge Luis Pinto was invited to take over the reigns of the national team.
Deportivo’s success did not end with his departure, however. The club also performed brilliantly (particularly at home) during the Copa Libertadores, where it reached the semifinals, barley losing out to eventual winner Boca Juniors, 4-3, on aggregate (Cucuta’s loss came after a 3-1 home victory).
Aside from its success in 2007, there aren’t many footnotes to the club’s history. Founded in 1949, Deportivo remained a relatively small club until Cucuta mayor Ramiro Suarez took charge. A controversial figure, Suarez has used a combination of city money and personal finances to fund the team, which features Panamanian talisman Blas Perez, in addition to national team regulars goalkeeper Robinson Zapata and midfielder Macnelly Torres.