Snak

Belize gets unique support from back home

SALT LAKE CITY – Soon after the elation over clinching a first berth in the CONCACAF Gold Cup had subsided, the work began for Belize.

And it was not just on the training grounds.

The Jaguars turned into fundraisers, doing a little bit of everything to get the necessary money to not only prepare for the tournament, but also head to the United States two days early to get acclimated to the climate and the artificial turf at Portland’s JELD-WEN Field, foreign for the tiny Central American country.

“Man we did all kinds of things to reach where we’re at right now,” defender Ian Gaynair said following the team’s training session Thursday morning. “Thanks to our country for supporting us. We did barbeques, telethons, all kind of things. The country is actually supporting us little by little now and I’m so thankful for that.”

Gaynair helped repay some of that support by scoring Belize’s first Gold Cup goal. His header off Elroy Smith’s free kick, which cut the Jaguars deficit to 2-1 late in the first half, was dedicated to his deceased sister.

Gaynair said he dreamed of scoring that goal the night before the game.

“The night before I hardly even slept and the little time I did get to sleep, I saw she came to me,” Gaynair said of his sister. “She was my biggest fan.”

Gaynair’s goal proved to the lone highlight of what Jaguars coach Ian Mork said was a disheartening 6-1 loss against the U.S. Tuesday.

“We know we can play much better,” Mork said. “It’s just a disappointment that we didn’t show up with more confidence and a stronger mentality in that game. We really thought that was going to be our day when we could really prove we could keep up with them. When the score was 2-1, if we could have gone into halftime at that moment it would have made a big difference in the game.”

Belize will try to turn the corner against a powerful Costa Rica team that hasn’t conceded a goal in six straight matches, including a 3-0 victory over Cuba in its opening game of the tournament.

Lacking the depth of some other teams in the competition, the Jaguars have some very real injury concerns. Dalton Eiley was in Mork’s original starting lineup against the U.S., but he was pulled off late when he complained of breathing problems.

“Dalton is still being assessed by the doctors so we just have to wait and see what comes out of that,” Mork said.

Daniel Jimenez was the late addition to the starting lineup, but his mother back in Belize has become very ill.

“It’s a big concern for us right now, too,” Mork said.

There’s also Deon McCaulay, who Mork said is coming off a major pre-tournament injury. McCaulay, who played the full 90 minutes against the Americans, didn’t train with the team in the morning session. Mork indicated that was precautionary and he expects the forward to be fit for Saturday’s match against Costa Rica.

CONCACAF Gold Cup Wrap: Panama, Mexico secure important wins

Panama made it two wins from two matches at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 1-0 victory over Martinique on Thursday.

Julio Dely Valdes´ side certainly did not have it all their own way against the tiny Caribbean nation, and they needed an 85th-minute penalty from Gabriel Torres to secure the victory.

http://www.youtube.com/w…2vFcJ7xJh7s

The result at CenturyLink Field in Seattle was enough to fire Panama to the top of Gold Cup Group A by three points from Mexico, who defeated Canada 2-0 in the day´s other match.

Stung by their first-up loss to Panama, the Mexicans needed a response and they took the lead three minutes before the interval in Seattle thanks to a Raul Jimenez strike.

A penalty from Guadalajara midfielder Marco Fabian just before the hour-mark was enough to seal the win for Mexico, meaning Jose Manuel de la Torre´s side need only a draw from their final game against Martinique to qualify for the next round.

http://www.youtube.com/w…MTPKTE2KZ1c

Peru Primera Division Wrap: Sporting Cristal slip up

Sporting Cristal have missed the chance to keep the pressure on Peru Primera Division leaders Real Garcilaso, drawing 1-1 against Pacifico.

Cristal could have remained two points behind the leaders with a win away from home on Tuesday, but were fortunate to escape from Huacho with a point after they needed a Renzo Sheput equaliser to cancel out Andres Mendoza´s opener for the home side.

http://www.youtube.com/w…pHAbOJkYl6M

Garcilaso, meanwhile, had a brace from Rolando Bogado to thank for a 2-0 away win over Melgar on Wednesday, keeping them four points clear at the top and with a game in hand over Cristal.

http://www.youtube.com/w…tO-vxC8uS90


Universitario slipped to third place on goal difference from Cristal, after they were beaten 2-1 away from home by UTC Cajamarca.

