Renzo Cupla

Striker - Penarol
5 Nov 2029
Monday
Process

Marked for Renzo Cupla

163 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

10 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Andrés Madruga asks to leave Penarol

“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.

Squad

Renzo Cupla keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Penarol may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Leonardo Fernández 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

Back issues
162 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

3 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Paolo Calione says Penarol went back on their word

“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.

Market

Only the photograph left for Renzo Cupla

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Renzo Cupla will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Penarol the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Market

Eduardo Darias 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 Penarol hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Alexander Machado 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Franco González runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Albion take the points off Penarol

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Facundo Balatti 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.

Boardroom

Inquest at Penarol

The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.

Squad

Costly mistake from Washington Aguerre

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Washington Aguerre knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

In brief

161 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

27 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Eric Remedi keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Penarol may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Stiven Muhlethaler is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Penarol is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Leonardo Fernández 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Franco González

Marked 9.39 — 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.

Match

Lucas Carrizo the difference as Penarol beat Defensor Sporting

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Lucas Carrizo. 2‑1 against Defensor Sporting, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Lucas Carrizo

Marked 8.72 — 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.

Squad

Facundo Batista 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 Facundo Batista trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Squad

No hiding place for Paulo da Costa

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Paulo da Costa, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Renzo Cupla never got going

5.56 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.

In brief

158 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

6 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Nahuel Herrera out for 17 days

The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Nahuel Herrera, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Renzo Cupla is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Penarol is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Penarol

Leonardo Fernández 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 ratings

Alexander Machado runs at them all day

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.

Player ratings

One of those days for Leonardo Fernández

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.83, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Pablo Nongoy signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pablo Nongoy commits to Penarol for another 3 years.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nicolás Sosa

Marked 8.20 — 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.

Match

Leonardo Fernández rescues a point for Penarol

It needed Leonardo Fernández to find the net to bring anything home at all: 3‑3 against Juventud, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

Market

Penarol and Nicolás Sosa are talking past each other

“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.

In brief

154 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

9 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Penarol's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Penarol has to find a result from somewhere.

Market

Penarol turn down Tacuarembo for Facundo Balatti

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Jonathan Cañete 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 Penarol can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Paulo da Costa keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Penarol may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Renzo Cupla has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Penarol they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Player ratings

Alexander Machado runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Rodrigo Martínez is a Penarol player

The fee is $690.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Nacional drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Squad

Washington Aguerre signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Washington Aguerre commits to Penarol for another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Penarol

Leonardo Fernández 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.

In brief

148 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

28 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Cup progress for Penarol

A 1‑0 win over Colon, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?

Market

Nicolás Retamar 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 Penarol, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Sergi Oriol shuts the door

Defensive actions: 31, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Andrés Madruga

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 30 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Market

Only the photograph left for Matías González

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Matías González will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Penarol the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Penarol lose Leandro Umpiérrez

47 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Leonardo Fernández 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

6 unbeaten for Penarol

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Penarol did not have in the autumn.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Lorenzo Couture

Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

144 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

30 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Andrés Madruga 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 Penarol can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Matías González has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Penarol they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

No end in sight to Penarol's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Penarol has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Tempers go at Penarol

Renzo Cupla 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 ratings

Nobody could get near Facundo Batista

Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

One of those days for Eduardo Darias

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.03, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Nicolás Fernández shuts the door

Defensive actions: 18, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Darlvin Yeboah

“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.

Squad

Nicolás Sosa suspended

One booking too many, and Nicolás Sosa sits out. Penarol lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.

In brief

143 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

23 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

4 matches without a win for Penarol

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Penarol are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Costly mistake from Washington Aguerre

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Washington Aguerre knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Match

Juventud take the points off Penarol

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Eduardo Darias

“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.

Squad

Renzo Cupla 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Alexander Machado runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

Nahuel Herrera in the eights

A performance of 8.07 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Boardroom

Doors closed at Penarol

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

Squad

Nicolás Retamar 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 Nicolás Retamar trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

142 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

16 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Leonardo Fernández runs at them all day

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.

Match

Whatever happens, Penarol 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.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Alexander Machado

Marked 8.96 — 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Penarol

Renzo Cupla 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.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Nicolás Sosa

“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 ratings

Leandro Umpiérrez in the eights

A performance of 8.15 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Alexander Machado rescues a point for Penarol

It needed Alexander Machado 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.

Squad

Eric Remedi 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 ratings

The one thing Nicolás Sosa could not do

Shots: 9, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

In brief

139 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

26 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Facundo Batista runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

One of those days for Nahuel Herrera

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Match

Penarol find a way past Montevideo City Torque

Montevideo City Torque made Penarol work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

Renzo Cupla in the eights

A performance of 8.28 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Pablo Nongoy 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Costly mistake from Washington Aguerre

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Washington Aguerre knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

In brief

138 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

19 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Penarol

Renzo Cupla 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.

Match

Penarol find a way past Nacional

Nacional made Penarol work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

Eduardo Darias in the eights

A performance of 8.01 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Eric Remedi 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.

Player ratings

Nahuel Herrera shuts the door

Defensive actions: 18, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Nicolás Fernández

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 15 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

In brief

137 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

12 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Washington Aguerre

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.

Squad

Facundo Batista: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Penarol have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

No end in sight to Penarol's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Penarol has to find a result from somewhere.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Leonardo Fernández

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Alexander Machado

Marked 8.98 — 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.

