Uruguay: Apertura Resumes After Security Closure

The Uruguayan Apertura championship will fully resume this Saturday following a two week break due to fan violence in the fixture between Danubio and Nacional on the 16th November.

On that day, Nacional fans broke their way through the fencing surrounding the pitch at the final whistle and preceded to battle with Danubio supporters in a mass brawl that included the use of metal bars and other such objects as weapons.

The league was suspended on the 17th November, with the Uruguayan football association and the government Ministry of the Interior involved in talks ever since to draw up a plan to limit the violence seen in stadiums across the country.

A resolution was reached on Tuesday that will see extra security measures such as closed-circuit television, metal detectors and breathalyser tests to identify drunken fans brought into use.

However, the plans are only seen as a temporary solution by many club presidents, who are worried about the financial implications of implementing the measures on a full-time basis.

"The measures that have been agreed upon are only so that the football can continue this year," Danubio president Arturo del Campo stated on Friday.

"We had twenty days to save the Apertura, so we agreed to the plans. But, for the future, everything is subject to the approval of all the clubs," he affirmed.

"There is no doubt this solution is a temporary one," Defensor Sporting president Fernando Sobral agreed.

The Apertura restarts with Nacional one point clear of Danubio at the top of the table with four rounds left to play.

Uruguay: Forlan Returns For France Friendly

Uruguay striker Diego Forlan will return to the international stage after he was named in coach Oscar Tabarez's twenty man squad for the nation's friendly with France on the 19th November.

Forlan, 29, missed last month's World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Bolivia through injury, and Tabarez will be glad to get his star striker back in action for Uruguay's final fixture of 2008.

Villarreal reserve goalkeeper Sebastian Viera returns to the squad to cover for the absence of usual first-choice Juan Castillo, and could start due to the recent poor form of Fabian Carini, who is the only other keeper named by Tabarez.

Catania forward Jorge Martinez will be looking to add to his solitary cap at senior level after some strong performances in recent weeks for his club side, while CFR Cluj midfielder Alvaro Pereira is rewarded for his own good form with a place in the squad.

Promising Milan midfielder Matias Cardaccio also finds his way into Tabarez's selection despite having not yet appeared in Milan's first team following his summer move from Nacional.

Full squad:

Goalkeepers
Sebastian Viera, Fabian Carini.

Defenders
Martin Caceres, Diego Lugano, Carlos Valdez, Bruno Silva, Maximiliano Pereira, Walter Gargano, Diego Godin.

Midfielders
Matias Cardaccio, Malaka Martinez, Alvaro Pereira, Sebastian Eguren, Diego Perez.

Strikers
Diego Forlan, Sebastian Abreu, Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Vicente Sanchez, Cristian Rodriguez.

Defensor Sporting Claim Uruguay Apertura

Defensor Sporting sealed the Uruguayan Apertura 2007 with a 2-1 victory over Central Espanyol at the weekend; their first title since 1991.

Defensor are not a rich club, but are able to obtain success on occasion due to their excellent youth system, which has seen players such as Sebastian Abreu, Dario Silva, Nicolas Olivera and Gonzalo Vargas pass through their doors in the last ten years or so.

The standout youngster in the Championship winning squad was Sebastian Fernandez, who alongside experienced campaigners such as Pablo Gaglianone, Martin Parodi and Carlos Morales was able to take Defensor to a 10:2:2 record with one round of games to play.

Luis Insaurralde, head of sports development at Defensor, drew parallels between Defensor's success and that of Lanus in the Argentine Apertura:

"Defensor is a development model in Uruguay, to the Lanús style"

Coach Jorge da Silva must now concentrate on building on this success as they attempt to defend their title in the Clausura and gain a qualifying place for the 2009 Copa Libertadores.

Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay Win In 2010 World Cup Qualifiers

Brazil were lucky to overcome an impressive Uruguay performance to win 2-1 in the Morumbi stadium.

Uruguay had the better of the first-half chances, taking the lead through Sebastian Abreu after eight minutes and continuing to push on for the rest of the half. Cristian Rodriguez twice saw decent efforts just miss the target, amongst a flurry of opportunities for the away side.

Despite being on the back-foot for the majority of the first half, Brazil sneaked an equaliser just before half time with former Sao Paulo favourite Luis Fabiano firing home from Maicon's thorugh ball.