http://www.youtube.com/w…n0ug8uWjK1o

Cesar Vallejo and Sport Huancayo kept the pressure on the top three with both clubs posting 1-0 wins, over Alianza Lima and Cienciano respectively, while Inti Gas climbed to seventh place courtesy of a 4-0 triumph over strugglers Union Comercio.

http://www.youtube.com/w…RVjoCxACHVg

http://www.youtube.com/w…zLUhOB9ZA7E

http://www.youtube.com/w…F7Kou0pU1tg

Other results throughout the round saw Universidad San Martin defeat Juan Aurich 1-0, and Leon de Huanuco were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Jose Galvez.

http://www.youtube.com/w…koNSIr7nRyQ

Atletico prevailed thanks to a blackout and penalties

A good first half and a blackout put Atletico in the spotlight to achieve their first Libertadores final.

Efforts to train players to steal the ball on the offensive side of the field and score a fast first goal were so successful that, during the second minute, the fullback Vergini freely gave the ball to Diego Tardelli. Training is always more important than luck. One can´t, after all, analyze one´s destiny.

Even though one can´t deny the importance of the blackout at minute 33 during the second half. It resulted in bringing Atletico back together, rallying up the fans and helping with the second goal. Cuca himself admitted that this pause was crucial. It helped that Guilherme scored his goal right near the end.

Or almost, considering that it was already 41 minutes into the second half by then. The second goal was achieved by crossing the ball to the penalty box in order for someone to take advantage of a bounce or kick outside of the area. Guilherme´s shot was perfect and got past Guzman, the goalkeeper.

Atletico´s performance dropped in the second half as it did during the second part of the Libertadores tournament, but they have every reason to be in the finals, considering all they did during the competition -- the best offense with 27 goals and the best first-stage campaign.

The game against Olimpia is reminiscent of the first final of the Conmebol Cup, won by Galo in 1992 with two goals by Negrini during the game played in Belo Horizonte (watch the video). The Paraguayan team will be a tough opponent, led by Ever Almeida, the player with the highest number of Libertadores games, together with the excellent Bareiro on offense. Yet Galo is capable of winning its first Libertadores. Especially if they play soccer by marking under pressure, wisely, during the first half.

Mexico 2-0 Canada: El Tri player ratings

A 2-0 win for Mexico will definitely buy Jose Manuel de la Torre some time following a desperately disappointing loss against Panama, but the Mexican team was far from sharp against a poor Canadian side. Either way, goal scorers Raul Jimenez and Marco Fabian showed positive signs, while newcomers Miguel Layun and Luis Montes had sparks that likely will not go unnoticed by the El Tri staff.

Player ratings

Jonathan Orozco -- 7.5: Not much to do for the Monterrey goalkeeper. He had one big stop in the first half and later watched as his team trekked toward victory.

Miguel Layun -- 6.0: Much like his performances with Club America, Layun tried too hard and did too little. He presented a couple of interesting plays on the wing, otherwise unnoticed.

Joel Huiqui -- 6.5: Followed a very shaky first half with a strong performance up the middle in the second half. Hard to live up to the billing of being named team captain, but the Morelia defender could be a lot worse.

Juan Carlos Valenzuela -- 6.0: Probably won´t repeat as a starter; showed a lack of quickness and decision-making that could have cost Mexico an early goal when the match was up for grabs.

Adrian Aldrete -- 6.0: Grandiose start on the wing, followed by a very quiet second half. Didn´t have much to do defensively, either.

Marco Fabian -- 7.0: Provoked a very wishy-washy penalty call that he put away, after generating the corner kick that led to Mexico´s first goal. Needs to display more consistency.

Jorge Enriquez -- 6.0: Unfortunate injury for the Guadalajara player who is slowly showing the chops displayed in 2011 at the under-20 World Cup and at the 2012 Olympics.

Luis Montes -- 6.0: Not close to showing the level that has him here in the first place. The Leon player was overshadowed by Fabian in the middle of the pitch, relegated to being second fiddle offensively speaking.

Efrain Velarde -- 5.5: Lost too many balls in midfield; looked lost and indecisive on many occasions. Carlos Pena beckons as a potential replacement against Martinique.

Rafael Marquez Lugo -- 5.0: Likely lost his starting spot in the lineup to Javier Orozco, who nearly scored in a sub role for the largely ineffective Marquez Lugo, who has yet to display his Liga MX form.

Raul Jimenez -- 7.0: Scored his first national team goal, getting a growing monkey off his back after almost a dozen caps, most of which had come as a sub. Needs better distribution to become more dangerous up front.

