Federico Viñas– Club America’s dutiful target man
Uruguay have a fine set of burgeoning strikers who will be on the cusps of moves this summer as Matias Arezo, Juan Ignacio Ramirez and Agustin Alvarez Martinez have all made names for themselves in the Uruguayan Primera Division and are subject of interest from clubs in Europe and across South America. Federico Vinas left Uruguay after playing for Juventud in the Uruguayan Second Division, joining Mexican giants Club America, scoring only 27 seconds into his debut against UNAM Pumas. The attacker, only turned 23 this week and could be available for a move this summer as Santiago Solari preferred Henry Martin to him as the Mexican side could have as many as four strikers in their squad for next season.
Vinas has managed to maintain an unerring humility in the peaks and troughs of his earlier career, joining Club America at an earlier stage of his career to blaze a trail to Europe while constantly informing the media that his main focus was committing himself to the Mexican giants. He has also been resolute about the fact that he does not see himself as the heir to Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani’s roles with Uruguay, constantly looking to improve in Mexico above all his ambitions. Under Miguel Herrera, he managed to score 8 goals in 15 games as he has not been a starter under his replacement in Solari while Vinas also has experience with the Uruguayan youth sides and Uruguayan U23 side. Despite not playing as much as he would like and facing a bout with COVID-19 last year which caused him to lose 3 kilos, he has maintained an unyielding work ethic, constantly providing effort whenever he has been called upon be it in Concacaf Champions League appearances or Liga MX cameos off the bench.
Vinas’ size is important in his game as he is a lumbering physical force who is dominant in aerial duels as he loves to rise to head in crosses whenever he is in the box. He also possesses spellbinding technique as he thrives with his back to goal, constantly winning aerial duels to lay-off for teammates, sometimes looking to spin past opposition defenders and drive the ball at the opposition goal. He is a selfless striker that can connect play with delicate touches to teammates in the final third while receiving possession to hold the ball and fashion shooting opportunities for himself. The 23-year-old Uruguayan also has the ability to make well-timed darts past the opposition defensive line as he is a multi-faceted striker who thrives on constantly receiving possession as he is as comfortable on the ground as he is in the air.
Against Necaxa, he scored one of the better goals of his career as it encapsulated his potential as a player as he controlled a lobbed pass at the edge of the box with his back to goal, the Uruguayan striker then kneed the ball forward a few inches to put some space in between him and his marker before turning and firing a strike past the goalkeeper at the near post. The control, the knowledge of space and the instinct for goal as well as the technique is what makes Vinas such an interesting prospect up front. Vinas can be a constant threat in the opposition goal if he is consistently involved in play as under Herrera, there were games where he was isolated from the rest of his teammates in the opposition half as he was not involved in play and did not get many touches on the ball.
In another match against Toluca, he would show off his instinct around the opposition box, as he was barely involved in play but reacted quicker than anyone in the box slot home a rebound from a free-kick to open the scoring. When Vinas is involved in the game, he has the ability to connect play as he can even start counter-attacks by receiving early passes to turn and thread a pass through to a teammate. In a 2-2 draw against Pumas, he received possession to hold the ball up, beat his man and work a pass to Henry who played a pass to Benedetti to strike past the keeper and level the score. The 23-year-old would receive possession again to drive forward on the break, barging his way past a sliding centre-back as dribbled into the box to smash a strike off the near post. Vinas continuously held up possession well and continued to start counters when he turned past opposition defenders to drive forward on the break.
He prefers to remain closer to the nine space but will also act as an attacking conduit with his back to goal, receiving possession and creating chances for himself and teammates. Against Pumas, he regained possession to thread a pass in behind for Martin to have his opportunity smothered by the opposition goalkeeper. He would drop into the midfield line to receive possession, turning out of pressure to drive the ball forward or earn fouls in the opposition half by shielding the ball and goading opposition defenders into bringing him down. He would also drop deep to participate in build-up play to facilitate the transition into counter-attacking moves. Pumas would concede a penalty late in the game for Vinas to step up and equalise from the spot by sending him the wrong way to notch a goal to cap a fine performance.
