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Are MLS trying to kill the Cosmos?

For those who didn’t know, New York Cosmos (who now ply their trade in the NASL) won the Soccer Bowl 1-0 against Atlanta Silverbacks last weekend in their inaugural season. The winner came thanks to a 78th minute strike from ex-Villarreal and Spanish International Marcos Senna.

The championship was the club’s first since its return to professional football after being dissolved back in 1985 in the previous NASL. It felt like old times as well with bottles of champagne to be found all around the dressing room, the Cosmos are stamping their authority – a fantastic start for the revived franchise.

On the same evening (November 9th) a report from Goal USA surfaced stating that MLS were looking to re-allocate one of the CONCACAF Champions league spots from the US Open Cup winner and allow the spot to instead be given to the runners-up of the Supporter’s Shield in time for the 2014-2015 season. It would hardly be a surprising move if MLS were looking to do so considering the Open Cup winners this year was D.C. United, who came rock bottom of the Supporter’s Shield race with 16 points, 10 points off Chivas USA in 18th. The format change would undoubtedly symbolise preferential treatment to those who succeed in the MLS regular-season rather than be rewarded with continental competition for going on a good cup run.

There is a major downside for implementing such a change though. The historic U.S. Open Cup, which has been in existence well beyond any major Soccer league in North America, would not only become virtually redundant, but the removal of the CONCACAF Champions League spot would prevent any possible opportunity for clubs in the lower tiers of the soccer pyramid to be able to participate in continental competition – further strengthening MLS’s hegemony in US Soccer while possibly pushing the thriving NASL/USL scene back into relative obscurity.

The New York Cosmos have only played three months of competitive soccer and have already secured their first championship. The ownership group of the Cosmos have not been shy in stating their large ambitions of becoming one of the greatest sides in US Soccer, whether that be as a franchise in MLS or not. Cosmos captain Marcos Senna is an MLS worthy talent, even at the age of 37, alongside a number of other players such as fellow Spaniard Ayoze and Venezuelan forward Diomar Diaz to name just a few who could easily slot into any Major League Soccer team. Under the tutelage of Giovanni Saverese, the Cosmos look to become a dominant team in the NASL for many years to come.

It isn’t just on the pitch where the Cosmos have shown tangible signs of progressing. The NY based side have attract an average of 6,859 fans per home game which isn’t too bad considering their brief existence (already a comparable statistic to Chivas USA) while a large contingent of fans were seen at the Soccer Bowl with a vast majority storming the pitch in celebration after the match. There are definite signs of an evolving, passionate fan-base, but also have opened themselves up to further exposure with agreements of a major sponsorship deal with Emirates Airlines and, impressively/very significantly, a national television sports deal with broadcaster One World Sports.

The Cosmos are also seeking permission for a new 25,000 all-seater stadium as part of a privately financed $400 million entertainment complex known as Elmont Town Crossings – the kind of stadium that some MLS teams could only dream of (D.C/New England fans would understand). New York Cosmos are looking to be one of the best in the U.S and it’s looking good so far.

So what does the rise of the New York Cosmos have to do with the reallocation of a CONCACAF Champions League spot? Quite a lot. If the Cosmos continued their ascendency and kept winning titles, enticing high quality players and bringing in more fans then who is to say that one day they could not be capable of winning a U.S. Open Cup? Particularly when looking at the MLS club’s second string line-ups which are commonplace in the competition. Removing the CONCACAF Champions league spot could potentially deprive the Cosmos for ever playing in continental competition which would undoubtedly have a negative impact on the ambitious NASL as well, who are fully known to not want to be seen as a feeder league to MLS but a genuine competitor.

There are no financial restrictions in the NASL, no salary cap which was one of the reasons for why the Cosmos were able to build such a strong team so quickly, nor is there a limit on international players NY Cosmos or any other NASL side are allowed to have. This has perhaps rattled the cage in MLS HQ (which ironically is in New York) who feels their position as the number one US professional Soccer league is being threatened. Imagine the face on MLS commissioner Don Garber if one day the Cosmos beat an MLS side in the CONCACAF Champions League final – or worse – if they won a Club World Cup. Furthermore, the potentially game changing announcement of a new NYCFC team to play in MLS in 2015 could have perhaps been an attempt by Garber and co. to detract interest from the Cosmos and for fans to look towards either the Red Bulls or the new franchise. The moves made by the management at Major League Soccer could have a detrimental effect on US Soccer as a whole but mostly on themselves.

