On a chilly, wet Saturday night in Baltimore, the MexTour international friendly drew a packed house as the new generation for both federations put their names in lights.
La Selección Colombia and la Federación Mexicana de Fútbol battled in a CONCACAF vs CONMEBOL friendly on a cool Baltimore, Maryland evening in a match where it was a showcase of the new generation of Colombian & Mexican fútbol and who is willing to be the catalyst in a new World Cup cycle for both federations. It was the first-ever MexTour stop in Baltimore in the tour's 23-year history, and 67,117 came out for it at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, September 26.
It was also only the first page of a longer story. The window that opened that Saturday runs straight through tonight, when Colombia close it against Peru in Miami. Along the way the Cafeteros took a 1-1 draw with Mexico, a stinging 1-0 loss to Paraguay in Harrison, New Jersey, and now one last exam — three games, three different questions, and a manager still learning his own team.
New in Charge
In an international break where new managers are in charge for the first time for their teams like Xavi Hernández for the Netherlands, Jürgen Klopp for Germany, and Zinedine Zidane for France, Rafael "Rafa" Márquez took his managerial debut against Néstor Lorenzo's Colombia. Márquez, who has taken up after Javier "El Vasco" Aguirre left "El Tri" after their elimination vs England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, put out a lineup with 10 players with World Cup experience vs Colombia. He went on record, while praising the work "El Vasco" did for Mexico during his time, that he would need to adapt to the players that he has available.
Márquez is quoted as saying, "I'm not going to impose a style. I'd love to play like Barcelona, but you don't have the raw materials."
While Márquez's team trailed early on in the game after a Luis Suárez goal, he praised how his team played against a formidable side, saying, "We brought some fresh legs into the team. I was very pleased with the squad we called up. Everyone is ready to play and willing to contribute. We came up against a quality team that is very strong physically, so this result has value."
Márquez inherits a team that has been a fixture at the top of the FIFA world rankings — Mexico came into the tour 10th — and a federation that expected a longer run in a home World Cup. His first night did not produce a win, but it produced a response, and a manager who was willing to say out loud that this team is not yet built.
The Rise of the new No. 10s
At only 17 years old, Gilberto "Gil" Mora is taking Mexican futbol by storm. Mora became the youngest player in the 2026 World Cup. The Club Tijuana "Xolos" midfielder has now taken up the #10 jersey after Toluca's Alexis Vega was not called up by Rafa Márquez. In a recent postgame interview, Alexis Vega hinted at the possibility of retiring from El Tri.
Rafa Márquez mentioned in the postgame press conference that he actually doesn't have information on whether Alexis Vega will retire from the national team or not, saying, "I have no idea. I'll speak to him. He's doing well with Toluca. We decided to give him some rest because of his knee, and we have to look after him."
Placing such expectations on such a young player like Gil Mora can sometimes be like playing roulette because some crumble under the pressure of the #10 or relish it and truly take it on.
Márquez underplayed it that Saturday night, saying, "I have no doubt that he will continue to develop, and I hope we get to see him at a major European club."
Now that Mora has taken up the mantle, he took the bull by the horns Saturday night. In the second half, Mora took a breakaway counter, cut back on Colombia's center-back Lucumí to send him flying, and in the 62' tied the match in Baltimore to earn him man of the match. On a night built around who would seize the next cycle, a teenager answered first — and the buzz around him is already the loudest thing in Mexican soccer.
While the pressure of the #10 in Mexico has fallen on a young boy, the pressure of the #10 for "Los Cafeteros" carries extra weight. On September 15, Colombian legend James Rodríguez hung up his New Balance boots and his yellow kit to officially retire from La Tricolor de La Selección Colombia. From that point on the talks began on who would carry on the weight of the #10 for Colombia after legends like Carlos Valderrama & Faustino "Tino" Asprilla wore it back in the day.
The answer was in the former Palmeiras, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and now Fluminense winger Jhon Arias. Jhon Arias has been a consistent player for Néstor Lorenzo recently. He has been a player Lorenzo has been able to count on on the right wing. He has given him the freedom to also roam in the midfield and be the creative outlet that he needs.
