The Whole Delivery

Photo from Getty Images and FIFA.com Faryd Mondragon has the unique distinction of being the only player in the entire 2014 World Cup who was a squad member in the 1994 installment in the United States. At the time, Mondragon was a soon to be 23-year-old keeper who saw first hand how his Colombian nation came into the tournament as destined for greatness, picked by some to even be world champions. Of course, it turned out to be the opposite of that, as a 3-1 loss to Romania, followed by the more infamous 2-1 defeat at the hands of the host Yanks proved to be the start of a long painful demise on the global stage for Los Cafeteros. The shock exit out of World Cup ’94. The tragic death of Andres Escobar. The quick departure out of the group stage of the following World Cup in France. The three consecutive cycles of failing to qualify for the 2002, 2006, and 2010 World Cup. Mondragon has seen his country endure its pinnacle and a pitfall, its apex and its vortex, its crowing ...