- The ‘Ciudadano’ eliminated Cienciano in a difficult tie — after losing 2-0 in the first leg in Cusco — to reach the CONMEBOL Sudamericana semi-finals for the first time.
- In just their second appearance in the Great Conquest, Montevideo City Torque have already put together the best international campaign in their history and will face Atlético Mineiro for a place in the Final.
Montevideo City Torque had to go through the entire journey to reach the last four of the Great Conquest. First, they overcame Defensor Sporting in the Preliminary Stage before winning Group F, which they shared with Grêmio, Palestino and Deportivo Riestra. They collected 13 points, four wins and 11 goals to secure direct passage to the Round of 16, eliminate Tigre and then, in the quarter-finals, overcome 2003 champions Cienciano.
Marcelo Méndez's side carried that character into the knockout ties. In Victoria, against Tigre, they recorded the first away win in their history against an Argentine opponent in CONMEBOL competitions: Franco Pizzichillo scored the 1-0 winner to give them an advantage heading back to Montevideo. Salomón Rodríguez then starred in the second leg with a brace to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory.
The Uruguayan forward was vital in the quarter-finals. After losing 2-0 to Cienciano in Cusco, the ‘Charrúa’ side responded with a commanding 3-0 home win, with two goals from Salomón Rodríguez and one from Nahuel Da Silva.
Rodríguez also reached seven goals to move among the leading scorers in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Their next challenge will be Atlético Mineiro. In reaching the last four of a CONMEBOL competition for the first time, Montevideo City Torque now have the chance to extend a campaign that has gone from surprise package to history.
Montevideo City Torque in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Results and Schedule
Preliminary Stage
Montevideo City Torque 1-0 Defensor Sporting
Franco Romero, assist by Gonzalo Montes.
Group Stage — Group F
Matchday 1: Montevideo City Torque 1-0 Grêmio
Eduardo Agüero, assist by Esteban Obregón.
Matchday 2: Palestino 0-2 Montevideo City Torque
Salomón Rodríguez, assist by Gonzalo Montes, and Sebastián Gallegos, own goal.
Matchday 3: Deportivo Riestra 2-1 Montevideo City Torque
Facundo Silvera / Juan Cruz Randazzo, twice.
Matchday 4: Montevideo City Torque 1-0 Palestino
Franco Pizzichillo.
Matchday 5: Montevideo City Torque 4-1 Deportivo Riestra
Ignacio Arce, own goal; Jonatan Goitía, own goal; Salomón Rodríguez, assist by Esteban Obregón; and Eduardo Agüero, assist by Facundo Silvera / Alexander Díaz, assist by Jonatan Goitía.
Matchday 6: Grêmio 2-2 Montevideo City Torque
Gabriel Mec and Carlos Vinícius, penalty / Salomón Rodríguez, assist by Facundo Silvera, and Franco Pizzichillo, free kick.
CONMEBOL Sudamericana Round of 16
First Leg: Tigre 0-1 Montevideo City Torque
Franco Pizzichillo.
Second Leg: Montevideo City Torque 2-1 Tigre
Salomón Rodríguez, twice / Valentín Moreno. Montevideo City Torque advanced 3-1 on aggregate.
CONMEBOL Sudamericana quarter-finals
First leg: Cienciano 2-0 Montevideo City Torque (Cristian Souza 28', Maximiliano Amondarain 42').
Second leg: Montevideo City Torque 3-0 Cienciano (Salomón Rodríguez 38' and 57', Nahuel Da Silva 90+2').
Montevideo City Torque Head Coach in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Marcelo Méndez
Marcelo Méndez took charge in July 2025, when the club's first objective was to move away from the battle against national relegation. His impact was immediate: City Torque finished third in the Torneo Clausura, secured their top-flight status and qualified for the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Less than a year later, they won their group ahead of Grêmio and took the club into the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time.
The Uruguayan manager had previously coached Progreso, Danubio, Liverpool and Defensor Sporting, as well as Atlético de San Luis in Mexico and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata in Argentina. He won the 2020 Clausura with Liverpool and lifted the inaugural Copa AUF Uruguay with Defensor.
His side seek to take the initiative regardless of the opposition. They look to play out from the back, push their full-backs forward, press to win the ball back in the opposition half and fill the penalty area with players arriving from different lines. That conviction explained much of their Group Stage campaign and was evident again in the Round of 16, when City Torque defeated Tigre both in Victoria and Montevideo to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory.
The approach also leaves room for adaptation. In the second leg, Tigre began with greater possession and initiative, but Méndez's side remained compact, waited for their opportunities and found the two goals they needed through Salomón Rodríguez in a 2-1 win. They would now face Cienciano in the quarter-finals, with an identity that depends not only on controlling possession but also on understanding what each match requires.
Full Montevideo City Torque Squad for the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Goalkeepers: 1. Franco Torgnascioli - 12. Mathias Aguiar - 13. Matias Rodriguez - 25. Martin Almeida.
Defenders: 2. Brian Gutierrez - 3. Kevin Silva - 4. Valentino Würth - 5. Franco Pizzichillo - 6. Nahuel Leivas - 15. Ezequiel Busquets - 17. Eduardo Agüero - 21. Nicolas Perez - 22. Benjamin Garcia - 24. Gary Kagelmacher - 26. Facundo Silvera - 27. Jose Taran - 30. Juan Quintana - 33. Jean Lopez - 34. Fabricio Silveira.
