Uruguay

JOHANNESBURG — One was the hope of its continent. The other was an afterthought on its. One was in the World Cup quarterfinals just four years after first qualifying. The other hadn't been that far in 40 years. So when Ghana met Uruguay on Friday, it wasn't about settling scores or renewing rivalries. It was about two teams trying to keep their fairy-tale runs from ending. And wouldn't you know it? With neither team wanting to go home, they played 30 minutes of extra time tied at 1-1 before Uruguay extended its improbable stay on penalty kicks, sending it on to a semifinal Tuesday against the Netherlands.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A few more Dutchmen have landed on their feet in Cape Town. It was 358 years ago that the city's founder, Jan van Riebeeck, sailed into Table Bay from Holland, set foot on shore and is believed to have said, "This would be a pretty good place to hold a World Cup semifinal one day." On Tuesday, Bert van Marwijk, wholeheartedly agreed. The coach of the Netherlands was in fine spirits following the Dutch team's 3-2 victory over Uruguay that earned it a place in Sunday's final against the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between Germany and Spain.

JOHANNESBURG — There is an undertone of disquiet about the 2010 World Cup. It is difficult to pin down exactly, but the feeling is pervasive and clues to its identity seem to surface daily. It would be too much to blame it on the country's sad and complicated history, but the legacy of apartheid did come into play Wednesday. Readers in Johannesburg awoke to see the headline "History is on Bafana's side" emblazoned across the front page of the Star. The reference was host South Africa's game against Uruguay and also to June 16, 1976, when thousands of schoolchildren in Soweto staged a protest march.

JOHANNESBURG — One was the hope of its continent. The other was an afterthought on its. One was in the World Cup quarterfinals just four years after first qualifying. The other hadn't been that far in 40 years. So when Ghana met Uruguay on Friday, it wasn't about settling scores or renewing rivalries. It was about two teams trying to keep their fairy-tale runs from ending. And wouldn't you know it? With neither team wanting to go home, they played 30 minutes of extra time tied at 1-1 before Uruguay extended its improbable stay on penalty kicks, sending it on to a semifinal Tuesday against the Netherlands.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay -- Word got around after Pedro Riveroli, a poor laborer, sold his kidney to a wealthy merchant, and soon he had other offers. He sold his daughter's kidney to an ailing millionaire and his son-in-law's kidney to a retired teacher.Mr. Riveroli was bargaining away the kidneys of two jobless friends last week when police detained him and 19 others in what may be Latin America's first official crackdown on commerce in human organs.The case, dramatic evidence of the economic desperation reigning across the continent, has set off a debate over the ethics of organ donations in societies plagued by disparities in wealth.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay -- The Tupamaros were among South America's most famous guerrillas, fearless young revolutionaries fighting for social justice.But 17 years after their defeat by the army and six years after becoming a legal political party, they seem dated and out of step -- a fringe group even in a country where the left is gaining political strength.Today, the Tupamaros -- formally known as the National Liberation Movement -- are fighting for their political lives.While former insurgent groups in Colombia, Venezuela and elsewhere have softened their rhetoric and become major political forces, the Tupamaros remain hard-line socialists committed to class struggle and a battle against the United States, which they see as the source of worldwide imperialism.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Standing in the central plaza of the neighborhood of humble homes known as La Teja, an old leftist militant points out monuments in the life of Tabare Vazquez, the local hero favored to win today's presidential election. "That building is La Escuela Yugoslavia, where Tabare went to grade school," said Alvaro Medino, who runs a nonprofit radio station. "Over there is the Arbolito Sports Club, where he started the clinic after his father died of cancer. ... And the night he was elected mayor, this was where we celebrated."

