James is back in Colombia's World Cup camp

The man, the myth, the still-very-much-involved

For a player who has spent the last few years drifting through club football — Rayo Vallecano, Rayo Vallecano again, then Minnesota United — James has maintained a grip on the Colombia national team setup that most players in his position simply don't. He turns up, he creates, and he makes the squad better. That's the short version.

ESPN reports, citing unnamed sources, that he will depart the Loons following their match on 13 May to join the national team camp. Note: this story is currently based on a single ESPN report citing unnamed sources. No official confirmation has come from Minnesota United or the Colombian Football Federation at the time of writing — treat with appropriate caution until a second source or official statement emerges.

What he actually brings

Colombia head into a home-continent World Cup with genuine ambition. The squad has pace, energy, and some of the most exciting forwards in South American football right now. What James provides is different: vision at the top of midfield, the kind of left foot that can shift a game in a single pass, and — perhaps more importantly at this stage — the weight of experience in tournament football.

He was the player of the tournament at Brazil 2014. That's not a nostalgic footnote; it's context for why a manager still picks up the phone.

The bigger picture

Colombia's World Cup preparations are entering a critical phase, and the timing of this camp — pulling players from club duty in mid-May — signals how seriously the federation is treating the build-up. If the ESPN report holds, James joining early would be a statement of intent from both sides.

He still looks like a man who has unfinished business with a football. Colombia, it seems, are happy to let him settle it — we'll update this story when official confirmation lands.