Snak

Ruiz targets prolific season

Fulham midfielder Bryan Ruiz is ready to be more selfish in front of goal in the new campaign.

Ruiz was a regular in the starting line-up last term, but only managed to find the net on five occasions as the Craven Cottage outfit finished 12th in the Premier League.

Ahead of the 2013-14 season the Costa Rican is now looking to improve his goalscoring exploits, and he is keen to help push Martin Jol´s men higher up the table.

"I felt really good this season. After the period of injuries I had at the beginning of the season, I played many games, I run a lot and create a lot for the team," he told the club´s official website.

"My goal for next season will be to score more goals, that´s something I would like to do because I think did good. I felt good, I created a lot but I now have to score more. The coaches want that, the supporters want that and I want that.

"I will continue with my game because I am happy with that and most of the people (are) happy with that also. The only thing is to score some more goals. I´m going to be a bit more selfish next season, but will still be a team player.

"We always want to be in the top 10. Next season for sure we want to be there - to try and be as high as we can and try to play good football."

Peruzzi rejects Sunderland

Velez Sarsfield defender Gino Peruzzi has turned down a move to Sunderland, the Argentine club´s vice-president has claimed.

It was revealed over the weekend that the clubs had agreed a fee for the 21-year-old right-back, but Peruzzi has rejected Sunderland´s contract offer.

And Velez´s vice-president Julio Baldomar has admitted his surprise that the youngster would snub the chance to feature in one of Europe´s top leagues.

"It´s the first time that something like this has happened to us," Baldomar told TyC Sports.

"The player and his agent have said that what Sunderland offered him isn´t enough. This has given us several problems.

"We got to an arrangement from club to club very fast. We arranged the amount of the transfer and everything was okay between Velez and Sunderland.

"But, suddenly, the player and his agent have said that what has been offered as a contract to Peruzzi isn´t enough.

"This situation is something really weird. Usually, when a proposal arrives from Europe, the player is the first person interested in having the transfer done. And, even in this case, when an offer has arrived from English football, the player should be really interested.

"But, if he says that what he would receive isn´t enough, we can´t do anything about that.

"But it´s weird because what the player will receive for the transfer is a lot of money as he will receive 15 per cent of what Sunderland pays to Velez.

"We will see what happens in the next hours because if Peruzzi finally doesn´t get transferred that gives Velez lots of problems."

Arsenal yet to make Higauin move

Arsenal are yet to make an official bid for Gonzalo Higuain, according to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

The Premier League side have long been linked with a move for the Argentina international with his father recently saying a bid had been accepted and discussions on personal terms were due.

However, Perez insists that no club has made an offer for Higuain and that the club are keen for the 25-year-old to stay.

He told Univision: "We don´t want Higuain to leave. What´s more no-one from Arsenal has come to us and made us any offers at all for him.

"There are no offers on the table."

Perez dismissed claims that Cristiano Ronaldo could be tempted into leaving the Bernabeu, insisting the Portuguese attacker would like to end his career with the club.

"The person who wants to retire at Real Madrid is Ronaldo, and Real want him to retire here too," Perez continued.

"There haven´t been any negotiations (on a new deal) because he is on holiday. Be in no doubt, Cristiano will retire here because he wants to.

"Just as (Zinedine) Zidane and other great players have done."

Valencia ahead in Dos Santos race

Valencia could be pipped at the post by local rivals Valencia in the race to sign Giovani dos Santos from Mallorca.

Spanish sports daily Marca reported that Villarreal had initially intended to present Mexico international Dos Santos, along with former Mallorca team-mate Tomas Pina, last Friday but were unable to finalise personal terms in time.

Marca said that was because Valencia have entered the race for the forward´s signature - and now appear to be his favoured destination.

If he moved to the Mestalla, he would link up with compatriot and El Tri teammate Andres Guardado in attack - believed to be a key factor in his thinking.

Dos Santos graduated from Barcelona´s La Masia academy before joining the first team. He moved to Spurs but endured four frustrating seasons, making only ten Premier League appearances.

He went on loan to Ipswich, Galatasaray and Racing before signing for Mallorca, and is looking for a swift return to La Liga after their relegation.

RIP

Claudiney Rincón dies of suspected malaria after playing in Equatorial Guinea

Brazilian defender Claudiney Rincón has died of suspected malaria after for the Equatorial Guinea national team.

