From our football correspondent
Steady
Match2 Jun 2027
A 1‑0 win over General Diaz, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Market7 Jun 2027
The offer from Olimpia for Matías Pérez 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.
Market7 Jun 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.
Player ratings7 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Gastón Giménez: 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.” Cerro Porteno have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Matías Pérez 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 ratings7 Jun 2027
A defender's afternoon for Nelson Gauto
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings7 Jun 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.27, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alexis Martín Arias, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market31 May 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 Cerro Porteno can pretend not to have heard.
Squad31 May 2027
Matías Pérez 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match29 May 2027
Libertad left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad31 May 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Ignacio Aliseda
5 goals and a season average of 7.34 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Loan watch31 May 2027
“I watch every Cerro Porteno game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at General Diaz runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Shots: 9, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Squad31 May 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.
Squad31 May 2027
“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
Steady
Player ratings24 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 34. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad24 May 2027
Matías Pérez 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.
Match22 May 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Jonatan Torres. 2‑1 against General Caballero, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings24 May 2027
A mark of 7.98, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Loan watch24 May 2027
“I watch every Cerro Porteno game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at General Diaz runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Boardroom24 May 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Cerro Porteno now.
Squad24 May 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.
Squad24 May 2027
A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Cerro Porteno lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.
Squad24 May 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Cerro Porteno have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings17 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad17 May 2027
Gustavo Velázquez 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.
Match15 May 2027
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings17 May 2027
A performance of 8.30 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings17 May 2027
A performance of 8.07 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad17 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.
Boardroom17 May 2027
Nobody left the Cerro Porteno 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.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
The terraces17 May 2027
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 May 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 Cerro Porteno can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings10 May 2027
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.
Squad10 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings10 May 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.93, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Shots: 14, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Squad10 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Juan Iturbe
“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.
Match8 May 2027
A 1‑1 draw with Nacional leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad10 May 2027
Alan Soñora is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.24 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad10 May 2027
Sergio Araujo is not enjoying his job description
Played out of position, hooked on the hour, asked to be somebody he is not — the details vary and the mood does not. Cerro Porteno have a player doing his work under protest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 May 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 Cerro Porteno, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad3 May 2027
Matías Pérez 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings3 May 2027
A performance of 9.29 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match1 May 2027
It finished 3‑1, and it was Dmitry Vorobjov’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Cerro Porteno.
Player ratings3 May 2027
A performance of 8.14 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings3 May 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.09, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad3 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.
Squad3 May 2027
5 goals and a season average of 7.34. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Loan watch3 May 2027
“I did not go to General Diaz to sit and watch. I want to come back to Cerro Porteno and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 18 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad26 Apr 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.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 27. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match24 Apr 2027
No end in sight to Cerro Porteno's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Cerro Porteno has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad26 Apr 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Cerro Porteno are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad26 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom26 Apr 2027
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Cerro Porteno now.
Match24 Apr 2027
River Plate left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad26 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.
Boardroom26 Apr 2027
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 Apr 2027
No end in sight to Cerro Porteno's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Cerro Porteno has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Matías Pérez 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 ratings19 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.89, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
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.
Match17 Apr 2027
A 2‑2 draw with Olimpia leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad19 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Luis Amarilla
“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
Steady
Market12 Apr 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 Cerro Porteno, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Dmitry Vorobjov 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
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dmitry Vorobjov, and the manager let it.
Squad12 Apr 2027
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Jonás Rojas, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match10 Apr 2027
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market5 Apr 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 Cerro Porteno can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
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 ratings5 Apr 2027
Defensive actions: 29, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
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.
Loan watch5 Apr 2027
“I did not go to General Diaz to sit and watch. I want to come back to Cerro Porteno and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 14 matches say the rest.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Fabrizio Peralta, and the manager let it.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The captaincy has been taken off Gustavo Velázquez. Cerro Porteno will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad29 Mar 2027
Gustavo Velázquez 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 ratings29 Mar 2027
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.
