World Cup Qualifying

And now Costa Rica's Azofeifa is off with a 2nd yellow. Costa Rica is up against it now.

1-0 for Uruguay it ends. A pretty ragged game, perhaps in part due to the artificial surface in Costa Rica but despite the lack of aesthetics it is an important win for Uruguay. Hard to see them losing this lead to a Costa Rican team who have trouble winning on the road. After the win in Ecuador on the penultimate day of qualifying followed by this victory, Uruguay are becoming an effective road team.

Uruguay did lose twice at home in South American qualifying but those were to Argentina and Brazil. Costa Rica won away to Trinidad in their qualifying and drew away to the US, othwrwise their road record was not too enviable. With the one goal lead Uruguay can do what it does best, sit back absorb pressure and look to attack it's opponent on the break. It is looking very good for the celestes.

Uruguay's pressing took Costa Rica out of the game as the Ticos never looked comfortable. Uruguay were not brilliant but their game plan worked on the narrow and fast artificial surface.

And the artificial surface was made even quicker by the rain which fell in San Jose, Costa Rica. Saprissa stadium has a poor quality artifical turf and frankly I think it hurts Costa Rica, a team with plenty of skilled players, almost as much as it effects their opponents.

Here is the lineup Uruguay is expected to use tomorrow night against Costa Rica:

Fernando Muslera; Andrés Scotti, Diego Lugano y Diego Godín; Maximiliano Pereira, Diego Pérez, Sebastián Eguren y Alvaro Pereira; Nicolás Lodeiro; Luis Suárez y Diego Forlán.

That would be Scotti in for Victorino in defense, Perez in at central midfield and Maxi Pereira on the right as a wing back as the changes from game one.

Costa Rica's expected team:

Keilor Navas; Michael Barrantes, Luis Marín, Michael Umaña (por Gilberto Martínez); Celso Borges, Cristian Bolaños, Walter Centeno, Roy Miller y Esteban Sirias; Brian Ruiz y Alvaro Saborio

Bolaños, for me the Ticos best player in the first game coming in off the bench, likely will play in place of the suspended Azofeifa and Umaña will play for the injured Martinez.

I've been reading the comments here about Uruguay sitting back and looking to counter, well I disagree, I think the celestes need to go after Costa Rica early, use the emotional push from the crowd and get an early goal which could decide the eliminatoria right there. being too cautious is what hurt us at home against Argentina, this team needs to take the play to Costa Rica.

I too think Bolaños along with his midfield partners Centeno and Borges are going to be key for Costa Rica. In game 1 for all of the reasons stated here, they were effectively taken out of the game but tomorrow they will need to produce in order for Costa Rica to have success. They're skillful players but they will need to deal with Uruguay's physical pressing in midfield.

Costa Rica has some pretty good team speed which they had difficulty exploiting on the wet and fast surface at home, this will be their chance away from home to try and use that speed. If as El Profe writes Uruguay comes at the Ticos, then that speed can be a useful weapon against them.

It was not easy but Uruguay became the 32nd team in the World Cup after tying 1-1 with Costa Rica. Uruguay advances with a 2-1 aggregate. A much better game than the first leg with some good action. Strong game from Keylor Navas in Costa Rica's goal as Uruguay put the Ticos under a lot of pressure, especially from the young playmaker Lodeiro who played well. But it was 0-0 at the half and sub Sebastian Abreu, on for Luis Suarez, headed in Uruguay's vital goal. Minutes later a shot rebounded off a Uruguayan and fell to Bryan Ruiz who first timed it from the edge of the penalty area to tie the game. After that both teams had opportunities for a 2nd goal which would have been the cherry on the cake for either team but the fact none came made the game tense to the final whistle. Good effort by Costa Rica but over both legs Uruguay were the better team.

A pretty entertaining game. Costa Rica did play better than they did at home but Uruguay were the better team and Lodeiro really does look like an exciting talent, maybe Uruguay's best enganche since Alvaro Recoba? By the wa it was Walter Centeno not Bryan Ruiz who got Costa Rica's goal, the announcers wrongly credited it to Ruiz. Abreu is a perfect guy to have come in off the bench in situations like this. Uruguay were having trouble with the final pass tonight but they send on Abreu who with his strength in the air gave the team a new look. Not exactly what you want for 90 minutes but perfect as a late game change of style.

Forlan, Suarez and Lodeiro will be a fun attacking trio to watch next year in South Africa.

Good point about Abreu as a late game sub to change the complexion of a game. Like rosarino I think when Abreu starts he throws Uruguay's attack off as they tend to try and hoof it up to him instead of playing it on the ground which better suits their other players. But yesterday midway through the 2nd half was the perfect opportunity to throw him on and he did change the game.

Poor Costa Rica, 1 or 2 minutes from directly qualifying last month in Washington DC against the United States then Jonathan Bornstein ties the game up for the US in injury time, knocking Costa Rica out of direct qualifying, sending Honduras to the World Cup instead and requiring the Ticos to play this home and home series against a battle hardened Uruguay.

Then again look at Ecuador, who gave up an injury time penalty to Uruguay in their penultimate qualifying game, a penalty which eventually meant Uruguay, not Ecuador, were involved in this playoff series.

These examples show how much qualifying can hinge on a single moment.

Like any sport futbol is about seizing the moment, Uruguay did that last night and earlier against Ecuador, Costa Rica were unable, either in this series or in the second half against the US. So the team which at the halfway point of qualifying was leading the CONCACAF qualifying and which was 2 minutes from booking a ticket to South Africa when playing against the US are out. Costa Rica are not a bad team but they self destructed and were forced into this playoff against Uruguay.

Overall I do not know what to make of this Uruguay team. On their day they can be a very astute team who are difficult to play against. But they also lack consistency and unless this kid Lodeiro comes through, they lack that midfield creator to make their talented forwards click. There is talent to work with and Tabarez is an experienced coach but I think there is a reason why Uruguay were forced into the playoffs and did not qualify directly, to me they are the weakest of South America's 5 qualifiers.

That is a good synopsis of Uruguay, good one day, bad the next. They had difficulty putting Costa Rica away and for all of the praise for Forlan and Suarez they were both ineffective against Costa Rica. Now while the Ticos deserve some praise for that, Uruguay also needs to come in for some criticism for not beating more decisively a Costa Rican team who have been in disarray for the past 4-5 months.

Uruguay needs work if they are to become a team which can advance out of it's group in South Africa.