The Nacional Sentinel
Boardroom10 Aug 2026
Jesús Alvarenga will join Nacional for nothing
The paperwork is done long before the player is. Jesús Alvarenga has agreed terms to come here when his current deal runs out, which means Nacional have spent a summer's transfer budget on a phone call.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Nacional
Sebastián Vargas 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.
Market10 Aug 2026
Nacional promote Gustavo Cardozo from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Gustavo Cardozo has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Santiago Caceres joins the Nacional first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Santiago Caceres is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Adrian Lopez joins the Nacional first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Adrian Lopez is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
Cristian Balbuena steps up from the Nacional academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Cristian Balbuena has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Squad Alejandro Samudio falls out with a teammate over standards
- Squad Thomás Gutiérrez still has not settled
- Squad Competition arrives for Orlando Gaona Lugo
- The dugout The manager comes out for Joel Figueredo