Los Charruas have a deep, balanced, tournament-tested squad that is now expected to make deep runs. They've reached five major semifinals in the last decade and are about to receive a big boost with star man Luis Suarez returning from a long ban. Uruguay, who lead all countries with 15 Copa America titles, are a real threat to win another one on CONCACAF turf.
3 Stars
- Luis Suarez (Barcelona/Spain) – The attacker is expected to be out with hamstring troubles until the knockout stage. Suarez has every skill one could hope for in the final third and can score in any manner you like. He also wins tons of dangerous restarts. All of this was readily on display when he earned the MVP trophy after Uruguay's Copa America title run five years ago.
- Edinson Cavani (PSG/France) – The lanky forward loves to score with his head, but can also hit while playing as a winger. Cavani's hold-up play is strong and he runs well on the counter. That being said, he has traditionally struggled to produce at the top international tournaments.
- Maxi Pereira (Porto/Portugal) – The No. 16 shirt is a very solid right back who most notably excels at driving the build. Pereira has worlds of experience; he's worked 80 European contests at the club level and should become his country's all-time leading cap man before the 2016 Copa America begins. However, like Suarez, he has some misconduct incidents that hurt his team.
Manager
Oscar Tabarez – Commonly known as "El Maestro" in Uruguay, Tabarez has overseen this most recent golden age for the national team. He's a fiery leader who loves for his charges to push the action. Since taking over in 2006, the team has raised a Copa America crown and came within a whisker of reaching the 2010 World Cup final. However, the team has disappointed in their last two major tourneys and this could be the last big run for Tabarez, who is expected to step down at the end of this summer.
Copa America Group C Schedule
June 5 vs. Mexico (8 pm ET, University of Phoenix Stadium – Glendale, Ari.)
June 9 vs. Venezuela (7:30 pm ET, Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, Pa.)
June 13 vs. Jamaica (10 pm ET, Levi's Stadium – Santa Clara, Ca.)
Full schedule
Copa America Squad
Goalkeepers (3): Martin Campana, Fernando Muslera, Martin Silva
Defenders (7): Sebastian Coates, Jorge Fucile, Jose Gimenez, Diego Godin, Alvaro Pereira, Maximiliano Pereira, Mauricio Victorino
Midfielders (8): Mathias Corujo, Alvaro Gonzalez, Nicolas Lodeiro, Gaston Ramirez, Egidio Arevalo Rios, Cristian Rodriguez, Carlos Sanchez, Matias Vecino
Forwards (5): Edinson Cavani, Abel Hernandez, Diego Rolan, Cristhian Stuani, Luis Suarez
Starting XI (4-4-2)
- GK: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray)
- RB: Maxi Pereira (Porto)
- CB: Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)
- CB: Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid)
- LB: Alvaro Pereira (Getafe)
- DM: Arevalo Rios (Atlas)
- DM: Matias Vecino (Fiorentina)
- RM: Carlos Sanchez (Monterrey)
- LM: Nicolas Lodeiro (Boca Juniors)
- FW: Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
- FW: Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain)
Style of play
Uruguay tend to run a sort of South American version of "Total Football" — they can certainly be chippy, but love to press, rely on skill play and utilize the wings in attack. The team has had some real offensive struggles over the last year, but seemed to right that ship in recent World Cup qualifiers.
How they qualified
Automatically qualified as one of 10 South American nations.
Copa America history
No one has won more crowns than Uruguay's 15, and they've never gone more than 16 years without a title. Their last triumph came just five years ago in Argentina and they have reached the semifinals in five of the last six Copa Americas.
Memorable moments
Historically, there is no shortage, especially for a country of only about 3.3 million people. They had fewer than two million when they won the first-ever World Cup at home in 1930. Uruguay then raised that trophy for the second time in Brazil 20 years later, and also has a pair of Olympic gold medals to its credit (from way back when FIFA recognized that winner as the world champ).
United States vs Uruguay
Matches |
US Wins |
US Losses |
Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
Overall |
2 |
1 |
2 |
MLS Connections
There have been 20 players from Uruguay that have played in MLS over its history, but only two of them are currently on league rosters. Young New England ace Diego Fagundez has already bagged 28 goals at the age of 20, while Vancouver attacker Cristian Techera enjoyed a solid debut campaign with seven tallies in 2015.
Team Guides
