Snak

Liga MX Preview: Queretaro aim to build on win

Queretaro will look to continue their Liga MX resurgence against Tijuana on Friday after their breakthrough win last week.

Ignacio Ambriz´s Queretaro side won 2-0 at Tigres UANL to end a five-game losing streak in the Mexican top flight and could have some more joy against Tijuana, who have not won away from home in 13 games in all competitions.

That run has included just four draws, so Queretaro should have plenty of confidence they can notch consecutive victories.

Brazilian midfielder Willian will be the key man for Ambriz, as the 27-year-old is Queretaro´s leading scorer so far this season with four goals, including three in the club´s last three Liga MX fixtures.

Willian scored the opening goal versus Tigres, while Christian Bermudez slotted the second.

Tijuana defeated Puebla 3-1 last week to move up to ninth position in the table with 17 points, while Queretaro (13 points) sit 15th.

League leaders Cruz Azul will look to bounce back from a scoreless draw at Leon last week when they host Atlas on Saturday.

The draw against Leon saw Cruz Azul register just their fourth point in three domestic matches; a stuttering streak for the capital club, who won eight games in a row earlier in the Clausura campaign.

Cruz Azul top the table with 29 points, four ahead of second-placed Toluca, who face Tigres.

Toluca failed to make inroads on Cruz Azul last week after suffering a 2-1 loss to Atlante but should be confident ahead of their clash with Tigres.

Since March 2005, Toluca have only lost once to the San Nicolas-based University club.

Third-placed Pachuca (20 points) will be favourites to win when they travel to bottom club Veracruz, while second-last Puebla will host Leon.

On Sunday, Guadalajara will host arch-rivals America in El Super Clasico; arguably the biggest game in Mexican club football.

The two teams will enter the match on 17 points each with America (seventh) ahead of Guadalajara (eighth) on goal difference.

America have not won in three games in all competitions, while Guadalajara have not lost in the same period.

In other fixtures, Atlante will travel to Monterrey, while Chiapas will host Morelia and Santos Laguna are set to face Pumas UNAM.

Copa Libertadores Wrap: Santos Laguna win again

Santos Laguna continued their dominant run in the Copa Libertadores with a 4-1 thumping of Uruguay´s Penarol on Tuesday.

http://www.youtube.com/w…AT-s-MBKEko

Penarol stunned the home crowd at the Estadio Nuevo Corona when they hit the front in the opening minute but the visitors were unable to stop Santos Laguna in the second half, as the home side struck three times after the break to register a comfortable victory.

The win was Santos´ fourth in Group 8 with the Mexican club staying unbeaten in five matches in the continental competition.

Penarol took advantage of a defensive mix-up just after the opening kick-off when Javier Toledo nodded the ball past Santos goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez.

But the home team were level just eight minutes later thanks to Carlos Quintero´s volley from Jonathan Lacerda´s lofted diagonal pass.

Quintero was crucial to Santos´ victory with the Colombian winger creating his team´s second goal just before the hour-mark, picking out Javier Orozco, who burst in behind Penarol´s defence to score.

It was 3-1 in the 78th minute when Quintero lifted the ball over Penarol goalkeeper Juan Guillermo Castillo.

The Colombian capped off a brilliant individual performance with an assist for Santos´ fourth goal, playing a pass in behind to Andres Renteria, who converted from a tight angle.

The win took Santos (13 points) seven points clear at the top of Group 8 with Argentina´s Arsenal in second, while Penarol (four points) are two ahead of Deportivo Anzoategui of Venezuela.

In Group 4, Zamora trumped Nacional Asuncion 2-0 with second-half goals from Juan Falcon and John Murillo.

http://www.youtube.com/w…w5omjlA8KgI

The Venezuelan hosts hit Nacional twice on the break after half-time with Pedro Ramirez creating both goals.

The win took Zamora to seven points from five games, while Paraguay´s Nacional have five.

Reigning Copa Libertadores champions Atletico Mineiro remain top of the group with eight points from four matches.