At home to Atlas, he would continue his ability to drop deep and work lay-offs as that facet of his game as a hold-up player has continued to improve since he joined Club America. He then had a brilliant double movement to find space in the opposition box as he made a run to the near post to stop and find a pocket of space to receive a cross. His size is one of the standout factors of his game but his technique, motor skills and mobility round out his game as a striker as in another instance, he would receive a pass to allow the ball to roll across his body to beat German Conti before driving into the box and smashing a shot off the crossbar with an opportunity that he should have put away. His ability to receive possession with a defender on his back or shoulder to swivel away from his marker and use his strength to fashion a high-quality shooting opportunity for himself is what could make him one of the most intriguing strikers on the market this summer.
His utilizes this turn so frequently that it should be known as the patented ‘Vinas turn’ as his hold-up play is high-level, receiving possession with his back to goal and using his impeccable physique to shield the ball, as well as his quick feet to turn out of a challenge. Vinas would create yet another opportunity for himself as he regained possession to go 1v1 with the opposition goalkeeper and shoot wide with his left foot. In the Apertura Quarter Finals against Chivas Guadalajara, he continued to be a nuisance to the opposition, laying off possession in quick interchanges around the box also missed a header at the back-post. However, he would also show some wastefulness with some opportunities as he had a cut-back deflected before Sebastian Cordova laid off a strike that he hammered over. Vinas will need to be a much cleaner and calmer finisher if he is to fulfil his immense potential as a high-level striker.
Vinas would turn creator as he would his aerial ability to head a cross to Martin who had two opportunities from close range cleared off the line. Benedetti would then create for Vinas with a header from the back-post for the 23-year-old target man to shoot over on the turn. This would symbolise a turn in fortunes for Vinas as Herrera would be sacked and replaced with Solari as the Argentine Head Coach would prefer to use Martin up front. However, Vinas would make the most of some of the meagre opportunities that he would earn, especially with a substitute appearance against Club Leon after a three-month goalscoring drought. Vinas would come on in the 63rd minute but his impact would be felt in the second minute of added time with the game tied at 1-1. He would stoop low to head in a brilliant delivery from Jorge Sanchez to head past the keeper as his goal was initially ticked off for offside but the goal was given after VAR intervention as he managed to win the game for his team.
He would start at home to Cruz Azul as in some situations Vinas is too selfless for his own good, moving out of goalscoring positions to connect play as once the delivery is played into the box, he won’t be in the best position to have a shooting opportunity. He managed to have a header from a corner on goal for what would be his only opportunity on goal for a while. Vinas also received possession to hold the ball up and spin past two players to earn a foul. He would also create an opportunity for a teammate from a lay-off. Vinas’ movement in the box, especially making movements towards the ball from crossing situations would also help him have more goalscoring opportunities. He tends to make his runs into the box and remain stagnant, even if there is a marker in front of him as he can make curved movements in front of the defender to receive crosses at the near post to receive crosses.
A striker with his size and mobility could be deadly in making runs to the near post to finish crossing opportunities. Vinas would receive possession in the channels before holding the ball up, making his patented swivel past an opponent and driving the ball forward to win a foul and earn a free-kick. However, there was another instance where his movement in the box was lacking as a cross was chipped over him and he remained stationary instead of moving into the nice space to get on the end of a flick-on. His double-movement against Pumas and fast-reacting goal against Toluca prove that he is capable of making anticipatory movements in the box but he will need to add this to his repertoire of tricks to really grow into the high-level striker that he is capable of being.
Vinas is not the quickest striker at running in behind but he is capable of making well-timed bursts while using his body to shield the ball and draw fouls from opposition defenders. He is so good at dropping deep at connecting play as his focus could be on dropping into space and not making a run in behind. Against Club Leon, he was on the shoulder of the last man and looking at his teammate, expecting the ball into feet and holding his position instead of shifting his body to the half-turn and making a run in behind. Alvaro Fidalgo made a mazy dribble into the centre as Vinas dropped deep instead of making a short burst in behind. If Vinas made the run in behind, he would have had a shot on goal as with defenders expecting him to drop deep, he can make a small drop into space for his centre-back to push up before swivelling and making a run in behind to receive a pass to create opportunities for himself. If he adds this to his game to become a two-way striker then he will become a more formidable force against opposition defenders.