Boardroom29 Mar 2027
The numbers do not look good at Cerro Porteno
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.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
A performance of 9.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.95, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.14, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Loan watch29 Mar 2027
“I did not go to General Diaz to sit and watch. I want to come back to Cerro Porteno and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Match27 Mar 2027
A 2‑2 draw with Sol de America leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad29 Mar 2027
4 goals and a season average of 7.25. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
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.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
A performance of 9.17 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match20 Mar 2027
It finished 2‑1, and it was Ignacio Aliseda’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Cerro Porteno.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.79, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Marked 8.28 — 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Juan Iturbe
“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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Sergio Araujo 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 Cerro Porteno, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 Mar 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 Cerro Porteno, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Dmitry Vorobjov 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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Alexis Martín Arias knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Match13 Mar 2027
Jonatan Torres scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Libertad, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dmitry Vorobjov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
48 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
A mark of 5.76 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Market15 Mar 2027
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Tobías Marecos leaves Cerro Porteno the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match6 Mar 2027
General Caballero will want this one forgotten quickly: 4‑1, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Cerro Porteno were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Market8 Mar 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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Gustavo Velázquez and Cerro Porteno agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
A performance of 9.42 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
A performance of 9.03 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Marked 8.86 — 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.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Marked 8.26 — 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.
Squad8 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
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.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Cerro Porteno know it.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Dmitry Vorobjov 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.
Boardroom1 Mar 2027
The numbers do not look good at Cerro Porteno
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.
Match27 Feb 2027
Beaten 2‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gustavo Velázquez, and the manager let it.
Boardroom1 Mar 2027
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.
Loan watch1 Mar 2027
“I watch every Cerro Porteno game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at General Diaz runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The terraces1 Mar 2027
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad22 Feb 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match20 Feb 2027
Whatever happens, Cerro Porteno 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 ratings22 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
A performance of 8.81 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad22 Feb 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.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Match20 Feb 2027
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Cerro Porteno, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad22 Feb 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Market15 Feb 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 Cerro Porteno can pretend not to have heard.
Match13 Feb 2027
4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Dmitry Vorobjov 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.
Match13 Feb 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Jonatan Torres. 3‑1 against General Diaz, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Dmitry Vorobjov
“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 ratings15 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.75, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.75, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
Marked 8.49 — 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.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match6 Feb 2027
4‑0, and Matías Pérez took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Cerro Porteno tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
There were 6 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.
Market8 Feb 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 Cerro Porteno can pretend not to have heard.
Match6 Feb 2027
Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Cerro Porteno have 3 straight wins of it.
Squad8 Feb 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
A performance of 10.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.33, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad1 Feb 2027
Dmitry Vorobjov 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 watch1 Feb 2027
“I watch every Cerro Porteno game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at General Diaz runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Alexis Martín Arias trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Cerro Porteno, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Alan Soñora keeps his manager's vote
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Alan Soñora plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
In brief
-
Squad
Matías Pérez is training like a man with a point to make
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market18 Jan 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Dmitry Vorobjov 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
The medical room confirms 115 days on the sidelines for Jonás Rojas, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad11 Jan 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Cerro Porteno have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market11 Jan 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 Cerro Porteno, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad11 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market4 Jan 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.
Market4 Jan 2027
The offer from General Caballero for Lucas Quintana 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Dmitry Vorobjov 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 Jan 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Juan Iturbe and Cerro Porteno agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad4 Jan 2027
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Cerro Porteno has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Boardroom4 Jan 2027
$6.0M a year onto the Cerro Porteno books
A new partner, a signature and a photograph nobody will remember. It funds a fortnight of wages, which is more than most headlines on this page can say for themselves.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market28 Dec 2026
The fee is $3.5M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Lokomotiv Moscow drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Market28 Dec 2026
“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 Cerro Porteno, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market28 Dec 2026
Tobías Marecos has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Cerro Porteno they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 136% of everything Cerro Porteno 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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Robert Piris Da Motta, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market21 Dec 2026
“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.
Market21 Dec 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Gustavo Velázquez 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“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.
Market21 Dec 2026
Libertad are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Cerro Porteno will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market21 Dec 2026
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Harold Santiago Mosquera may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Boardroom14 Dec 2026
They will talk about this season in this town for a long time. The trophy comes home with the squad, and the route is already agreed.
