Diego Coelho shows promise in Nacional's preseason

While the South American U20 championships are on, the focus naturally lies on the continent's elite talent. Clubs from all over Europe have sent their scouts to Ecuador. One player that is not involved in the tournament is Diego Coelho. Nevertheless, he is making a lot of noise during Nacional's preseason, having scored two goals already. What makes him one of the club's most promising talents?

Diego Coelho in training (Photo: ovaciondigital.com.uy).

In Nacional's sheer endless pipeline of excellent young players, Diego Coelho is just one of six talents that received their shot at first team action in preseason. Along with the likes of Facundo Labandeira, Gabriel Neves, Guzmán Corujo, Thiago Vecino and Axel Müller, Coelho started training with Martín Lasarte's men on January 4. 

The 22-year old Diego Coelho is a striker and owned family ties to the club before even playing his first friendly minutes. Father Walter Fabian played for Nacional from 1995 to 2005 and won six Primera División titles in the process. His son is still at the beginning of his own career, but his preseason form suggests at least raw talent. Diego produced two goals in as many games against Boston River and Montevideo Wanderers and left a good impression on Nacional's coaching staff that just welcomed Rodrigo Aguirre as a new striker option. 

"I am happy to take the opportunity, trying to do what the coach asks me and to add to the team", Coelho explains. "They game me opportunities to convert and the most important thing is to show efficiency in front of the net. I have the ability to face the play and help in the build-up, but also to take advantage of any ball that is in the area."

Diego Coelho's strengths are indeed quickly discovered: a big body paired with the ability to make good runs, quick pivots and most importantly a nose for the goal. Playing in the third Uruguayan division, he was able to showcase those skills on a regular basis in Nacional's second team. Even though Lasarte knows that the player still needs time and should not be rushed into top tier football too soon, he is also aware of the athlete he has in the club already. The coach underlines: "With these guys [Coelho and the other five] one has to be very careful and even more so at Nacional. In case it does not work out for them, it can generate a lot of frustration in the player and that is what we desire the least."

Nacional's training coordinator, Sebastián Taramasco, was interviewed regarding the talent in the club's youth team: "We start from the fact that all coaches are in permanent contact with us and the management. This includes watching trainings, matches or having talks with one another. We spoke with Martín [Lasarte] about this preseason and reached the result of adding these six players to the first team."

Whether Diego Coelho receives much playing time during the Clausura is rather doubtful with Hugo Silveira and Rodrigo Aguirre ahead of him. One thing remains certain: The striker is definitely one to watch in the future, whether it will be at Nacional or another club. 

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South American U20 Championship starts in Ecuador

Before the Copa Libertadores gets going with its new season next week, the focus shifts to the continent's youth national teams. South America's U20 sides will contest a new champion in Ecuador. Argentina has their work cut out for them as they try to defend the 2015 crown. 

The format is a little unusual, at least judging by European standards. There will not be any knockout rounds, instead a large group of six will determine the winner of the tournament. How do those six teams qualify for the final group? By reaching one of the first three spots in either group of five. 

Group A includes Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay. On the other side of the tournament, holders Argentina will face the likes of Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela in group B. While group A undoubtedly sounds like the stronger one on paper, challenges from the smaller sides can never be underestimated.

Brazil's striker Richarlison (Photo: mg.superesportes.com.br).

Brazil's squad does not look particularly overwhelming in terms of youth talent. Striker and Fluminense regular Richarlison will most likely be the most dangerous forward in yellow and green. He scored three Serie A goals so far, but will require help from his teammates. One to do that could be Sao Paulo's right-wing David Neres. He also appeared on the stage and collected first team action at the end of the year. Especially the midfield, like in Brazil's first team, lacks something. They will look towards players like Maycon (Corinthians), Allan (Hertha BSC) and Caio Henrique (Atlético Madrid) to make the difference. 

On to Chile, where all but one player still play in their home country. Jeisson Vargas is currently on loan at Argentina's Estudiantes. It is not exactly an easy place for a young player to break through, but in his limited playing time (119 minutes over four games), the offensive midfielder collected at least two assists. Chile hopes he can produce more of the same for his country in a right-wing position. Two other hopefuls include left-back Cristián Gutiérrez (Colo Colo) and right-back Francisco Sierralta (Palestino). 