The significance of Luis Castro and Diego Reyes

If you look at my tiny table in my tiny apartment, you´ll find an unknown number of tiny index cards with my handwriting on them. They are definitely not organized and most are actually hiding underneath other index cards that I have written on. It all looks like the work of a confused and obsessed soccer fan, which I guess wouldn´t be too far from the truth.

One of these index cards in the pile has a few notes that I considered for this article. Discussing Andres Guardado´s first start in the Bundesliga would have been interesting, or maybe even talking about Espanyol defender Hector Moreno´s solid performance against Levante. I could have easily rambled on for hours about the lack of minutes once again for Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez, but what really stood out on that index card was a hardly legible note about Diego Reyes´ recent starts over at Porto.

It didn´t really seem like that big a deal, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize the significance.

Since Luis Castro has been appointed as coach, Diego Reyes has been capturing more playing time for Porto and has even recently been given two consecutive starts. It was more difficult for Reyes to get time on the pitch when Paulo Fonseca was in charge and he would usually only get called up to the senior team for a less important tournament during the week. Now, Reyes seems to be one of Castro´s go-to players on the Porto starting eleven. Which is exactly what El Tri needs.

Mexico´s defense, especially in the middle, is easily one of the weaker points in the squad. It has been very apparent during the last few games and the idea of Juan Carlos Valenzuela or Francisco Rodriguez starting in the World Cup is enough to make me cringe. Reyes has been seen as the natural option for El Tri but has struggled to find his confidence with the national team. Against South Korea and Nigeria, Reyes didn´t work well with the rest of the defense and even looked a bit awkward when he had possession.

It would seem obvious to put in a different player, but after Moreno and Rafael Marquez, he is the next best option. What´s difficult about seeing him play recently for El Tri is knowing that he has the potential to be an excellent player, but he has yet to really prove it when he has played for the national team.

Reyes´ trade to Porto from Club America was assumed to be the perfect catalyst for his development before the World Cup. It was going to be his opportunity to be developed into one of Mexico´s best defenders. However, he hasn´t become the star player many thought he would be at this point and his demotion to the Porto B squad has somewhat stifled that growth. For a few months, I just hoped Reyes´ necessary growth and experience would be garnered through friendlies during the spring. What other option was there?

It didn´t dawn upon me until recently, but Porto´s firing of Fonseca was unexpectedly one of the best things that has happened for El Tri. Sure, midfielder Hector Herrera is now receiving less playing time, but Mexico doesn´t desperately need to add more strength in the midfield. Even if Herrera was left off the list for Brazil, the likes of Luis Montes, Javier Aquino, Marco Fabian, Carlos Pena and Isaac Brizuela would be more than sufficient.

It´s only a short time until the World Cup, but Reyes has already seemed to grow in confidence with Porto during the past couple of weeks. He has looked calm and assured in the back. The next couple of months are going to be crucial for Reyes and I hope he continues to get playing time. It will be one less thing to worry about before the summer.

Central America Recap: March 24, 2014

Herediano regained the upper hand in Costa Rica, while Chorrillo claimed sole possession of first place in Panama after a top-of-the-table clash with Alianza.

COSTA RICA

Herediano (30 points) returned to the Verano’s summit after a 4-2 victory over visiting Santos de Guapiles (19 points). Attacker Victor Nuñez (14’, 79’) scored two goals in a winning effort for the Florenses, who moved ahead of Saprissa (29 points) by a single point in the standings.

The Monstruo Morado played host Limon (19 points) to a 1-1 draw thanks to Carlos Saucedo’s 39th minute equalizer.

CONCACAF Champions League semifinalist Alajuelense (22 points) went on the road for a 1-1 draw with Puntarenas. Honduras international Jerry Palacios maintained his rich vein of form, giving the Manudos a lead in the 55th minute that it would relinquish 14 minutes later.

