Snak

Guatemala - 17 Runde

Endnu en kasse af Tyson Núñez, i USAC´s 4-2 sejr over Marquense, måske ligger der en jokerplads i den honduranske VM-trup til veteranen.

http://www.youtube.com/w…V20FP9gEm7Q

Ellers Business as usual, Comunicaciones vandt 3-0 over Malacateco på en doblete af Jairo Arreola og en enkelt af angrebskollegaen Brayan Ordónez, mens Municipal tabte 1-2 til Halcones for hvem landsholdspillerne Edwin Chacon og Lester Ruiz stod for målene.

http://www.youtube.com/w…V20FP9gEm7Q

http://www.youtube.com/w…ebiWSCsFvCw


Rækkens nr 3 Heredia vandt ligeledes 2-1 over Suchiteprquez, mens begge oprykkere vandt Iztapa 3-2 over Xelaju og Coatepeque 2-0 over Mictlan.

http://www.youtube.com/w…oxJSstOU3lY

http://www.youtube.com/w…V20FP9gEm7Q

http://www.youtube.com/w…ebiWSCsFvCw

Panama - 17 Runde

Tauro udbygger forspringet ned til de nærmeste forfølgere fra Plaza Amador og San Francisco med en 1-0 sejr over San Miguelito.

Plaza Amador spillede 0-0 ude mod Chepó og Alianza slog Sanfran med 2-1.

CAI spillede sig nærmere en playoffplads med 2-1 sejr over Arabe Unido på mål af Hector Peñaloza og Jesus Pineda, mens Chorrillo FC´s Jhamal Rodriguez sikrede sit hold 3 point mod bundholdet Rio Abajo.

El Salvador - 15 Runde

Atletico Marte er fortsat ubesejret i La Primera Division, i weekenden gik det udover Santa Tecla som blev slået med 4-2, på bla 2 mål af Otoniel Salinas.

http://www.youtube.com/w…fshMNjGw1N4

FAS er 2 på andenpladsen efter 1-0 sejr over Alianza i ckasico´en takket være mål af William Reyes og storspil af " El Motor" Contreras i målet.

http://www.youtube.com/w…ONVgloDqU_M

Både Dragón og UES hentede 1-0 sejre på udebane og henholdsvis Firpo og Aguila.

http://www.youtube.com/w…rys_C_GrLZM

http://www.youtube.com/w…byXQvFimF0s

Juventud hentede point i Metapan hvor slog hjemmeholdet 2-1 målscore Irvin Valdez og uruguyanske Jesus Toscanini.

http://www.youtube.com/w…_wTaZ5-OJWg


Honduras - 16 Runde

Olimpia og Real España trak det længste strå i clasico-runden, 2 Tegucigalpa - San Pedro Sula opgør.

Olimpia slog Marathon med 3-0 , Will Mejia, Anthony Lozano og den rutinerede midtbanemand Reynaldo Tilguath med scoringerne.

http://www.youtube.com/w…X6QyuBsgF7Q

San Pedro Sula tog dog senere hævn da Real España slog Motagua med 2-0 uruguyanske Claudio Cardozo med den førse scoring, Mauro Martínez med den anden scoring.

http://www.youtube.com/w…Id6zzocV1SI

Rony Martinez scorede for Real Sociedad i 1-1 kampen mod Deportes Savio.


http://www.youtube.com/w…o-msH9texF4

1-1 blev det også mellem VIDA og Platense i La Ceiba, mens Luis Lobos sikrede Parrillas One 1-0 sejr over Victoria.


http://www.youtube.com/w…eMSCsYXZ2x4

http://www.youtube.com/w…ojbvi1eaig0

The Future Is Bright

I don’t want the this article to repeatedly mention the issue with Nigeria and it’s history of sending overage players to youth World Cups, but, you tell me how old you think some of the players on Nigeria’s “U-17” squad are… Regardless, Uruguay faced Nigeria earlier today for a chance at the semifinals and Sweden who were waiting for their opponent.

Fabian Coito sent the same XI that has been doing the job 3 out of the four games in this tournament: Thiago Cardozo, Joel Bregonis, Fabrizo Buschiazzo, Enrique Etcheverry, Matias Suarez, Franco Pizzichillo, Kevin Mendez, Gaston Faber, Leandro Otormin, Marcio Benitez,and Franco Acosta.