Colombia's senior team has enjoyed continued success in recent years. The under 20 hopes to replicate that during the upcoming tournament. Defensive midfielder Kevin Balanta leads the lines and is the most experienced player at the same time. Under José Pekerman, Balanta even celebrated his senior debut as early as September 2015. The now 19-year old is a mainstay at Deportivo Cali and can usually be found on the pitch for the full 90 minutes. Up front, Julián Quiñones is supposed to score the goals. The striker plays for Mexican side Tigres.

Hosting the tournament, a lot of pressure will be on Ecuador. They can bring a really interesting team to the table, led by Bryan Cabezas. The left winger is under contract at Italian side Atalanta Bergamo, but still waits for his debut in the Serie A. Back in early 2016, Cabezas was shining bright on the South American stage, going all the way to the Copa Libertadores final with Independiente del Valle. Talking of that club: Five players of Ecuador's squad come from the runners-up, another five from Barcelona. Emelec's Joao Rojas can play anything offensively and looks to be another valuable weapon for Javier Rodríguez' team. Despite a few standouts, Ecuador's defense could be a little shaky against South America's heavyweights. 

Group A is completed by Paraguay, filled with players from the countries' powerhouses Olimpia and Cerro Porteño. The athlete best known in the squad is undoubtedly Blas Riveros. Nowadays in action for Swiss side Basel, Riveros came through the youth system of Olimpia as well. Lately, he managed to get regular first team playing time in Switzerland and even celebrated his Paraguayan first team debut last year. The left-back will be a key ingredient to Paraguay's success. Julio Villalba, bought by Borussia Mönchengladbach, will be leaned upon offensively. While the squad is generally not one of the better ones, they can rely on absolute teamwork and heart on the field. 

Argentina's midfielder Santiago Ascacíbar (Photo: generazioneditalenti.it).

Title holders Argentina are the heads of group B. Claudio Úbeda coaches a team that certainly has a lot of talent, but will maybe not stand out to the extent of the 2015 squad. Santiago Ascacíbar captains the team from a defensive midfield role, the same way the small 19-year old controls his club Estudiantes. He will be supported by his offensive-minded club colleague Lucas Rodríguez. This midfield gives Argentina a lot of familiarity and balance. Up front, Racing duo Braian Mansilla and Lautaro Martínez look to lead the charge. Both have collected some top tier action during the current season. Once again, Argentina has to be counted towards the title favourites. 

Bolivia brings a young squad to the tournament, with most of their players aged 18 or 19. Considering most of them are still playing in the youth leagues of their home country, this team is a bit of a mystery to me. Limberg Gutiérrez, from Nacional's U19 squad, at least has the famous name on his resume. His father Límberg played for all of Bolivia's big teams and won the league title twice. Bruno Miranda is set to produce some danger up front. He plays his club football for Universidad de Chile and was given his senior debut for Bolivia last May. It is hard to see them be anything more than safe points for the top sides.

Attacking South America's crown again is the plan for Peru. It is a rather ambitious one considering their lack of success in recent tournaments. Universitario de Deportes are responsible for the team's best players, whose skills can be mainly found in the attacking third. Raúl Tito has played just about every position for "La U", making him a highly valuable piece for Peru coach Fernando Nogara. Roberto Siucho is best suited for the left wing, but has a major problem. He is not particularly dangerous in front of the net, neither on the scoring nor on the assist sheet. Striker Adrián Ugarriza will also have to work on his efficiency for his country to have any chance in Ecuador. 

Finally, a more competitive team can be found in Uruguay. Despite senior coach Óscar Tabárez' reluctance to play any young players, Uruguay's youth squads continue to do well and produce new talent. After the Gastón Pereiro show during the 2015 edition, some of it will be on display again in Ecuador. The squad is very balanced and has decent players in all areas of the pitch. For example, the tournament's most valuable player (when it comes to market value) will wear the sky blue of Uruguay. Midfielder Rodrigo Betancour is currently under contract at Boca Juniors, but has produced interest of Europe's heavyweights such as Real Madrid or Juventus, that has a buying option. Up front, Atlético Madrid's Nicolás Schiappacasse is an exciting prospect, as is Cerro's Agustin Sant'Anna in the right-back position. Uruguay will not have much trouble getting out of the first group, success during the final round also depends on daily form.

