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Uruguay head coach Diego Alonso feels his Qatar 2022 World Cup plans will come into focus with games like Thursday’s 3-0 win over Mexico in Arizona.
Matias Vecino was on target before Edinson Cavani struck twice to help La Celeste cruise to victory against El Tri at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
Five months out from the start of the World Cup, Uruguay will hope to find success in the first major test of the post-Oscar Tabarez era.
For Alonso, matches against sides of a similar quality who will also be there are crucial for him to gauge where his team stands ahead of a Group H tussle with Portugal, Ghana and South Korea.
“We found ourselves [against] a very good team,” he told reporters after the game. “We are also a good team, and we simply played a good game. It is preparation both for us and for Mexico
“The most important thing is six months from now. Surely this game will help me to draw conclusions for the most important event [we] have, which is the World Cup.”
With an impressive performance setting the benchmark for a successful international break, Alonso shot down suggestions Mexico were a weaker opponent due to a lack of Europe-based stars.
“I know the competitiveness, the quality of the soccer players,” he added. “I don’t think [having few players in Europe] is an obstacle, on the contrary.”
