Head Coach: Victor Pua

» Fabian Carini G
» Gustavo Munua G
» Federico Elduayen G
» Paolo Montero D
» Gonzalo Sorondo D
» Joe Bizera D
» Gustavo Mendez D
» Alejandro Lembo D
» Dario Rodriguez D
» Pablo Garcia M
» Gonzalo de los Santos M
» Gianni Guigou M
» Fabian O'Neill M
» Marcelo Romero M
» Nicolas Olivera M
» Alvaro Recoba F
» Gustavo Varela F
» Dario Silva F
» Federico Magallanes F
» Richard Morales F
» Diego Forlan F
» Sebastian Abreu F
» Mario Regueiro F

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Alvaro Recoba: A skillful goal scorer, Recoba will lead Uruguay's attack. Quick, technically skilled and possessing a seasoned left foot, Recoba is very dangerous when taking free-kicks.

Paolo Montero: Uruguay's young players will be looking to team captain Montero for leadership on the pitch. A world-class centre-back noted for his excellent tackling skills, Montero is the glue that holds Uruguay together.

Gianni Guigou: A talented midfielder who is equally adept playing at left-back, Guigou is Uruguay's utility man. He is technically refined and well-disciplined and distributes the ball with ease when he takes up an attacking position in midfield.

Juan Alberto Schiaffino: Uruguay's all-time leading goal scorer in the World Cup with seven goals, Juan Alberto Schiaffino was one of the most skilled inside-forwards of the 1950s. Schiaffino netted five goals in the 1950 tournament in Brazil, leading Uruguay to its second World Cup title.

Obdulio Jacinto Varela: Nicknamed the “Negro Jefe” (Black Chief), Obdulio Jacinto Varela was the definitive centre-half of his era. He captained Uruguay to its second World Cup title in 1950 in Brazil and led Uruguayan club Peñarol to six league titles.

Scouting Report

Style of play: Uruguay puts the accent on defensive stability. Hence, coach Victor Pua goes with four defenders and tends to start defensive midfielders who drop back and lend support. Uruguay congests the area of the field in front of its own penalty area, making it very difficult for opposing strikers to sustain any kind of offensive possession. From there, Uruguay wins possession in midfield and swiftly goes on the counterattack. They push the ball to the outside and move as many bodies as they can forward into the penalty area. Once inside the box, Uruguay's forwards and attacking midfielders try to collect a high cross from the wing and either head it towards goal or release a quick shot. Uruguay also scores a number of its goals on set-pieces and from expertly taken free-kicks.

Strengths:
Defence -- In centre-back Paolo Montero, Uruguay has one of the world's elite defenders anchoring its sturdy back line. Montero organizes Uruguay's crop of defenders effectively and will make it very difficult for opposing strikers to streak towards goal through the centre of the pitch.
Coaching -- Coach Victor Pua has helped change Uruguay from a collection of inexperienced players into a tightly knit team with great maturity. An even-keeled coach, Pua is an accomplished tactician who provides Uruguay with inspiration and motivation from the touchline.
History -- Uruguay was the original South American powerhouse of soccer long before Brazil took over that title in the mid-1950s. As two-time World Cup champions (1930 and 1950), Uruguay will be looking to reclaim its rightful place among soccer's greatest nations with a strong showing in this year's tournament.

Weaknesses:
Inconsistency -- Uruguay is a streaky team at best and is unable to play at a consistent level for more than one game at a time. While that didn't adversely affect them during the qualifying rounds, it will be a liability in the World Cup, in which every game counts.
Goal-scoring -- Uruguay only managed an anemic 22 goals in 20 qualifying games. Considering a second place finish in Group A could come down to goal difference, Uruguay will have to score with regularity - something it has been unable to do lately - to have a chance at advancing to the second round.
Uncertainty in goal -- It'll be a baptism of fire for goalkeeper Fabian Carini. The 22-year-old sat on the bench as a backup for Italian club Juventus this past year. How will a season of inactivity affect his form? Uruguay will soon find out.

Key injuries/squad omissions:
Veteran striker Daniel Fonseca was not selected for the final squad due to a lingering foot injury.… Starting goalkeeper Fabian Carini injured his knee during a training match but he isn't expected to miss any games….

Outlook:
With France as the favourites of Group A, first place is out of reach for Uruguay. That leaves the South Americans to battle Denmark and Senegal for second spot. Uruguay boasts a solid defence, but is often plagued by long scoring droughts They'll need to address this problem, as a second-place finish in the group - and a berth into the second round - could come down to goal difference. If Uruguay can hold the French to a tie and win its two remaining games, they should go through to the second round - but that's as far as they'll go. A loss to Denmark would all but kill its chances of advancing and send them home on an early plane out of South Korea.