Other results: Carmelita 3-1 Perez Zeledon, Uruguay 2-0 Cartagines, Belen Sigo XXI 1-2 UCR

PANAMA

In a match between two sides tied for first place in the Clausura, Chorrillo (23 points) posted a 3-0 victory over Alianza (20 points). Sergio Moreno (31’), Rolando Blackburn (88’) and Miguel Camargo (90’+1) netted a goal each for Chorrillo, which won for the sixth straight time after going winless in its first six outings.

Arabe Unido (20 points) bounced back from its midweek CCL elimination by topping San Francisco (12 points), 1-0, thanks to Abdiel Arroyo’s fourth goal of the season in the 38th minute.

Other results: Plaza Amador 1-0 Chepo, Rio Abajo 2-1 Independiente, Sporting San Miguelito 1-2 Tauro

EL SALVADOR

Isidro Metapan (19 points) edged closer to first place in the Clausura with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Juventud Independiente (15 points). Forward Nicolas Muñoz (41’, 89’) netted a brace in victory for the visitors, who are now second in the table, three points behind FAS (22 points). The Tigres suffered a second defeat in their last two games, 2-1, to Dragon (16 points). Williams Reyes (21’ pen, 65’) scored two goals in a road win that saw his team to climb into third place.

Other results: Alianza 0-0 UES, Luis Angel Firpo 3- 1 Atlético Marte, Águila 3-1 Santa Tecla

GUATEMALA

The Clausura continues to be drama-filled as the teams occupying the first three positions in the table posted wins. A goal by Fernando Gallo (34’) gave leader and host Universidad de San Carlos (26 points) a 1-0 victory over Municipal. Universidad (5-2-0) remained unbeaten at home on the season.

Diego Cardillo’s last-gasp goal lifted second-place Coatepeque (24 points) past Mictlan, 3-2, and extended its unbeaten run to six consecutive games.

In another 3-2 battle, defending champion Comunicaciones (23 points) kept pace in third place, topping Malacateco. Marvin Ceballos broke a 2-2 tie in the 90th minute.

Other results: Suchitepequez 2-1 Iztapa, Xelaju 3-0 Halcones, Heredia 4-0 Marquense

HONDURAS

Bryan Rochez (23’, 42’, 56’, 60’) scored four goals as second-place Real España (24 points) extended its unbeaten streak to eight consecutive games with a 6-1 win at Marathon (15 points). Honduras international striker Carlo Costly (57’) and Gerson Rodas (74´) each added second-half tallies.

Leader Olimpia (28 points) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over Motagua (20 points). Antony Lozano (82’) netted his fifth goal of the season to end the slide.

Other results: Parrillas One 1-1 Platense, Victoria 1-0 Deportes Savio, Real Sociedad 1-0 Vida


NICARAGUA

Unbeaten Diriangen (31 points) gained sole possession of first place with a 2-1 win over Walter Ferreti (28 points). Jonathan Zapata (42’) and David Solorzano (54’) struck for the winner, which is the only unbeaten side in the Clausra with an 8-7-0 record.

With a 1-0 defeat of Managua, defending champion Real Esteli jumped into second. Franklin Lopez netted the game’s only goal in the third minute. Esteli has not lost in 11 straight games and has posted shutouts in its last three outings.

Other results: Juventus Managua 1-2 San Marcos, Deportivo Ocotal 1-0 Jalapa, Chinandega 2-3 Real Madriz

Hehe.. Artiklen ramte mig lidt på et ømt punkt. Jeg var lidt gal :-), men det er jo bare konspirationer. Selvfølgelig bliver de færdig og borgmesteren whiner bare enormt.

Åh jo, men det er altid fint med passioneret indlæg, særligt når de kommer i kølevandet på indlæg fra folk som gætter på hvad problemet er. Og Naturligvis er Luigi et dumt svin - borgmesteren med, alt andet vil være decideret overraskende.

Jeps. Tror næppe, vi ser mere til de fede og opsigtsvækkende fodboldfrisyre mere.. Ronaldo, Carlos Valderrama.. Næ nej, slikhår tilbage med ekstra gelé.. Here we go!