Of course there is the fact that we don’t truly know if Major League Soccer is looking for the U.S. Open Cup to be stripped of its Champions League place. The decision would ultimately have to be made by the USSF who at the weekend shot down the rumours – but who really knows what is happening behind closed doors? Nevertheless, the Cosmos are clear in their long term intentions to become the best soccer team in USA, if MLS were to be able to get the space removed then CONCACAF may even allow them in via an alternative route.

The MLS-Cosmos feud may have just begun but certainly has the legs to go on for many years to come, both on and off the pitch.

Hector Wright thinks a lot went wrong with failed Brazil 2014 campaign

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Jamaica´s demise in the recent CONCACAF Hexagonal play-offs cannot be blamed on any coach, but more on the lack of application by players who under-performed, says former national midfielder Hector Wright.

Jamaica´s Reggae Boyz, who were last in the six team series, lost 1-0 and 2-0 to Trinidad and Tobago in a two-way friendly international series that served as kick-start to their preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup as Mexico, who were fourth in the CONCACAF finals were beat Oceana champions New Zealand to book their spot to Brazil next year.

Jamaica played under two coaches. Firstly, under Theodore Whitmore who started the campaign before making way for German Winfried Schafer, who led the team for the final four games, but failed to win a single game, which resulted in the Boyz finishing at the bottom of the tables.
Wright, who made his senior team debut in 1988, a year after he left Herbert Morrison Technical and was a fixture in the midfield for over a decade, said the players chosen lacked commitment to the cause.

"I don´t think the World Cup players we had in the recent campaign applied themselves as they should," he told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview. "We know they might not have had the time needed to work together, but we can´t be making excuses, we are talking about players who were coming out of professional clubs and leagues, so they should have applied themselves more based on the type of the opposition we faced," he said.

Wright, who is now in charge of the football programme at his alma mater, said he did not see the kind of adaptation one would expect at this level from the players. "Every game you play is a different game depending on the opposition," he pointed out. "If you play Mexico or another team it´s a different game, every game is different and it has a lot to do with application, the approach of the Jamaican team to all the games was practically the same."

The former Jamaica standout said Whitmore, his former teammate at Seba United and the national team, was not given a chance to work with the team either.

"Coaches don´t go out there and play," he said. "It´s the players, if you sit and watch the games we lost and drew against Mexico and the USA, the results had nothing to do with coaches, it was the basics that we did not apply, for example, crossing to the back post and the coverage," Wright argued.

The midfielder, who was best remembered for his long-range passing ability, agreed that there is still a void for such a player in the Jamaican set-up. Wright added that perhaps such a player has become irrelevant in the new dispensation.

"The type of midfielders we have here are not goal-scoring midfielders, they just play outside the 18-yard box," he noted.

"Players like myself and Whitmore had variety, we could pack into the 18-yard box or on the outside we were varied, not one- dimensional, we don´t see that kind of variety in the midfielders these days," Wright pointed out.
The former Seba man, who was invited along with then Herbert Morrison teammate Garfield Anderson to train with a Finnish team while still in high school, said "the players these days they just want to be in and around the football and that is not good enough".

"You must be able to vary your game depending on what the other team is doing, long pass or close ball skill."

Wright was wistful when he was asked to review his career that spanned 110 games, scoring 15 goals. He conceded that with his ability he could have done more for the national team before his career was cut short by a knee injury.

"I could have done more, it is never enough, there is a whole lot more I could have done," he concluded.

Schafer sounds trumpet

Boyz coach says unfit players better shape up, or ship out

PORT of SPAIN, Trinidad — Players wishing to be a part of Winfried Schafer´s Reggae Boyz squad had better be prepared to raise their fitness levels to international standards, minimise their mistakes during the learning curve, exhibit leadership skills and most importantly, learn from their mistakes.
That was the German´s frank review of his team´s 0-2 loss to Trinidad and Tobago here at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Tuesday night. Finnish-based player Ataulla Guerra struck in the 49th minute and captain Kenwyne Jones secured victory with a 73rd minute penalty.

"The players must watch the DVDs of the games and learn from their mistakes," Schafer told the Jamaica Observer at game´s end.
He readily admitted that he needs matches to evaluate the players, "so that the players can learn, minimise their mistakes and become better players", he emphasised.

He said he will compile a CV of all players "to assess what is good and what is bad about each player".

"After a few weeks, we watch him again to see if he wants to learn and if not, he´s out (of the programme)", the coach added.