The centreback is one of several Brazilian players that have been called up for Equatorial Guinea´s national team in recent years.

It is suspected he contracted malaria when Equatorial Guinea played the World Cup Qualifiers games against Cape Verde and Tunisia in June.

Claudiney Rincón was recently playing for Avenida, the club´s director of football Lúcio Collet talked with Lancenet about him: "Claudiney Rincón returned to Brazil on June 20, and everything was normal.

It seems the malaria symptoms appear after 15 days. He was normal when he left the club last Wednesday to go to Sorocaba on Thursday. His problems started on Friday, headaches, pain all over the body, we are in mourning."

Dunga determined to keep Damião at Internacional

Internacional coach Dunga is determined to keep hold of star striker Leandro Damião after reports suggest Napoli are favourites to sign him.

The Brazil international has been a long-term target for Tottenham Hotspur, but recently fellow Premier League side Southampton have shown interest.

The 23-year-old has yet to be the subject of an official bid, but speculation is building that Napoli want to sign the forward to replace Paris St Germain target Edinson Cavani.

However, Dunga told Zero Hora: "No manager wants to lose a player as good as Leandro Damiao. He is a striker who imposes himself, who knows how to score goals.

"I am not ready to lose him. You´ll have to ask the president if he is ready."

Internacional´s director of football Luis Cesar Souto de Moura reiterated the club´s stance that a reported fee of €20million (£17.2m) is too low for the Seleção player, reports Sky Sports.

He said: "I think that offer is too low for Leandro Damião. He is a goalscorer and a national team player.

"I have a big hope that he doesn´t leave, but I can´t guarantee that."

Reports in Brazil claim that a Premier League club will make an offer for Damião this week and there is also emerging interest from Russia.

Honduras refuses to be labeled Group B favorite

HARRISON, N.J. -- Central American powerhouse Honduras is expected by many to not only win Group B of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but also challenge the likes of the United States and Mexico for the championship. Just don’t tell that to its coach.

Honduras head coach Luis Fernando Suarez said on Sunday that he doesn’t see his team as a favorite and that he despises that word as he prepares for a meeting against Haiti at Red Bull Arena on Monday.

“I don’t like that word too much ‘favorite,´ " Suarez said. "I do not see it as a good thing for us because it can take attention away from the tournament and what we want to achieve. We know what we are up against in this group and you just have to look at Haiti and see what they have done in their two last preparation games to know they are a threat.

“I think El Salvador has very good technical skills and Trinidad has to be respected as well. We have to prepare and put our strongest team out there and not see ourselves as favorites, but play good football and get to the next round."

The Hondurans will play without some of their experienced players who have not made the trip due to injuries, suspensions and visa issues, but Suarez said he was pleased with his team and will not be looking for excuses.

“I’m not really thinking about what or who I don’t have," he said. "I have to think and plan with what I do have. Things like not acquiring visas and so on in time, we have to look at that and do better in the future."

Former D.C. United player Andy Najar, 20, who is now with Anderlecht (Belgium), said he was happy to be part of the team and was ready to play at a high level.

“I am happy for the opportunity of playing in this Gold Cup," he said. "The Honduran federation has given me the trust to be a member of the team and I will give of my best.”

Najar added that the Gold Cup was a very important tournament as players get the opportunity to showcase their talents to the world, whether it was securing a professional contract or signing with a larger club.

“This is an opportunity for all of us players to show what we can do under the bright lights and in front of the world and also show the skill and quality of players in the CONCACAF region,” he said.

Trinidad, El Salvador optimistic before Gold Cup meeting

HARRISON, NJ - Rejuvenated Trinidad & Tobago faces a young and hungry El Salvador tonight at the Red Bull Arena to kick-start Group B of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The Soca Warriors are bolstered by new coach Stephen Hart, who guided Canada to the 2011 Gold Cup semifinals, and led by their best-known player -- Kenwyne Jones of English Premier League side Stoke City.

Jones told CONCACAF.com that he and his teammates are ready for the challenges the confederation competition will pose.

“We are quietly confident within ourselves. We all know that football games are never easy and each game presents a different challenge, so we are just going out there and do what we know to do.”

The forward did not play in Trinidad’s 2012 Caribbean Cup campaign, which ended with a 1-0 loss to Cuba in the final. He’s delighted to be participating in the Gold Cup, though. “The Gold Cup is extra motivation for me, it’s a bigger tournament and we get to play against the strongest teams of the CONCACAF region and on this stage you want to do well.”

