Marked for Luis Abreu
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad8 May 2028
The match ball belongs to Javier Domínguez, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
Market8 May 2028
Víctor Guzmán wants to know where this is going
“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Olimpia hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.
Market8 May 2028
Luis Abreu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Olimpia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market8 May 2028
It is not a grievance and it is not a demand: he wants to play continental football, and he has stopped hiding it. Whether Olimpia can give him that is a question about the club, not about him.
Match6 May 2028
Tembetary made Olimpia work for it, but the scoreboard read 4‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad8 May 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Gastón Olveira and Olimpia agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings8 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 21. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad8 May 2028
Lisandro Piñero 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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings1 May 2028
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.
Market1 May 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 The request is on a desk at Olimpia, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout1 May 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Olimpia may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market1 May 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Olimpia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad1 May 2028
Words at Olimpia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Lisandro Piñero 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.
Squad1 May 2028
Franco Alfonso 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 ratings1 May 2028
Ninety minutes of Javier Domínguez at his very best
Marked 8.09. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at Olimpia.
Loan watch1 May 2028
“Three loans in three years. At some point a club has to decide if I am their player or their asset.” The spell at Estudiantes de Merida continues; the message travels home.
The dugout1 May 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
Upbeat
Match8 Apr 2028
3‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.70, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
A defender's goal wins it for Olimpia — 7.58
1 for Ismael Cortez, marked 7.58, and a centre-half's name in the part of the report he normally only reaches by mistake. He will not be allowed to forget it in the dressing room for a month.
Market10 Apr 2028
Luis Abreu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Olimpia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad10 Apr 2028
100 goals in the shirt for Braian Romero
100 for the club now, each one filed in somebody’s memory with a date and a scoreline. Numbers like this are what supporters argue about in twenty years.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Lisandro Piñero 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.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Words exchanged at Olimpia
Franco Alfonso 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.
The dugout10 Apr 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Herrera, and the manager let it.
Market10 Apr 2028
Hugo Benítez is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Olimpia has been clear about where Hugo Benítez stands, which is more than many ever get.
In brief
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The dugout
The view from the dugout
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The dugout
Lisandro Piñero has become a man the manager trusts
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Squad
Lisandro Piñero is the weekend's best young player
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match11 Mar 2028
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 4‑1 against Nacional, and it could have been more.
Player ratings13 Mar 2028
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.59, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Player ratings13 Mar 2028
Marcos Gómez goes up and wins it — 7.96
A defender on the scoresheet, which happens rarely enough that everybody in the ground remembers who took the corner. 1 for him, and a mark of 7.96 for the rest of it.
Market13 Mar 2028
Luis Abreu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Olimpia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad13 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 Olimpia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The terraces13 Mar 2028
He is 20 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.
Market13 Mar 2028
It is not a grievance and it is not a demand: he wants to play continental football, and he has stopped hiding it. Whether Olimpia can give him that is a question about the club, not about him.
The dugout13 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Daniel Herrera
“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 ratings13 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 17. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
In brief
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Squad
Olimpia are still strangers to each other
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The dugout
A satisfied Pablo Gimenez
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Squad
Words at Olimpia training over how hard people work
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match12 Feb 2028
Olimpia keep winning on the road
10 away wins in a row. Travelling support is the truest kind, and this season it is being repaid in the only currency that counts.
Match12 Feb 2028
3‑0, and Mateo Gamarra took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Olimpia tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.
Player ratings14 Feb 2028
A defender on the scoresheet, which happens rarely enough that everybody in the ground remembers who took the corner. 1 for him, and a mark of 7.74 for the rest of it.
Market14 Feb 2028
Luis Abreu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Olimpia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match12 Feb 2028
Nobody wants to play Olimpia right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Squad14 Feb 2028
A row about effort at Olimpia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Lisandro Piñero was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings14 Feb 2028
Juan Romero was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.17. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Player ratings14 Feb 2028
Mateo Gamarra was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.14. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Squad14 Feb 2028
A falling-out at Olimpia
Alexis Cantero and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market17 Jan 2028
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
Market17 Jan 2028
Only the photograph left for Luis Abreu
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Luis Abreu will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Olimpia the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Lisandro Piñero 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.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Words exchanged at Olimpia
Franco Alfonso 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.
The dugout17 Jan 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.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Olimpia are still strangers to each other
24 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
Loan watch17 Jan 2028
“I did not go to Rubio Nu to sit and watch. I want to come back to Olimpia and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
Mateo Gamarra gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Mateo Gamarra is on it.
Market17 Jan 2028
Erik López is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Olimpia has been clear about where Erik López stands, which is more than many ever get.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market10 Jan 2028
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Olimpia people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Market10 Jan 2028
Olimpia say no — this time
The offer from Deportivo Santani for Erik López was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market10 Jan 2028
Only the photograph left for Alex Franco
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Alex Franco will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Olimpia the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Víctor Guzmán 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.
Market10 Jan 2028
It is the most legitimate ambition in the sport and the hardest for most clubs to satisfy. Daniel Herrera wants continental football; whether Olimpia can provide it is a question about the next two seasons, not about him.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Tiago Caballero and Olimpia agree another 4 years.
The dugout10 Jan 2028
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Squad10 Jan 2028
A wage question at Olimpia
Gastón Olveira has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
The dugout10 Jan 2028
Tiago Caballero 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match3 Jan 2028
Olimpia are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 49 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market3 Jan 2028
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Olimpia have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Squad3 Jan 2028
The kind of year that ends with a name being read out in a hall. Olimpia had the benefit of it every week and now have the problem of everybody else knowing.
Market3 Jan 2028
Anzoátegui come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Olimpia did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market3 Jan 2028
It is the most legitimate ambition in the sport and the hardest for most clubs to satisfy. Juan Fernando Alfaro wants continental football; whether Olimpia can provide it is a question about the next two seasons, not about him.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Lisandro Piñero 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 targets3 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.
Market3 Jan 2028
The name of Alex Franco has come up in conversations Olimpia were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad3 Jan 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 Olimpia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market20 Dec 2027
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Olimpia have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Transfer targets20 Dec 2027
Olimpia asked and Godoy Cruz said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market20 Dec 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 Olimpia can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets20 Dec 2027
Olimpia offered $2.7M; Sportivo Ameliano said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Market20 Dec 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ignacio Aliseda and Olimpia agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market20 Dec 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Olimpia have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
The dugout20 Dec 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.
Loan watch20 Dec 2027
26 appearances at Resistencia and the goals have stopped going in. Olimpia lent out a goalkeeper and are watching somebody else’s season get better every week.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad2 Nov 2026
Alan Morinigo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
Faustino Barone has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Sportivo Trinidense will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Market2 Nov 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sportivo Trinidense know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lucas Franco, and the manager let it.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Luis Abreu moves up the pecking order
Nothing is announced when this happens and everybody knows. He is a bigger part of the plan at Sportivo Trinidense than he was a month ago, and the training ground worked that out before the team sheet said so.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Sportivo Trinidense. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.