Marked for Brian Mancini
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad14 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rampla Juniors this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market14 Jun 2027
Brian Mancini has left for River Plate in a $95.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Kevin Alaniz gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match12 Jun 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Rafael Hornos knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rampla Juniors, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market14 Jun 2027
Christian Tabó is 33 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
Squad14 Jun 2027
This league is too small for Christian Tabó
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Rampla Juniors will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
Market14 Jun 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 Jun 2027
$800.0K. No player has ever cost River Plate more, and expectation arrives with him.
Match12 Jun 2027
11 matches without a win for River Plate
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around River Plate are no longer polite ones.
Market14 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Vitinho keeps the receipts
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” River Plate may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market14 Jun 2027
The fee is $480.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Progreso drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Carlos Rodríguez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market14 Jun 2027
The chase for Brian Mancini ended with $95.0K changing hands and Rampla Juniors out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Match12 Jun 2027
1‑2 to Rentistas, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
A performance of 8.55 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 May 2027
Brian Mancini hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rampla Juniors can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Defensive actions: 23, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad31 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rampla Juniors this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad31 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match29 May 2027
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Cerrito? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match1 May 2027
No end in sight to Rampla Juniors's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Rampla Juniors has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match1 May 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad3 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad3 May 2027
Rafael Hornos asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Shots: 5, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match12 Apr 2027
Every point is an argument now for Rampla Juniors
Position 12 and 8 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market12 Apr 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match10 Apr 2027
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad12 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rampla Juniors this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match10 Apr 2027
Uruguay Montevideo left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match17 Mar 2027
Rentistas are out and Rampla Juniors go through, 1‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Squad22 Mar 2027
There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 27 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad22 Mar 2027
The medical room confirms 44 days on the sidelines for Joaquín Muñoz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
A defender's afternoon for Luan
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.16 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.19 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match20 Mar 2027
It needed Lautaro Rinaldi to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against River Plate, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market15 Mar 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Rampla Juniors, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match13 Mar 2027
0‑1 to Deportivo Maldonado, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Federico Andrade trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Shots: 8. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Feb 2027
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Nicolás Milesi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match20 Feb 2027
Oriental made Rampla Juniors work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Marked 8.91 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
A performance of 8.87 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nicolás Milesi, and the manager let it.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Alberto Eiraldi trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market22 Feb 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Rampla Juniors know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 Feb 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Rampla Juniors, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market15 Feb 2027
As if he never left: Agustin Nunez returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Agustin Nunez is a Rampla Juniors player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market15 Feb 2027
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market15 Feb 2027
As if he never left: Sergio Perez returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Sergio Perez is a Rampla Juniors player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Nicolás Royón was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match13 Feb 2027
A 1‑1 draw with Artigas leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rampla Juniors, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Feb 2027
22 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market1 Feb 2027
Rampla Juniors have let the market know Brian Mancini can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad1 Feb 2027
The shrug has gone, the language is coming, and he now argues in training like somebody who expects to be here next year. Half a signing's value is this and none of it appears on a fee.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market25 Jan 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Rampla Juniors know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad25 Jan 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Corey Hertzog plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market18 Jan 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Ángel Llanes in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rampla Juniors this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jan 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Rampla Juniors would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market11 Jan 2027
So close: Brian Mancini’s move dies late
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. River Plate moved on, Brian Mancini reports back to Rampla Juniors, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Sebastián Cal was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Matías Canedo commits to Rampla Juniors for another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad4 Jan 2027
50 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad4 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rampla Juniors this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market21 Dec 2026
Brian Mancini hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Rampla Juniors can pretend not to have heard.
Market21 Dec 2026
Experience through the door at Rampla Juniors
Corey Hertzog arrives at 36 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
Squad21 Dec 2026
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Rampla Juniors would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market23 Nov 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Nicolás Royón was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad23 Nov 2026
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Johnson Ayaane has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 Oct 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Brian Mancini has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Sep 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Rampla Juniors, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Nicolás Royón was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad28 Sep 2026
He looks like a man who lives here now rather than one who is working here. It took most of a season, and at Rampla Juniors the difference is visible from the back of the stand.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rampla Juniors this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Sep 2026
He came through the session, took part in everything and finished it smiling. Rampla Juniors will not rush him, and he will spend the next fortnight trying to rush them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 Aug 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Rampla Juniors, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Matías Canedo is not doing himself any favours
A manager forgives a bad Saturday far more readily than a bad Tuesday, because one of them he can explain and the other one he chose. The reports this week have not been good.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The manager plants his flag on Brian Mancini
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Brian Mancini’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rampla Juniors this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Brian Mancini knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Brian Mancini trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Ignacio Ratti has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Market3 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Nicolás Royón commits to Rampla Juniors for another 2 years.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad3 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Rampla Juniors this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
A performance of 8.49 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad3 Aug 2026
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Rampla Juniors know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
Market3 Aug 2026
24 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.