This was really the first match in this tournament that Uruguay could have been considered the underdog, but they started out strong. They were matching up well with a very strong, physical, and fast Nigerian side. Leandro Otormin had his first of many chances off a great give-n-go pass between him and Enrique Etcheverry, but he pushed the ball an inch wide. The Nigerian defense started off looking shaky, and the Uruguayan forwards were doing a decent job of pressuring them and getting into space. On the other side, the Uruguayan defense was leaving little space for the Africans to work with. But the Nigerians took advantage of the little space and threaded a great ball to Taiwo Awoniyi who first timed it past Thiago Cardozo for the 1 -0 lead. The goal took a little wind out of Uruguay’s sails who, I think, had been the better side until that point. Kevin Mendez and Otormin tested the Nigerian goalkeeper a few times, but he was up to the task every time. Otormin had another chance at a wide open net off a corner kick, but just couldn’t head the ball down. Uruguay began to look gassed, rattled, and unorganized as Nigeria started to take over possession. Uruguay would withstand a couple of more Nigerian attacks before the half ended, heading into the locker room only down 1.

La Celeste’s forwards came out swinging for the fences in the second half, but Nigeria was up to the task again. They turned the Uruguay pressure, and suddenly shaky Uruguay defense, into great counter attacks, and Cardozo needed to make some great saves to try and keep it at 1 – 0. The speed and physicality of the game seemed, to me, to call for David Latorre. Coito read half my mind. He put in Latorre, but took out Otormin, who I thought had been Uruguay’s best player. Despite Coito’s proactive moves (I love this about him, a lot), it would be Nigeria and Awoniyi who would score and give the knockout punch to Uruguay’s World Cup campaign. In a similar goal to the first, Awoniyi received a good pass from Chidebere Nwakali and first timed it in for second of the game. Final score 2 – 0. Nigeria on to face Sweden in the semis. Earlier today, Argentina beat Ivory Coast 2 – 1 to move on to face Mexico in the semifinals.

U-17 World Cup Semis:
Sweden v. Nigeria
Argentina v. Mexico

After Nigeria’s second goal, we saw that never say die attitude from these kids again. These pressed forward, albeit quite desperate and unorganized, but they didn’t give up until the final whistle. Losing is awful, but they should go home with their heads held high. And as for us fans? The future is bright. The midfielders coming up in the youth system look good. The forwards coming up in the youth system look good. The defense? I’m not crazy about it, but they have some years ahead to develop and mature. I’d like to point out in particular a few players I think are going to be great additions in the future to Uruguay. We all know Franco Acosta and Kevin Mendez are stars, so don’t think I’m downing them, but there are a few others I’d like to address.

Pizzichillo, Otormin, and Suarez. Pizzichillo did a great job of balancing attacking and defending. He needs to work on his final touch a little more, but in terms of effort and positioning, I thought he did a great job. I thought his decision making ability of when to press and went to sit back and defend was phenomenal. Leandro Otormin was great since day 1. He got on the score sheet a good amount, and really was unfortunate not to score today, I thought he deserved one. He hustles and his positioning is also very good. He needs to work on finishing and that first touch when he gets long through balls, but I really liked what I saw from him. I think he was Uruguay’s best player today. Matias Suarez is going to be like his compatriot of the same last name, Luis Suarez. I think people are either going to love him or hate him, personally, I love him. He has that nasty crazy attitude about him. But he runs up and down that sideline very well. He knew went to join in on the attack and went to hustle back to defend his side of the field. He may need to work on the emotions a bit and his passing, but I can definitely see him as a future defenseman on the senior team.

The kids represented Uruguay well, and they have no reason to be ashamed. Would I have loved Uruguay to make it all the way to the final like they did just 2 years ago? Of course. But the fact is a country so small continually has itself represented in the final 8, final 4, or even final 2 countries in the world at tournaments of all levels. And fear not, because while the Forlans, the Rusos, and the Luganos of Uruguay are aging and nearing the end of their careers, the cavalry of U-17s and U-20s I’m confident are coming in to save the day. The future is bright.

