Snak

Jeps.. Jeg tror faktisk, at Flamengo og Vasco når langt i denne turnering. Gre-Nal i en mulig semifinale. Masse af clasicos;-)

tja vi kan også få en Galo - raposa clássico i stedet for fogo-fla...det bliver spændende....

Sporting Kansas City places focus on CCL

KANSAS CITY, Kansas -- Sporting Kansas City is set to make its CONCACAF Champions League debut Wednesday night against Real Esteli.

The Major League Soccer club, though, heads to the Estadio Independencia off back-to-back league losses, including a 3-2 defeat to the New York Red Bulls in a top-of-the-table Eastern Conference clash Saturday at Sporting Park.

That defeat came on the heels of a 1-0 setback at Montreal on July 27.

“It’s points that we’re giving away that we shouldn’t and it’s because of the lack of game management and also sense of the moment,” Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes stressed after the match Saturday. “That part has to change quickly now going into the Champions League. If there’s one thing you’ll find in CONCACAF opponents is that they know how to work the game and we better get smart in that really quick.”

Sporting Kansas City outshot the Red Bulls 27-5, but conceded three “horrendous” goals, according to Vermes, two of which came on counterattacks.

“All three of them were bad on our part,” he added. “With me, that is unacceptable.”

It wasn’t all bad for Kansas City, which received a first-half equalizer by Kei Kamara and the first MLS goal for forward Dom Dwyer in the second half. Dwyer also narrowly missed netting a second tally.

“He came on and was great,” Vermes said. “He gets a great goal. It’s unfortunate he doesn’t get the one off the crossbar. I thought he was mobile, he was strong, he was hungry.”

Sporting Kansas City played without United States international Graham Zusi, who missed the match with a sore right quad and his availability Wednesday against Real Esteli is in question. The midfielder suffered the injury in the first half of the MLS All-Star Game last Wednesday.

Still, with or without Zusi, Sporting will look to bounce back against Real Esteli in the first match of Group 2, which also features Honduran powerhouse Olimpia.

“We have to shift our focus quickly and prepare for the game in Nicaragua,” Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber said. “It’s going to be a tough game, but we’ll try and get three points there so that we can put ourselves in a good position to move forward.”

Qualified as 2012 U.S. Open Cup champions, Sporting Kansas City will face Olimpia in Tegucigalpa in its next CONCACAF Champions League match on Aug. 27, before playing its final two group stage matches at Sporting Park.

“We have to go back to work and right now focus on the Champions League which is very important to us,” Sporting Kansas City defender Aurelien Collin commented. “We then have to come back and win the next game against New England at home. We have to get back to focus, and right now we have to focus for Nicaragua.”

Ibañez firmó por un año en Racing

BUENOS AIRES -- El defensor Luis Ibáñez firmó el martes el contrato que lo unirá con Racing Club a préstamo por una temporada y se puso a disposición del entrenador, Luis Zubeldía, quien cuenta ahora con una nueva alternativa para el lateral izquierdo.

Ibáñez, de 25 años y quien comenzó su campaña en Boca Juniors en 2008, hizo gra nparte de su carrera en Dínamo Zagreb de Croacia, donde fue cinco veces campeón local, y además ganó tres Copas croatas y una Supercopa de ese país.

Racing tendrá al cabo del período de cesión la posiblidad de comprar el pase de Ibáñez, quien ya se entrenó con el plantel.

Ibáñez se sumó a la lista de refuerzos del club de Avellaneda que ya integraban Valentín Viola, Rodrigo Battaglia, el uruguayo Mario Regueiro, Ismael Quilez, Nelson Ibáñez y Gabriel Hauche.

En Racing esperan concretar además la llegada del colombiano Jairo Palomino, quien jugó las últimas temporadas en Al-Ahli de Arabia Saudita.

Buscan destrabar habilitación Fabbro

BUENOS AIRES -- Darío, hermano y representante de Jonathan, refuerzo que aún no fue habilitado para jugar en River Plate, llegó a la Argentina para realizar los trámites pendientes por la transferencia del jugador y afirmó que espera "que hoy se termine la novela por su pase".