The former Cameroon national team coach was also unimpressed with the fitness level of a few players and has promised to work with the local clubs and the national team´s physical trainer Andre Waugh to try to get those players up to speed.

"I was not happy about two players who were tired after 10 minutes. They need to work hard and fight for their team," he said. "It is not easy to play at the international level... the fitness is not very high to play at this level.

"I need to talk with our fitness coach and get many of these players to him to assess their fitness, and if their fitness does not improve, then they have to go out," he warned.

Tuesday night´s victory gave Trinidad and Tobago a clean sweep of the two-game friendly international series after Guerra struck in the fifth minute for a 1-0 win at the Montego Bay Sports Complex last Friday night.

Prior to kick-off, a minute´s silence was observed out of respect for the passing of the son of former Reggae Boyz head coach and star player Theodore Whitmore. Also, Port Vale midfielder Christopher Birchall, who scored an important goal against Bahrain in the 2006 World Cup Qualifying play-off which helped his team to Germany, was recognised as he officially brought the curtains down on his international career.

Another veteran, Carlos Edwards, of Ipswich Town, was also recognised for his service to Trinidad and Tobago´s Soca Warriors.

Trinidad and Tobago went ahead when Guerra was allowed the luxury of cutting inside from the left flank deep into the Jamaica defensive third, and dribbled to the centre of the penalty area before unloading a powerful low drive into the corner of the goal.

It was from a similar situation that the hosts earned their second goal as Jones and Rundell Winchester combined neatly on the left before the latter wiggled past his marker to dart laterally inside the box. Alvas Powell, who had confidently thwarted the threat from Jones, came across too late and could only bring down the player giving Surinamese referee Enrico Winjgaarde no choice but to point to the spot.

Jones made no mistakes, which made amends for a clear missed chance early in the first half when he skied a right-sided cross from inside the six-yard box.

Schafer was pleased with most of the Reggae Boyz´ offering in the first half.

"First half they got only one chance from Jones, we played compact and we had about three chances with Adrian (Reid), Watson (Je-Vaughn) and a clear penalty from Omar (Daley), but our problem is our inability to finish at goal, this is what is missing from our team," he said, struggling to contextualise his thoughts.

"The first goal from Trinidad, that is what I have asked from Jason (Johnson) to cut inside and shoot, but he goes inside and instead of shooting, he tends to move away from goal. But it is okay, he is one player who needs more time for training.

"Second half we changed a defender because Upston (Edwards) was injured and that was a big problem. Seaton (Michael) was tired and we took off Jason for Mattocks (Darren), but he got injured shortly after.

"This time it was not bad (for the team), but the goal was a stupid goal because I asked that Adrian and Omar support each other, but Omar was too far away to support Adrian, and this shouldn´t be possible."

The coach noted that after the goal the game became much more difficult for his charges, and the problem was compounded as nobody tried to shoot at goal, and the few set pieces resulted in poor deliveries into the penalty area.

The Boyz had a decent shout for penalty waved off in the first half when Daley robbed Edwards, who dallied on the ball for far too long, deep into the Trinidadian defensive third. Daley raced inside the penalty area from the left, and instead of relaying a pass to the unmarked Seaton who was in a clear position to score, he held onto the ball even as the retreating Edwards pulled him to the turf.

Schafer also lamented the lack of leadership skills in the group. He admitted that he wanted to incorporate Rodolph Austin and Wes Morgan into this side, but both players were unavailable.

"The leaders give the other players confidence," he said, but was quick to add that "we will have a good team in the future, we have talented players, but they need to work much harder, and learn as they go along. Talent is not all."

Teams:

Jamaica - (13) Richard McCallum, (2) Upston Edwards (3, Dicoy Williams 46th), (5) Alvas Powell, (19) Adrian Reid, (20) Kemar Lawrence, (6) Jermaine Woozencraft, (15) Je-Vaughn Watson, (16) Omar Daley, (8) Michael Seaton (11, Darren Mattocks 46th, 18, Jermaine Anderson 59th), (9) Jason Johnson (12, Brian brown 46th), (17) Deshorn Brown (14, Andrew Vanzie 85th).
Subs not used: (1) Gariece McPherson, (4) Montrose Phinn
Booked: Anderson (76th)

