Three Uruguayans shine in Copa Sudamericana 2026 round of 16 team of the week

Three Uruguayan passports made their way into the team of the week for the first leg of the round of 16 in the Copa Sudamericana 2026, the lineup CONMEBOL itself picked after reviewing the round's matches. The tournament organizers put together the list, and this time around it comes with a special flavor for Uruguayan fans: Franco Pizzichillo, Alejandro Hohberg and Gaston Olveira all made the cut among the standout players of the round.

Let's start with the one who probably provided the biggest surprise. Montevideo City Torque pulled off a crucial result on the road against Tigre in Victoria, winning a tight 1-0. The goal came from Pizzichillo, who in addition to scoring was named one of the midfielders on the team of the week for his work at both ends of the pitch. That's no small thing for a club that needs results like this to keep alive its dream of advancing in a tournament that keeps getting tougher.

On the other side of the podium is Gaston Olveira, the goalkeeper for Paraguay's Olimpia, who was the standout in a 0-0 draw against Vasco da Gama. Keeping a clean sheet against a Brazilian side of that caliber, and on the road no less, carries plenty of merit on its own. Olveira came up with crucial saves whenever "El Decano" needed him most, and that steadiness between the posts is exactly what earned him a spot on the list.

The third Uruguayan is Alejandro Hohberg, though he's been playing for Peru's Cienciano for quite some time now. He was one of the standout figures in the Cusco side's rout, a resounding 6-1 win over Botafogo at Estadio Garcilaso de la Vega. That result didn't just put Cienciano into the conversation for this stage, it also landed several of its players on the team of the week: alongside Hohberg, Marcos Martinich, Neri Bandiera and Matias Succar all made it in, each of them a protagonist on an afternoon to remember in Cusco.

The rest of the team of the week

Rounding out the lineup are Robert Arboleda (Sao Paulo) and Willian Arao (Santos) in defense and midfield, along with Santiago Ascacibar and Leonel Flores, both of Boca Juniors, and Tomas Cuello, of Atletico Mineiro. It's a lineup that blends continental heavyweights with unexpected protagonists from this first leg of the round of 16, which is nothing unusual in a tournament where any surprise can decide who moves on to the next round.

For the three Uruguayans, the recognition comes at a good moment personally and also serves as a calling card ahead of the second leg of this round of 16, where Montevideo City Torque, Olimpia and Cienciano will look to back up on the field what they already showed in this opening round.