This leaves us with the final team of the tournament, Venezuela. Now, even the first team has built mainly on youth the past years, leaving it inexperienced and at the bottom of South America's World Cup qualification group. However, it shows a change in the thought process inside the poor country and a promise for the future. Quite a few players have already enjoyed their senior debut and even played in said World Cup qualification, but came back now to play this U20 tournament. One of them is captain Yangel Herrera, regular for Atlético Venezuela. He controls the game and tempo of his own team in a central defensive midfield role that is well-suited for the 19-year old. Herrera can continue to progress in that role, as can Yeferson Soteldo on the right wing. Huachipato paid nearly €1.5 million for him during the winter break. Soteldo hopes to showcase some of the speed and skills that got him that pricetag in Ecuador. Having a good goalkeeper in Wuilker Fariñez on top should help Venezuela in their fight for a top-three spot tremendously. The Caracas FC man could be the difference maker in close games. 

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Nacional in position to win Uruguayan Apertura title

Surely there are more serious topics than a league title in the football world at the moment. Despite Chapecoense's tragic disaster and last weekend's scandal at the Clásico, Uruguay will go ahead with its penultimate Apertura matchday. Under certain conditions, Nacional could win the title already.

The scene at Nacional's training complex (Photo: nacional.uy).

Peñarol - Nacional ended up in a massive scandal, but not necessarily a bad one for the Tricolor. The football association AUF awarded them the three points for the Clásico. This puts Martín Lasarte's team into a position to win the title during the upcoming weekend. A home win over Juventud is the first thing required. In addition, Nacional need Danubio to drop points away to Fénix. 

A look at the numbers

For Nacional, chances are not looking too bad. They have only played five home games so far this season, winning each of them. Visiting Juventud on the other hand are not scaring anybody away from home this year. Only one win in six tries speaks a clear language. This is being underlined by a league-low three away goals. 

Ultimately, it will likely be about how well Danubio fares in their own match. While having a positive (3-1-2) away record, their opponents were not the strongest. Through their last three games, Leonardo Ramos' squad also managed to score just two total goals. Fénix' home form has been a single up and down throughout the season as well. They are 1-1-1 in their last three. 

Champion, yes or no?

It is still a South American football league. Predicting outcomes of games is incredibly hard. A Nacional win over Juventud seems highly likely, given the opportunity to win a title as well. Another bright side for Diego Polenta and teammates is their two-week long break from their last game. It gave every player an extended rest and Lasarte some time to work on tactical issues. 

The other game is the tougher one. Considering Danubio's struggles to find the back of the net, I see them not getting more than a draw away from home. Nacional will win the title in week 14 already.

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Silveira show as Nacional stay top

Week 10 in Uruguay's Primera División held no big surprises. Most of the favourites filled their role nicely and were victorious. Among them: Nacional, Danubio and Peñarol.

Ligüera shows his class again in Nacional's win over River (Photo: nacional.uy).

Hugo Silveira was the key figure for Nacional this weekend. In a 3-1 win over River Plate on Sunday evening, the striker assisted on all three goals. The Tricolor was up 2-0 early through goals from Kevin Ramírez (13') and Sebastián Fernández (24'). Inside a packed Gran Parque Central, the home team profited from an early red card for the visitors. Fernando Gorriarán went showering early after a stunningly poor tackle on Viudez after just ten minutes. 

Domination continued in the second half and Martín Ligüera made his presence felt instantly after coming on. While his first magnificent attempt went stopped after he left the whole defense stranded behind him, the second try worked out for him. Following a strong run and precise cross from Silveira, Ligüera was there to head it home for a three-goal lead. 

Despite Mathías Saavedra getting a goal back via penalty three minutes later (74'), the win was never under much threat. A good save from Esteban Conde later, the match was a success. Nacional stay on top of the Apertura table after their eigth win in ten games. 

Danubio following closely

Equally successful is just one team: Danubio. The bottom feeders from last year have recovered tremendously and added another win this weekend. Against Boston River, they managed to showcase their comeback qualities, winning 1-2 after coming from behind. Pablo Ceppelini gave the promoted team a first half lead (29') with a shot from the edge of the area. 

While Danubio had already been the better team throughout the first half, collecting the lionshare of opportunities. They finally made it count after a good hour. Damián Malrechauffe's effort was saved by Boston's goalkeeper, but was it in front of or behind the line? The replay angle was not highly conclusive.

A goal or not? 

Six minutes from the end, Joaquín Ardaiz decided the game with yet another weird goal. The player was already on the ground, but somehow managed to get a leg to the ball near him. The push was enough to take it past goalkeeper and line. Conclusively, you might want to add, this time around.