Market14 Dec 2026
“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.
Market14 Dec 2026
The chase for Nelson Gauto ended with $1.2M changing hands and Sportivo Trinidense out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Market14 Dec 2026
The offer from General Diaz for Lucas Quintana 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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market14 Dec 2026
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nelson Eliseche will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Cerro Porteno the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.11, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market7 Dec 2026
River Plate come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Cerro Porteno did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad7 Dec 2026
19 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Gustavo Velázquez 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.
Market7 Dec 2026
Enzo Cabrera has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Cerro Porteno they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market7 Dec 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Cerro Porteno have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad7 Dec 2026
38 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
Wages eat 172% of everything Cerro Porteno 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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Alan Soñora keeps his manager's vote
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Alan Soñora plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market23 Nov 2026
“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 Nov 2026
Gustavo Velázquez 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
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Alexis Martín Arias has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market16 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Cerro Porteno can pretend not to have heard.
Squad16 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market16 Nov 2026
Cerro Porteno have let the market know Jonatan Torres can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Nov 2026
50 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Gustavo Velázquez 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
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at Cerro Porteno that is a harder question to answer.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad2 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
Wages eat 172% of everything Cerro Porteno 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.
Squad2 Nov 2026
The captaincy has been taken off Juan Iturbe. Cerro Porteno will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 Oct 2026
“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.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Gustavo Velázquez 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 Oct 2026
The manager plants his flag on Alan Soñora
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Alan Soñora’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alan Soñora, and the manager let it.
Squad19 Oct 2026
The manager plants his flag on Pablo Vegetti
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Pablo Vegetti’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Oct 2026
Gustavo Velázquez 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 Oct 2026
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Alexis Martín Arias has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market5 Oct 2026
“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 Cerro Porteno, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Wages eat 285% of everything Cerro Porteno 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
Steady
Market28 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Cerro Porteno can pretend not to have heard.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Gustavo Velázquez 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.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Luis Amarilla has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Sep 2026
The manager comes out for Alan Soñora
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Alan Soñora has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
Squad21 Sep 2026
The word out of the training ground is that he has been the sharpest man there all week. It is the quietest story a paper carries and it usually runs the week before somebody's run in the side begins.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Sep 2026
Gustavo Velázquez 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.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“I have started watching training differently.” At 31 he has begun the badges, which is how most of the men in the dugout began.
Squad14 Sep 2026
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Alexis Martín Arias plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match2 Sep 2026
A 5‑1 win over Sportivo Trinidense, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Market7 Sep 2026
“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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.02, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Wages eat 323% of everything Cerro Porteno 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.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 8.71 — 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.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 8.70 — 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.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 8.55 — 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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Fabricio Domínguez, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Aug 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Cerro Porteno can pretend not to have heard.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Matías Pérez 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Luis Amarilla has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 Aug 2026
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Gatito Fernández: 2 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Match19 Aug 2026
A 1‑1 win over River Plate, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Market24 Aug 2026
Boavista come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Cerro Porteno did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Matías Pérez 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 ratings24 Aug 2026
The kick that got away from Juan Iturbe
Twelve yards, a goalkeeper guessing, and it still did not go in. He will take the next one, and every soul in the ground will hold their breath.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad17 Aug 2026
Matías Pérez 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 Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market17 Aug 2026
The shop window has Enzo Cabrera in it
Cerro Porteno have let the market know Enzo Cabrera can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Cecilio Domínguez has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market10 Aug 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Cerro Porteno can pretend not to have heard.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Alexis Martín Arias and Cerro Porteno agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad10 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Cerro Porteno this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market10 Aug 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“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.
Market10 Aug 2026
Still no offer on the table, and Robert Piris Da Motta’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Aug 2026
“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 Cerro Porteno, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Pablo Vegetti and Cerro Porteno agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market3 Aug 2026
The bid was some way short and Cerro Porteno did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Abel Luciatti 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.
Market3 Aug 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Cerro Porteno, another week without a signature from Pablo Vegetti.
Market3 Aug 2026
The clock runs on Abel Luciatti's contract
24 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.