SANTA CLARA — Uruguay is scrunched next to soccer powers Brazil and Argentina. But citizens of this tiny country are just as demanding of their futbol team as their most famous neighbors.
It’s one reason why venerable coach Oscar Tabarez faced a grilling from reporters before La Celeste defeated Jamaica 3-0 on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium in a meaningless Copa America Centenario game.
That’s what happens when Uruguay is eliminated from the South American championships after two matches.
“Should you be replaced?” a Uruguayan reporter inquired the day before Tabarez tied the record of coaching the most games for one national team. He and Sepp Herberger of the former West Germany each has coached their respective teams 167 games.
“Just firing anyone for some results isn’t healthy,” said the man they call El Maestro.
Perhaps the intensity of those questions will ease a bit after Uruguay’s breakout performance Monday in front of an announced crowd of 40,166.
The two-time World Cup winner will return home feeling better after a dominating performance over the Reggae Boyz.
Injured star Luis Suarez also should be healthy by Sept. 2 when Uruguay resumes World Cup qualifying against rival Argentina. Uruguay leads the qualifying with Ecuador with 13 points while Argentina is second with 11 points.
Tabarez, 69, presumably will become the all-time coaching leader by then. He has led Uruguay’s soccer resurrection since taking over for the second time 10 years ago.
“I’d like to get to many more games,” Tabarez said Monday night. “But it is not up to me.”
Uruguay rode a first-half goal by Hull City’s Abel Hernandez to break a five-game Copa America winless streak dating to last year.
The winner came in the 21st minute when Boca Juniors forward Nicolas Lodeiro dribbled to the center and then split defenders to find Hernandez in front of the goal. The forward shot through the sliding goalkeeper Andre Blake for the score.
“The first goal gave us a little bit of peace,” Tabarez said. “As the second half progressed it seemed the team generated more chances. At the end, we dominated the game completely.”
Uruguay (1-2-0) held its opponent to one first-half shot as Jamaica left the tournament without scoring.
Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani had been under as much scrutiny as Tabarez after taking one shot in the two Group C defeats. But he improved Monday with seven shots, including a 63rd-minute header that hit the far post.
Uruguay also benefited from Je-Vaughn Watson’s own goal in the 66th minute as he tried to defend a charging Hernandez in front of the net. Substitute Matias Corujo added an easy goal in the 89th minute.
Uruguay missed Luis Suarez after the FC Barcelona star suffered a hamstring muscle injury May 22 in the Copa del Rey final. The man who scored 59 goals for Barcelona in all competitions this past season was reduced to a cheerleader. But Uruguay had enough talent to reach the quarterfinals without its star.
“To lose, it could have been the beginning of a free fall,” Tabarez said of the importance of defeating Jamaica. “It doesn’t erase the losses. But it allows us to find our footing again.”
Jamaica finds itself in a more difficult situation with two World Cup qualifying games on the horizon.But forward Dever Orgill vowed his teammates would not buckle.
“We were born with this fighting spirit,” he said. “We’re not going to give up because of what happened in this Copa America.”
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Publish date : 2016-06-13 03:00:00
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