"Llegué hoy (miércoles) al país, no estaba al tanto de algunas cosas que cambiaron en el último tiempo con el tema de los pases, y espero que hoy pueda terminarse esta novela, para que Jonathan pueda estar disponible para el viernes", expresó el agente del futbolista cuyo pase aún pertenece a Cerro Porteño de Paraguay.

"Me toca inscribirme como representante y calculo que en el transcurso del día lo terminamos. Después se contactarán los clubes, y una vez liquidado todos los detalles que restan sobre el pago, se enviará el transfer y quedará habilitado", añadió.

En ese sentido, Fabbro aseguró ser "optimista" para que pueda terminarse la operación a tiempo para que Jonathan, quien desde hace días entrena con el plantel millonario dirigido por Ramón Díaz, pueda jugar el viernes ante Rosario Central, y señaló que "no hay forma" de que pueda "caerse" la transferencia.

"No hay forma de que se caiga el pase, no hubo ningún manejo raro, fue todo muy transparente. Simplemente es un préstamo y tenemos todo para que se haga. Está firmado el contrato. Esperemos que den los tiempos para que el viernes Ramón pueda contar con Jonathan. Soy optimista", manifestó.

El mediocampista Fabbro es uno de los refuerzos más requeridos por el riojano al igual que el delantero colombiano Teófilo Gutiérrez, pero aún ninguno de los dos fue habilitado para jugar oficialmente con la camiseta de River Plate.

Zárate espera poder jugar vs. Belgrano

BUENOS AIRES -- El delantero de Vélez Mauro Zárate no podrá jugar el, miércoles frente a Arsenal porque aún no recibió la habilitación de la FIFA, pero afirmó que espera ser parte del equipo en el encuentro del próximo martes frente a Belgrano de Córdoba, por la Copa Sudamericana.

"Son tiempos que se toma la FIFA y sabíamos que iba a pasar. Seguramente mañana no llegará, pero en los próximos días, sí. Nosotros esperamos y apuntamos a estar con Belgrano", dijo Zárate en una entrevista con un canal deportivo.

Para el ex delantero de Lazio de Italia, podrían "haber adelantado un poco los tiempos", pero ahora piensa "en el próximo partido".

Zárate, a quien Ricardo Gareca pensaba incluir como acompañante de ataque de Lucas Pratto, deberá seguir esperando, por lo que Ezequiel Rescaldani continuará como titular Sobre su presente físico y fútbolístico, explicó que se va "sintiendo muy bien, y eso me motiva, porque estoy esperando entrar a la cancha y ayudar al equipo".

La apuesta del cuerpo técnico de Vélez es contar con Zárate para el encuentro ante Belgrano, que se jugará el martes en Córdoba, desde las 19.30, por la Copa Sudamericana.

Parra se entrenó en Independiente

BUENOS AIRES -- El atacante Facundo Parra se entrenó el miércoles por primera vez en su regreso a Independiente y, si bien aún debe firmar su contrato, se ilusiona con formar parte del equipo que el próximo miércoles visitará a Boca Unidos de Corrientes, por la segunda fecha del torneo de la Primera B Nacional.

Parra arribó al predio Santo Domingo de Villa Domínico a las 8.45 para realizarse los estudios médicos de rigor y acelerar los tiempos de su incorporación al plantel que dirige Miguel Brindisi.

"Siempre es un paso adelante venir a Independiente, y esperemos que se dé todo de la mejor manera", dijo el delantero a un canal deportivo.

El atacante surgido en Chacarita, con pasado en el club de Avellaneda entre 2010 y 2012, llegó a un acuerdo con los dirigentes el martes por la tarde y espera firmar su vínculo en las próximas horas, con la ilusión de ser habilitado y estar a disposición de Brindisi para el encuentro ante Boca Unidos.

Luego de los estudios médicos y con la intención de no perder tiempo de preparación, Parra realizó trabajos físicos alrededor de una de las canchas del predio.

