Marked for Leonardo Parada
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market27 Mar 2028
“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.
Squad27 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Words at Los Halcones training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Santiago Curbelo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
“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.
The dugout27 Mar 2028
The manager has not finished forgetting Leonardo Parada's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
Market27 Mar 2028
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Lucas Pereira has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Los Halcones.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
The terraces13 Mar 2028
Anger at Los Halcones spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Player ratings13 Mar 2028
Hans Müller, 21, steals the show — 7.68
Marked 7.68 at 21, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Gonzalo Masuero 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.
Match11 Mar 2028
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.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Santiago Curbelo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match11 Mar 2028
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Iñaki Baigorria. 2‑1 against Deportivo Colonia, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings13 Mar 2028
A performance of 8.01 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
The dugout13 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Leonardo Parada
“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.
The dugout13 Mar 2028
Felipe Pfeiff faces a manager he fell out with
They have worked together before and it did not end well. Nobody at Los Halcones expects the new manager to have forgotten, least of all Felipe Pfeiff.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Feb 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 10 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Market21 Feb 2028
“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 Los Halcones, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Joaquín Gómez and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Santiago Curbelo falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The terraces21 Feb 2028
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Boardroom21 Feb 2028
136% of the income goes out in wages at Los Halcones
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Iñaki Baigorria trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Luciano Gómez
“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
Crisis
The terraces17 Jan 2028
The mood at Los Halcones has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Market17 Jan 2028
“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 Los Halcones, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Gonzalo Masuero 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.
Transfer targets17 Jan 2028
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Joaquín Gómez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces20 Dec 2027
Anger at Los Halcones spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Ignacio Varela damages knee ligaments — 22 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 22 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market20 Dec 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.
Transfer targets20 Dec 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Los Halcones have done the hard part with Rampla Juniors, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Joaquín Gómez and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets20 Dec 2027
Los Halcones asked and Tacuarembo said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Santiago Curbelo falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets20 Dec 2027
A loan enquiry to Cooper: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Transfer targets20 Dec 2027
Villa Espanola have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom15 Nov 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Los Halcones
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market15 Nov 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 Los Halcones, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad15 Nov 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 Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom15 Nov 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Los Halcones now.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout15 Nov 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Iñaki Baigorria trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom18 Oct 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Los Halcones
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad18 Oct 2027
14 days out for Ayrton Pintos after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Los Halcones will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market18 Oct 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Los Halcones can pretend not to have heard.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Joaquín Gómez 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.
Boardroom18 Oct 2027
The numbers do not look good at Los Halcones
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Santiago Curbelo falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad4 Oct 2027
A fracture rules Ayrton Pintos out for 28 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Los Halcones will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match4 Oct 2027
Position 9, 10 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Boardroom4 Oct 2027
Juan Rodriguez has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Los Halcones can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market4 Oct 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 Los Halcones, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Gonzalo Masuero 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.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Boardroom4 Oct 2027
137% of the income goes out in wages at Los Halcones
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
The dugout4 Oct 2027
Matías Ghiringhelli is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
The dugout4 Oct 2027
The manager's exit leaves Ayrton Pintos exposed
Every squad has men who were signed by a particular manager and men who were merely inherited. Ayrton Pintos is in the first group, and the man who wanted him here is no longer in the building.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad20 Sep 2027
Ayrton Pintos breaks a bone — 42 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 42 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Boardroom20 Sep 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at Los Halcones
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Los Halcones is running low.
Market20 Sep 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 Los Halcones, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad20 Sep 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 Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom20 Sep 2027
The numbers do not look good at Los Halcones
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout20 Sep 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.
The dugout20 Sep 2027
Felipe Pfeiff back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Los Halcones has worked with Felipe Pfeiff before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout20 Sep 2027
Leonardo Parada is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad23 Aug 2027
70 days out for Ayrton Pintos after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Los Halcones will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Boardroom23 Aug 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Los Halcones
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market23 Aug 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.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Gonzalo Masuero and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Words at Los Halcones training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Joaquín Gómez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout23 Aug 2027
Felipe Pfeiff back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Los Halcones has worked with Felipe Pfeiff before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad16 Aug 2027
A fracture rules Ayrton Pintos out for 77 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Los Halcones will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market16 Aug 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.
Squad16 Aug 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 Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Santiago Curbelo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout16 Aug 2027
The new man at Los Halcones has worked with Christian Anderson before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout16 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Felipe Pfeiff, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces2 Aug 2027
Anger at Los Halcones spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Squad2 Aug 2027
A fracture rules Ayrton Pintos out for 91 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Los Halcones will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Boardroom2 Aug 2027
The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Juan Rodriguez has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Los Halcones may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Matías Ghiringhelli and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
Felipe Pfeiff back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Los Halcones has worked with Felipe Pfeiff before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Nahuel Silveira
“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.
Market2 Aug 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Los Halcones, another week without a signature from Sebastián Bonilla.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad26 Jul 2027
98 days out for Ayrton Pintos after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Los Halcones will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Boardroom26 Jul 2027
Pressure builds in the Los Halcones boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
The dugout26 Jul 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Los Halcones have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Boardroom26 Jul 2027
Window shuts: 0 in, 3 out at Los Halcones
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 0 arrived, 3 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Transfer targets26 Jul 2027
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Tacuarembo is saying, and nobody at Los Halcones is enjoying the guessing.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Joaquín Gómez 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.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Words at Los Halcones training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Santiago Curbelo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout26 Jul 2027
Felipe Pfeiff back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Los Halcones has worked with Felipe Pfeiff before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout26 Jul 2027
“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
Crisis
Squad28 Jun 2027
126 days out for Ayrton Pintos after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Los Halcones will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Boardroom28 Jun 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Los Halcones
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Transfer targets28 Jun 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Los Halcones have done the hard part with Defensor Sporting, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Gonzalo Masuero and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets28 Jun 2027
Los Halcones asked and Paysandu FC said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Joaquín Gómez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout28 Jun 2027
Felipe Pfeiff back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Los Halcones has worked with Felipe Pfeiff before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout28 Jun 2027
“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.
