The Universitario Popayan Gazette
Squad22 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Universitario Popayan
Yerry Zapata 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.
The dugout22 Nov 2027
No hiding place for Juan Zapata
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Juan Zapata, and the manager let it.
Squad22 Nov 2027
A row about effort at Universitario Popayan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alfredo Barrios was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout22 Nov 2027
Sergio Barrios 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 Sergio Barrios is on it.
The terraces22 Nov 2027
The Alfredo Barrios rumours reach the terraces
What was a back-page link has become a chant, and the chant is not friendly. Universitario Popayan would rather it were settled quietly, and it has stopped being quiet.
The dugout22 Nov 2027
Edwin Gomez knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Universitario Popayan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
In brief
- Market Deportivo Cali send scouts to watch Alfredo Barrios
- Squad Michael Pulisic back in training