El plantel realizó en la mañana del miércoles trabajos con pelota, bajo la atenta mirada de Brindisi, que con Parra intentará inyectarle goles al ataque del equipo, luego de un muy flojo debut frente a Brown de Adrogué.

Por la tarde, el equipo realizará una segunda práctica en Villa Domínico, en la que Brindisi nuevamente pondrá el foco en trabajos tácticos con pelota.

Luego del traspié del debut, Independiente visitará el miércoles, desde las 21, a Boca Unidos.

Arsenal and Tottenham target Bernard pictured in London hotel

Atlético Mineiro star Bernard has fuelled speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League by uploading a picture of him at a London hotel on Monday.

The Brazil international has been heavily linked with moves to Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks, but is expected to hold talks with Shakhtar Donetsk in the near future.

Mineiro president Alexandre Kalil revealed both London sides have failed in their attempts to land Bernard so far as Shakhtar are the only side to have met his €25 million asking price.

However, Bernard has insisted that nothing will be finalised during his imminent trip to the club.

And his reluctance to commit to the Ukrainian outfit has resulted in fresh reports linking him with a switch to England, which have been further fuelled by his appearance at the Park Lane Hotel.

Bernard, who has been capped five times by the Seleção, posted the picture of him poising in an elevator with five friends, one of whom is understood to be his agent, on Instagram.

Vitesse loans Chilean wonderkid

Chilean left-sided player Cristian Cuevas has become yet another Chelsea player to join Vitesse on a season-long loan.

The highly-rated Cuevas is an 18-year-old Chilean Under-20 international, who joined Chelsea on a five-year deal from O’Higgins in July. He made his first-team debut for his former side in May 2011, having risen through the youth ranks at the club.

Primarily a left-back, he will star as a left-winger at the Arnhem outfit, as club colleague Patrick van Aanholt currently holds the defensive spot.

There are big hopes for Cuevas in his native Chile, with the left footer currently playing two years above his age group and acquitting himself well. He represented the Chilean Under-20 side at this summer’s Under-20 World Cup, helping his side to the quarter-finals where they lost on penalties to Ghana.

Previously this year, Cuevas scored twice in the South American Youth Championships as Chile finished fourth in the tournament after winning Group A.

At Chelsea, Cuevas is almost certainly being viewed as the long-term replacement for Ashley Cole, whose contract expires next summer.

Cuevas, as Van Aanholt and Gael Kakuta has in the past, has been loaned to Vitesse to get valuable first team experience in the Eredivisie. Furthermore when the time is right and if he develops as hoped, Cuevas could challenge current Cole understudy, Ryan Bertrand, for the left-back spot at Stamford Bridge.

Paraguay Abroad: Paraguayan footballers playing in Europe 2013/14 season
A new season is set to kick off in Europe and there has been some movement in regards to our Paraguay Abroad brigade. Here is a list of Paraguayan players plying their trade in Europe this season with a short bio on some of the players you may not know much about. In general I’m sticking to the top divisions but have dropped down for players worth of a special mention.

ENGLAND

Antolin Alcaraz (Everton) – you can read more about the man who began his professional life as a builder here

Javier Acuña (Watford) – the Encarnación-born striker raised eyebrows when he finished topscorer at the 2004 U16s Sudamericano and was quickly taken to Spain where he played for Cadiz and Salamanca before Real Madrid took an interest. He was once on the bench under Manuel Pellegrini, the closest he got to playing for the senior side. Last season he played for Girona in the Segunda and had a great year scoring 18 goals in 38 games and almost getting the club promoted (they finished 4th and lost the playoff final to Almeria). Udinese have signed the 25-year-old forward who has been loaned to affiliate club Watford.

SPAIN

Hernan Pérez (Villarreal) – The right winger stuck with the submarino during their time in Segunda but it is still baffling how underused he is. He began life south of Asunción in Ñemby with Cristóbal Colón before moving to the Primera with Tacuary and later Libertad. He was picked to play for the national side by three consecutive managers featuring in Tata Martino´s Copa América Squad, Chiqui Arce’s World Cup Qualifiers and he scored a goal in Gerardo Pelusso’s first match in charge in a 3-3 draw with Guatemala.

