Brian Ocampo – Nacional’s exuberant winger

Brian Ocampo was born in Florida, Uruguay as he was first spotted by one of Uruguay’s biggest football agencies, the Faro Sports in his early teens. By the time, he turned 16, Nacional organized a friendly with Florida’s U15 team, specifically to assess Ocampo as Nacional’s side would include Emiliano Martinez, Joaquin Trasante, Thiago Vecino and Mathias Laborda who would all progress to the first team. Ocampo would bag the assist for Florida’s youth team in a 2-1 loss as after the game, Nacional would embark on an arduous negotiation with Florida to sign Ocampo as Nacional agreed to pay Florida a sum of money as well as a 10% stake of a future transfer.

The priciest departure from the Uruguayan Primera Division is Liverpool’s acquisition of Sebastian Coates from Nacional for €12 million as that record is likely to be broken this summer with 18-year-old striking sensation, Matias Arezo accruing interest from abroad while Penarol tied Facundo Torres and Agustin Alvarez Martinez to long-term contracts to extract higher fees from suitors. Brian Ocampo has a contract that expires at the end of the year as the player and Nacional are currently negotiating an extension in order to give the 22-year-old winger the opportunity to break Coates’ record as Ocampo has carved out a distinguished career at Nacional. The winger has already accrued 20 assists in the Uruguayan Primera Division, topping the assist charts with 10 assists in 2019 while he has continued to grow as one of the most efficient wingers on the South American continent.

Jorge Giordano included him in the first-team and was crucial development while he has continued to be a star player under Alejandro Cappuccio. Nacional have already sold Santiago Rodriguez to the City Football Group for €3.5 million as Rodrigo Amaral’s move to Rentistas has ensured that Ocampo has grown into Nacional’s main attacking force. Nacional fans were left smarting over the 22-year-old’s lack of minutes in Uruguay’s Copa America campaign, especially after an impressive performance against Argentina before the tournament, as Ocampo’s father took to social media to voice his displeasure over the lack of minutes. Teams from abroad will only need to look at his high-level performances in the Copa Libertadores Group Stage as well as in the Uruguayan Primera Division.

Away to Racing Club in the Copa Libertadores last year, Ocampo threaded a line-breaking pass into Gabriel Neves who delicately touched a pass for Sebastian Rodriguez to drive forward and have a shot on goal. The 22-year-old would prove his strength at weaving past gluts of players out of tight spaces and cutting inside as he constantly beat his man on the flank. In one situation, he weaved past a few players in the box to lay-off a shot for Neves as he was constantly cutting inside to work combinations and have his own shots on goal. Nacional are known for their superior physical conditioning at youth and professional level as Ocampo has a stocky and compact build to match his long quick feet as these tools are tailor-made for beating players and holding off markers.

Ocampo also has pace as once he beats his marker, a little change of pace while help him glide away from an opposition player with the ball at his feet while he has the physique to hold off markers in shoulder to shoulder challenges meshed with great balance and low centre of gravity to twist and turn on a dime. All of these physical and technical traits make him a fascinating winger with a high ceiling as he has a zeal for the game and his defensive duties which is unyielding as he is the winger to watch in South America. Rodriguez would lob a switch ball to Ocampo who squared a pass for a teammate to have a shot saved. Ocampo’s gift also makes him a player who can draw fouls as he skips past players with ease, prodding the ball forward on the outside of his boot while utilizing a lethal change of direction to beat his man when a defender gets close to him. Ocampo finished the game against Racing with 2 chances created from 2 wonderful cut-backs as well as completing 4 out of 7 takeons.

In another Copa Libertadores match against Estudiantes de Merida, he continued to be a menace, bagging an assist after he received a lobbed pass from Felipe Gedoz to square a cross for Thiago Vecino to finish with a simple tap-in. In the home match against Racing, Ocampo played a phenomenal ball to Amaral to work a pass for a fullback who crossed for a Vecino header to be deflected off a teammate and into the net. His stand-out performances have continued into this year’s Copa Libertadores as his statistics would have ballooned in 2020 but a shorter season due to COVID-19 really prevented him from having another stand-out season. At home to Argentinos Juniors, he received possession on the left flank where he faked a cross to force his fullback to flinch as Ocampo began to drive to the by-line before moving the ball to the outside of his left boot where he flicked the ball to cut-past another marker to drive into the box and send a shot wide.

Ocampo would then receive possession on the right flank with a horizontal body shape facing the centre of the pitch allowing the ball to roll across his body to his right foot before flicking the ball past his marker with his left and driving the ball forward and then cutting past another marker to drive the ball inside and threading a pass to the ten space to continue his run and looking to receive possession before he was fouled as he earned a free-kick. When Ocampo receives possession, he tends to change the pace of the game, ratcheting up the tempo to his exuberant and frantic energy, skipping past players and looking to drive the ball at goal as he also possesses a measured final ball and cross which makes him a dangerous counter-attacking conduit. He received possession from the left flank, in the nine space, using his quick feet to shimmy past one marker before cutting the ball back past three Argentinos Juniors defenders and looking to thread a through ball for a teammate that none of the Nacional attackers ran onto.

