Chase Stadium hosted an exciting international friendly between Uruguay and Guatemala on Sunday, September 1. The promoter JA Masters Events brought both teams together for the first time in nine years at the home of Inter Miami CF, with the fixture resulting in a thrilling 1-1 draw.
The Uruguay national team, coached by Diego Perez, took to the field in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation with captain Guillermo de Amores between the sticks; Franco Pizzichillo, Hugo Magallanes, Lucas Monzon, and Diego Romero in defense; Luciano Cosentino, Santiago Cartagena, and Gonzalo Larrazabal in midfield with Franco Catarozzi as the playmaker; while Lucas Pino and Matias Fonseca led the attack.
Guatemala, on the other hand, presented a 5-4-1 formation with Nicholas Hagen in goal; Allen Yanez, captain Jose Pinto, Kevin Ruiz, Oscar Castellanos, and Jonathan Franco forming the defensive line; Kevin Ramirez, Alejandro Galindo, Carlos Mejia, and Elmer Cardoza in midfield; with Jose Martinez as the lone forward.
Just before the match began, a tribute was paid in memory of Juan Manuel Izquierdo Viana, where the stadium united in a minute of silence in solidarity with his family and loved ones.
Uruguay opened the scoring in the 21st minute after a great cross from Romero found Fonseca’s head, but his attempt was denied by Guatemala goalkeeper Hagen. Pino then capitalized on the rebound to give La Celeste a 1-0 lead. This margin remained for the rest of the first half.
In the 22nd minute of the second half, the Chapines equalized the match after a fantastic play finished by substitute Pedro Altan to level the score at 1-1.
Ten minutes later, Erick Lemus was denied by the crossbar after a great effort by the Guatemalan attacker.
The 1-1 scoreline then remained unchanged, with the fourth encounter between these nationals teams finishing in a draw.
The friendly became the sixth international friendly match at Inter Miami’s world-class home in 2024. The most recent event prior to last Sunday’s matchup was RB Leipzig’s win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in August.