El Salvador is hoping that its young squad can be as successful in this year’s Gold Cup as it was in January’s UNCAF Copa Centroamericana, where it finished in third place.

The team will be without the services of the talented Jose Isidro Gutierrez Isidro Gutiettez. Head coach Agustin Castillo explained that, “Isidro has been through a tough time lately and I have called him to come and support us. At the moment he is not ready to go, but as soon as he is I am confident he will be back into the team.”

The main striking duties could possibly fall on the shoulders of Rodolfo Zelaya, who told CONCACAF.com that his team is ready to play.

““I know that we are not favorites in this tournament, but I am happy with my team and my coach,” he said. “We will ask God to help us and we want to achieve what we are looking for. We all know that it will be hard, but we are ready to give of our best.”

Trinidad and El Salvador have met twice before in Gold Cup play. The Central Americans won both matches (1996: 3-2, 2007: 2-1). Past history will matter little on Monday for two teams looking towards brighter futures.

El Salvador has some young ideas for Gold Cup glory

HARRISON, N.J. --They are perhaps the youngest team in the 2013 edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but it’s a factor that El Salvador plans to use to its advantage in Group B play.

The Salvadorans boast an average age of 24 years and according to one of their leading players, forward Rodolfo Zelaya, speed will be their strength against Trinidad & Tobago in their opener at Red Bull Arena on Monday.

“We are young but we are also fast,” Zelaya said after a media briefing at Red Bull Arena on Sunday. “I know that we are not favorites in this tournament but I am happy with my team and my coach. We will ask God to help us and we want to achieve what we are looking for, we all know that it will be hard but we are ready to give of our best."

Head coach Agustin Castillo is optimistic, but remains a bit more cautious about his team’s chances.

“It’s going to be a complicated game; no game is easy nowadays," he said. "It doesn’t matter the opposition and we have to focus on the task ahead.

“I have only been with the national team for about seven months since they failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, so it is basically a new team. Most of the players are from the Under-23 team. In fact there is only one player who is over 30."

When asked which team he considers to be his toughest competition in the group, Castillo did not favor one over another.

“Like I said, we know we are not the favorites of this tournament and some of the teams are still in the process of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup," he said. "I don’t know if at this point coaches will risk their main players for this tournament. However if they do, they are still strong teams.

“We believe El Salvador will do something good here, and we will show we have what it takes."

Sabella no disfruta en la Selección

BUENOS AIRES -- El director técnico de la selección argentina de fútbol, Alejandro Sabella, admitió este lunes que no disfruta de su puesto al frente de la Albiceleste debido a la gran responsabilidad que conlleva.

"No disfruto siendo el técnico de la selección, es una gran responsabilidad el cargo que tengo, es más la presión que siento porque salgan las cosas bien, que lo otro", reconoció hoy en una entrevista con el diario Página 12.

Sabella agregó que el cargo de entrenador es difícil porque se tienen que tomar muchas decisiones y que hay que rendirle a todos, a los dirigentes que lo contratan, a los jugadores, a la prensa y a quien cree más importante, el simpatizante.

El entrenador del conjunto Albiceleste admitió que el sector de la alineación que más le preocupa es la defensa, aunque cree que están mejorando.

Aún así, aclaró que el equipo es uno solo y que la defensa depende del trabajo mancomunado de todos.

Respecto a Lionel Messi, Sabella sostuvo que "se tiene que sentir cómodo y para eso tiene que ser libre, él tiene que hacer lo que desee hacer en cada uno de los momentos".

El técnico cerró las puertas a un eventual regreso de Carlos Tévez al señalar que ya cuenta con cinco delanteros de gran nivel.

"El ser humano y la sociedad se han hecho más individualistas y el fútbol es un juego de conjunto, entonces en donde hay que hacer hincapié es en trabajar en pos de un grupo y que el nosotros esté por encima del yo", destacó Sabella.

Alejandro Sabella fue ayudante de campo de Daniel Pasarella en la selección argentina, el Parma italiano y en el Corinthians brasileño, entre otros.

En 2009 asumió como técnico de Estudiantes de La Plata, donde ganó un torneo argentino y la Copa Libertadores y desde 2011 es el técnico de la selección argentina de fútbol.