Forty cents a ticket to watch history being made.
Tiny Uruguayan club Defensor Sporting may be the biggest surprise of this year’s Copa Libertadores, and its small-time approach and humble roots are helping it become the darling of South America’s biggest tournament.
The Violetas made history last week when they reached the Libertadores quarterfinals for the first time, eliminating Brazilian power Flamengo in a thrilling series that saw the Uruguayans advance 3-2 on aggregate. Defensor’s win was the most surprising in a round of 16 filled with upsets, particularly as it hammered the Brazilians 3-0 in the first leg in Montevideo.
The Violetas have never done well internationally, so it’s no wonder their purple jerseys are unrecognizable to even the most devoted soccer fans. In Uruguay, most people are amazed at just how well the team is playing and the unprecedented media coverage it is receiving. Even the players are somewhat surprised.
“In the beginning, we didn’t think we’d go too far,” says star striker Carlos Morales. “[But we still] concentrated on trying to play as well as possible. Only after the matches went passing by, we started to realize what we were doing.”
Defensor has come into nearly every one of its Libertadores matches as the underdog, but it has been able to stick to its game plan: press throughout the entire 90 minutes while creating scoring opportunities.
Thrashing clubs such as Gimnasia La Plata and Flamengo has already given Defensor instant prestige. But a victory over Grêmio in the quarterfinals (the first leg is Wednesday night) and a possible semifinal showdown with Boca Juniors or Libertad will make the Violetas an even bigger surprise than the Once Caldas side that went on to win the Libertadores in ’04.
“Today, all of us have the possibility to enter the club’s history books for being the team that has gone furthest in the Copa,” Morales says. “It will be nice to keep on advancing, but we have already surpassed all expectations, and the years will pass by and people will still be talking about us.”
Consider Defensor the little club that could. The team’s hardcore fan base is barely 10,000 strong, and slashing ticket prices to less than a dollar recently was the only method that would guarantee some kind of revenue (much of the proceeds went to a local children’s hospital). Since then, Defensor has been averaging more than 20,000 fans for home games, many of whom have been unaffiliated fans who just want to watch soccer.
Even though ticket prices have doubled since the promotion (Defensor was fined by the South American federation for breaching the minimum-sales rules), the club is expecting an attendance of more than 40,000 for the Grêmio quarterfinal. A victory could set the Montevideo club on its way to becoming a bigger regional power. For a club that plays at a tiny stadium more famous for the adjacent theme park, that’s the biggest achievement of all.
In its 94-year history, Defensor has only won three league titles and, despite having competed at the top level on several occasions, has won nothing internationally. Not surprisingly, the club has produced only a handful of players that have done well in Europe, with former Sevilla trio Darío Silva, Nicolás Olivera and Federico Magallanes the most well-known.
Perhaps more important, Defensor’s success in this year’s Libertadores — as well as that of its Montevideo rival, Club Nacional de Football, also a quarterfinalist — confirms that Uruguayan soccer is back on the rise. Both clubs’ runs in the tournament have had a positive effect on the Uruguayan league as well, which has attracted more interest this season than in previous years.
But for Defensor, winning the public’s heart and proving small clubs can succeed is one thing. The only way the Violetas will be able to continue their progress is by not stopping here. Right now, they’re the revelation of the Copa Libertadores — but a semifinal appearance will let them start dreaming of the title.
Gregory Sica
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