Trinidad and Tobago - (21) Jan Michael Williams, (2) Aubrey David, (4) Daniel Cyrus, (8) Joevin Jones, (11) Carlos Edwards (16, Curtis Gonzalez 88th), (7) Christopher Birchall (5, Kevan George 70th), (9) Kenwyne Jones (15, Trevin Ceasar 80th), (10) Ataulla Guerra, (14) Andre Boucaud (18, Densil Theobald 82nd), (12) Lester Peltier (13, Rundell Winchester 28th), (19) Carlyle Mitchell (6, Radanfah Abu Bakr 74th).
Subs not used: Cleon John

Booked: Cyrus (45th), Boucaud (55th)

Referee: Enrico Winjgaarde (Suriname)

Assistant Referees: Ainsley Rochard (T&T), Caleb Wales (T&T)

Fourth Official: Neil Brizan (T&T)

Match Commissioner: Carl Joseph (T&T)

Referee Assessor: Lynda Bramble (T&T)

Rio: Resisting Flamengo

By Sam Green

Sunday, July 25, 2010 turned out to be a seminal day. For me at least. It was the day I met Maísa in a café in Rio de Janeiro. She would go on to be my wife. It was also the day I went to my first Botafogo match. They would become my Brazilian team. “So fate gave you a very bad thing to balance up the very good thing,” says Lucas, my Flamengo-supporting friend.

“Why did you pick Botafogo? Do you like suffering?” ask my wife’s cousins, all flamenguistas. I explain: I read a bit about their history and liked it – their players formed the basis of Brazil’s first two World Cup wins, in 1958 and 1962. They had Garrincha. And Nilton Santos. Plus, I must admit, I was a little enchanted by the club’s reputation as the team of Rio’s intellectuals, artists and bohemians. Pretentious, I know.

And I also disliked what I read of the backstory of Fluminense, their opponents that day. Founded by an upper-class Englishman and seemingly tainted by the snobbery that often comes hand in hand with all that. It was a natural rejection.

So a decision was made. It would be the lone star of Botafogo. O Glorioso. For better or worse.

Although not everyone agrees. There’s still time to change, the flamenguistas tell me. You made a mistake, it’s OK, you can still join us. Even: you’re not really a Botafogo fan, you’re a Flamengo fan, you just haven’t realised it yet. You haven’t admitted it to yourself. You’ll come around.

And it can be hard to resist Fla. The thing about flamenguistas is there are so bloody many of them. The call themselves A Nação (The Nation). Yes, they can be irritating: the team seems to get a lot of refereeing decisions and their fans’ sense of ownership can grate. “The Maracanã is ours” is a favourite refrain about the shared stadium that connects so profoundly with the soul of Brazilian football.

But Flamengo are very much the people’s team and that, for me, makes them hard to dislike. It’s a bit like West Ham with Man United’s following. Or Liverpool, I guess Reds fans would say. Flamengo are proud of being O Povo (the people). And the only time I’ve been ashamed of my nascent allegiance to Botafogo is when I heard their fans calling Fla supporters favelados (a derogatory term for people who live in favelas).

There are a few theories about the roots of Flamengo’s universal appeal. It’s been said they were the first Rio club to give a chance to black players, but this is incorrect: it was in fact Bangu (now a minor Carioca club) and Vasco de Gama were the first of the existing big Rio sides to do so. This leads to a rival claim that provokes strong reactions: that Vasco are the true people’s club. That the story of Mengo is a myth. And Vasco do hail from the poorer north zone of Rio, and their stadium is in a decidedly dodgy area, while Flamengo are based in upper-class Gávea.

Another, more credible theory to explain Flamengo’s vast popularity is that they were the first club to hold open training sessions, demystifying football, which started life in Brazil as an upper-class pursuit, closed off to the poor. Which brings us back to Fluminense. Flamengo were born out of a splinter group who split from Fluminense, and this rivalry (the povo vs the elite) has come to define both clubs.

Botafogo, meanwhile, are a team for wistful old men, stuck in the past, apparently. The other teams, Flamengo in particular, sing a song to Botafogo called Chororô, which can be roughly translated as Cry, Cry. The words go something like: “The chairman’s crying, the players are crying, the fans are crying – the whole club’s crying” – in reference to a perceived victim-syndrome, an enduring sense among botafoguenses that they are cursed by bad luck and injustice.

That seemed to be turning around this year. The arrival of Clarence Seedorf, who married into a family of botafoguenses and is still in frighteningly good shape at 37, plus the breakthrough of a batch of confident youngsters under the guidance of studious manager Oswaldo de Oliveira, saw Fogo confidently claim the Rio state title and then enter into national title contention, as the other big Carioca clubs – Fla, Flu and Vasco – hovered around the relegation zone.