The equalising goal was not enough to appease the Morumbi crowd, who made their feelings clear as the half-time whistle blew and then went on to boo Ronaldinho and Robinho when the two players were substituted in the second half.

Brazil did improve after the break and despite Uruguay having some more decent attacks, it was Fabiano who proved to be the difference between the sides, adding his second after sixty-four minutes to seal a somewhat fortuitous victory for Brazil.

In the first game of the day, Ecuador brushed aside Peru, recording their first win of the qualifying campaign with a 5-1 victory under the stewardship of their temporary manager Sixto Vizuete.

Double strikes from Walter Avoyi and Edison Mendez, along with a single strike from Ivan Kaviedes gave Ecuador a commanding 5-0 lead, with a late Andres Mendoza goal the only consolation for a Peru side who had held Brazil in their previous game.

Paraguay continued their excellent start to the qualifying campaign, defeating Chile 3-0 in a high tempo match in Santiago. Salvador Cabanas gave Paraguay the lead after twenty-six minutes, with Paulo da Silva adding a second in first half stoppage time. Da Silva got his second of the night, ten minutes into the second half and Paraguay comfortably held out for a well deserved victory.

The result means that Paraguay now lead the group on ten points from four games, with Argentina one point behind on nine, and Brazil and Colombia a further point behind on eight. Bolivia prop up the group with only one point and are one of two teams yet to record a victory, alongside Peru.

There is now a large break before the next round of qualifiers, which will take place in June 2008.

Draws the Order of the Day in 2010 Qualifiers

Peru held Brazil to a famous 1-1 draw in Lima, whilst a double strike from veteran striker Marcelo Salas earned Chile a 2-2 draw away to Uruguay.

In a surprisingly open first half, Brazil just about edged out a spirited Peru, with Kaka giving them the lead five minutes before half time after Vagner Love had spurned an earlier chance.

The second half looked like it would follow a similar pattern, with Ronaldinho and Luis Fabiano both forcing good saves from Peru keeper Penny. However, as the half continued Peru started to put Brazil under more pressure in the defensive third. They got their reward after seventy minutes when Juan Vargas' effort was deflected past Julio Cesar by Brazil defender Lucio.

Brazil rallied and could have won the game in injury time, but Juan's header crashed off the crossbar and behind for a goal kick. The game ended at 1-1, leaving Peru to celebrate a famous draw, whilst Brazil will now reflect on the ever growing gap between them and Argentina at the top of the table.

In the final game of this round of qualifiers, Uruguay took a late first-half lead against Chile in Montevideo through Luis Suarez. Only an exceptional performance by Claudio Bravo in the Chilean goal kept the score down to one in a first half that Uruguay dominated.

Chile started the second half in much better form, inspired by the skillful Carlos Villanueva and equalised after fifty-eight minutes; Marcelo Salas heading in from close range.

Salas added his second from the penalty spot ten minutes later to put Chile in front, but they could not hold on for the victory, with Washington Abreu equalising for Uruguay with nine minutes left on the clock.

Brazil Win South American U-15 Championship

A victory for Brazil, coupled with a loss for Uruguay, gave the host nation their second successive South American U-15 Championship on Sunday.

Going into their game against Chile, the Brazilians knew that a large victory would be required in order to put pressure on Uruguay in their later game against Argentina. And that was exactly what they got. Goals from Felipe, Belchior and Matheus Carvalho allowed them to record a 3-0 victory, leaving Uruguay requiring at least a draw to take the title in the final game.

Perversely, it was Brazil's great rival, Argentina, who clinched the championship for them by beating Uruguay 2-1. Matias Sosa gave Argentina the lead in the opening five minutes, only for Uruguay to equalise through the impressive Nicolas Mezquida quarter of an hour later.

Uruguay seemed content to hold out for the draw, with their tentative play allowing Argentina to take control of the game early in the second half. Mauricio Alfredo Aubone gave Argentina the lead for a second occasion after fifty-seven minutes and despite their best efforts, Uruguay were unable to find a way back into the game. Their frustrations boiled over at the end of game, with Alex Da Silva red-carded for foul play.

The results meant that Brazil won the championship on goal difference, with Matheus Carvalho's eighty-eighth minute strike providing the one goal cushion by which they were victorious.

