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Uruguay

National Coach: Oscar Tabarez National Stadium: FA founded: 1900 ( FA Website ) Joined FIFA: 1923 FIFA Code: URU Nickname: La Celeste						Local Name: Uruguay Capital: Montevideo Population: 3,477,778 Area: 176,220 km2 Tel: +598 / Internet: .uy Currency: Peso (UYU) - Rates
Domestic Season: Apertura: August - December; Clausura: February - June
Local Time and Weather						Latest Uruguayan Football News

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Uruguayan Football League System

Level: 1 Primera Division view 16 Teams
Level: 2 Segunda Division Profesional view 3 Teams
Level: 3 Segunda B Amateur

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Primera Division

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Segunda Division Profesional

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Segunda B Amateur

NOTES: The structure of the Uruguayan Championship is extremely complicated, and split into three phases. Firstly, the 18 teams play each other once, with the final table being split into three groups. The top two from each group, plus the remaining four best overall go on to compete in the 10 team Apertura and Clausura championships. This ensures that at least two clubs from the interior qualify for this phase. The Apertura and Clausura winners play-off for the championship, to qualify for the Copa Libertadores, along with the winners of the first phase. The play-off losers then join the three next best placed teams from the overall table in a mini-league or “liguilla” to determine the final Libertadores place.

The eight worst teams from the first phase play in the “Torneo Permanencia” to retain top division status. This is divided into a Montevideo (2 relegated) and an Interior (1 relegated) group, to ensure that 5 clubs from the provinces remain at the top level. Division Two is similarly complicated but results in two Montevideo clubs and one provincial club being promoted, although the best placed provincial club will have to play-off against its relegated counterpart if it finishes lower than 5th. There is no automatic relegation to the third level, which is a small amateur league in Montevideo.

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Roll of Honour

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World Cup 2010 Third Place Match (Saturday 10th July 2010, K.O. 19:30 BST)
Venue: Port Elizabeth Stadium
Conditions: Cloudy and wet. Temp: 14c, Wind 9.0m/s

Germany: 3 (Mueller 19, Jansen 56, Khedira 82)
Uruguay: 2 (Cavani 28, Forlan 51)

TEAMS
Germany: Butt, Friedrich, Aogo, Mertesacker, Boateng, Khedira, Jansen (Kroos 81), Oezil (Tasci), Schweinsteiger (C), Mueller, Cacau (Kiessling 73).
Uruguay: Muslera, Lugano (C), Godin, Fucile, Caceres, M. Pereira, Perez (Gargano 77), Arevalo Rios, Cavani (Abreu 88), Forlan, Suarez.

Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico)

Germany claimed the bronze medals at World Cup 2010 by edging out Uruguay in a thrilling third place play-off game in Port Elizabeth. It was a match characterised by end to end attacking football with plentiful chances for both teams and the lead changed hands three times as the momentum swung one way and then the other. There was also drama in the race for the Golden Boot.

The German camp had reportedly been hit by flu since their semi final defeat, with coach Joachim Loew one of the victims. He seemed to have made a full recovery in time for the game and looked sprightly on the touchline. Injuries forced captain Philipp Lahm, Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose out of his starting line up, with Dennis Aogo, Marcell Jansen and Cacau taking their places. Bastian Schweinsteiger was handed the armband for the evening. Klose’s injury denied him the chance of chasing the Golden Boot and a 15th World Cup goal in total that would have put him level with Ronaldo as joint all time World Cup topscorer. Thomas Mueller returned from his suspension and was also in with a shout of the golden boot, having replaced Piotr Trochowski on the right side of midfield, whilst Hans-Jorg Butt was handed a start in goal in place of Manuel Neuer.

For Uruguay, Luis Suarez and Jorge Fucile returned from their suspensions and captain Diego Lugano was back from injury. Diego Forlan overcame the slight muscle strain that forced him off at the end of the semi final but Nicolas Lodeiro was still ruled out by injury. Suarez and Forlan were both hopeful of scoring the goals that could see either of them crowned top scorer in South Africa.

Hamburger SV’s Dennins Aogo, winning only his third cap for Germany following his decision to pledge his allegiance to them rather than Nigeria, was extremely lucky not to have been sent off in the first few minutes for a horror tackle on Diego Perez. He went in hard and high, striking the Uruguayan’s shin with the bottom of his boot but the Mexican referee only produced a yellow card and fortunately Perez escaped unharmed.

