Ramos left out of Colombia´s Copa America squad

Adrian Ramos was a surprise exclusion as Colombia coach Jose Pekerman named his final 23-man squad for next month’s Copa America Centenario in the United States. 

Ramos, who on Saturday was an unused substitute in Borussia Dortmund’s DFB-Pokal final loss to Bayern Munich, will miss his second consecutive Copa America after injury ruled him out of last year’s tournament in Chile. 

The 30-year-old has 37 caps for Colombia and featured in March’s World Cup qualifiers for 2018 but Pekerman elected to pick the uncapped Roger Martinez in his place.

Teofilo Gutierrez and Abel Aguilar – who share over 100 international caps between them – were both left out of the squad, with Pekerman choosing a heavy domestic presence alongside the likes of James Rodriguez, Juan Cuadrado and Carlos Sanchez.

Five of the 23 players are from Medellin-based Atletico Nacional, who this week qualified for the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores. 

Colombia kick off their tournament in the opening game against hosts USA on June 3, before facing fellow Group A opponents Paraguay on June 7 and Costa Rica on June 11. 

Colombia squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Cristian Bonilla (Atletico Nacional), David Ospina (Arsenal), Robinson Zapata (Santa Fe)

Defenders: Felipe Aguilar (Atletico Nacional), Santiago Arias (PSV), Farid Diaz (Atletico Nacional), Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors), Stefan Medina (Pachuca), Jeison Murillo (Inter), Oscar Murillo (Pachuca), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan)

Midfielders: Edwin Cardona (Monterrey), Guillermo Celis (Junior FC), Juan Cuadrado (Juventus), Sebastian Perez (Atletico Nacional), Andres Roa (Deportivo Cali), James Rodriguez (Real Madrid), Carlos Sanchez (Aston Villa), Daniel Torres (Independiente Medellin)

Forwards: Carlos Bacca (AC Milan), Roger Martinez (Racing Club), Marlos Moreno (Atletico Nacional), Dayro Moreno (Tijuana)