But a defeat by title rivals Cruzeiro in September seemingly punctured confidence and a string of poor results has put qualification to the Copa Libertadores (a feat not achieved since 1996) in doubt. So last week’s second leg of the Brazilian Cup quarter-final against Flamengo took on an increased profile – the tournament winners qualify for the continental tournament.

“Arriving at the Maracanã and seeing the overwhelming masses of rubro-negros swarming outside, it was difficult to imagine any team overcoming such a force of nature.”

It was 1-1 from the first leg and excitement had been building all week. Arriving at the Maracanã and seeing the overwhelming masses of rubro-negros (red and blacks = Fla fans) swarming outside, it was difficult to imagine any team overcoming such a force of nature. Each set of fans had their own end behind a goal and Fla seemed to have claimed the two ‘neutral’ sides too. In a crowd of 60,000, it felt a fair guess to say that 45,000 were Mengo.

We were in the ‘prawn sandwich’ seats, but there was still a pleasing amount of passion and coarse behavior. Seat numbers on tickets were cheerfully ignored and nobody seemed overly interested in sitting anyway. Among a raft of new regulations ushered in with the opening of the new Maracanã was a ban on fans taking their shirts off: something else that was largely ignored. And this makes sense in early summer in Rio, unlike Newcastle in December.

It was a chastening night for Botafogo. With Seedorf having a stinker, and rangy forward Rafael Marques unable to impose himself, Flamengo’s blood and thunder no. 9 Hernane stole the show, completing his hat-trick in the 12th minute of the second half. Nicknamed ‘The Drill’, the rumbustious Hernane was plucked from the São Paulo state league during a frugal close-season at Flamengo, and currently has the esteemed Carioca honour of being top scorer at the new Maracanã. Loyal club servant and birthday boy Leo Moura, a graceful and effective right-back, made it 4-0 from the penalty spot, earning a rendition of happy birthday from the fans. And that was that.

But the real show had been in the stands. Despite raised ticket prices at the new stadium and fears of gentrification, the atmosphere was electric – all four sides spent large portions of their time jumping, singing, swearing and waving unfeasibly large flags. The nature of the defeat hit the botofoguenses hard. One lad sitting near us in his black and white striped shirt, alongside his rubro-negro-clad girlfriend, got so upset at the third goal that he jumped up and started kicking the wall in front of him, before storming off.

The one disappointment was how quickly the Botafogo end emptied out after the third goal – it was the opposite of the bloody minded British mentality you often see with beaten fans staying on to show their passion for the club, even more defiantly in the face of humiliation. Saying that, the 10pm kick-off on a school night (because of the power of TV schedulers who want to protect the prime-time soap opera audiences) made the early exodus slightly more understandable.

It was after the fourth goal that a colleague of mine shouted of “Oi, chupa Sam!”. At first I thought he was calling me ‘Super Sam’ and I happily waved back. Then I realised he was actually telling me to ‘suck it’. With this in mind, I slipped away five minutes from the end, keen to avoid sharing the metro with 45,000 delirious and gloating flamenguistas. On the platform I joined my kind: sad, tired, disappointed faces.

But I have to be honest. I just don’t care all that much anymore. It would be worse if it was Brighton. Or England. But even then, it just doesn’t cut deeply these days, like it used to. Football still distracts, thrills and fascinates me. But I don’t get so down about it anymore. I won’t be kicking any walls. Sometimes, I worry that I’ve lost something. But I guess I’ve just grown up. I’m getting on a bit. Which is perfect for Botafogo.

Inter Milan’s Diego Milito to return to Racing

Italian newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport has reported that Inter Milan striker, Diego Milito has agreed to return to Racing Club at the end of the European football season in June 2014.

At 34 years of age and recovering from a knee ligament injury it is unclear if Milito will be offered a new deal by the Italian giants and La Gazzetta suggets that, ”Unofficial sources indicate that Racing and El Príncipe (Milito) have a deal.”

Milito started his career at Racing and was part of their last title winning side in 2001 who claimed the Apertura under the management of Mostaza Merlo. With Merlo back at the reigns in Avellaneda, a reunion between the two could be on the cards.

Provided his knee injury has not completely finished his playing days, Milito could still offer a great deal in the Argentine Primera and Racing’s youngsters, like Luciano Vietto could learn a great deal.

