On the US Men N&A board, in this thread: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=89568&perpage=15&pagenumber=2 There is talk of USMNT playing a friendly vs. Uruguay. Does anyone know if Pepe would likely play in that game? Does he typically play for their national team?
I posted on the conmebol forum to find out Uruguay's lineup, and got this response: I then asked specifically about Cancela, and someone replied that they didn't think they've ever called him up. They must have a pretty damn good team if he's considered sub-par somehow.
I don't follow South America all that closely, but it wouldn't shock me if Uraguay were on the upswing. I thought they showed some promise in Japan, even if they didn't make it out of the group. Aside from Brazil and Argentina who are always going to be very good, the rest (other than Venezuela) seem to go in cycles. Colombia were really good in the days of Valderrama, Alvarez, Runcon, Asprilla, Higuta, buit now they are on the downside. Same for Bolivia in the mid-late 90s when Etch was in his prime. It's always nice to see new countries take a shot at a World Cup and in recent years, a lot of different countries have represented South America other than the Big 2. It's also good to see anyone other than Brazil or Argentina win Copa America, even if sometimes it takes being the host to do it. Tom
I've been away so this thread and the others as well, are new to me. I am, quite likely, the world's number one Cancela fan, aside from his immediate family. The qualities that he brings to the Revs are EXACTLY those that make plunking down hard cash for a ticket worth every penny. By MLS standards, he is a superb player. At the same time, we did see his limitations v. the Fire in the semis. When pressed by an excellent man marker (Armas) who is backed by a coherent defense Pepe's passes become a little less precise and his possession slightly forced. At serious international level this would be a liability.This is not meant to criticize him in any sense but simply to point out that the best opposition in MLS (the Fire and Quakes defensive schemes) can break him down. It would be interesting to compare Cancela to Claudio Reyna, for example. Reyna has proven himself as a possession midfielder internationally but he is just shy of the ability to really control a game at the highest level. The same is true in the games he plays in England. Claudio is probably stronger and maybe faster than Cancela although Pepe is definitely more fun to watch. For a US-based player to get an a-mid shirt anywhere else in the world is a huge compliment and Reyna is really the only one who has done it thus far. For a Uruguayan to do so is far, far more common. It is most likely that in high end Euro eyes Cancela is slightly wanting. I don't follow Uruguay at all closely but I am a huge fan of Southern Cone soccer (Argentina, Chile and Uruguay). Cancela could certainly hold his own with the Uruguayan nats but he would not be a starter and would probably be fourth or fifth choice at best for the A-mid slot. The best Uruguayan players are in Europe, Mexico, sometimes Argentina or Brazil. In a sense Cancela's role with Uruguay might be like Reyna's with the US. The difference is that Uruguay has even better players at the position than Pepe. At this point we (the US) don't. At the same time, the margin between the best and second tier in Latin America is very, very small and the talent pool gigantic. Pepe Cancela is one of the four or five best players to ever grace the red, white and blue but I don't think he would be in the mix for his country. But, I still maintain we are extremely lucky to have him here and hope that he dons Revs colors for as long as possible. JIM DOW
Uruguay are definitly on an upswing now. With a new coach and new attitude they are better than in WC02 and much better than the last time we played them. Their most recent real game was a WCQ in Brazil. They were down 2-0, came back to get a 3-2 lead, only to have Ronaldo tie it at the end. I know the law of transition does not really apply to soccer, but it does say something about Uruguay that in one game in BRAZIL they score as many goals against Brazil as we have in our entire history.
Part of the reason that the others have been going in cycles is that tiny, overlooked Paraguay has vaulted itself into the ranks of perennial qualifier. That leaves the last place (or 1.5 places) to everyone else: one time Chile, once Colombia, once Bolivia. Going way back, Peru used to have good teams, and Uruguay was once among the world giants as a multiple-cup winner. Recently, CONMEBOL doormat Venezuela has been improving at a rapid pace. Paraguay knocked Brazil out of the Olympics over the weekend!!