Nacional Poised For More Than Just Local Success

If I were to say to anyone that Nacional could be close to reliving 1988 all over again after their first half against River Plate this past weekend, people would have described my logic in two words- Northern Lights. Just for the record I found out about it through Google and heard about it from a friend, just needed to put that alibi out there. Seriously speaking after going down 3-0 in a span of 44 minutes, I could understand that they might look at me this way.

They were facing the darlings of Uruguayan football it was obvious that they had no hope. It was obvious that one of the biggest teams in the country was going to once again have to succumb to yet another “small team” belittling them locally. Somehow El Bolso got inspired and ripped six goals past River Plate in a span of 47 minutes. This could have virtually ended the dreams of every River, who outside of their title in 7th division in 2005, have not won a title in 94 years.

Their midweek win against Cienciano saw them through to the knock-out stages where they will face Sao Paulo. Nacional’s mix of veteran leadership with players like Richard Morales, Martín Ligüera, and Diego Perrone are now having to share the stage with youngsters like Bruno Fornaroli, Mathias Cardaccio, and Diego Vera- all of which are making waves and getting the attention from Oscar Washington Tabárez at the national team level. Add to that the combination of both that a player like Nicolás Bertolo, currently on loan from Boca Juniors, brings to the table and there is reason to look at this team as one that could quickly become a protagonist in South America. They proved to everyone in that game that Juan Ramón Carrasco’s side might have been the most explosive, but they were a typical Carrasco-coached side. They exposed the team for not being well-balanced. They proved to the fickle Uruguayan media, that a team does not win titles on style points. They win on the scoreboard. For that performance, they are now on top of the standings in Uruguay, but for them there is possibility that emerged that slowly becomes a reality in the collective consicence of the Bolso faithful.

It’s been 20 years since a Uruguayan side last won the Copa Lib and it was Montevideo’s Tricolor that was the last to win their international double, but they still can’t get carried away and start thinking about those dreams of grandiose proportions. Besides their 3rd round “Tricolor tie”, Peñarol might have something to say about their eventual pretensions.

Both teams run of form in the next few weeks will exponentially magnify their May 11th clash at the Estadio Centenario. They are currently taking up two spots in the Uruguayan Clausura podium, so they know that any little slip up will affect their title hopes. In Nacional’s case that will go twofold. At Parque Central they know that they have that proverbial bird in their hand. Their win against River Plate put them in the driver’s seat domestically. They are patient and know that the prize is well within reach. The problem is that they can see those two sitting on the bush- those are the ones that are much more tempting.

The problem is for Nacional, like any other team in the world, is that they could get wide-eyed, and lose the prize that is currently within their grasp, teasing their fans yet once again.