Gareca busca el reemplazante de Zárate

BUENOS AIRES -- Tras igualar en Quilmes con mayoría de futbolistas juveniles o que habitualmente no son titulares, el plantel de Vélez se entrenó en la Villa Olímpica de cara al partido del próximo jueves ante Ponte Preta, en el marco de los cuartos de final de la Copa Total Sudamericana.

Lesionado Mauro Zárate, Ricardo Gareca debe buscar quién será el acompañante de Lucas Pratto en la delantera y, tras la buena actuación ante Quilmes, en el comienzo de la práctica de fútbol apostó por Ramiro Cáseres. Igualmente, el juvenil compite en el puesto por Ezequiel Rescaldani, el otro candidato a ocupar el lugar vacante.

En definitiva, con la duda por despejar en la parte ofensiva, Vélez recibirá a Ponte Preta con: Sebastián Sosa; Fabián Cubero, Fernando Tobio, Sebastián Domíngez, Emiliano Papa; Agustín Allione, Lucas Romero, Héctor Canteros, Ariel Cabral; Lucas Pratto y Ramiro Cáseres o Ezequiel Rescaldani.

Vélez y Ponte Preta igualaron sin goles en el partido de ida disputado el pasado jueves en Sao Paulo, por lo que, teniendo en cuenta que los de Gareca no marcaron en condición de visitante, cualquier empate mayor al 0-0 clasificaría al conjunto brasilero.

Ricardo Gareca intentará llegar a su tercer semifinal continental y a su segunda en Copa Sudamericana. Anteriormente, llegó a las semifinales de la Copa Libertadores 2011 (cayó ante Peñarol) y a la misma instancia de la Sudamericana correspondiente, también, al 2011 (fue eliminado por Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito).

Racing volvió a las prácticas

BUENOS AIRES --Luego de obtener su segunda victoria en el campeonato de forma consecutiva, el último sábado ante Gimnasia, en La Plata, el plantel de Racing volvió a los entrenamientos en la mañana del lunes, en la cancha auxiliar del Cilindro de Avellaneda.

El técnico Reinaldo Merlo determinó que aquellos que jugaron frente al conjunto de Pedro Troglio realizaran tareas regenerativas, mientras que los suplentes y los que no jugaron trotaronn alrededor de la cancha. Dentro de un clima distendido y apacible, durante los movimientos de elongación del primer grupo, Mostaza se dio un tiempo para dialogar con Rodrigo De Paul y Luciano Aued.

José Luis Gómez nuevamente sintió dolor en la rodilla, más allá de realizar el regenerativo con sus compañeros. Es muy probable que juegue el próximo partido, pero será tratado de manera especial en la semana.

Por su parte, Luis Ibáñez, con una distensión en el sóleo izquierdo, trabajó de forma diferenciada, al igual que Mario Regueiro y Mauro Camoranesi, quienes se recuperan de una lumbalgia y un desgarro, respectivamente.

Por otro lado, Diego Villar no asistió a la práctica ya que se encuentra en Mar Del Plata debido a un problema familiar.

Racing enfrentará a Argentinos Juniors el próximo domingo, en busca su primer triunfo como local en este torneo y, fundamentalmente, intentará aprovechar este envión para salir de la última posición en la tabla.

River es un equipo de doble personalidad

BUENOS AIRES -- A la hora del análisis en el fútbol existen cuestiones de interpretación que pueden modificar la coyuntura. Por ejemplo, algunos prefieren torcer las cosas para el lado de los errores arbitrales o de los goles perdidos, pero cuando los partidos pasan y no se suman puntos esta idea se vuelve cada vez menos consistente. River, por caso, está decimocuarto en las posiciones, con apenas nueve goles anotados en 14 partidos.

Por supuesto que perdió (6) más de lo que ganó (4), ante lo cual se desploma cualquier atisbo de plantear un debate sobre si nivel futbolístico del equipo es bueno o no. El conjunto de Ramón está jugando mal en el torneo local, no quedan dudas. Ante Estudiantes no tuvo una buena producción con una alineación alternativa, pero tampoco las venía teniendo con los titulares. Es cierto, no eran tan pobres como la del domingo pasado, pero sí se muestra como un equipo sin una idea definida de juego. Hace lo que la impronta le permite en el momento y lo que las individualidades, según el día en el cual se encuentran, puedan producir. Y a medida que pasan las fechas esto se agudiza. Quizás producto de la sucesión de frustraciones, pero la mejoría no se observa.