Pratto strikes late to give Velez win

Velez Sarsfield returned to winning ways with a hard fought 2-1 win against relegation threatened, Godoy Cruz last night in Liniers. Despite going behind early to former Velez striker, Mauro Obolo’s headed opener, Velez just about deserved the win. Second half goals from Agustin Allione and a late 25-yard strike from Lucas Pratto gave Velez the victory. The result leaves them just 3 points behind leaders Newell’s, joining the remarkably tight group of title chasers and Godoy Cruz still in the drop zone.

http://www.youtube.com/w…BVB9xntTbr0

Ricardo Gareca: "Queremos terminar de la mejor manera"

BUENOS AIRES -- El entrenador de Vélez, Ricardo Gareca, dijo tras la victoria sobre Godoy Cruz que "queremos terminar de la mejor manera" y declinó opinar sobre la posibilidad de ganar el torneo Inicial, ya que "hay muchos equipos adelante, nosotros somos los que menos posiblidades tenemos en cuanto a un título".

Vélez se ubica quinto, con 27 puntos, a tres de San Lorenzo pero con un partido más jugado. Y justamente se medirá con el equipo de Juan Antonio Pizzi en la última fecha, en Liniers.

"Vélez, para llegar con un mínimo de posibilidades, necesita ganar sus dos partidos, pero de San Lorenzo no voy a opinar, que opine Juan Antonio (por Pizzi). Ahora nos toca enfrentar a Colón y no hay que pensar más allá", dijo el DT.

De cualquier manera, Gareca comentó que "nunca hay que perder la fe. Mientras a un equipo los números no le digan lo contrario no hay que perder la fe".

Por último, se refirió a la victoria 2-1 sobre Godoy Cruz: "En el primer tiempo nos superaron y en el segundo hubo un cambio de actitud importante. En líneas generales terminamos justificando la levantada. Me quedo con que en el segundo tiempo fue más superior Vélez de lo que fue Godoy en el primero, porque ellos prácticamente no tuvieron situaciones en la segunda parte".

En tanto, el delantero Lucas Pratto afirmó que el objetivo "es pasar los treinta puntos" y estar en la pelea del Torneo Inicial 2013.

"El objetivo es pasar los treinta puntos y estar en la expectativa. Nos propusimos ganar los nueve puntos que quedaban y ahora nos restan seis", precisó el atacante luego del triunfo por 2-1 ante Godoy Cruz, en el Estadio José Amalfitani, por la antepenúltima fecha.

Pratto destacó la condición física que tuvo Vélez durante el encuentro frente a los mendocinos. "Venimos de un año en el que jugamos muchos torneos y así y todo aguantamos bien el partido. En los primeros treinta minutos Godoy Cruz tuvo varias chances claras, pero en el segundo no patearon al arco y nosotros llegamos y pudimos darlo vuelta", comentó el artillero.

Jeg er her stadigvæk, men har ikke været meget på bold de seneste uger. Det har der simpelthen ikke været tid til.

dibben så er du gået glip af det....

Honduras ties Ecuador as Costly nets twice

HOUSTON – In a battle of 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Carlo Costly scored two goals and Honduras played Ecuador to a 2-2 friendly draw on Tuesday at BBVA Compass Stadium.

The second-half substitute tallied twice during a five-minute stretch to thrust the Catrachos ahead, but Enner Valencia leveled in the 89th minute to complete the scoreline.

Both sides played the latter portions of the second half with only 10 men.

Ecuador’s Juan Carlos Paredes was ejected in 76th minute and Wilson Palacios followed with six minutes left in regulation time.

Jaime Ayovi gave the South Americans a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, using his head to redirect Walter Ayovi’s free kick from 23-yards out just inside the right post.

In the 63rd minute, Jerry Palacios laid off an intelligent pass just inside the box for Costly, who was racing down the middle. In stride, the Guizhou Zhicheng forward took a touch and then calmly placed the ball into the lower-right corner of the net.

Four minutes later, the commanding 31-year-old received a long ball on the right side, cut into the box, skillfully froze his defender and curled a sublime shot into upper-left corner from 16 yards.

Just when it appeared that it Honduras would bounce back from 5-0 loss to Brazil a few days earlier, Valencia beat goalkeeper Noel Valladares from 25-yards out with a right-footed rocket to make it 2-2.


http://www.youtube.com/w…BrxH8StMGc0

http://www.youtube.com/w…4m9MxnD1UWY

For de intresserede, der har jeg oprettet en klubtråd for El Cíclon:-)

http://www.bold.dk/snak/…413075&vis=