The first good chance came in the tenth minute when Arne Friedrich met a Mesut Oezil corner at the far post to head against the crossbar with Muslera beaten. Germany had the better of the early exchanges and took the lead in the 19th minute when Schweinsteiger hit a venomous long range shot which was too hot for Muslera to handle and Thomas Mueller followed up to tuck home the rebound and claim his fifth goal of the tournament, which put him level with Villa and Sneijder at the head of the race for the Golden Boot.

Having been at the origin of the opening goal, Schweinsteiger was at fault for the equaliser in the 28th minute when he lost the ball to Perez in the centre of the park and Perez found Suarez in acres of space in the Germany half with Cavani making a good run to his left. Suarez’ perfectly weighted through ball bypassed Mertesacke and left Cavani with the simple job of slipping the ball past Butt and into the far corner to make it 1-1.

Uruguay ended the half on top and in the 42nd minute Luis Suarez should have had his fourth goal of the tournament as he was played clean through down the inside right channel but screwed his shot just wide of the far post. The entertaining first half ended on a high note with Muslera spilling a corner at one end but Uruguay reacting quickest to break with a man over at the other end and win a corner of their own from which Diego Forlan almost scored directly.

The second half was even more open and entertaining than the first as both teams went hell for leather in the last 45 minutes of their World Cup campaigns to try and secure third place. Forlan scored the goal of the game five minutes into the half after great work by Arevalo Rios down the right flank. He crossed the ball along the edge of the German box and the Atletico Madrid striker drove a superbly executed volley down into the ground and back up into the net shaving the right hand post with Butt helpless. The goal moved Forlan level with Mueller, Villa and Sneijder on five apiece.

Germany weren’t behind for long, equalising five minutes later through Jansen, who headed in a superb Boateng cross when Muslera came off his line and missed it. It was a difficult evening for Muslera, who struggled with high balls throughout the match and created uncertainty in his defence. They next twenty minutes were open and frantic and littered with goalscoring opportunities at each end. It was Germany who eventually broke the deadlock thanks to a set piece. Mesut Oezil’s 82nd minute corner was allowed to drop in the Uruguayan six yard box and, when Lugano failed to clear, it bounced up kindly for Khedira to loop a header into the top corner.

There was still time for a dramatic finish when Friedrich fouled Suarez deep into injury time for a central free kick just outside the box. Diego Forlan lined it up and, with what proved to be the very last kick of the match, struck a powerful shot over the German wall, past Butt’s outstretched hand and onto the crossbar just a fraction too high to take the game into extra time and to give him an outright lead in the top scorers chart.

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World Cup 2010 Semi Final (Tuesday 6th July 2010, K.O. 19:30 BST)
Venue: Green Point Stadium
Conditions: Clear and dry. Temp: 11c, Wind 5.0m/s

Holland: 3 (Van Bronckhorst 18, Sneijder 70, Robben 73)
Uruguay: 2 (Forlan 41, M Pereira 90+2)

TEAMS
Holland: Stekelenburg, Boulahrouz, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst (C), Van Bommel, Kuyt, De Zeeuw (Van Der Vaart 46), Van Persie, Sneijder, Robben (Elia 89).
Uruguay:Muslera, Godin, Gargano, Victorino, Caceres, A Pereira (Abreu 78), M Pereira, Perez, Arevalo Rios, Cavani, Forlan (C) (S Fernandez 84).

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

Holland edged out Uruguay in an exciting semi final at the Green Point stadium in Cape Town to qualify for their third World Cup final and they will hope to make it third time lucky after losing out in 1974 and 1978. Two goals in three second half minutes did the damage and they survived a late scare to hold on for a 3-2 win although Uruguay will claim that the crucial second goal should have been disallowed.

Holland were compelled to make two changes to their starting line up, with coach Bert Van Marwijk selecting Stuttgart defender Khalid Boulahrouz and Ajax’s Demy De Zeeuw in place of the suspended Gregory Van Der Wiel and Nigel De Jong. Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez was of course forced to make do without the services of striker Luis Suarez, following his controversial handball against Ghana in the quarter finals, and also defender Jorge Fucile, who had picked up two yellow cards. Ajax striker Suarez was a particularly big loss seeing as he had scored three of Uruguay’s goals thus far in the tournament and was also top scorer in the Dutch  league last season.