Tal vez por esto último es que, en la Copa Sudamericana, River se predispone diferente. No desde la calidad, pero sí en la entrega. Se lo ve más aguerrido, concentrado, como si el todo o nada que representan dos enfrentamientos por eliminación le predispone de otra forma. Porque allí no prevalece el fútbol atildado, sí lo antedicho, eso más vinculado a la garra. Parece, entonces, que este River está más asociado a ese estilo distante al pensamiento histórico de Ramón.

Hablando del técnico y de su hijo Emiliano, ayudante de campo, ante Estudiantes celebraron la victoria en una batalla mínima, as insignificante al lado de lo que es la actualidad del equipo. Pero la festejaron casi como una vuelta olímpica. Sabido es que Juan Carlos Menseguez (amigo íntimo de Emiliano) fue una apuesta del cuerpo técnico, porque llevaba dos años sin jugar y la presión de Ramón fue la que llevó a los directivos, contra la voluntad de la mayoría, a contratarlo. El gol del Rayo, entonces, provocó una explosión en ellos (algo similar había ocurrido con el Malevo Ferreyra, otro de los cercanos a los Díaz). Lógica en un punto, pero desmedida si tenemos en cuenta que son las cabezas de un grupo profesional.

Más aún si observamos que cuando los goles son anotados por futbolistas no tan cercanos a sus afectos, el festejo es mucho más mesurado y terrenal.

La esencia de esto es que el Millo no levanta cabeza. En el campeonato local tiene ahora como objetivo culminar en una posición decorosa, como para maquillar una campaña mediocre. La Sudamericana, ese gran anhelo, la encuentra con final abierto. Con grandes posibilidades para el River combativo, al que le cuesta meter goles, pero batalla. Para paladear una alegría deberá, entonces, no dejarse atrapar por el impreciso River del torneo local.

Argentina’s Biggest Export: The Footballer (And Money)-Making Machine

Dan Edwards · 4 November, 2013

Whether you are a football fan or not, although I am guessing you might have a passing interest if you have stumbled onto this portion of the site, I have a little exercise for you. Take a look at Europe’s three biggest leagues, in Italy, Spain and England. Once there, make a mental note of who has been making the headlines, and scoring the goals.

You will no doubt find that a decent percentage of football’s biggest stars the ‘other’ side of the Atlantic Ocean have one thing in common: an Argentine passport.

In a landmark moment, 2010 saw Argentina overtake Brazil in the number of players ‘exported’ to other nations. An incredible 1716 players left the land of Maradona for exotic new climes, according to a BBC study. To put it in other, slightly more unpleasant terms, the trade in human football ‘flesh’ for the first half of 2013 was worth US$228 million. That sum is equal to a quarter of the nation’s entire meat export industry, an important comparison in the land of beef and leather.

Many of these players are household names. Inter’s 3-0 win at the weekend over Udinese, for example, was inspired by goals from Rodrigo Palacio and Ricardo Álvarez, both prominent in the Argentina national set-up. Over in England, Maradona’s son-in-law (and, according to the great man himself, a cagón) Sergio Agüero got himself on the scoresheet during Manchester City’s 7-0 destruction of Norwich, making him the Premier League’s joint-top scorer.

The standard-bearer of course is Lionel Messi, and although the ‘Atomic Flea’ is in a rare form slump his quality (100 goals in a single year, anyone) marks him out as an ambassador for Argentina across the globe.

Then there is the other side of the story. Auckland City boast their own Argentine import, Emiliano Tade. The forward was not exactly head-hunted; while back-packing in New Zealand he stumbled upon a trial for the local giants, and decided to make his home on the other side of the globe. From China to Cyprus, and Uruguay to Ukraine, national globetrotters are making their mark on a worldwide scale.

The attraction for buyers is obvious. Players from the country invariably come with ample, albeit at times raw, talent. Local citizenship laws mean that turning up Italian or Spanish heritage and hence a coveted EU passport is rarely much of an obstacle.

Having performed in leagues with some of the most demanding, vociferous fans in the world, there is usually not too much added pressure when playing in front of the Inter, or Manchester City faithful; there, at least you can be fairly certain a group of armed maniacs will not be waiting for you at the end of training should the team’s form take a tumble.