Subs:

Miguel Ponce -- 6.0: The Sacramento, Calif., native was active but ineffective on the wing, like Chivas teammates Fabian and Enriquez, struggling to find his famous 2012 form that propelled Mexico´s Olympic gold medal.

Alejandro Castro -- 6.5: Filled in nicely for the injured Enriquez, defending well on a pair of Canadian counter attacks that tested the young Cruz Azul man.

Javier Orozco -- 6.5: Nearly grabbed a third goal off a nice header but was negated by the post. Should be in line to start the third game against Martinique thanks to a strong cameo.

Peruzzi viajará el domingo a Inglaterra

BUENOS AIRES -- El defensor de Vélez Sarsfield Gino Peruzzi viajará el domingo a Inglaterra para cerrar su traspaso al Sunderland.
El jugador, de 21 años, partirá junto a los dirigentes velezanos Julio Baldomar y Eduardo Ordoñez.

Esta negociación había sufrido un inconveniente cuando en un principio Peruzzi no habría estado de acuerdo con la oferta del club inglés.

Allí, Vélez había decidido que si el defensor no aceptaba la transferencia lo dejaría marginado del plantel profesional. Esta determinación hizo recapacitar a Peruzzi, quien aceptó y el domingo firmará su nuevo contrato con el Sunderland.

Por esta venta, Vélez tratará de reforzarse y pondrá sus cañones en el delantero Mauro Zárate, quien no continuará en el fútbol italiano y decidió regresar a la Argentina.

Acosta, sobre Boca, Bianchi y Lanús

BUENOS AIRES -- El delantero Lautaro Acosta negocia para regresar a Lanús y reconoció que en Boca Juniors tuvo diferencias tácticas y de juego con el entrenador Carlos Bianchi.
"Más allá de no elegirme para jugar, (Bianchi) siempre trató de ser sincero conmigo.
Obviamente no compartí un montón de cosas. Yo quería jugar, como todo jugador. Es alguien que ganó muchas cosas y le deseo lo mejor para este Boca", comentó el atacante.

Al ser consultado por las sensaciones que tiene al dejar Boca, Acosta resaltó que se va "amargado" por haber tenido un bajo primer semestre de 2013 con el Xeneize.

"Me voy amargado. No hicimos un buen semestre, no era lo que yo esperaba. Dejé todo y traté de dar lo que pude. No conseguimos ningún logro en general y eso en Boca se paga. Era complicado jugar bien. Nadie tuvo su mejor rendimiento. No llegamos a encontrar el equipo nunca, no ganamos dos partidos seguidos en toda la temporada", señaló el delantero.

Sobre su posible llegada a Lanús, Acosta dijo: "Estamos negociando con ellos (Lanús) y estamos esperando llegar a un acuerdo. Mi papá, que es mi representante, lo está manejando".

Penco quiere ir a Independiente

BUENOS AIRES -- El delantero de San Martín de San Juan, Sebastián Penco, resaltó que "tiene ganas de ir" a Independiente, entidad que se mostró interesada en sus servicios, de cara al próximo torneo de la B Nacional.
"Yo tengo ganas de ir (a Independiente). Los dirigentes de San Martín ya lo saben", expresó el atacante que todavía hoy está afectado al equipo verdinegro que conduce Daniel Garnero.

"Estoy a la espera que se defina todo", sostuvo Penco al programa partidario "Infierno Rojo Radio".

En principio, la entidad de Avellaneda desembolsaría alrededor de 1,2 millones de pesos por la mitad del pase del jugador, que también vistió las camisetas de Racing, Deportivo Español, Almirante Brown y Nueva Chicago, entre otros.

En tanto, otro delantero que podría recalar en el Rojo es el marplatense Cristian Menéndez, cuyo pase pertenece a Lanús, aunque militó en Quilmes durante el último semestre.

En el programa radial "De la cuna al infierno", el representante del jugador, Daniel Sancisi, manifestó: "El jugador desechó dos ofertas para ir a Independiente. Para él es un orgullo que lo busquen".

Otros nombres que figuran como alternativas para reforzar el ataque del elenco de Miguel Angel Brindisi son Facundo Parra (Atalanta, Italia), Franco Niell (Gimnasia La Plata), Gonzalo Castillejos (Barcelona, Ecuador), Maximiliano Urruti (Newell`s) y César Carranza (Belgrano de Córdoba).