There was an early chance for the Oranje – playing all in orange -  after just three  minutes when Muslera’s punch out from a Robben cross only reached the edge of the box where it was picked up by Dirk Kuyt, who fired just over the bar. There followed a fairly open fifteen minutes of play where both teams gently probed and tested each other’s defences and created a couple of half chances at either end. Just as it looked as though the pattern of the game had been set, Dutch left back and captain Giovanni Van Bronckhorst unleashed a real pile driver of a shot from all of thirty five yards and it fairly flew past Muslera into the top right corner of the net to make it 1-0 to Holland.

The Dutch enjoyed a good spell of possession after the goal, playing keep-ball as they sat on their lead, but Uruguay gradually worked their way back into the match as they recovered from Van Bronckhorst’s thunderbolt, and they got back on level terms thanks to an equally spectacular strike from their own captain in the 41st minute. Diego Forlan notched up his fourth goal of the tournament with a left-footed shot from a central position thirty yards out. His curling effort just evaded Stekelenberg to dip under the bar in the centre of the goal, but the Holland ‘keeper will be disappointed he didn’t do better. Two wonder strikes in a half of few real chances meant the teams returned to the dressing rooms for the interval with the game nicely poised at one apiece.

The second half started in much the same manner as the first had been played, minus the long-range goals. Both teams building up their attacks from deep but never really creating any clear cut chances. Uruguay perhaps had a slight territorial advantage during the first quarter of an hour of the half but there wasn’t much in it. The game came alive again in the 67th minute when Forlan took a direct free kick after yet another foul by Mark Van Bommel. His dipping shot was fisted away by Stekelenberg diving low towards his right  hand post. Almost immediately Holland responded through half time substitute Rafael Van Der Vaart. His shot across goal necessitated a smart save from Muslera and Robben was unable to hit the target with the rebound.

A couple of minutes later Holland did regain the lead, albeit in contentious circumstances as Wesley Sneijder’s shot from the corner of the box deflected off a Uruguay defender and in off the far post. However, the ball’s trajectory took it within millimetres of Robin Van Persie, who appeared to be standing in an offside position and seemingly made an attempt to divert the shot into the opposite corner, narrowly missing the ball with a flick of his right foot. It was marginal, but television replays suggested the Dutch striker was just offside and it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t interfering with play. The Uruguayan defenders were certainly outraged that the goal was allowed to stand.

That second goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of Uruguay and they conceded another just three minutes later when the magnificent Arjen Robben headed a Dirk Kuyt cross into the corner of the goal. The Dutch had numerous chances to add to their lead as they repeatedly outnumbered the game-chasing Uruguayans on the break, but couldn’t convert any of them. The South Americans looked beaten when Forlan trudged off with six minutes to go but they did manage to rally at the end and set up a grandstand finish when Maxi Pereira curled a shot through a crowded penalty area and past the unsighted Stekelenberg deep into injury time. The Dutch box was under siege for the next couple of minutes but the ball never quite fell kindly enough for Uruguay and Holland snuck into the final.

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World Cup 2010 Quarter Final (Friday 2nd July 2010, K.O. 19:30 BST)
Venue: Soccer City Stadium
Conditions: Dry and cloudy. Temp: 13c, Wind 2.6m/s

Uruguay: 1 (Forlan 55)
Ghana: 1 (Muntari 45+2)

TEAMS
Uruguay: Muslera, Lugano (C) (Scotti 38), Fucile, Victorino, Perez, M Perreira, Arevalo Rios, A Fernandez (Lodeiro 46), Cavani (Abreu 76), Suarez, Forlan.
Ghana: Kingson, Sarpei, Pantsil, Mensah (C), Annan, Inkoom (Appiah 74), Muntari (Adiyiah 88), Vorsah, K Asamoah, Prince, A Gyan.

Referee: Olegario Benquerenca (Portugal)

Uruguay broke Ghana’s hearts and ended African interest in the competition by coming from behind to draw level and eventually win the game on penalties after a tense period of extra time which climaxed in a missed penalty by Ghana’s top scorer Asamoah Gyan with the very last kick. Earlier, Sulley Muntari had opened the scoring on the stroke of half time with a long range strike and Diego Forlan had responded with a swerving free kick.

