South America’s Wrexham? Inside Deportivo LSM, the Messi-Suárez Project Shaking Up the Game | OneFootball

Backed by Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi, Uruguay’s Deportivo LSM faces the formidable challenge of building a start-up professional club into a top-flight team — and doing so sooner rather than later. We sit down with LSM sporting director Sebastián Taramasco to discuss the long-term vision behind Suárez and Messi’s passion project.

The world will soon get to know the name Deportivo LSM, the first-year Uruguayan club backed by Inter Miami stars Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi. Suárez has owned the Luis Suárez Complex since 2018 — a state-of-the-art sporting facility located in Ciudad de la Costa, roughly 20 miles from Montevideo — and turned the coastal compound into a thriving hub of activity.

The complex features multiple soccer fields, including a synthetic turf stadium with a capacity of 1,400 spectators, a 7-a-side pitch for 620 fans, as well as gyms, swimming pools, and other modern facilities.

With more than 3,000 members — a number that surpasses several top-flight clubs in Uruguay — the complex laid the groundwork for Suárez to envision a new club in his homeland. But even legendary goal scorers need partners. So, Suárez, widely considered the greatest Uruguayan player of all time, turned to Messi, his longtime friend and teammate. Together, they officially founded Deportivo LSM in May 2025, with the team competing in Uruguay’s fourth-tier D Division.

Soon after, Sebastián Taramasco was brought on board to lead the sporting side of the project, drawing on his years of experience with one of Uruguay’s giants, Nacional. Taramasco, who was in the middle of a sabbatical when the call came, knew the opportunity was too good to pass up.

Deportivo LSM has the makings of the South American equivalent of Wrexham — with the added star power of Messi and Suárez, who was recently in Uruguay to watch the team’s second-ever professional match.

Adding to the buzz, former Barcelona teammate Andrés Iniesta purchased the broadcast rights to Uruguay’s D Division, aiming to showcase Deportivo LSM to the world through NSN, the agency he co-founded.

The club’s potential is limitless, and as the team takes flight, it promises to be a central story in South American football for years to come.

In a sit-down interview, Taramasco discusses how he became involved, the future plans for Deportivo LSM, and what it takes to build a club from scratch in the challenging economic landscape of Uruguay’s fourth division.

Urban Pitch: As sporting director, how did you react when this project was first presented to you? In Uruguay, starting almost from scratch is no small task. Even though Luis Suárez already had a sports complex, this is another level — turning a club professional.

Sebastián Taramasco: As you said, the first reaction was surprise. I had no idea that Luis Suárez was already moving forward with the idea of professionalizing a club that had existed since 2018 — Deportivo LS. It’s an institution with more than 3,000 members, which is a huge number for Uruguay, and it has first-class infrastructure. But I honestly didn’t know there was an intention to take that step into professionalism.

Luis and I have known each other for years. I worked with the national teams when he was a player, and we reconnected at Nacional in 2022. So, at first, it was about hearing him out. Personally, I was at a stage where I had planned to take a sabbatical year after 24 consecutive years in football — 10 of those at Nacional — but this project changed that plan.

Initially, I got involved informally, lending my experience while I sorted out my personal and professional situation. It happened to coincide with a trip I had scheduled to the United States, where I visited MLS clubs like Inter Miami, Orlando City, Philadelphia Union, and both New York teams. That experience also gave me ideas we could apply here. I traveled on April 29, and that’s when we finalized everything. By then, Luis had already confirmed Lionel Messi’s involvement in the project — something I hadn’t known at the start.

For your trip to the United States, what did you learn from watching MLS teams from a South American perspective?

The trip was more personal. After so many years in the game, I wanted to take a step back and look at football from a different angle. I used my contacts in the industry to open doors and visit several MLS clubs, without the usual pressure of competing. What I saw confirmed that the league is in full growth — not just the competition itself, but also the influx of U.S. capital and the professional preparation happening around it.

(MLS is) building structures to quickly become a major global hub. Football can’t remain concentrated only in Western Europe forever; other centers will emerge, and the North American axis — Mexico, the United States, and Canada — has everything needed to become one of them. It’s no longer just about foreign stars coming in either. American players themselves are reaching a very high level. And while Inter Miami is certainly a unique case, the league as a whole is clearly setting the pace.