He would then receive possession on the right flank and lob a cross into the box, onto the head of Gonzalo Bergessio who had a shot saved. He would create another opportunity for the Argentine forward when he regained possession with a tackle on the oppositon defender to drive towards the right by-line and cut-back a cross for Bergessio to mis-kick inside the box. The 22-year-old would bag an assist with a third chance created for Bergessio, as he angled a perfectly curled cross which curved past three defenders and into the stride of Bergessio who took a touch and scored. Ocampo would bag a goal of his own when a Nacional short corner was deflected into his path at the top of the box to half-volley the ball home from the top of the box in what was another tremendous performance from him.

Away to Chilean side, Universidad Catolica in the same tournament, he regained possession on an opposition player’s blind-side to hold possession and play a back-pass to a teammate. He would show more defensive resolve when his right-back pushed out of position for Ocampo to cover him and track an attacker to the by-line and slide to block a cross. Helping his side defensively is a constant in the 22-year-old’s game as he constantly makes interceptions and tackles in the opposition half to drive his team forward or he will cover for his fullback in the defensive side of the game to win possession as once he regains possession, he will constantly look to put his side on the front foot.

Ocampo would then receive possession on the right flank to drive forward and play an accurate cross to Bergessio at the back-post. He would continue with his hunger for his defensive duties, regaining possession deep in his own half to thread an immaculate pass to a teammate to start a counter. Apart from making fine wines, Uruguayan legend, Alvaro Recoba also acts as a coach for the Nacional first-team as this has proved transformative for Ocampo, especially with tutoring him on his set-piece taking as the 22-year-old has become a set-piece threat, being able to cross into the box from free-kicks while also having shots at goal.

After Uruguay’s elimination from the Copa America, Nacional chartered a private flight to bring home Sergio Rochet, Camilo Candido and Ocampo to the team hotel at five in the morning before the Uruguayan Clasico against Penarol which was set to take place at 4:00 PM Uruguayan time. Ocampo was straight into the starting lineup for one of the biggest games of the season against his team’s biggest rivals with less sleep than his teammates. Ocampo began the game by receiving possession in the half-space to turn away from three players before sliding a pass into the ten space. He then received a switch ball with an impeccable first touch as he managed to hold possession and play the ball. He showed his sessions with Recoba were helping him improve as a set-piece taker as he lobbed a free-kick into the box which bobbled off a teammate and into the arms of the goalkeeper.

He then put together a counter-attack after regaining possession through an interception, cutting inside past two players before working a pass to a teammate to continue his run and receive possession in the box to try and cut onto his left foot but he was unable to get a shot away. Ocampo is an entertaining winger to watch as he consistently jumps off the screen as he received possession to turn away from one player then twist away from another two opposition players before he was fouled. He made another interception to drive the ball forward, cut inside and have a pass intercepted as he waited too long before releasing the ball. When Ocampo plays, he will normally switch flanks with whichever winger he is playing with as he has the ability to play on both flanks. He played predominantly on the right before moving to the left where he received possession with a horizontal body shape to flick the ball past his marker and drive the ball forward to poke a pass to a teammate in between the lines.

On the right, he can receive possession and beat his man more seamlessly as he has the options to drive the ball to the by-line or cut inside when he is on the right flank but on the left, he will be more focused on cutting inside onto his stronger foot and connecting play in between the lines. At the beginning of the second-half, he moved to the right flank, receiving possession with his left to put a wonderful cross into the box with his right foot. The 22-year-old would then open the scoring when he received a switch ball on the left flank, using a magnetic first touch to take the ball down before driving into the box while holding off his marker to poke the ball past the keeper and open the scoring in what would eventually be a 2-0 victory.

Ocampo is a winger who turned 22 last month who can play on both flanks and offers so much, not just in terms of efficient dribbling and high-quality crossing but is also adept at holding and passing the ball in the central spaces. The Uruguayan can connect play in the opposition half with brilliant one-touch passing as well as looking to be more creative with his passing as he has an eye for a through ball. He also has the potential to be a set-piece threat as he is a fantastic deliverer of the ball from corners and wide free-kicks while also expertly lofting accurate free-kicks over the wall and around the opposition goal. At the moment, Ocampo willingness to engage in defensive work and ability to drive the ball forward with purpose when he receives possession should provide room for excitement as his ability to hold possession and connect play allows his team to establish a presence in the opposition half. His crossing is superb as well as he can find a target at the back-post, in the centre while he can also cut-back crosses with accuracy as he can drive the ball on the right flank to cross with his stronger right foot with accuracy. Ocampo would thrive on a possession-based team as well as a counter-attacking team as he can receive the ball from switch balls and turnovers to be effective with the latter while also work connections and stretch the pitch to receive the ball in the wide areas to be effective in the former.

His contract ending in December 2021 as he is in talks with Nacional at the moment presents an opportunity for certain teams to negotiate a cut-price deal for a high-level winger with potential and resale value. Clubs like Brentford, Southampton as well as most teams in La Liga and Portugal could acquire him for a bargain fee as would be effective in those systems. At Brentford, he would be a similar winger to Bryan Mbuemo as both players could constantly switch flanks and add a different dimension to the newly promoted side’s attack. At Southampton, Ocampo is strong at pressing the ball as well as being effective with possession after winning turnovers as well as tucking inside to connect play to great effect as he would thrive under Ralph Hasenhuttl. A cut-price fee for a player of Ocampo’s potential and calibre could be too good to turn down.