Roque Santa Cruz (Malaga) - There isn’t much you don’t know already about the all-time leading scorer for Paraguay and ex-Bayern Munich, Blackburn and Manchester City star. His younger brother is currently playing for Deportivo Capiatá in Paraguay and he is married to the sister of former Paraguay goalkeeper and Copa Libertadores winner Ricardo Tavarelli.

Antonio Sanabria (Barcelona) – while not in the senior side this kid is worth keeping an eye on, when you are one of the hottest properties at La Masia then the future is bright. While the Juvenil A may have lost the final of the Otten Cup this month to Real Madrid it was the blaugrana star who won player of the tournament. He has also been called up to the Paraguay squad to face Germany in August.

PORTUGAL

Oscar Cardozo (Benfica) - he is the top foreign goalscorer in Benfica’s history and is a cult hero. Transfer speculation surrounds him every year and a move to Fenerbahce is said to be on the cards. It would be a great shame for the Aguila´s to see somebody of Tacuara´s skill and penalty area prowess leave the side.

Lorenzo Melgarejo (Benfica) – a proposed move to Liverpool seems to have fallen through over work permit issues. Melgarejo could still be loaned out by the Portugues giants who have brought in cover for the left-back.

Jorge Rojas (Benfica) – the former Cerro Porteño winger brings pace and flair to the Portuguese capital, he will probably feature in the youth team. You can learn more about him here.

Javier Cohene (Paços de Ferreira) – Cohene is a player who arguably deserves more attention from the national team coaching staff. Having won the local league with Pirayú early in his career he moved to General Díaz of Luque where he played in 2006 as they finished runner-up in the third division to earn promotion to Intermedia. He found his way to Passo Fundo in Brazil before making the big leap to Portugal and Olhanense where he remained for two years. In 2009 it seemed he had taken a step back, returning to South America first with River Plate of Argentina and then to Sportivo Luqueño in Paraguay but in July 2010 he found his way back to the Iberian peninsula with Paços de Ferreira. He has been a key part of the side that reached the Portuguese League Cup Final in 2011 and that qualified for the Champions League last season.

Mauro Caballero (Porto) – The 18-year-old son of Olimpia’s all-time top goalscorer is a wonderful finisher and a great talent, hopefully he will have a happier time in northern Portugal than Juan Manuel Iturbe. There is more on Caballero here.

ITALY

Daniel Jara Martínez (Genoa) – Daniel joins that rare club of players to have gone to Europe having not represented the national side nor a Primera side even at youth level. He was part of the Nacional de Itacurubi de la Cordillera side that traveled from rural Paraguay (90 kilometres from Asunción) to Italy for the Torneo de Viareggio where some of the best youth teams in the world compete. There he was picked up by Palermo and while he didn’t play much he scored the winning penalty for the Scilians against Parma in the Coppa Italia Quarter Finals. Now he has moved to Genoa and will hope to try and get some minutes in Serie A.

HOLLAND

Celso Ortiz (AZ) – Ortiz is now into his fifth season with the Dutch club having joined in 2009/10 from Cerro Porteño. A perennial substitute he has only racked up 1000 minutes with the club but seems to enjoy the European football and lifestyle. Maybe this year could be his breakthrough should he recover well from an injury suffered last year.

RUSSIA

Luis Nery Caballero (Krylya Sovetov) – Caballero managed ten goals in his first season in Europe, a great return for the 23-year-old who has struggled a lot off the field in recent years. In 2005 his father, who had been member of the 1986 World Cup Squad, was killed in his bookmakers during an armed robbery. He is divorced from Pamela Trotte with whom he fathered a child, and in 2012 was accused of sexually assualting his underage ex-sister-in-law (although the accusations proved to be unfounded). His ex-father-in-law Adolfo Trotte is currently in jail serving a 40 year sentence for murdering his ex-mother-in-law in 2011. As you can imagine he is probably enjoying being on the other side of the world. Before Krylya he played for Olimpia and has scored twice for the national team against Guatemala in a friendly and a fine strike against Ecuador in a World Cup Qualifier earlier this year.

