Uruguay 2024 Copa America Overview

Uruguay is the country with the first real success in world football. They have the honor of winning the inaugural Copa America in 1916, and then built on that success by hosting and winning the very first FIFA world cup in 1930. The legendary blue and white team have won the Copa America 15 times in their esteemed history. The last taste of success was in the 2011 Copa America, led by some of the country’s all time great players such as Diego Forlan, Fernando Muslera, and the still playing Luis Suarez. The country is desperate for a successful Copa with a talented squad that have an  excellent mix of youth and experience. This summer could be a fantastic opportunity for La Celeste to bring home the 16th Copa America trophy they have desired for over a decade.

Uruguay Manager

Uruguay are going to be led in the dugout by the massively experienced Argentine Marcelo Bielsa. Bielsa was appointed the Uruguay national team coach in May 2023. He has been largely given the role of moving Uruguay into a new direction away from the goals of Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani, who both have been the focal point for the team for almost the last two decades. If you are looking for exciting football and buckets of experience then look no further than Bielsa. He comes to this post after a disappointing end to his stint in England with Leeds United. He will forever be a legend at the club after helping to secure promotion back to the Premier League in 2020. He also had stints on the International stage taking charge of both Chile and Argentina. The Argentine manager is known for plenty of fire and flair when it comes to his style of football and his personality, earning him the nickname “el loco”. He has also  been famously described by Pep Guardiola as “The best coach in the world”. Bielsa is widely known for playing a 3-3-3-1 formation that emphasizes high pressing and intense football. He is the type of manager that demands the highest standard of fitness and effort from his players. If the team and manager can come prepared this summer they surely will be a force to reckon with. If you see Bielsa either crouched or sitting on one of his famous buckets next to the touch line you are almost certainly guaranteed entertainment, and the whole of Uruguay will be hoping that it is winning entertainment as they hunt for another major trophy in world football.

Uruguay Squad

In the 2024 Copa America you will be hard pressed to find a squad with a more variety of youth and experience. Between the sticks Uruguay will look to International goalkeeper Sergio Rochet. Rochet even at 31 years old, is considered on the inexperienced side when it comes to the big stage, but he has the potential to make the step up and become a national hero. He can be cool as ice as he showed in the 2023 Copa Libertadores round of 16 penalty shootout win vs River plate when he made the winning penalty. Defensively there is a lot of promise for the South American giants. At center back they have one of the tournament’s strongest pairings in Ronald Aruajo of Barcelona and Jose Maria Gimenez of Atletico Madrid. The 25 year old Aruajo has been one of the only steady parts of Barcelona the last couple of seasons, often being the best player for the Basque giants, which is quite sensational for a center back. He will look for guidance in his partner Gimenez who at 29 years old has been a staple with both Atletico Madrid and the Uruguay National team for many years now. Most teams are going to have to bring the highest level of attack to get past these two stalwarts of the back. The wide back position brings a bit more uncertainty but they do have some talent in Mathias Olivera of Napoli, Matias Vina of Flamengo and Sebastian Caceres of Club America. The midfield partnership of Rodrigo Bentencur of Tottenham and arguably the team’s star player Federico Valverde of Real Madrid is sure to be a huge influence. The squad must rely heavily on these two talented robust midfielders, and you have to feel that if these two play well together the team will most likely have a very successful tournament. Valverde is a serial winner at Real Madrid, playing a very important role in the Madrid giants success since he arrived in Spain in 2016. When the games get more important and the pressure rises Valverde is the type of player any team dreams of having in their ranks, he realistically can do it all. The blue and white shirts will look for goals to come from an exciting young attacking force led by Darwin Nunez of Liverpool. Nunez possesses the raw speed, power, and quality of a world class striker. At 24 years old the time is ripe for Nunez to shine on the big stage as he has progressively gotten better each year. This is the type of tournament that could truly put Nunez on the map as a global superstar. He will be supported in attack by the young exciting Facundo Pellistri of Manchester United who just had a good year on loan in Spain with Granada. The young attackers will be looking for guidance from the two legendary forwards Luis Suarez of Inter Miami, and Edison Cavani of Boca Juniors who were somewhat surprisingly picked for the squad considering their combined age of 74. The two elder statesmen could even pop up for some late goals if Bielsa  needs something different in attack. You can not count out the quality of Suarez and Cavani who seem to have done it all in their careers. This team is sure to bring much excitement, hope and potential for success that this legendary footballing national craves.