Colombia coach Pekerman 'optimistic' over James Rodriguez injury

By Russell Greaves, Russell Greaves

Published June 04, 2016

Jose Pekerman is "optimistic" James Rodriguez will recover from the injury that saw him taken off in the closing stages of Colombia's 2-0 win over the United States.

Despite kicking off their Copa America Centenario with a victory over the hosts, an apparent second-half shoulder injury for James -- who netted the second goal just before the break -- provided a possible setback to their ambitions in the tournament.

"I want to be optimistic," Pekerman said. "James is very important for Colombia. We also know he has a lot of desire to play, but I think the medical professionals know to what extent he'll be running a risk. We cannot take a fast decision.

"I don't want to think of the negative. We will see, we will be optimistic and we hope that James will recover well and we will have him on the field."

Pekerman's side looked in control throughout Friday's match at Levi's Stadium, but the Argentine coach paid tribute to the display of Jurgen Klinsmann's side.

"We tried to take advantage of our chances and had more goalscoring situations. I can name a couple that were very close," he added.

"The United States is a very competitive team which is not easy to outscore and we have to show respect to them."

Next up for Colombia is a clash with Paraguay in Pasadena on Tuesday.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/colombia-coach-pekerman-optimistic-over-james-rodriguez-injury