Ramón y el River que se viene

BUENOS AIRES -- El entrenador de River Plate, Ramón Angel Díaz, aseguró el jueves que pretende que su equipo tenga la impronta que marca la historia del club y no jugar "como Newell´s", considerado el conjunto de mejor rendimiento en el último tiempo en la Argentina.

"No quiero jugar como Newell´s, quiero jugar como River", expresó el riojano en declaraciones a FM Rock and Pop, cuando le consultaron si pretendía jugar como el equipo sensación del momento, eliminado este miércoles en semifinales de la Copa Libertadores a manos del Atlético Mineiro.

Y agregó: "Mientras que la dirigencia tenga confianza en lo que queremos armar, seguramente vamos a poner a River allá arriba".

Con respecto a los posibles refuerzos que puede sumar de cara al próximo torneo se mostró confiado por el regreso del presidente, Daniel Passarella, quien estuvo negociando en Europa con distintos clubes.

"Sé que hay algunas negociaciones. Lo más importante es que haya vuelto Passarella para saber cómo está todo. Es fundamental que esté el presidente porque se ha hablado mucho de las ventas de Balanta o los Funes Mori", resaltó.

De cara a la doble competencia que tendrá en el próximo semestre que incluirá el Torneo Inicial y la Copa Sudamericana manifestó que necesitará "tener alternativas".

"Hace mucho tiempo que River no participa en la copa y tenemos que hacer un buen papel. Tenemos que tener un equipo competitivo si o si", subrayó el adiestrador.

Por otro lado, se mostró muy conforme con el regreso a la institución de Núñez de Osmar Ferreyra.

"Me puso muy contento lo del Malevo, que quiera venir. Tiene dinámica, pegada, ritmo. Hace mucho tiempo que River no tiene en la izquierda un jugador de sus características", señaló con respecto a la primera contratación del Millonario.

También se refirió al posible arribo de otros nombres, como el del colombiano Teófilo Gutiérrez: "Hemos jugado en contra de él. Me gusta como se mueve adentro del área, tiene categoría, puede ayudar a los jóvenes que tenemos. En River he visto cambiar muchísima gente. Te obliga ser profesional".

Además, destacó que le interesaría contar con el defensor Lucas Orban porque lo podría utilizar "como lateral o stopper", al tiempo que aclaró que también pidió para contratar al lateral de Racing Iván Pillud porque "es un jugador de ataque", y eso es lo que pretende.

Cruz Azul niega oferta por Teo y Perea

BUENOS AIRES -- El director deportivo de Cruz Azul, Agustín Manzo, volvió a criticar a River, en "La Oral Deportiva", por buscar a Teo Gutiérrez e insistió en que "no hay nada" para el pase. Además, negó haber recibido una oferta de Boca por el defensor Luis Amaranto Perea.
"A esta hora no tengo noticias ni me enteré que esté hecho el pase de Teo Gutiérrez. Si ya estuviera todo hecho me hubiera enterado por que recién hable con el presidente Álvarez", comentó el directivo de la Máquina Cementera a ESPN Radio en Rivadavia.

"No sé los montos que se habla para la operación sólo interfiero en lo deportivo".

"Ayer (miércoles) hablé con Teo y no me comentó nada de River. Los comentarios los hizo con la prensa y el técnico. Mientras que no haya nada tiene que cumplir su contrato y trabajar con el equipo. Es un gran jugador".

Pese a negar una oferta formal, Manzo volvió a cuestionar el accionar de River con el delantero colombiano: "Las formas de River no han sido las indicadas. Nosotros no solemos ir a hablar con un jugador e ilusionarlo. Primero hay que hablar con el club para saber cuáles son sus intenciones y luego hablar con el jugador para no ilusionarlo".

"A veces los clubes se manejan de esa manera y respetamos su manejo, nosotros buscamos lo mejor para todas las partes".

Por otra parte, se refirió a la situación de otro colombiano del Cruz Azul y el supuesto interés de Boca: Por Luis Amaranto Perea de Boca no nos llamó nadie ni estamos enterados de nada. Amaranto es un gran jugador y si no estuviera con nosotros sería un hueco difícil de llenar. Está muy contento en Cruz Azul no creo que se quiera ir. De Atlético Madrid vino muy contento".

Y, por ahora, desconoce el interés del Cruz Azul por el mediocampista de San Lorenzo, Ignacio Piatti: "Es un gran jugador, muchos equipos están interesados en el . El técnico no lo pidió y aún no se habló de él"