Néstor Lorenzo said after the game, "Jhon Arias is a very versatile player. He started out on the right wing, after seeing (Jesús) Gallardo come up more, we moved him to the left. In the second half he played more as a defensive midfielder."
Two No. 10s, two very different inheritances: one a teenager handed the shirt because an older man stepped aside, the other a 28-year-old asked to carry a legend's number into his prime. Both wear it again tonight in Miami.
Stand Outs
In a 1-1 friendly draw where there were 13 substitutions all together (5 for Colombia, 8 for Mexico), there isn't much one can take away, but some things do stand out.
Gilberto Mora is definitely not afraid of the moment for how young he is. His standout play not only in transition, but also in between lines, was the key for Mexico to draw it in the 62'. Néstor Lorenzo said in the postgame presser that "Mora is a great player. He got in behind Castaño, Rios, Puerta, and complicated things for us in those spaces in between lines."
Colombia’s Luis Javier Suárez Charris celebrates his 9th minute goal against Mexico. (Jorge Torres for Soccer Sheet) The battle for the striker position for Los Cafeteros is still an ongoing talk. Luis Suárez got the starting position in this match and scored a great header from an assist from Richard Ríos, but the door isn't closed on what the permanent options could be at the 9 for Colombia. Kevin Viveros, who currently plays with former Charlotte FC/Colombian winger Kerwin Vargas for Athletico Paranaense in Brazil, had a good showing as a physical and fast forward during his 30 min+ cameo in the second half. Questions still remain because Viveros is still young at only 26 years old, but there are players like Real Betis/former Columbus Crew starter Juan Camilo "Cucho" Hernández still available even though he didn't get called up, as well as the unknown future of striker Jhon Durán as he tries to revive his career in Portugal with Benfica after many unsuccessful stints in Europe & Saudi.
Davinson Sánchez (center) on defense for Colombia. (Jorge Torres for Soccer Sheet) Defensive solidity is still a question, but also an odd certainty for Colombia. If there is one thing Cafeteros can count on in the backline, it's that Davinson Sánchez is going to control it, and Daniel Muñoz is going to bomb up and down the right-hand side. Sánchez was, without a doubt, one of Colombia's key players during the FIFA World Cup, as well as during this match as one of the key physical defensive walls of the backline. What happens with his CB partner is still up for grabs for Lorenzo with a constant rotation of Mina, Machado, and Lucumí.
The future of both federations is in good hands. For Mexico it's clear that Gil Mora is the next star, but guys like former Seattle Sounder Obed Vargas, Isaías Violante, and Armando "La Hormiga" González are ready to make this their team. For Colombia the standout last name to keep an eye on is Girona's Yaser Asprilla. No, he's not related to the legend Tino Asprilla, even though they share the same last name. Other standouts were Kevin Viveros, who is making the case in the striker competition, Gustavo Puerta, who actually took Richard Ríos's spot in the starting lineup during the World Cup, and Matías Orozco, who was a bright spot on the field coming in at the 71st minute. Samuel Velásquez also made his Colombian debut coming in in the 66th minute.
Richard Ríos told the media after the game, "Well those that entered for the very first time tonight, that was Matías, Kevin, and Samuel. They are guys that have been doing things the right way. That have been working a lot. That are in big clubs, and if they are here it's because they have the capability to be here. I feel like, just as well as I also had my first time, this isn't something that can be described. It's something that can just be felt in between them. No matter how much advice someone can give them, it's something that you got to live. The only thing that I can tell them is that I wish them a lot of luck, that they have a marvelous group that will always support them, that I hope things go for them as they hope they do, and that they can help us out, which is what we also hope."
Paraguay in Harrison
If Baltimore was a draw that felt like a step forward, Harrison was the step back that stung more for how avoidable it was.
Colombia lost 1-0 to Paraguay on Friday, October 2, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, on a night defined by one defensive mistake and one goal. The Cafeteros rotated significantly and the kids answered again — Matías Orozco off the bench the bright spot — but the result was the kind that follows a manager around. The fan base spent the weekend puzzling over the shift back to a back five and over where it leaves Jhon Arias, a No. 10 with nowhere to be a 10. Luis Suárez had a rough night; Kevin Viveros was not much better, though he did enough to stay in the conversation at the 9.