Squad

Renzo Cupla 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Penarol lose Facundo Álvez

15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

Penarol share the spoils with Progreso

A 1‑1 draw with Progreso leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Player ratings

The one thing Nicolás Sosa could not do

Shots: 8, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

In brief

136 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

5 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Andrés Madruga asks to leave Penarol

“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.

Market

Matías González has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Penarol they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Market

Eduardo Darias 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 Penarol hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Eduardo Darias signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Eduardo Darias commits to Penarol for another 3 years.

Match

4 matches without a win for Penarol

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Penarol are no longer polite ones.

Match

Leandro Umpiérrez’s goal not enough for Penarol

Leandro Umpiérrez scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑3 to Wanderers, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Washington Aguerre

“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.

Squad

Tempers go at Penarol

Renzo Cupla 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 ratings

One of those days for Leandro Umpiérrez

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.59, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

135 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

26 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Only the photograph left for Javier Cabrera

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Javier Cabrera will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Penarol the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Penarol

The unbeaten run reaches 9. 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 ratings

Nobody could get near Leonardo Fernández

Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Nahuel Herrera

Marked 8.96 — 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.

Squad

Renzo Cupla 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Nicolás Sosa 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.

Match

Penarol share the spoils with Racing

A 1‑1 draw with Racing leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Nahuel Herrera finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Penarol have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Player ratings

Nicolás Sosa keeps on missing

Shots: 10, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

In brief

123 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

4 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Penarol turn down Deportivo Maldonado for Alexander Machado

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Remember the name: Daniel Aguirre

He is 19, he is averaging 6.68, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.

Market

Eduardo Darias 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 Penarol hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Nahuel Herrera signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Nahuel Herrera and Penarol agree another 5 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Penarol

Nahuel Herrera 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.

Loan watch

Renzo Cupla counts the days

“I watch every Penarol game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Emirates Club runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

119 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

6 Nov 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Loan watch

Renzo Cupla wants to come home

“I did not go to Emirates Club to sit and watch. I want to come back to Penarol and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.

Squad

No hiding place for Andrés Madruga

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andrés Madruga, and the manager let it.

Loan watch

The goals keep arriving from Stiven Muhlethaler’s exile

3 goals in 28 games at Montevideo City Torque — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Penarol updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.

In brief

115 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

9 Oct 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Franco Escobar signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Franco Escobar and Penarol agree another 2 years.

Squad

Alejo Macelli 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Loan watch

Renzo Cupla counts the days

“I watch every Penarol game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Emirates Club runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

111 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

11 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Penarol count the cost of losing Alexander Machado

45 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Nahuel Herrera 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Loan watch

Renzo Cupla wants to come home

“I did not go to Emirates Club to sit and watch. I want to come back to Penarol and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.

In brief

107 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

14 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Eduardo Darias shuts the door

Defensive actions: 38, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Washington Aguerre

There were 10 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.

Squad

Penarol count the cost of losing Alexander Machado

79 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Player ratings

Nahuel Herrera shuts the door

Defensive actions: 24, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Nahuel Herrera 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Leandro Umpiérrez stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Leandro Umpiérrez and Penarol agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Nicolás Fernández

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

Leonardo Fernández runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Loan watch

Renzo Cupla wants to come home

“I did not go to Emirates Club to sit and watch. I want to come back to Penarol and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.

In brief

102 Edition

The Emirates Club Chronicle

10 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Emirates Club are in real trouble now

Position 12, 25 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.

Market

Alireza Homaeifard 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 Emirates Club can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Emirates Club count the cost of losing Omar Abdulrahman

106 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Tempers go at Emirates Club

Ivo Chaves 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.

Boardroom

Still no name above the door at Emirates Club

Day 9 of the vacancy. Candidates have been priced, sounded out and quietly ruled out — and the caretaker’s win ratio is becoming an argument all by itself.

Squad

No hiding place for Jardel

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jardel, and the manager let it.

In brief

98 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

12 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Still nobody has beaten Penarol

The unbeaten run reaches 11. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Market

Jonathan Cañete is a Penarol player

The fee is $2.7M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Portuguesa drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Squad

Tempers go at Penarol

Nahuel Herrera 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 ratings

Nobody could get near Leonardo Fernández

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

No hiding place for Washington Aguerre

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Washington Aguerre, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

One of those days for Nicolás Sosa

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.34, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Market

Nacional are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Penarol will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Leonardo Fernández is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.29 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Renzo Cupla signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Renzo Cupla commits to Penarol for another 5 years.

In brief

93 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

8 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Nahuel Herrera

Defensive actions: 37. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Eric Remedi shuts the door

Defensive actions: 30, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Washington Aguerre signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Washington Aguerre commits to Penarol for another 2 years.

Squad

Nahuel Herrera 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 Penarol this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Nicolás Fernández

Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Leandro Umpiérrez in the eights

A performance of 9.31 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

71 Edition

The Penarol Chronicle

6 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Penarol say no — this time

The offer from Rampla Juniors for Leandro Umpiérrez 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.

Market

Eduardo Darias 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 Penarol hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Tempers go at Penarol

Luis Miguel Ángulo 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.

Market

Matías González attracts admirers

The name of Matías González has come up in conversations Penarol were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Nicolás Sosa 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.

Squad

Sebastián Britos signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Sebastián Britos and Penarol agree another 1 years.

In brief