The dugout28 Jun 2027
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces7 Jun 2027
Supporters organise against the Los Halcones board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Boardroom7 Jun 2027
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Matías Ghiringhelli and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets7 Jun 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Colon have kept their man, and Los Halcones go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout7 Jun 2027
Felipe Pfeiff back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Los Halcones has worked with Felipe Pfeiff before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout7 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Leonardo Parada
“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.
The dugout7 Jun 2027
Something was said to Facundo de los Santos and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
Market7 Jun 2027
6 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 May 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.
Match22 May 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.
Squad24 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 Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 May 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Santiago Curbelo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match22 May 2027
4 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
The dugout24 May 2027
Felipe Pfeiff back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Los Halcones has worked with Felipe Pfeiff before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout24 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.
Looking ahead24 May 2027
Two sides from the bottom of the table, three points, and an afternoon that will be described afterwards as a relegation decider by whoever loses it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 May 2027
6 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match15 May 2027
Beaten 0‑4 by Central Espanol, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Squad17 May 2027
Gonzalo Masuero 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.
Squad17 May 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Boardroom17 May 2027
Wages swallow 192% of the Los Halcones income
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
The dugout17 May 2027
Felipe Pfeiff back under a manager who knows him
The new man at Los Halcones has worked with Felipe Pfeiff before and it went well. He arrives with a view of the player already formed, which is worth more than any pre-season.
The dugout17 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Santiago Curbelo, and the manager let it.
Boardroom17 May 2027
Nobody left the Los Halcones dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
The dugout17 May 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Juan Rodriguez after 0‑4, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom3 May 2027
Pressure builds in the Los Halcones boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
The dugout3 May 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Los Halcones may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad3 May 2027
Joaquín Gómez 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.
Squad3 May 2027
Words at Los Halcones training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Santiago Curbelo is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match1 May 2027
Sud America left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout3 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.
Looking ahead3 May 2027
Two sides from the bottom of the table, three points, and an afternoon that will be described afterwards as a relegation decider by whoever loses it.
The dugout3 May 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Juan Rodriguez after 1‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Squad3 May 2027
Enzo Saggia named in the team of the month
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Enzo Saggia is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Apr 2027
Position 9, 3 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad19 Apr 2027
7 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Squad19 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 Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Santiago Curbelo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match17 Apr 2027
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Boardroom19 Apr 2027
Wages swallow 221% of the Los Halcones income
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Christian Anderson, and the manager let it.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑2 Juan Rodriguez left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
Leonardo Parada is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad12 Apr 2027
9 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Squad12 Apr 2027
28 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Joaquín Gómez 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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Christian Anderson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match10 Apr 2027
Cooper left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout12 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.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑1, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
Martín Ortíz 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 Martín Ortíz trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 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 Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout5 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.
Boardroom5 Apr 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Los Halcones now.
The dugout5 Apr 2027
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
The dugout5 Apr 2027
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Leonardo Parada has written the date down.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match22 Mar 2027
3 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match17 Mar 2027
The small margins put Los Halcones out
Out, 0‑2 to Cerro, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Match20 Mar 2027
7 matches without a win, and then this, against Alto Peru. Relief is a strange noise in a football ground and it was the only noise at the end.
Squad22 Mar 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 Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Words at Los Halcones training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Christian Anderson is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match20 Mar 2027
Alto Peru made Los Halcones work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Boardroom22 Mar 2027
Wages eat 202% of everything Los Halcones earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
The terraces22 Mar 2027
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
The dugout22 Mar 2027
Martín Ortíz 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 Mar 2027
6 matches without a win for Los Halcones
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Los Halcones are no longer polite ones.
Match13 Mar 2027
6 matches without a goal for Los Halcones
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 6 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad15 Mar 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 Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match13 Mar 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ayrton Pintos, and the manager let it.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
Looking ahead15 Mar 2027
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Alto Peru in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Los Halcones can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 Mar 2027
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.
Match27 Feb 2027
No end in sight to Los Halcones's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Los Halcones has to find a result from somewhere.
Match27 Feb 2027
4 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Joaquín Gómez and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Christian Anderson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match27 Feb 2027
Deportivo Italiano left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout1 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.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑1, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Feb 2027
Gonzalo Masuero 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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Words at Los Halcones training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Joaquín Gómez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Juan Pablo Paz, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 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 Los Halcones this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Christian Anderson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Boardroom25 Jan 2027
Wages eat 151% of everything Los Halcones earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Transfer targets21 Dec 2026
The deal with Paysandu FC died in the treatment room. Nobody will say what was found and everybody in the game will find out by Friday.
Transfer targets21 Dec 2026
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Atenas is saying, and nobody at Los Halcones is enjoying the guessing.
Transfer targets21 Dec 2026
The deal with Fenix is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Gonzalo Masuero and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets21 Dec 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad23 Nov 2026
Joaquín Gómez 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
Words at Los Halcones training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Christian Anderson is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Joaquín Gómez, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Nov 2026
Gonzalo Masuero 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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Gómez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Leonardo Parada, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Sep 2026
42 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Joaquín Gómez and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Christian Anderson falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.