Midfielders: 8. Pablo Siles - 14. Bautista Kociubinski - 20. Gonzalo Montes - 23. Lucas Dure - 28. Alexander Silvera - 32. Sebastian Caceres - 35. Ignacio Melian - 36. Alessio Cartagena - 37. Facundo Rodriguez - 38. Lautaro Silveira.
Forwards: 7. Braian Andrade - 9. Salomón Rodriguez - 10. Esteban Obregon - 11. Nahuel Da Silva - 16. Ignacio Molina - 18. Ramiro Lecchini - 19. Diogo Guzman - 29. Facundo Martinez - 31. Yonatan Muñoz.
Montevideo City Torque’s Key Player in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Franco Pizzichillo
Franco Pizzichillo's international campaign can now be viewed as about much more than his goals. He scored against Palestino and Grêmio during the Group Stage and made his mark again in the Round of 16, scoring the 1-0 winner against Tigre in Victoria — Montevideo City Torque's first away victory against an Argentine side in CONMEBOL competitions. That goal took his tally to three in this edition.
His influence stems from his versatility. He can operate as a full-back, wing-back or right midfielder, provides width when City Torque dominate and also contributes to the build-up. In the second leg, he was once again decisive when he played a part in the move that ended with Salomón Rodríguez's first goal in the 2-1 victory that sealed a 3-1 aggregate win.
At the club since 2018, Pizzichillo also represents a link between different stages of the institution's development. He experienced their first CONMEBOL Sudamericana campaign and is now part of the team that reached the quarter-finals for the first time. At 30, his experience, set-piece ability and knack for making an impact in decisive moments keep him as one of the symbols of the ‘Ciudadano's’ best continental campaign.
Montevideo City Torque’s Top Scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Salomón Rodríguez
Salomón Rodríguez is Montevideo City Torque's top scorer in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, with five goals. He had scored three during the Group Stage — against Palestino, Deportivo Riestra and Grêmio — before adding a brace against Tigre at the Estadio Centenario in the Round of 16.
The 26-year-old forward returned to Uruguayan football on loan from Colo-Colo after spells with Rentistas and Godoy Cruz. At City Torque, he regained regular playing time and confidence, carrying that resurgence onto the continental stage: his two goals in the second leg against Tigre allowed the ‘Ciudadano’ to win 2-1, seal the tie 3-1 on aggregate and reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
His contribution goes beyond finishing. Rodríguez occupies centre-backs, provides a long outlet when the side need to beat the press and creates space for midfielders arriving from deeper positions. Against Cienciano, he would arrive at the tie in the best form of his campaign, having become the main attacking reference for a side that had already put together the most important international run in their history.
Montevideo City Torque’s X-Factor in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: Eduardo Agüero
A product of the club's youth academy, Eduardo Agüero has made the CONMEBOL Sudamericana his stage for a continental breakthrough. The 22-year-old defender started all six Group F matches and scored twice: the historic 1-0 against Grêmio at the Centenario and the final goal in the 4-1 victory over Deportivo Riestra.
Agüero can play as a right-back, wing-back or centre-back. His power allows him to cover ground quickly and support attacks without losing his presence in defensive duels. In a system that requires the full-backs to contribute to the build-up and get forward into the opposition box, his energy remains an important tool for Marcelo Méndez.
Agüero can play as a right-back, wing-back or centre-back. His power allows him to cover ground quickly and support attacks without losing his presence in defensive duels. In a system that requires the full-backs to contribute to the build-up and get forward into the opposition box, his energy remains an important tool for Marcelo Méndez. In a versatile team that demands adaptation to very different contexts, Agüero's ability to contribute both defensively and offensively gives the ‘Ciudadano’ a valuable option.
Montevideo City Torque’s History in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana
Their international debut came in the 2021 CONMEBOL Sudamericana. They shared Group B with Independiente, Bahia and Guabirá, lost just one of their six matches and finished second with 11 points. The campaign included two 4-0 wins over Guabirá and a notable 4-2 victory against Bahia in Brazil, but only the group winners qualified under that edition's format.
In 2022, they took another step by making their CONMEBOL Libertadores debut. They drew 1-1 with Barcelona of Guayaquil in Montevideo and 0-0 in Ecuador before being eliminated after a lengthy penalty shoot-out.
The 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana represents their third international campaign and is already, by a considerable margin, the best in their history. After overcoming Defensor Sporting, winning a group containing Grêmio and qualifying for the Round of 16 for the first time, they eliminated Tigre with victories both in Argentina and Montevideo, sealing a 3-1 aggregate win.
City Torque therefore reached the quarter-finals of a CONMEBOL competition for the first time and made history once again in an epic tie. They lost 2-0 to Cienciano at the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Stadium, but showed character and authority in the second leg, overturning the tie with a 3-0 victory and giving themselves reason to dream of extending their remarkable run. Their next opponents will be Atlético Mineiro in the semi-finals. For an institution that is yet to celebrate its 20th anniversary, reaching the last four of the continent already represents another foundational chapter.
