It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, really. It’s a sort of stock answer, though it seems to resonate a bit more when you consider the source.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez told the press Friday his team would not simply lie down against Germany in the World Cup third-place game (Saturday, 2:30 p.m. EDT, ABC) after falling to Holland in the semifinals.
“This is a very difficult game,” he said. “Yes, fourth position is not the same as others, but we will go in with the same commitment and enthusiasm as we did in the encounter against Holland. We have no assurance that we will win, but we will prepare ourselves to fight to the death.”
But then, is that really news? Surely it would have been bigger news had he said otherwise. Yes, it’s “only” the third-place game. Yes, there’s disappointment about losing the semifinal.
But come on. Of course Uruguay were going to fight. After all, in a country prideful in its football the way Italians are prideful in pasta, Germans prideful in efficiency, Americans prideful in pride, La Celeste are prideful in La Garra – the will to win, the desire to work, the willingness to fight to the death (the full phrase, Garra Charrua, literally means Charruan Claws. The Charruans were an indigenous Uruguayan people said to be brave in the face of all odds).
Uruguay, the world’s first true soccer power, seemed to have lost its way. Gone were the artful, flowing moves, the short passing, the technical ability. La Garra transformed – devolved? – from spirit and verve and desire to violence and bullying and strong-armed tactics. La Celeste hadn’t reached a World Cup semifinal since 1970 and didn’t even qualify for three of the last four Cup finals.
But this year’s team, led by Tabarez – nicknamed The Teacher – arrived in South Africa having seemingly found La Garra again. Led by the tournament’s most prolific front line – Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez – and a resolute, organized defense, La Celeste overcame great odds, finished atop of Group A, beat South Korea in the round of 16, outlasted Ghana in one of the more dramatic quarterfinals you will ever see before finally falling to the Netherlands in the semifinals.
If there were any doubts Uruguay had rediscovered La Garra, the quarterfinal against Ghana eased them. One can certainly argue the cynicism of Suarez’s famous last-gasp, two-handed swat off the line, but to me, that seems to personify La Garra – never say die, do what you can to survive, even if it means becoming, to some small extent, a pariah.
Because in a country whose population is just shy of 3.5 million – a bit less than that of Oregon and nearly on par with that of Los Angeles – you don’t get to the third-place game at the World Cup by showing up. You work. You do what you have to. You play with La Garra.
And make no mistake, it will be needed if La Celeste are to take third. Germany, who may be without leading scorer Miroslav Klose but will be boosted by the return from suspension of Thomas Mueller, were the tournament’s in-form team until running into Spain and Carlos Puyol’s 1980’s hair-metal perm. No one in the Germany camp is thrilled with losing its own semifinal, but does anyone really expect the Germans to just roll over?
Uruguay may have to do without the talismanic Forlan – who, with apologies to Wesley Sneijder and David Villa, may well have been the tournament’s best player. The Atletico Madrid striker picked up a thigh strain late in the semifinal against the Netherlands and his status is uncertain.
Not uncertain is status of Suarez who will be welcomed back after his suspension and will undoubtedly be ready to go.
“Now what's left is to play to the death for third place,” Suarez said. “Because we know we've had a great World Cup, we don't want to just make do with being among the top four. For this squad, the World Cup is not over yet.”
There is a phrase in Uruguay: “Other countries have their history, Uruguay has its football.”
It’s time to add another chapter to that story.
Support the side as they finish the World Cup strong. Get your Uruguay World Cup kit.