The first period of this match was a half of two halves, with Uruguay starting the more assuredly and dominating the opening twenty minutes. They won a series of free-kicks and corners which they pumped into the Ghana box but couldn’t find a breakthrough. Oscar Tabarez’ men poured forward in numbers and enjoyed most of the possession but just lacked the crucial moment of inspiration necessary to open up the Ghanaian defence.

Ghana must have been struck with stage fright early on due to the pressure of the weight of a continent’s expectations on their shoulders. Suddenly they seemed to awaken midway through the first half and, spurred on by the vuvuzelas, they worked their way into the game and began to push forwards purposefully. Uruguay suffered a blow when their captain, centre-back Diego Lugano, was forced off with an injury after 38 minutes to be replaced by Scotti and the change created uncertainty in the heart of the Uruguayan defence.

The Ghanaians took advantage of the situation to test out Muslera in the Uruguay goal with shots from Muntari, Gyan and a spectacular bicycle kick from Kevin Prince Boateng, who was at the centre of most of Ghana’s best moves. Two minutes of injury time were signalled at the end of the half and they were almost up when Sulley Muntari picked up the ball in the centre of the park. There didn’t seem to be any immediate danger but nobody closed him down and a short run forwards took him within shooting range. Sulley Muntari doesn’t need much of an invitation to unleash one of his trademark pile drivers towards goal and he did so here, striking a spectacular curling shot past the unsighted Muslerafrom all of 25 yards to send Ghana into the lead at the interval.

Tabarez responded immediately, replacing the ineffective Alvaro Fernandez with Nicolas Lodeiro of Ajax. The break allowed Uruguay to regroup andrecover from the shell shock of the goal in the safety of the dressing room. They were an improved team at the start of the second half and immediately went in search of an equaliser, which wasn’t long in coming. Uruguay won a free kick down their left flank near the corner of the Ghanaian box in the 55th minute and Diego Forlan struck it superbly over Kingson and into the net for his third goal of the tournament.

The match continued to be a very open affair, withregular chances at both ends of the field, albeit mainly from long range. Uruguay were perhaps enjoying slightly the better of it as the game wore on so Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac introduced the experience of Stephen Appiah to his midfield in the 74th minute in a bid to improve his side’s ball retention and help break up the increasingly frequent Uruguayan attacks. Tabarez responded  moments later with an attacking change, bringing on striker Abreu for Cavani to try and win the game within normal time as the clock ticked down andpeople’s thoughts began to turn towards the possibility of an extra 30 minutes. Ghana had endured extra time in their second round win against the USA and there were some tired legs out there come the final whistle against Uruguay. The game had become very stretched in the final few minutes, with few bodies left in midfield as it became a succession of mini skirmishes at either end, so it was a welcome break for bothteams to catch their breath and refindtheir shape when the second half came to an end with the game still deadlocked at 1-1.

There were plenty of chances for both teams in extra time, withUruguay again starting strongest but gradually losing their way as Ghana produced a late surge to very nearly win it at the death. Time had all but run out when Ghana won a contentious free kick down the right and played a high ball into the Uruguay box. Muslera came and missed it but Suarez cleared a goal-bound shot off the line and remained in place to block the rebound with his hand, for which he received a straight red card and Asamoah Gyan had the chance to win the game from the penalty spot with the final kick of the match. However, having previously scored twice from the spot this tournament, he crashed his spot kick against the bar and the game went to a penalty shoot out. Suarez’s decision to handle on the line proved inspired, effectively giving his team a second life in the game.

Forlan took the first penalty and calmly scored. Gyan bravely stepped up to take the first kick for Ghana and buried it in the top corner. Victorino, Appiah and Scotti all scored to make it 3-2 to Uruguay before Mensah was the first to miss, stroking a tame penalty straight to Muslera. However, Maxi Pereira also missed for Uruguay, blasting the ball well over, but Adiyiah couldn’t take advantage as his kick was also saved by Muslera, leaving it to Sebastian Abreu to coolly secure the win with a chip down the middle as Kingson dived to his right.