New England Soccer Today

Fagundez Kept On Bench in 0-0 Draw to Brazil

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Diego Fagundez could only watch as the Uruguay U-20s settled for a 0-0 draw to Brazil in Monday’s first hexagonal match of the South American Youth Championship at Estadio Centenario.

Fagundez, who started and went 74 minutes in Uruguay’s 1-0 loss to Venezuela on Saturday, was kept on the bench for Monday’s match by coach Fabio Coito. It was the second time in five tournament matches that the 19-year-old did not see the pitch, with both coming against Brazil.

To date, Fagundez has seen a total of 146 minutes across three appearances (two starts and one substitute appearance) for La Celeste.

The Revolution midfielder, who was born in Montevideo but moved with his family to Massachusetts in 2000, spoke about the decision to choose his native country over his adopted home in a recent report from The Associated Press.

“The moment came when they told me I couldn’t continue because I wasn’t a citizen or a resident,” Fagundez said. “A lot of years passed – so many years – and the situation didn’t change. I was tired of waiting for the United States.”

Uruguay will face Peru for its second hexagonal match on Thursday.

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