The Country

Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil.

Capital: Montevideo

Area: 176,220 sq km

Population:3,334,074 (July 2000 est.)

Government type: Republic

Climate: Warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown.

Ethnic groups: European 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%.

Religions: Roman Catholic 66% (less than half the adult population attends church regularly), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, non-professing or other 30%.

Languages: Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier).

History: Uruguay's president agreed to concede military control of his administration in 1973 after a violent, urban guerrilla movement launched a successful coup. Several months later the rebels were defeated, but the military expanded its grasp on the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Since then, Uruguay has boasted one of the highest standards of living in South America.

Bob Lenarduzzi

Uruguay and Senegal are capable teams, but if France and Denmark play to their maximum potential, I think they will get through.

France, I believe, will look at the first round as "just get through it." If they're in top form, I don't think [Zidane's absence] will be an issue for them. Zidane's situation is one where they'll want to make sure he's healthy, and if he needs another game before he plays, I think they'll do that. They certainly have enough depth to get through. The fact that they are the reigning champions, the fact that they're Euro champions…the core of the squad is there. They seem to have a swagger about them. They're not posturing. Their coach has gone on record and said they should win it.

I don't think Zidane's absence hurts them because they have more than enough depth to get through the first round. If he's not available beyond the first round, then I think it will be an issue.

Prediction: 1) France 2) Denmark


Jason de Vos

I don't see France being troubled by any of these teams, although I think the first game against Senegal (CBC, May 31, 7 am ET) is a bit of a banana skin, because they are expected to win that game comfortably, and for Senegal, it's like a World Cup final to them.

All of Senegal's players, except for a few, play in the French first division, so they know all about France. I don't think the Zidane injury will be a big issue in the first round, because if you look at the players they can call on in reserve, they have phenomenal depth. I think France will get through comfortably.

Denmark is not a spectacular team - they don't have any superstars - but they are a very workmanlike team and they will be very fit. They'll defend quite well, and they have a good goalkeeper in [Thomas] Sorensen, so I think they have enough to get through in second place.

Uruguay did quite well in qualifying to get through, but they struggle in front of the goal. Apart from Dario Silva, they could struggle to get goals. They're strong defensively, but to get through I think they're going to need to win at least one, possibly two games.

Prediction: 1) France; 2) Denmark

Federation founded: 1900

FIFA member since: 1923

Current FIFA Ranking: #24

First round matches:
June 1 vs. Denmark in Ulsan
June 6 vs. France in Busan
June 11 vs. Senegal in Suwon

2002 qualification route: Uruguay finished in fifth place in South America, missing out on capturing one of the four automatic South American births. Uruguay was forced to play a two-legged playoff, booking its trip to the World Cup after it defeated Australia 3-1 on aggregate.

Record in qualifying: 8 wins, 6 draws, 6 losses
Goals for: 22 Goals against: 14

Results:
Uruguay 1 Bolivia 0
Paraguay 1 Uruguay 0
Uruguay 2 Chile 1
Brazil 1 Uruguay 1
Uruguay 3 Venezuela 1
Uruguay 0 Peru 0
Colombia 1 Uruguay 0
Uruguay 4 Ecuador 0
Argentina 2 Uruguay 1
Bolivia 0 Uruguay 0
Uruguay 0 Paraguay 1
Chile 0 Uruguay 1
Uruguay 1 Brazil 0
Venezuela 2 Uruguay 0
Peru 0 Uruguay 2
Uruguay 1 Colombia 1
Ecuador 1 Uruguay 1
Uruguay 1 Argentina 1
Playoffs
Australia 1 Urguay 0
Uruguay 3 Australia 0

Number of previous World Cup appearances: 9

All-time record: 37 GP -- 15 W, 8 D, 14 L Goals for: 61 Goals against: 52

World Cup History:
1930 - Champions
1934 – Did not enter
1938 - Did not enter
1950 - Champions
1954 – Fourth place overall
1958 – Did not qualify
1962 - First round
1966 - Quarter-finals
1970 – Fourth place overall
1974 - First round
1978 – Did not qualify
1982 – Did not qualify
1986 - Second round
1990 - Second round
1994 – Did not qualify
1998 - Did not qualify

Biggest victory: 8-0 vs Bolivia in 1950.
Biggest defeat: 1-6 vs Denmark in 1986.
Overall top scorer: Juan Schiaffino, 7 goals.
Most appearances: Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, 13 matches.
Hosted the World Cup: 1930
Best World Cup results: Champions, 1930, 1950; semifinalist, 1954, 1970

Past Achievements:
Olympic Champions: 1924, 1928
Copa America Champions: 14 times