Uruguay are hoping to use the Confederations Cup to get back on track. The defending South American champions, who also finished fourth at the 2010 World Cup, have been disappointing since winning the Copa America two years ago in Argentina. But Oscar Tabarez's team have been a major disappointment in World Cup qualifying. Uruguay trail South America's top four teams – Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Chile – by five points and are in danger of failing to qualify automatically for the <a href="gopher://topicL3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL0V2ZW50cy9Gb290YmFsbC9Xb3JsZCBDdXAgMjAxNA==" inlink="topic::L3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL0V2ZW50cy9Gb290YmFsbC9Xb3JsZCBDdXAgMjAxNA==">2014 World Cup</a> in Brazil. Despite an attacking trio of <a href="gopher://topicL3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL1Blb3BsZS9TcG9ydC9Gb290YmFsbC9MdWlzIFN1YXJleg==" inlink="topic::L3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL1Blb3BsZS9TcG9ydC9Gb290YmFsbC9MdWlzIFN1YXJleg==">Luis Suarez</a>, Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan, Tabarez is trying to figure out what has gone wrong. Uruguay failed to win six straight matches in the past year. "We've never gone through such a long period of not getting results," Tabarez said after losing to Chile 2-0 in late March. "We have to figure out what has happened to us, and we have to look at ourselves – each of us." <strong>Uruguay at a glance</strong> <strong>Fifa World Ranking</strong><span> 19</span> <strong>Qualified</strong> as South American champions <strong>Best Confederations Cup result</strong><span> 4th place, 1997</span> <strong>Other major honours</strong> World champions: 1930, 1950; South American champions (15): 1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011; Runners-up: 1919, 1927, 1939, 1941, 1989, 1999 <strong>Coach</strong> Oscar Tabarez <strong>Prospects</strong> The last time Uruguay took part in a major competition in Brazil, outside of the Copa America, they won it and sent Brazil spiralling into a national depression that lasted for days. That was in 1950, when they beat Brazil at the Maracana in front of a world-record crowd of 205,000 to become world champions. It will not be quite the same time this time if they win the Confederations Cup, but at the moment, that is looking unlikely as the South American champions are struggling with form, and face an uphill battle to qualify for next year's World Cup. Follow us