Peñarol discover goalscoring form

Peñarol have celebrated their second win in a row and third of the season. Yellow and black managed to beat Sud América 4-1 away from home. Things were looking grim early on for Peñarol yet again, when they fell down 1-0 through a Gonzalo Camargo strike after 17 minutes. This time around, Fernando Curutchet's men found a way back at an important time. Right before the break, Junior Arias of all people equalised for the visitors. 

After struggling to find the net for the opening 7 weeks, the striker has now scored three goals in as many games. It was the start of a strong second half that saw Peñarol score another three. Nicolás Albarracin (65'), Diego Rossi (75') and Nicolás Dibble (86') all got on the scoresheet later on. Not only does this win give their team the well-needed points. Additionally, a comeback win allows them to grow their confidence that is at a low seeing their 12-point gap to archrivals Nacional on top.

Elsewhere around the league

Montevideo Wanderers held onto third place in the table despite a 0-0 draw against Plaza Colonia. Liverpool, that could have jumped past them, lost their own game to Fénix, 1-0. Matias Mirabaje scored his second goal of the season for the home team.

Defensor Sporting needed a last minute winner from Facundo Castro to beat Rampla Juniors away. Racing convinced early on, bagging three quick goals away to Cerro. The home team nearly came back through two penalties from Maureen Franco and Pablo Caballero. It remained 2-3 at the end. 

Villa Española stay bottom of the league after a 1-1 draw with Juventud. Pablo Silva equalised for Villa in the second half after Leandro Zapze had given the home team the lead early on. 

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Man shot in Uruguay leads to match suspension

The Uruguayan league match between Rampla Juniors and Peñarol was suspended at halftime last night. Reason for the stoppage in the Estadio Centenario was the shooting of a man near the bathrooms of one of the stadium exits.

Blood ahead of one the Centenario bathrooms (Photo: ovaciondigital.com.uy).

Throughout the first half, people could concentrate on a game that was not a particularly good one for Peñarol once again. Down 1-0 to freshly promoted Rampla Juniors, they had to come up with some ideas to turn things around. As it turned out, football sadly took a backseat to other incidents. 

A man nearby bathroom door 10 of the Amsterdam grandstand took two bullets to arm and leg and was taken to the hospital right away. According to Sport 890, he is in stable condition. Furthermore, another person had to be attended to after being present in the same bathroom after the crime. According to several reports, the confrontation took place due to drug issues.

Questionable meanwhile the security around Estadio Centenario: Instead of conducting body searches, only metal detectors were in place for the match on Sunday night. Rightly, the police decided they could not guarantee safety of the spectators anymore and called off the game immediately.

It is uncertain when (and if) the second 45 minutes between the two sides are going to be played. One thing that is clear is the stadium will need to step up security wise.

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Cavani goal ends Venezuela's hopes early in the second half

Uruguay have stayed on top of the South American World Cup qualification group. The two-time World Champions beat Venezuela 3-0 at home last night. 

Matchwinner Edinson Cavani (Photo: fourfourtwo.com).

The Estadio Centenario crowd did not believe their eyes early on when they saw the visiting Venezuela have the better of the match during the opening stages. Throughout eight matches in the CONMEBOL qualification group, Rafael Dudamel's team just managed to win two points, therefore still waiting for their first victory. On the other end, there was Uruguay, unbeaten at home while not conceding a single goal yet. 

Venezuela was particularly strong over the left side, with 19-year old Udinese winger Adalberto Peñaranda and Mikel Villanueva. More often than not, in left right-back Mathias Corujo in trouble and the visitors with good chances. The best of them saw Peñaranda through on an empty net following Fernando Muslera's strange trip outside of the area. Peñaranda put it wide. After another shot from the agile Salomón Rondón went wide as well, Uruguay started to gain a little more control. 

After losing many easy balls through bad passes, it were Sebastián Coates and Diego Godín in particular that managed to step up at the back and lead their team by example. What it led to pretty quickly was the opening goal for Uruguay. Carlos Sánchez switched sides magnificently and found Luis Suárez on the left wing. The Barcelona striker pulled back a fantastic cross into the centre of the penalty area and found the head of Nicólas Lodeiro who left Dani Hernández no chance (29'). Uruguay had a surprising lead and went to halftime with it. 

