ST. LOUIS — Soccer’s first world champion, Uruguay has a long and illustrious history of being miserable to play against. La Celeste are defensively stout, opportunistic and renowned for their passionate commitment to exploiting every potential advantage.
On Tuesday night, however, Uruguay represented a bit of a reprieve for a U.S. national team that had been stifled four days earlier by Mexico. Yes, the USA managed only a 1-1 draw here at Busch Stadium, extending its winless streak to three games. But after struggling just to cross midfield against Mexico, coach Gregg Berhalter’s makeshift U.S. squad was able to enjoy a bit of sustained and proactive possession—and even create a few good scoring chances—against an opponent that was more willing to sit back and pick its spots.