Pablo Zeballos (Krylya Sovetov) – Caballero’s former strike partner is reluctantly back in Russia but he wants out claiming (fairly) that he was played out of position last year. A disastorous spell in Ecuador with Emelec hasn’t done anything to raise his profile but he still hopes to find a spot in Europe away from the cold of Russia.

AZERBAIJAN

Eric Ramos (Neftchi Baku) – The former Rubio Ñu man with one international cap to his name under Chiqui Arce (his father-in-law) won the Azeri league last season and was a regular feature in the side.

CYPRUS

Aldo Adorno (APOEL) – the midfielder is recovering from a long term injury but should be back before the end of the year, learn more about his life in Cyprus here.

NORWAY

Diego Ayala (Nybergsund IL-Trysil) – the ex-Libertad youngster popped up on my radar last week when the defender scored for Nybergsund IL-Trysil in the third tier. He was previously playing for All Boys in Argentina.

SWEDEN

Antonio Rojas (Halmstad) – the 29-year-old playmaker started out life with Cerro Porteño but moved to Scandanavia in 2005 to join newly-created club Helsingor in Denmark. He eventually moved to the fourth tier of Swedish football to play for Lunds BK before stepping up a level and joining Ängelholm. He helped the side gain promotion and in 2011 they missed out on joining the Allsvenskan by losing the playoff final. However last year with new club Halmstad he has finally hit the top division having won the playoff and are currently battling to get out of the relegation zone. Even if they were to fail, Rojas´rise through the ranks is a tremendous example of determination and sacrifice.

SWITZERLAND

Dario Lezcano (Luzern) – Amazing to think he is still only 23, Lezcano left Sportivo Trindense in the Paraguayan capital for FC Wil in the Swiss Challenge League before moving up a division to FC Thun. In January 2012 he joined Luzern and managed a couple of goals last season. This year´s campaign has got off to a good start, Lezcano scored in the win against FC Zurich and his team are currently second in the standings.

Copa Sudamericana 2013: The Strongest vs Nacional preview

The Strongest vs Nacional
Hernan Siles, La Paz
07/08/2013; 16:45 (21:45 BST)
Preliminary Round, 2nd Leg (AGG 0-0)
TV: Fox Sports (Latin America)

A frustrating first leg for Nacional ended in a goalless draw with Marcos Riveros missing a spot kick late into the game. It means Nacional´s chances of progressing to the next round are about as thin as the La Paz air they are playing in. Situated 3,604 metres above sea level the Hernando Siles is a hostile place for visiting sides from the lowlands and Nacional failed to win in Bolivia in their two previous visits losing 5-2 in Cochabamba (vs Aurora) and drawing 0-0 in Oruro (vs San José).

There is no talk of “altitude specialists” with Morinigo trying to keep the same side that played in the first leg, Ramón Coronel is injured so Carlos Ruiz Peralta will probably fill in at right back. Marcos Melagerjo had a strong game on the right hand side and will try and make an impact early on before he runs out of steam, Nico Martinez and Alfredo Mazacotte are the other creative forces with Jorge Achucarro the target up front.

As expected Daniel Vaca had to be on good form in the first leg to preserve the cleansheet and in general The Strongest played well in Asunción trying to keep possession with Pablo Escobar the fulcrum of all attacking moves as expected. If they manage to do the same tonight then they should overrun the Paraguayans.

Nacional XI (probable): Ignacio Don; Carlos Ruiz Peralta, Raul Piris, Leonardo Cáceres, David Mendoza; Alfredo Mazacotte, Marcos Riveros, Silvio Torales, Marcos Melgarejo; Nicolas Martinez, Jorge Achucarro

The Strongest XI (probable): Daniel Vaca; Nelvin Soliz, Rony Jimenez, Abraham Cabrera, Jair Torrico; Diego Bejarano, Victor Melgar, Walter Veizaga, Ernesto Cristaldo; Pablo Escobar, Gastón Mealla

Prediction: 3-1