The start of the second half could not have gone worse for Venezuela. After the likely motivational speech and encouraging words from coach Dudamel, it took few seconds for the game to be over. Sánchez' high ball led to a battle in the air between the so far quiet Edinson Cavani and Wilker Angel. None of them could win it, but Cavani was first to second ball and banged it home with a great finish to the bottom far side corner. This second goal was Venezuela's breaking point, as they could not recover from it throughout the second half. 

From bad to worse, they even fell down to ten men after Oswaldo Vizcarrondo was sent off for a second yellow card just past the hour mark. The numerical advantage led to even more Uruguayan domination and Óscar Tabárez' men should have added to their goal total through substitute Matías Vecino or Sánchez. 

When they did after 79 minutes, it was the best goal of the night for the home team, beautifully crafted by several players. A long pass with the outside of the foot found the decent Sánchez on the right wing again. He crossed it low into the middle, where Suárez backheeled it on towards Cavani. El Matador did not have to be asked twice for goal number two and the victory. 

Here are the highlights:

Analysis

Venezuela had the chances to take something from this game early on, but did not take it. When Uruguay started gaining confidence, it was over for the visitors who rightly stay at just two points. They have to improve their efficiency to be able to get anywhere in the future, despite their without a doubt talented young team. 

The Celeste deserved their victory after a great second half and still have not conceded a single goal at the Centenario: 3-0 vs Colombia, 3-0 vs Chile, 1-0 vs Peru, 4-0 vs Paraguay and now the next clean sheet.

Uruguay remain first in the group, now with a massive seven point gap to sixth-place Paraguay. This relieves some pressure before the important visit to Colombia on Tuesday. Venezuela host Brazil later the same night. 

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Changes to Copa Libertadores format from 2017

South American football confederation CONMEBOL has confirmed a number of changes to the format of its flagship Copa Libertadores. From 2017 onwards, there will be group stage spots reserved for the holders of the two international competitions and four nations receive additional spots.

The Copa Libertadores trophy (Photo: copa90.com).

Six new teams will find their way into the Copa Libertadores from next season. The total number of competitors rises from 38 to 44. This leads mostly to a larger qualification field, considering the group stage retains its 32 teams. The tournament will last from February until November. 

The leagues profiting the most from the changes are Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile. Due to the country size, Brazil was awarded two additional spots to their already dominating five. This means that three of them will take part in the qualification process that sees 16 teams fight for four leftover positions. Argentina, Colombia and Chile all receive one additional qualification spot. 

In the future, both the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana champion will qualify for the competition's group stage automatically. Atlético Nacional are already affected by the changes and do not need to qualify via their usual league route. 

Three of the four countries receiving additional spots will be required to determine who gets to play in the Libertadores next year. Brazil simply gave the spots to the fifth- and sixth-best league team. At the moment, those are Fluminense and Atlético Paranaense. Whether they actually improve the competition dramatically remains up in the air. Brazilians have not done too well internationally recently. The last champion was Atlético Mineiro in 2013.

Another new feature is that Mexican clubs no longer have invitation status. This means that finals can be played in Mexico, whereas this was only possible in the first leg in previous years. In general, there will very likely just be a single leg on neutral ground to determine the winner in upcoming years. It is a change that is critically viewed among fans in South America. While CONMEBOL insist that the second leg home team won in 70% of the cases, it does make sense considering they are usually seeded higher after the group stages. Supporters from poorer countries certainly cannot make a trip to another country to see their team play in a final there. A lot of the traditional atmosphere would be lost.

Update: Fox Sports Argentina have reported during this afternoon that the two-legged final would remain a part of the competition. Great news if indeed true.

So far, 17 of 44 teams have already booked their place in the tournament starting next February. These are the following: 

Atlético Nacional - holders

Lanús - Champions of Argentina

San Lorenzo - 2nd Argentina

Estudiantes - 3rd Argentina

Godoy Cruz - 4th Argentina

Sport Boys - Apertura champions Bolivia

Jorge Wilstermann - Clausura champions Bolivia

The Strongest - Most points Bolivia

Universidad Católica - Clausura champions Chile

Independiente Medellín - Apertura champions Colombia

Chivas Guadalajara - Supercopa MX winner Mexico

Peñarol - Champions of Uruguay

Nacional - Most points Uruguay

Cerro - Second most points Uruguay

Libertad - Apertura champions Paraguay

Zamora - Apertura champions Venezuela

Barcelona - Primera Etapa champions Ecuador

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