Perhaps most crucially, Argentines are cheap. Many ‘intermediate’ European clubs such as Portuguese sides Benfica and Porto, or the likes of Catania (13 Argentines in the first-team squad) in Sicily sign up prospects from the country four or five at a time. A youngster who flops can be loaned out or sent back; a kid who clicks and starts shining can be sold for 10 or 20 times the original price paid. It is a financial, as well as sporting investment.

As any good student of economics (which I, sadly, am not) will tell you, trade runs on push and pull. And modern Argentine football is full of reasons too which almost literally push youngsters towards Europe or elsewhere. The basic wage for an academy graduate is $7900 a month (US$1335 at the official rate), a fantastic salary for a 19-year-old but pitiful in comparison to even the lowest-paying countries across the Atlantic.

Agents and representatives, too, work in the background seemingly a law unto themselves. Many Argentine footballers are owned at least partially by agents or investors, which makes it even harder for a club to hold onto their stars. This third-party ownership means players (or more likely agents) can negotiate directly with clubs, and it must be said that often the choices made appear largely motivated by a pair of golden dollar signs rather than the youngster’s best interests.

Add in chaotic management of clubs, massive debts which means it is in an institution’s best interests to sell the most talented stars, and the aforementioned ‘fans’ who are never too shy to physically threaten playing staff, and it is no surprise that footballers leave in their droves to where the grass is greener.

The system as it stands is dangerously open to exploitation and manipulation. The third-party ownership phenomenon, banned in many European countries, has been called an effective ‘slavery’ by some football unions, and leads to all sorts of transfer and tax anomalies which serve to weaken a player’s control over his own future.

You can read a little more on how the third-party system works here, but the same rules apply in general for Argentine players. The outlook is further complicated by the fact that agents and investors often own a significant percentage, or even the entirety of a player’s contract, meaning clubs essentially rent their staff’s services. A team will also often grant a young prospect 25 percent, say of their own playing rights, as an initially cheaper form of rewarding a new first-team player without a significant pay rise. It is beneficial in the short-term, but it invariably leads to instability and a revolving door of players passing through. Independiente president Javier Cantero in 2012 took the unprecedented step of publishing who exactly owns the Rojo playing staff, revealing an intricate mix of third-parties, clubs who never played a single game with the players in question, and only a handful of youngsters who were fully owned by the Avellaneda institution.

It also invites all sorts of unsavoury characters into the game. The fall of a multi-million dollar narcotics cartel in Tigre’s Nordelta gated neighbourhood has come with the revelation that cocaine and marijuana were not the group’s only source of income. The owners of ‘Los Magnificos’ carwash in the area used the front as a meeting point for all their business concerns; including, it is alleged, the buying and selling of players in Argentina’s Primera Division.

San Lorenzo wonderkid Ángel Correa, meanwhile, is suspected of having a full 35 percent of his playing rights in the hands of Los Monos. The Rosario-based narco syndicate, according to local paper La Capital, even went to a game to cheer on their ‘property’, who for now still plays in the Primera Division but who at 18 has already been linked with a move overseas.

To their credit, the country’s authorities are not standing still. Tax collectors AFIP (hold the groans, expats who work en blanco) have made it a top priority to smash the complex labyrinth of third-party contracts, money laundering and tax evasion that typifies many transfers both domestically and involving European clubs. At the start of the 2012 Inicial season, the body went as far as to blacklist 146 agents accused of shady dealings, while temporarily suspending several top players until their tax and economic situation was regularized.

Nobody is trying to argue that the football trade should be shut down, that is horrifically simplistic and impossible in this globalized world. Besides, top players such as Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuaín, Sergio Agüero to name just a few, may never have reached their potential without access to the top-class playing facilities and coaches that Europe offers. The economic benefit for clubs here, too, makes selling key to their business plans.

But it comes at a price. Domestic Argentine football has suffered immeasurably from the exodus. Not so much from the loss of its superstars, which has happened since the start of the 1980s. The real damage has been done in the middle; now decent footballers who in previous eras would have been fixtures in Boca, say, or River, ply their trade in Russia or Portugal. The Primera Division has been hollowed out, leaving a curious mix of could-be’s, has-beens and never-will-be’s filling its 20 teams.