Nicolas Mezquida of Uruguay and Peñarol won the golden boot, scoring five goals in seven games, leaving him two clear of a gaggle of players tied on three goals.

Uruguay in Pole Position to Take South American U-15 Championship

Uruguay are just a game away from clinching the South American U-15 Championship after recording their second victory of the final round-robin stage of the tournament, against Brazil.

Sebastian Gallegos gave Uruguay the lead after twenty-two minutes, only for Wellington to level the scores with a well-taken goal twelve minutes later. Uruguay got the just reward for their impressive first half display when Diego Polenta put them back in front, one minute before the break. Brazil performed better in the second half, but just couldn't find the back of the net, allowing Uruguay to hold on for the victory.

Chile kept their hopes alive by defeating Argentina 2-0 in the other game of the day. Goals from Cesar Valenzuela and Alex Gonzalez gave them a comfortable lead over the side that they had drawn with earlier in the competition. Their second successive defeat leaves Argentina with no chance of winning the tournament.

Going into the final games, Uruguay hold a three-point advantage over Brazil and Chile, who meet in the last round of matches. A draw against Argentina will be enough to guarantee Uruguay the title, although they could still win even if they lose the final match, depending on the result in the other game.

Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay all Through to Beach Soccer World Cup Semis

It was a successful day all round for the remaining Latin American nations left in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup yesterday, as all three triumphed to book their places in the semi-finals.

Mexico continued to confound critical opinion by defeating Spain 5-4 in the opening quarter final. A Ricardo Villalobos penalty turned out to be the winning goal after the two nations swapped the lead at will for the majority of the game. Villalobos also scored Mexico's first of the game, with further strikes from Oscar Gonzales, Morgan Plata and Moises Salazar levelling the game at 4-4 prior to Villalobos' penalty winner three minutes from time.

Mexico will take on Uruguay in the semi-finals, after last year's losing finalists made easy work of Nigeria. Goals from Matias, Ricar and Parrillo gave Uruguay a comfortable lead and although Nigeria rallied late on they could only score one, leaving the final score at 3-1 to Uruguay.

In by far the most open game of the quarter finals, Brazil defeated Portugal 10-7 to secure their semi-final berth. A hat-trick for Buru, combined with double strikes from Sidney, Andre and Daniel, and a single goal from Bruno were sufficient for Brazil to overcome their colonial ancestors on the Copacabana beach.

The semi-finals take place tomorrow at the following local times:

09:30am Mexico vs Uruguay
11:00am Brazil vs France

South American U-15 Championship Final Stage Round 1 Results

The final stage of the South American U-15 Championship got underway yesterday with the first of three rounds of games that will decide the winner of the competition.

Brazil got off to a good start, defeating Argentina 3-1 thanks to goals from Felipe, Gerson and Fernando. Argentina's solitary goal came late on through Eduardo Rotondi.

In the other game, Uruguay pulled off a surprise, defeating Chile 3-0. The Chileans were impressive during the first group stage, but were no match for a rampant Uruguay side for whom a double strike from Nicolas Mezquida and a single goal from Sebastian Gallegos were sufficient to take the victory.

Tomorrow's fixtures see Brazil face Uruguay, with Chile squaring up against Argentina.

Uruguay Through, Argentina out, in Beach Soccer World Cup

Uruguay booked their place in the quarter finals of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup by defeating Japan, whereas Argentina went out after losing on penalties to France.

Despite taking the lead after seven seconds of their tie against Japan, thanks to Parrillo, Uruguay went 2-1 down in the second period and left it to the dying minutes to come through for victory. Goals from Ricar and Pampero, two and four minutes from time respectively gave them a 3-2 victory and a place in the last eight.

Argentina put up a gallant effort to join their fellow Latin American's in the quarter finals, coming back from a two goal deficit to draw 2-2 with France, with goals from Ezequiel Hilaire and Facundo Minici. Unfortunately, they were unable to hold their nerve in the penalty shootout, losing 2-1 and therefore dropping out out of the competition at the first stage.

The full quarter final fixtures are as follows; local kickoff times given; all games to be played tomorrow:

09:30 Spain vs Mexico
11:00 Brazil vs Portugal
12:30 Senegal vs France
14:00 Nigeria vs Uruguay

Argentina win, Uruguay lose in Beach Soccer World Cup

A win for Argentina and a loss for Uruguay leaves both teams in need of points from their final group games to progress to the quarter final stage of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

Argentina were comfortable winners over the United Arab Emirates, winning 4-2 thanks to goals from Facundo Minici, Gustavo Casado and a double strike from Federico Hilaire. They now face France in a winner takes all game on Wednesday.

