In 2014, Colombia shocked the world with an outstanding turn at the World Cup in Brazil.

Even without superstar striker Radamel Falcao, the team emerged as a favorite to win the cup and only a controversial match against Brazil stopped Los Cafeteros in their tracks.

Unsurprisingly, Colombia enters this Copa America tournament as a favorite, looking more mature in all areas and certainly more experienced. But is Colombia set for another big moment or will its years of underachievement make a hasty return?

History

Colombia won the tournament back in 2001 when it was also the host nation in a 1-0 win over Mexico. Aside from that, Colombia has finished second in 1975, third in 1987, 1993 and 1995 and fourth in 1991 and 2004.

In the most recent tournament Colombia actually finished atop its group, but fell to Peru in the quarterfinals. In 2007, Colombia had a disastrous tournament in a group that included Argentina, Paraguay and the U.S. The Colombians managed to defeat the Americans but were blown out by Argentina and Paraguay in their respective matches.

This Colombian side is arguably the best of all time, considering its recent World Cup exploits and should be primed for a better performance in Chile.

Key Players

There are two. The first is James Rodriguez, who announced himself to the world in 2014 with six goals and two assists on the world's biggest stage. He then made a big move to Real Madrid and had a terrific season that featured 17 goals and 15 assists in all competitions for Los Blancos; for some context Gareth Bale had 17 goals and 10 assists for Real Madrid this season.

The Colombian side is built around Rodriguez, making him the focal point of the attack. However, unlike last year when he was a surprise to the world, this year he will not be able to hide behind surprise. Other teams will game-plan against him and he will have to find ways to counteract this newfound attention.

The other key man will be the team's captain, Radamel Falcao. He endured a harsh year in Manchester and could be battling for a starting spot with Carlos Bacca, Teofilo Gutierrez and Jackson Martinez. Falcao is undeniably the top option when at his best, but he will need to find that level soon if he wants to make an impact on the tournament. It will be interesting to see if Coach Jose Pekerman gives Falcao a chance to find his form early in the tournament or gives more deserving players a chance.

Why Colombia Could Win

Hard group aside, this team showed last season that it was not only a delightful team to watch, but a dangerous one with a tremendous offense that can make anyone pay when it is at its best. No other team really has that free-wheeling attacking potential, Chile aside, that Colombia possesses. The team is also sturdy, if not great, on the back end and should be able to make a deep run in this tournament.

Prediction: Colombia makes it to the semfinal