Deportivo LSM already has major sponsors for a team in the Uruguayan fourth division, PUMA and Powerade. Does the whole thing feel like a different animal so to speak?

Exactly. The main thing here is the backing of our two directors (Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez). People don’t always grasp it, but we’re talking about the greatest footballer of all time and the greatest Uruguayan player in history. That’s both a huge challenge and a very strong support.

On top of that, we have first-class infrastructure and a strategic location: Ciudad de la Costa, an area with demographic growth, young families, and a good sociocultural level. All this gives us fertile ground for scouting. Starting in 2026, we’ll compete in youth divisions, and that’s one of our big goals: to develop players, which is the hallmark of Uruguayan football.

Uruguay has a very particular ecosystem, where eight out of 10 kids play football in some form. How do you plan to position yourselves in that competition for talent?

In Uruguay, no players slip through the cracks, because the country is so small and everything is centralized. What exists is fierce competition between clubs to recruit those kids. That will be our big challenge: getting them to choose us as their place for development.

The context also invites comparisons. Many people mention the case of Wrexham in England, with Ryan Reynolds behind it. How do you view the possibility of building something like that, with Messi and Suárez tied to the club?

We’re very aware that this project has huge international potential. In fact, right from the beginning there was talk of international broadcasts and even interest in TV rights. That’s part of the challenge: building something that goes beyond the local level and positions our brand globally, without neglecting strong internal structures.

Uruguay has a very particular system. For an American reader, what does it mean to compete in the D division?

In Uruguay, there are two professional divisions (First and Second), and then two amateur ones (C and D). You can’t just buy a professional license like in other countries: you have to earn promotion on the field. That creates a very competitive context. Of the 14 teams in our division, at least six are investing heavily to move up. Fortunately, the AUF has taken steps to professionalize the category, such as ensuring matches are played on quality pitches and with TV broadcasts.

How involved is Suárez in the day-to-day with the club?

He’s very present. We have constant communication with him and with Lionel, mostly via WhatsApp. When he was in Uruguay, he met with players and the coaching staff. His involvement is very active, though obviously not in the daily work.

You’re aware this could scale very quickly, even beyond Uruguay. How are you preparing for that?

Yes, absolutely. We know it, and it’s part of the planning. For example, we’ve already received international invitations for youth tournaments, even before having all our youth divisions ready. The scope of the project forces us to think globally from the beginning.

Uruguay has already seen alternative projects, like Montevideo City Torque, Racing, or even Liverpool with its recent growth. What’s the key to positioning yourselves and being competitive long-term and actually challenging Nacional and Peñarol for top places and international competition?

The key lies in building strong structures and having a clear medium- and long-term project. It’s not just about the squad, but also about selecting the right coaching staff, consolidating infrastructure, and organizing the club so that it becomes an attractive destination for both players and professionals.

Competing with Nacional and Peñarol is impossible given their historic size, but we can develop a sustainable, competitive model with its own identity. Our strategy is different — we’re not Liverpool, Torque, we’re LSM. We have to build infrastructure suited to our own reality: where we’re located, the resources available, and the opportunities at hand.

What matters is earning our place step by step, without letting the push upward get in the way of our capacity to grow as a club and as a team. Timing and expectations are crucial. Even difficult goals can be achieved if they’re pursued at the right moment. If the timing is wrong, the likelihood of success drops.

For me, the most important thing is clarity of purpose: setting realistic goals, developing players, and making sure that the foundation for economic sustainability — not just for us, but for Uruguayan football as a whole. That’s how we’ll build our identity on the pitch.

In five years, where would you like to see Deportivo LSM positioned?

First and foremost, we want Deportivo LSM to have developed the capacity to consistently produce professional players — and for those players to reflect the identity we’re working to build at the club.

Second, we hope to be competing in the First Division. It’s not an easy path — we’d need to climb three divisions to get there — but in the long term, that’s our objective.

And third, as a result of those two goals, we want the club to have a real presence and a fan base that extends across the country.