Despite a lack of minutes in Liga MX action in 2021, Vinas has been a breath of fresh air in the Concacaf Champions League where he has starred in another deep run in the tournament for Club America. Away to Olimpia, he would receive possession in the nine space from Fidalgo to hold up possession and lay-off for a teammate to switch the ball to the right flank. A minute later, Mauro Lainez would receive possession on the right flank to drive the ball forward as Vinas made a fantastic double move to move into space as he started a run to the near post to create some space in between the left sided centre-back and the fullback before backing into the space he created to receive a lob at the back-post and rise for a simple header to put his side in the lead. Such movements in the box to create space for himself could be a hallmark of his game while allowing him to score more goals as this could help him at the next level.
Vinas would then have two knock-downs from long balls to set his side on the attack as his ability to hold off his marker and gently guide the ball to a teammate with his head allows his team to be more direct with routes out of pressure. The 23-year-old striker would then be involved in his side’s second goal as he utilized his movement again as the ball would be in the wide areas so Vinas would dart into the box in the hopes of receiving a cross before moving to the top of the box when the winger back-pass as the ball was played to the wing again for the opposition right sided centre-back to move towards the ball as Vinas backed into the same zone as his partner with ample space in front of him. Vinas then made a dart into space to drag him out of position as the ball was played to his teammate behind who allowed the ball to run across his body to beat the left back and fire past the keeper. Vinas never had a touch on the ball in this sequence but was as crucial to the goal as the player that made the assist.
Against the Honduran side, Vinas would receive possession from a defender to swivel, leaving his marker on the turn before driving the ball into the opposition half and switching the ball. In the next round, at home to Portland with yet another header as Lainez received the ball on the left as he rose high between two opposition markers at the back-post and head past the goalkeeper who was stuck on his line. Vinas would continue his performance to receive possession from the six-space and lay-off to Leonardo Suarez in the ten space. The Uruguayan striker would then carve out a shooting opportunity for himself on the break, receiving a pass from Suarez to allow the ball to roll across his body to shield the ball from the first man to prod the ball forward twice to fake a shot with his left foot to beat two defenders and cut back onto his right foot before hammering the ball over the bar while he was slipping. Vinas would use his movement to create an opportunity for a teammate again with Suarez driving into the box to cut past two players as he cut-back for Vinas who dummied the pass for Richard Sanchez to hammer over.
Despite meagre minutes in 2021, Vinas is impressive as he has continued to work relentlessly and utilize his opportunities well. If Club America decide to sign another striker which has been rumoured this summer then a European club could make a cut-price deal for the Uruguayan striker. His strength in combinations and aerial ability has made him an intriguing player as he can still continue to grow after just turning 23. He can score opportunities from headers as a target man but also has the dribbling ability with his feet to carve out goalscoring chances for himself. He can also win fouls in the opposition half which is key in helping his side progress higher up the pitch and create opportunities from set-pieces. His movement in the box has improved but needs continuous work as his double movements to create space are fantastic but can also be combined with timely near post forays which will further his ability as a nuisance in the opposition box. Another tool that he could add to his toolbox is his ability to recognize space in behind to make runs to receive possession while also showing more composed finishing which could make him a high-level striker. It is also integral to remember that he is a striker that scored in every single round of away legs in the 2019 Apertura for a run that saw Club America fall just short of the Liga MX title.
Club America signed Vinas to a contract till 2024 after an impressive loan from Juventud which proved shrewd as they will definitely make a profit on the Uruguayan front man despite him not being an out and out starter. Brighton and Hove Albion and West Ham United who are on the market for strikers this summer should definitely look to acquire the striker from Club America as he would be the perfect foil for their attacking talents. Eintracht Frankfurt if they lose Andre Silva and Stuttgart if they lose Sasa Kaladjzic should look at Vinas as a replacement as he shares similarities with those two strikers in their aerial ability and hold-up play. La Liga and Serie A clubs could also sign the Uruguayan on a loan with an option to buy deal as there should be a plethora of clubs interested in him this summer as they could groom him into a high-level striking talent with eye-watering short-term to long-term resale value at the age of 23.
