Author Archive

When Diego Aguirre left his post as the U20 coach, many of those who follow the U20 team (and the senior team) were concerned about the void that would exist until a replacement was found, especially since everyone was focused on the upcoming World Cup. But the AUF made a relatively quick decision. They awarded the U20 coaching job to Juan Verzeri, who had finished a strong campaign with Racing Club de Montevideo which I thought was a good decision. Read the rest of this entry »

During the 2010 World Cup, the world has learned that we are a tiny nation of only 3.5 million people with an incredible soccer history, two World Championships (before FIFA inaugurated the World Cup) and two World Cups. And we have the four stars on our emblem to prove it. Read the rest of this entry »

SOUTH AFRICA:

Recent game: In the game against Mexico, South Africa had 3 dangerous plays and two came on counter-attacks. Their lone goal resulted when the Mexican defender hesitated in covering the sprinting winger Tshabalala, but the play initiated because the Mexican CDM was not effective in stopping the inside play. Read the rest of this entry »

FRANCE

Recent friendlies: After playing World Cup contenders Spain in early March 2010, you have to wonder why France would choose to play 3 teams with such low FIFA rankings just prior to the Worl Cup. Even so, in the 3 recent friendlies, France culminated a record of 1 W, 1 D, 1L with 3 GF, 3 GA. Read the rest of this entry »

In this second instalment, let’s look at the midfield. I can still remember that during the qualifiers, the midfield could not string together more than 3 passes. Sure, their play improved during the last rounds of qualification and in the play-off games. But, a real concern is that some of the players have experienced a drop in performance at their clubs while some are not getting playing time. The formation will determine the type and number of midfielders required, but I have simplified for the sake of discussion. Some midfielders are multi-dimensional and would be effective playing in more than 1 midfield position; others are not. Read the rest of this entry »

There were no surprises in the call-ups for the game against the Swiss. It would now appear that Uruguay will face Israel for a friendly on May 16, providing Tabarez a final opportunity to audition “new” players. Tabarez will need to submit a list of players around May 6 (10 days prior) for the Israel friendly. You may say, “May 16 is still 35 days away.” But it is probably the right time to make a case for those on the outside, those who have not yet been called to this version of La Celeste. Read the rest of this entry »