Copa America Centenario Preview: Uruguay

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Images

Group C

Schedule:  Mexico (6/6 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ), Venezuela (6/10 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA), and Jamaica (6/13 Levi’s Stadium Santa Clara, CA)

Head Coach: Oscar Tabarez

Best previous finish in Copa America:  Champion  (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, and 2011) 

Players to keep an eye on: GK Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), DEF Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), MID Nicolas Lodeiro (Boca Juniors), FWD Luis Suarez (FC Barcelona), and FWD Edinson Cavani (Paris St. Germain)

Outlook: As Suarez goes, so goes Uruguay? That is the question that will be answered over the next three matches as the La Celeste are forced to play without their top striker. Although Tabarez will have Cavani to lean on during the lean period, Uruguay is a very different side without Suarez.

With Suarez out for the first three matches due to injuries Tabarez will need to develop a second option up top to work with Cavani. Between Abel Hernandez, Cristhian Suani, and Diego Rolan look for Rolan to get the lion’s share of minutes. Rolan came on late for Bordeaux at the end of the 2015-2016 season and scored seven goals across all competitions.

Tabarez may also opt to go with a more conservative approach going with a 4-5-1 with Cavani up top. No matter the formation look for Diego Godin and Jose Jimenez to play a prominent role in shaping Uruguay’s style of play.  Godin and Jimenez have shown in their time at Atletico Madrid that they can slow down play with simple passes from the back-half and deliver long-range crosses for counter-attack opportunities.

Of perhaps particular interest to our Cascadia audience would be midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro. Lodeiro, who currently plays for Argentine giants Boca Juniors, is considered to be a lock for Uruguay’s starting eleven assuming he is fully back from knee surgery. As a player Lodeiro is more of a field general than he is a goalscorer and will likely spend most of his time as a center midfielder setting up and designing plays.

Uruguay might not have Suarez for the first part of the tournament but they will certainly not be a cupcake squad. With talent along the spine this is a team that should advance past Group C. Their match against Mexico on June the 5th will determine whether or not they have a date with Argentina in the Quarterfinals.

Did you know?   Uruguay is the only country in Latin America which is entirely outside the tropics.

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