In the first international window after the 2026 World Cup, Mexico and Colombia will meet in the United States, bringing two sides in transition together for a September friendly. For Colombia, the match also marks the first assignment for José María Bazán, the Argentine coach whose route to Néstor Lorenzo’s staff has included academy work in Texas, spells in Mexico and a recent stay in Chile.
The news from the club
Colombia have added Bazán, 54, to Lorenzo’s coaching team following Luis Amaranto Perea’s departure to take charge of Independiente Medellín. Bazán arrives with extensive experience as an assistant coach and youth developer, as well as a familiarity with Mexican football that adds a small local connection to Colombia’s meeting with El Tri.
A native of Córdoba, Argentina, Bazán played professionally for sides including Platense, Atlético de Rafaela and Godoy Cruz, with further periods in Bolivia, Brazil and the United States. He represented Argentina at the 1990 South American Under-20 Championship and at the Under-20 World Cup held the following year.
After ending his playing career in 1999, he moved into coaching. His development work took him to FC Dallas in 2007, where he became associated with the early progression of a group of later United States internationals and MLS regulars: Weston McKennie, Chris Richards, Ricardo Pepi, Jesús Ferreira, Brian Reynolds, Reggie Cannon and Paxton Pomykal.
In January 2014, Bazán joined Dallas’s senior staff as assistant to Óscar Pareja. Their partnership lasted four years before continuing south of the border at Xolos de Tijuana, where Bazán worked from November 2018 until November 2019.
He returned to MLS in February 2020, joining Orlando City on Gustavo Lema’s staff. The pair later reunited at Pumas, where Bazán was part of the university club’s bench for 32 matches spanning the Clausura 2025 and Apertura 2025 tournaments. When Lema left UNAM, Bazán also departed Mexico, later working with Audax Italiano until June 2026.
His new role comes as Colombia begin again after their World Cup elimination, a penalty-shootout loss to Switzerland in the round of 16. Mexico, meanwhile, will give Rafael Márquez his first test as head coach after his previous role as Javier Aguirre’s assistant.
The September fixture
Mexico and Colombia are scheduled to play on Saturday, 26 September, at 19:00 Central Mexico time in the United States. It will be Colombia’s first outing since the World Cup and the opening opportunity for Lorenzo’s reshaped coaching staff to begin work on the next international cycle.
