Many Seattle Sounders fans likely got their first glimpse at rumored transfer target Nicolas Lodeiro on Sunday evening, and what they saw of the Uruguayan No. 10 at first glance was probably not all too impressive.
Lodeiro got the start for Uruguay in their 3-1 Group C loss to Mexico, but he endured a lackluster outing in his 45 minutes on the field, finding himself mostly pushed out of the center of the park, going 9-for-17 passing and completing only three of those passes in or into the final third:
He did have one bright moment, a well-hit through ball for a chance that Edison Cavani was unable to convert (highlighted as a key pass in yellow above), but he was pulled at halftime. His replacement, Alvaro Gonzalez, and fellow playmaker Gaston Ramirez – also a substitute – did not fare much better, in no small part thanks to a strong game plan from Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio.
Given that and some of the other factors at play here, it would be silly to write off this tremendously skilled playmaker after one game.
The most obvious issue is his recent injury. Lodeiro underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus six weeks ago and made a surprising recovery to be available for Uruguay’s Copa America squad when some reports had him missing up to three months.
As a result, he is short on match fitness – prior to Sunday’s game against Mexico, his only playing time since his last club appearance on April 28 came in a 45-minute outing in Uruguay’s warm-up friendly against Trinidad & Tobago on May 27.
Why, then, would Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez choose to play Lodeiro in such an important match?
Simply put, he didn’t have much other choice. The natural like-for-like replacement on Uruguay’s roster, the Southampton midfielder Ramirez, is also recovering from a nasty injury suffered just days after Lodeiro’s, while playing on loan for Middlesbrough. He also played just 45 minutes in the Trinidad & Tobago friendly since the injury occurred.
Add on top of that an injury to Luis Suarez that kept the Barcelona superstar on the bench against Mexico, and it’s easy to see why Tabarez went with Lodeiro with many of his attackers in recovery mode.
With at least two more Copa America matches remaining, not to mention Boca Juniors’ ongoing Copa Libertadores run, Lodeiro is sure to get plenty of opportunities to impress potential suitors. And his fitness will only improve with every match.
