Marked for Faustino Choca
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market19 Aug 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Colon can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Aug 2030
Brian Guerra 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 Colon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market19 Aug 2030
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Leandro Méndez’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad19 Aug 2030
Faustino Choca 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.
Market19 Aug 2030
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Agustín de Armas may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Boardroom19 Aug 2030
The Colon production line keeps running
21 graduates out of an academy now rated 4 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Aug 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Colon can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Aug 2030
Tempers go at Colon
Brian Guerra 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.
Match10 Aug 2030
Whatever happens, Colon do not lose
6 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Match10 Aug 2030
Cerrito made Colon work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings12 Aug 2030
A performance of 8.98 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings12 Aug 2030
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings12 Aug 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.17, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Market12 Aug 2030
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Squad12 Aug 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Martín Iglesias commits to Colon for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market13 May 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Colon they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market13 May 2030
“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.
Squad13 May 2030
Brian Guerra 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 Colon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match11 May 2030
Still nobody has beaten Colon
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Player ratings13 May 2030
A performance of 8.93 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad13 May 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andrés Olivera, and the manager let it.
Player ratings13 May 2030
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings13 May 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.37, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad13 May 2030
6 goals and a season average of 7.26. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match13 Apr 2030
3‑0, and Ronald Álvarez took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Colon tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 29 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Market15 Apr 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Colon is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market15 Apr 2030
“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.
Squad15 Apr 2030
Brian Guerra 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 Colon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
Marked 9.49 — 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 ratings15 Apr 2030
A performance of 9.04 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
A performance of 8.39 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad15 Apr 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Agustín de Armas, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Mar 2030
The cup run ends for Colon
1‑2 against Danubio, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Squad18 Mar 2030
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.
Market18 Mar 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Colon they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market18 Mar 2030
“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.
Match16 Mar 2030
4 matches without a win for Colon
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Colon are no longer polite ones.
Squad18 Mar 2030
Brian Guerra 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 Colon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings18 Mar 2030
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad18 Mar 2030
The manager makes an example of Carlos Yougouda
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings18 Mar 2030
Marked 7.81 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Colon had the best player on the pitch.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings13 Aug 2029
Defensive actions: 29. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market13 Aug 2029
Jairo Guerra 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 Colon can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings13 Aug 2029
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad13 Aug 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Colon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings13 Aug 2029
Marked 8.77 — 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.
Squad13 Aug 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match11 Aug 2029
A 1‑0 win over Cerro Largo, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Leison Cuero 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 ratings13 Aug 2029
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 13 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match9 Jun 2029
14 matches without a win for Colon
The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Colon are no longer polite ones.
Market11 Jun 2029
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Luciano Centurión will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Colon the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Market11 Jun 2029
“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.
Squad11 Jun 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad11 Jun 2029
Tempers go at Colon
Leandro Méndez 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 ratings11 Jun 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.68, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings11 Jun 2029
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.
Market11 Jun 2029
“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.
Squad11 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Emiliano Vidart
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 May 2029
9 matches without a win for Colon
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Colon are no longer polite ones.
Market14 May 2029
“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 Colon, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market14 May 2029
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Luciano Centurión will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Colon the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad14 May 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad14 May 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Colon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 May 2029
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad14 May 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andrés Olivera, and the manager let it.
Player ratings14 May 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.33, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match12 May 2029
It needed Ronald Álvarez to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Miramar Misiones, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market30 Apr 2029
“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.
Match28 Apr 2029
The wait goes on for Colon
7 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.
Squad30 Apr 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad30 Apr 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Colon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match28 Apr 2029
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad30 Apr 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings30 Apr 2029
Marked 8.27 — 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.
Squad30 Apr 2029
Leison Cuero 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.
Market30 Apr 2029
The name of Leandro Méndez keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Colon say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market2 Apr 2029
Bryan Paz puts it in writing
“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 Colon, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad2 Apr 2029
There were 6 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.
Squad2 Apr 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Colon this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match31 Mar 2029
A bad afternoon for Colon against Wanderers
1‑2 to Wanderers, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad2 Apr 2029
“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 ratings2 Apr 2029
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad2 Apr 2029
Leandro Méndez 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 Leandro Méndez trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market2 Apr 2029
The name of Leandro Méndez keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Colon say nothing, which says plenty.
Player ratings2 Apr 2029
Marked 5.35, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market12 Mar 2029
“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 Colon, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad12 Mar 2029
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad12 Mar 2029
Tempers go at Colon
Leandro Méndez 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.
Match10 Mar 2029
Boston River left with the points after a 2‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad12 Mar 2029
Lucas Suárez 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.
Squad12 Mar 2029
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Agustín Rodríguez trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.