WASHINGTON - The U.S. men's national team began its second phase of preparation for next month's World Cup with a predominantly positive effort in a 2-1 win over Uruguay yesterday in an international friendly before 30,413 at RFK Stadium. After 10 days of training in Cary, N.C., the United States came out for its first live competition since the roster was announced as coach Bruce Arena tries to get the final pieces in place before the team heads to South Korea to face Portugal in its World Cup opener on June 5. On display yesterday was an energized offensive effort from 19-year-old midfielder DaMarcus Beasley, a near-flawless performance from goalkeeper Brad Friedel and a milestone game for veteran defender Jeff Agoos.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Big events often start in small places. The American Civil War was sparked in part by John Brown's raid on a federal arsenal in a West Virginia hamlet named Harpers Ferry; World War I was precipitated by the assassination in June of 1914 of an Austrian archduke in the Balkan province of Bosnia; and the opening naval battle of World War II was waged off the coast of tiny Uruguay. Today, evidence can still be found of that fight of Dec. 13, 1939, between a German pocket battleship and three British cruisers, or at least evidence of its resolution.

FRIDAY'S TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS AFL Chicago@Tampa Bay NFL 8 NASCAR Nationwide Subway Jalapeno 250 ESPN 8 MLB Cincinnati@Cubs WGN-A 2 Orioles@Boston MASN 7 Mets@Washington MASN2 7 Regional coverage MLB 8 Boxing Friday Night Fights ESPN2 11 PGA AT&T National: 2nd round GOLF 2 World Cup Quarters: Brazil...

FRIDAY'S TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS AFL Chicago@Tampa Bay NFL 8 NASCAR Nationwide Subway Jalapeno 250 ESPN 8 MLB Cincinnati@Cubs WGN-A 2 Orioles@Boston MASN 7 Mets@Washington MASN2 7 Regional coverage MLB 8 Boxing Friday Night Fights ESPN2 11 PGA AT&T National: 2nd round GOLF 2 World Cup Quarters: Brazil...

JOHANNESBURG — There is an undertone of disquiet about the 2010 World Cup. It is difficult to pin down exactly, but the feeling is pervasive and clues to its identity seem to surface daily. It would be too much to blame it on the country's sad and complicated history, but the legacy of apartheid did come into play Wednesday. Readers in Johannesburg awoke to see the headline "History is on Bafana's side" emblazoned across the front page of the Star. The reference was host South Africa's game against Uruguay and also to June 16, 1976, when thousands of schoolchildren in Soweto staged a protest march.

For a transportation junkie, one of the great attractions of foreign travel is seeing how other societies handle the universal challenge of getting around. There's almost always something Americans could learn - if we weren't congenitally resistant to ideas that smack of being foreign. A recent vacation with my wife in Argentina and Uruguay wasn't a working trip. The sole purpose of the journey was to have fun - an objective we accomplished to the fullest in two of the most hospitable countries on the planet.

ESTANCIA ANCHORENA, Uruguay --Of all of the Latin American nations President Bush is visiting this week, this one is the smallest, with a population that is half that of New York City. But it has two things that provide a particular draw: a left-leaning president in the region who is still willing to buck the anti-American push of regional strongmen such as President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, and one who has a sprawling presidential retreat that is a cross between Camp David and Bush's Texas ranch.

When Juan Tassano moved his wife, Adriana, and children, Sofia and Mauricio, from Uruguay to the United States, he thought he was prepared for anything. He grew up in Uruguay, and his wife grew up in Argentina. With their upbringings - his in a small town and hers in the city - he believed the two of them had all the bases covered to tackle the U.S. "Being a father in Uruguay is no different than being a father in the United States, but it includes different things in this country," said Tassano, 47. "And no matter where you live, the best way to understand a father is through his children."

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Standing in the central plaza of the neighborhood of humble homes known as La Teja, an old leftist militant points out monuments in the life of Tabare Vazquez, the local hero favored to win today's presidential election. "That building is La Escuela Yugoslavia, where Tabare went to grade school," said Alvaro Medino, who runs a nonprofit radio station. "Over there is the Arbolito Sports Club, where he started the clinic after his father died of cancer. ... And the night he was elected mayor, this was where we celebrated."