Uruguay made the World Cup after a play-off win over Costa Rica, and were the last team to book their ticket.
They could have sealed their passage through as early as October 14 but in a ‘winner takes all’ group match, they lost 1-0 to Argentina and were condemned to a play-off. With Argentina struggling throughout qualifying, La Celeste (sky blues) were fancied on their home patch against Diego Maradona’s men but barely created a chance in an encounter high on work-rate and commitment, but low on quality.
Coach Oscar Tabarez can harbor realistic hopes of qualifying from one of the most evenly matched groups. At the back he relies upon the dogged and ever reliable captain Diego Lugano, who is set to partner Villarreal’s Diego Godin in the center.
In attack, Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan scored seven goals in qualifying, and alongside him he has the excellent Ajax attacker Luis Suarez who is highly coveted by clubs across Europe.
Quick Facts:
- Best World Cup Result: Winners (1930 and 1950)
- Best Copa America Result: Winners (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987 and 1995)
- Record Scorer: Hector Scarone (31 goals between 1917 and 1930)
- Most Capped Player: Rodolfo Rodríguez (79 caps between 1976 and 1986)
- Coach: Oscar Tabarez
- Captain: Diego Lugano
23-man Uruguay World Cup Squad:
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Lazio), Juan Castillo (Deportivo Cali), Martin Silva (Defensor Sporting)
Defenders: Diego Lugano (Fenerbahce), Diego Godin (Villarreal), Andres Scotti (Colo Colo), Jorge Fucile (Porto), Martin Caceres (Juventus), Mauricio Victorino (Universidad de Chile), Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica)
Midfielders: Walter Gargano (Napoli), Egidio Arevalo (Penarol), Sebastian Eguren (AIK Stockholm), Diego Perez (Monaco), Alvaro Pereira (Porto), Ignacio Gonzalez (Valencia), Nicolas Lodeiro (Ajax), Alvaro Fernandez (Universidad de Chile)
Forwards: Luis Suarez (Ajax), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Sebastian Abreu (Botafogo), Edinson Cavani (Palermo), Sebastian Fernandez (Banfield)
Group Matches:
Friday, June 11, 2010 v FranceWednesday, June 16, 2010 v South Africa
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 v Mexico
Prediction: First-Round
This is an intriguing group, with plenty of factors suggesting a level playing field. France are not at their peak, while South Africa may be the lowest ranked country ever to host a World Cup, but they will have the backing of their fanatical supporters. Who can forget how the exceptional South Korea fans helped carry their nation all the way to the semi-finals on home turf in 2002?Mexico and Uruguay look well matched on paper, so the key game could be their encounter on June 22. Mexico, under Javier Aguirre enjoyed a resurgence in qualifying and may have too much for a Uruguay side who lack creativity. The Mexicans to win that one and sneak through with France.
To find out more about the tournament, visit the World Cup section.