Uruguay twice came back from going behind early on with goals from Parrillo and Ricar, but could not hold off an onslaught from Senegal in the second and third periods, conceding three more goals to lose 5-2. They go into their final group game against Japan needing a win, alongside Italy failing to beat Senegal, in order to progress.

Today's games see Brazil face Russia at 11:00am local time, with Mexico against the Soloman Islands at 14:00.

Uruguay win, Argentina lose in Beach Soccer World Cup

There were contrasting fortunes for the two Latin American sides who played in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup yesterday.

Uruguay came from two goals down to defeat Italy 3-2 after extra time. Two goals from Ricar brought the game level at 2-2, before a strike from Matias in the extra period guaranteed victory for last year's runners up.

Argentina didn't fare so well, going down 5-3 to Nigeria in their opening game. Gustavo Casado equalised an early opener from the Africans, who then raced into a 5-1 lead with four goals in thirteen minutes. Santiago Hilaire and Federico Andrade pulled back further goals for the Argentines, but it wasn't enough, as Nigeria held on for the win.

Brazil face Mexico today in an 11:00am (13:00 in the UK) kickoff.

Mexico and Brazil Both Win on First Day of Beach Soccer World Cup

Mexico and Brazil both got off to winning starts in the 2007 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup earlier today.

Mexico beat Russia on penalties after a 2-2 draw at the end of extra time. Ricardo Villalobos and Oscar Gonzales had given the Mexicans a 2-0 lead before their opponents came back into the game with two goals in three minutes. After a goalless extra time period, Mexico held their nerve for the penalty shootout, winning 2-1.

Brazil had a much more comfortable result in their first game of the tournament, defeating the Solomon Islands 11-2. They ran the play from the opening kickoff and never looked back after Buru gave them the lead one and a half minutes in. Double strikes from Junior Negao, Daniel, Bruno and Sidney, along with a second from Buru and a single goal for Duda gave the home crowd much to cheer as Brazil romped home to victory.

The two Latin American sides now meet each other in the second game of the group on Sunday, with a win for either side likely to book a place in the Quarter Finals.

Argentina and Uruguay both get their campaigns off and running tomorrow. Argentina play Nigeria in a 9:30am kickoff, with Uruguay facing Italy at 11:00am.

Argentina Top of Latest FIFA World Rankings

FIFA have announced the updated World Rankings for October, with Argentina and Brazil both moving ahead of Italy into the first and second positions.

Mexico go down two places to fifteenth, with Uruguay and Chile both climbing two places to seventeenth and forty-fifth respectively. Colombia are down to twenty-fifth from twenty-third.

The full list can be found on the FIFA website, here.

Kaka Silences Boo Boys, Chile and Paraguay Win

Brazil put in another lacklustre performance for seventy minutes against Ecuador before coming to life in the last twenty, adding four goals to record a 5-0 victory.

Vagner Love gave Brazil the lead after eighteen minutes, tapping in after Maicon had burst into the box and layed the chance on a plate for the CSKA Moscow striker. Brazil struggled to break through the Ecuador defence for the rest of the first half and the majority of the second, looking slack in possession and lacking any sort of cutting edge up front.

The Maracana crowd were becoming increasingly frustrated, especially with the performance of Kaka, starting to boo the AC Milan player every time he received the ball. Kaka provided the perfect response by firing a long range effort which was deflected into the net by Ronaldinho. Minutes later Kaka got on the score-sheet himself, sending a curling effort into the top right hand corner past the despairing dive of Daniel Viteri in the Ecuador goal.

With the Ecuador defence starting to open up on every attack, Brazil added another two goals in the remaining ten minutes. Robinho showed some silky skills to beat Ulises De La Cruz on the byline and his cross deflected to the substitute Elano, who half-volleyed home from inside the area. Kaka then added his second with a weak shot from the edge of the area which Viteri somehow let slip through his grasp.

The final scoreline did flatter Brazil, who for large periods of the game looked a shell of their normal selves. However, no-one will complain at a 5-0 victory and they will be satisfied with four points from their opening two qualifiers.