Lorenzo called it a window of evaluation, and Harrison was exactly the kind of night that evaluation is for — a loss that tells you more about the squad than a comfortable win would have.
Final Overview
In a low-stakes friendly game between two football powerhouses, on paper it looks like Mexico should've won this game by one-upping Colombia in possession (52/48), total shots (16/5), shots on target (4/2), touches in the opposition box (20/10), and big chances (3/1). Los Cafeteros capitalized on an early goal & made it tough for El Tri to get it to the back of the net despite many big chances, especially a big chance missed in the 31st minute.
The scoreline said 1-1. The numbers said Mexico. The story said a new cycle had started on both benches, and neither side had figured itself out yet.
The Last Test: Colombia vs. Peru, Tonight in Miami
One more, and there's no hiding from the setting.
Colombia close the October window tonight, Tuesday, October 6, against Peru at Nu Stadium in Miami: Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi’s new home. Kickoff is at 7:45 PM ET, and it is the final match of the window for both teams.
It is an international friendly, not a qualifier, so there are no points on the line. The context is real anyway. The teams' last meeting ended 0-0 in Barranquilla during 2026 World Cup qualifying. Colombia went on to reach the Round of 16 in that tournament; Peru is working through a rebuild under new coach Mano Menezes and needs a result — the Bicolor arrive off a 4-1 loss to the United States, a 1-1 draw with Mexico, and a 2-0 loss to Canada, still chasing Menezes's first win in charge.
The two federations are in the same place for the same reason: both are past a World Cup cycle and pointed at the next one. "Colombia, like the Bicolor, is in the middle of a generational change," as the Peruvian press put it. Tonight is the last evaluation before the road to 2030 really begins.
Three Things to Watch:
The goalkeeper carousel. Álvaro Montero and Aldair Quintana split the first two games. Tonight it's Kevin Mier, the Cruz Azul keeper, who gets the gloves — Lorenzo said as much before the tour: "I might change the goalkeeper. I want to see all three if possible, so it's very likely one of the changes." (translated) It's a manager treating a friendly like what it is: a look at the whole roster before the games start counting.
Who still hasn't played. Colombia's 26-man squad has had players who haven't logged a single minute this window. Miami is the last chance for those bits of evaluation — the newcomers, the bubble names, the men Lorenzo wants a real look at.
Arias's No. 10, and the shape around him. After Harrison, the question of where Jhon Arias plays is still open — a No. 10 in a team drifting toward a back five with no true No. 10 slot. If Lorenzo gives Arias the free role again tonight, watch whether Colombia looks like the version that drew Mexico or the version that lost to Paraguay.
Miami has become a second home for this Colombia side. The Cafeteros trained at Inter Miami's facilities during their World Cup stay in South Florida, and they have one of the loudest South Florida followings of any national team. Peru, for its part, has good memories in the building: its June comeback win over Haiti, 2-1, was the first international friendly ever played at Nu Stadium, in front of a sellout. Both sets of fans will know the place.
It won't count for anything in the table. It will count for Lorenzo, who is under pressure in Colombia, and for Menezes, who is still looking for his first win. The window ends tonight. Somebody leaves Miami with an answer.
And Beyond …
Both federations keep pointing at 2030. For Colombia, the October window has been the first real look at the post-World Cup, post-James roster: a new No. 10 in Arias, a striker question still open, and a backline whose only certainties are Davinson Sánchez and Daniel Muñoz. For Mexico, it's the Márquez era, a teenager at the 10, and a rebuild that began with a draw and continues tonight in Los Angeles, where El Tri meet Chile at the Memorial Coliseum.
Colombia leave Miami and wait for the qualifiers to call. Mexico leave with the same questions it brought, especially after a tres a cero loss to the United States.
Neither side got the easy answer this window — which, for teams one cycle from home, may be the point.
Photo Gallery: Mexico v. Colombia
Karen Chicas contributed to this report.
Overall a pretty successful tour