From the player’s point of view, too, a sale is not always the best option. Far too many excellent young stars have been shipped out by unscrupulous agents to Russia, Ukraine or other far-flung outposts, only to find the change too much. Unable to speak the language and most likely left hanging by the representatives who were in constant contact when a fat commission was in play, there are countless examples of footballers leaving Argentina at 19 or 20 only to return three years later, their spirits broken and having to rebuild when they should be at their peak.

Observers and commentators point proudly to the thousands of hopefuls that leave from Ezeiza every year to make their destiny, attributing it to a proud football nation whose product is in demand throughout the world. But it is not so simple. Exporting players has become a millionaire’s business, with plenty willing to act less than ethically in order to make a quick buck. If we really want to be proud of Argentine football, let’s start taking better care of the players who make it so renowned in every corner of the globe, and treat youngsters with the respect they deserve.

Nobody wants to stop Argentina’s most famous export; but the least that can be done is install a transparent, open system that removes power from those shady figures in the background, and works in the best interests of both clubs and players.

Og først nu ser jeg det..

8! fucking 8 points!

Jeg tror jeg bestiller en ny Racing trøje for at trøste mig selv.

Goikoetxea@

Har du en Racing trøje?

Juan Mercier: "La pasé muy mal"

BUENOS AIRES -- Juan Mercier, el mediocampista de San Lorenzo, afirmó que tuvo "un altercado" con un barrabrava del club, luego de la victoria 1-0, de local, ante Boca, por la 14ta. fecha del Torneo Inicial, a la salida del vestuario cuando se disponía a retornar a su casa.

"Cuando salí del vestuario me crucé con una persona que no conozco que me pidió la camiseta y no la pasé bien. Hubo un altercado y la pasé muy mal", aseguró Mercier.

El barrabrava se acercó a Mercier, cuando éste ingresaba a su automóvil para regresar a su hogar, lo amenazó y lo golpeó cuando no le contestó por el pedido de la camiseta que utilizó en el clásico ante Boca.

"Toda mi familia la pasó mal, pero ahora tengo que estar tranquilo", indicó el exmediocampista de Platense y Argentinos Juniors.

Mercier escribió un mensaje de agradecimiento por su cuenta en la red social Twitter destinado a los muchos que se solidarizaron con él tras el ataque de Daniel Regueiro, alias el Gordo Ito.

El Gordo Ito es el exjefe de la barra brava de San Lorenzo que hace alrededor de tres años le cedió el liderazgo a Cristian Evangelista, alias Sando y el domingo, tras el partido, mostró total impunidad ante decenas de personas.

Como pancho por su casa, el excapo de la Butteler, apareció en la nave, una zona restringida en la que los futbolistas suelen guardar sus autos y exigió ropa deportiva, agredió con un cachetazo en la nuca al futbolista y amenazó con romperlo todo si el martes no aparecía con su pedido.

Otra vez la seguridad de San Lorenzo no dio respuesta a una agresión. El presidente Matías Lammens habló con Mercier, dispuso custodia especial y anunció que el Gordo Ito será alcanzado por el derecho de admisión, con lo cual se le vedará el ingreso a la cancha.

LO QUE DEJÓ EL 1-0 SOBRE BOCA

En referencia al triunfo de San Lorenzo, que estiró a 9 partidos la ventaja ante Boca en el historial, Mercier señaló que presionaron "en todo al campo" al rival y no lo dejaron jugar.

A su vez, Mercier reconoció que cuando el delantero Emmanuel Gigliotti le quitó el balón en la jugada previa al penal de Santiago Gentiletti a Cristian Erbes se quedó tirado en el suelo porque "no lo podía creer".

Por último, le dejó un mensaje a la parcialidad de San Lorenzo, único escolta del líder y próximo rival, Newell´s Old Boys: "Que se queden tranquilos que vamos a dar lo mejor y estaremos en la pelea hasta el final".

San Lorenzo, que acumula 26 unidades en el Torneo Inicial, a dos de Newell´s Old Boys, derrotó a Boca Juniors, de local, 1-0 y el próximo sábado enfrentará al equipo rosarino en el estadio Coloso Marcelo Bielsa.