Chile got their campaign back on track, defeating Peru 2-0 in Santiago. Goals from Humberto Suazo in the first half and Matias Fernandez in the second allowed Chile to cruise to a comfortable victory.

Paraguay beat Uruguay 1-0 thanks to a strike on fifteen minutes by Nelson Valdez, and Bolivia and Colombia drew 0-0 in the last game of the round.

The next two rounds of qualifying games will take place on the 17th and 20th of November.

Second round of 2010 qualifiers in South America, Argentina and Brazil live on Sky Sports

The next set of games in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers will be played over the next two days, with a couple of games being shown live by Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.

The fixtures are as follows:


16/10
Venezuela vs Argentina (live on Sky Sports 1 from 1:30am tonight/Wednesday morning)

17/10
Bolivia vs Colombia
Paraguay vs Uruguay
Chile vs Peru
Brazil vs Ecuador (live on Sky Sports 1 from 12:50am Wednesday night/Thursday morning)

FIFA.com will also provide live updates on the scores for the Brazil and Argentina games for those who are unable to get television coverage for their games.

High-five for Uruguay, Riquelme double for Argentina and more, as 2010 Qualifying kicks off

Despite having not played competitively since the summer's Copa America, Juan Riquelme was in fine form for Argentina, scoring two spectacular first half free kicks in their 2-0 win over Chile. The Argentine's were always in control of the match, but failed to add a third goal in the second half, despite the dismissal of Cristian Alvarez after 55 minutes for the Chileans.

Uruguay got their campaign off to a flier with a 5-0 thrashing of Bolivia in Montevideo. Amazingly, they had five different goalscorers, with first half strikes from Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan added to in the second half by goals from Sebastien Abreu, Vicente Sanchez and Carlos Bueno.

Venezuela provided the first surprise result of the group by winning 1-0 away from home against Ecuador. A well struck free kick from defender Juan Manual Rey in the 67th minute was enough to defeat a lacklustre Ecuador side, for whom Cristian Benitez should have done better with two first half efforts.

In the final game played yesterday, Peru and Paraguay played out a bore draw as they drew 0-0 in Lima.

Tonight, Colombia play Brazil in the final game of this round, with the Colombians looking to make amends for their disappointing Copa America campaign and Brazil hoping to continue their success from that competition into the qualifying tournament.

South Africa 2010 Qualifiers kick off in South America

The qualifying tournament for the 2010 World Cup starts today for the ten South American teams hoping to make their way to South Africa.

Each of the ten teams plays each other twice during the competition, with the top four teams automatically qualifying. The fifth placed team will face a two leg playoff against the fourth placed team in the North American region for a place in the finals.

The tie between Argentina and Chile is the highlight of the opening set of games, with former Argentine national manager Marcelo Bielsa taking his new charges into a competitive game for the first time since taking over this summer.

All of the teams will be looking to get their campaign's off to a good start, but with eighteen games to be played until the end of qualifying, their is still plenty of time to get back on track if the first game doesn't go as planned.

The full first round fixtures are as follows:

Uruguay vs Bolivia
Argentina vs Chile
Ecuador vs Venezuela
Peru vs Paraguay
Colombia vs Brazil (Sunday)

South America backing joint Argentina/Uruguay bid for World Cup 2030

It may seem a long time away, but discussions have already begun for the country that Conmebol will put forward as potential hosts for the 2030 World Cup.

Uruguayan soccer assocation president Jose Luis Corbo has told El Pais daily that Conmebol members met last Friday to discuss hosts for the tournament, with Corbo putting forward his proposal of a Argentina/Uruguay co-hosted finals. He is quoted as saying:

"Fortunately, we obtained everybody's support, of all the national soccer presidents affiliated to the South American Confederation."

The 2030 tournament will mark the 100th anniversary of the original World Cup, which was hosted, and won, by Uruguay in 1930.

Copa America Third Place Playoff

Mexico defeated Uruguay 3-1 last night to clinch third place in the Copa America.

Uruguay took the lead in the 22nd minute through Sebastian Abreu, but goals from Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Omar Bravo, and Andres Guardado sealed the win for the Mexicans.

All eyes now fall on the Estadio Jose Pachencho Romero stadium in Maracaibo, which hosts tonight's final between Brazil and Argentina.