Mexico vs Colombia: Los Cafeteros Will Need a Boost from Falcao

The Mexico vs. Colombia rivalry is back on, on Wednesday night.

It's been a while (too long for most) since we last saw Mexico and Colombia square off against one another. That was back in September of 2010, a match that Mexico won through a late goal. 

Los Cafeteros will be looking to avenge that loss, but they're facing a stiff challenge. This Mexican national team is one of the best squads in the world, and the Colombian team is entering this match with more than a few question marks hanging over it.

Above all, new Colombia coach Jose Pekerman will be getting his introduction to the rivalry, and it remains to be seen what kind of difference his influence will make. With him at the helm, Mexico can expect to be faced with the task of stopping an aggressive, fast-paced attack, not unlike the one Pekerman used when he was Argentina's coach.

In renowned striker Radamel Falcao, the Colombian team has a player who is up to the task of putting the ball in the back of the net. He's in the midst of a brilliant season over in La Liga with Atletico Madrid, scoring 15 goals in 21 games. Mexico will have to mark where Falcao is on the field at all times, lest he get loose and punch one into the goal.

However, the word around the campfire is that Pekerman has it in mind to limit his usage of Falcao.

Courtesy of Jorge Arangure, Jr. of ESPN.com:

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Pekerman indicted on Tuesday that Falcao might not get the start due to his late arrival from Europe and due to the heavy minutes he's played for Atletico and the minutes he's due to play upon his return to Spain. If so, then obviously Colombia's attack suffers a serious blow.

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If Pekerman chooses to hold Falcao back on Wednesday night, it will be easy to understand where he's coming from. There's no point in running him ragged just for the sake of winning a friendly, even if this particular friendly is a heated rivalry game.

Nevertheless, the more Falcao's role in this match is lessened, the greater Colombia's chances of actually winning it are lessened. Colombia won't be drastically overmatched one way or the other, but Los Cafeteros will need as much offensive thunder as they can muster in order to get their revenge for their loss in the last meeting between these two teams.

The more minutes Falcao logs, the better. More minutes mean more chances and more opportunities for Falcao to help Colombia run up the score, something that is easier said than done against Mexico.

Then again, perhaps Pekerman is merely posturing. If he does end up giving Falcao the start, Colombia could easily steal a win.

It's true that Falcao has never scored against Mexico before. He's clearly due for one. Or two.