Lige præcis, slikhår, gele, ligegyldig hvor meget Giancarlo bliver sparket ned, så sidder håret rigtigt ! små wanna-bee Dennis Rodman´s, med fake-ass tattoos - thank fuck de fleste af EURO-ungerne er lagt i seng i deres replica Messi trøje når The Gay parade ruller over skærmen her til sommer.

Tim Vickery Column: When early elimination is a good thing

In recent times there have not been too many Brazilian sides as influential as the Santos team that won the 2002 domestic title.

It is a team that launched a thousand careers – Diego and Robinho, Elano and Renato, Leo and Alex, all of them Brazil internationals, made their names in that campaign.

It was the team that made the team a force in the Libertadores after nearly 40 years, getting all the way to the final the following year. And it is the team that established Santos as an interesting starting point for a talented youngster.

The Neymar generation, who ended the long wait for the third Libertadores title, are descendents of the 2002 side, as are the current crop of Santos youngsters developing nicely under Oswaldo de Oliveira.

This, then, was a team that had serious consequences, a collection of players who not only became individual stars but who also began the process whereby one of the world’s most famous clubs was rescued from the curse of mediocrity.

And it nearly never happened. We have the vagaries of the Brazilian football calendar to thank for the game-changing success of the 2002 Santos side.

First because this was one of the final championships played under the old play-off system, where the top eight teams qualified for a knock out phase.

Under the league system now in operation that Santos team would have been little more than a fascinating curiosity. They were an extraordinarily young side; centre forward Alberto, 27, was the oldest member of the side. Diego, the brains of the team, was a full ten years younger. And the price of youth, as so often, was inconsistency.

Santos blew hot and cold through the league campaign, and only managed to sneak into the knock out phase with by claiming the last of the eight places.

Then they caught fire at exactly the right time, and were at their irrepressible best as they swept away Sao Paulo, Gremio and then Corinthians to claim the title. Under this league system, though, they would have been a mid-table side, and history would look very different.

And there is also another aspect. As coach Emerson Leao confirmed to me in 2003, that Santos team would almost certainly not have happened without the club’s early elimination from the 2002 Sao Paulo State Championship.

This marked the end of the policy of trying to build success around big name signings – a line of conduct the club could no longer afford. And, crucially, it meant that Leao had time to construct a side for the Brazilian Championship.

There was time to observe the products of the club’s youth development work, time to work out how to fit them together into a team, time to transform that idea into a functioning reality. None of this would have been possible had Santos been busy with the closing stages of the State Championship – in which case they would have been running the risk of winning very little (for it is a title which is well past its sell-by date) and losing a lot (for there is no guarantee that the opportunity would have presented itself again in the same way).

Getting kicked out early of the 2002 Sao Paulo State Championship is a happy accident in the history of Santos. And might the same apply to Corinthians this year?

It is not so long ago that everything seemed to be going Corinthians’ way’ Brazilian champions, Libertadores champions, World Club champions, about to move into their own brand new stadium – some were predicting a decade of dominance for the ‘Big Team.’

Instead of which they soon found that success brings its own problems. The need for transition can be traumatic; winning sides need to be broken up, rethought and rebuilt.

It was not a process that Corinthians were able to handle smoothly, and the wonderful spell in charge of impressive coach Tite ended with a whimper – the side managed just 27 goals in the 38 matches of last year’s Brazilian Championship. With 22 goals conceded they had by some distance the best defensive record. But such solidity alone cannot make a team title challengers. With just 11 wins to their name, Corinthians finished a disappointing tenth.

It was perhaps inevitable that coach Mano Menezes would not have an easy return to the club. The initial stages of the state championships are often difficult for the big clubs. With no time for a proper pre-season they are nowhere near their physical peak. And Menezes had not had time on the training ground to make the team his own.

He has it now. He has had nearly two and a half months to evaluate the players at his disposal, to judge where he needs to strengthen the squad, and what might be the best collective idea to introduce.

A month on the training ground, punctuated by the occasional game in the Brazilian Cup, will come in very handy as he seeks to prepare for the national championship – where after nine rounds he will have another month and a half (the pause for the World Cup) to whip his side into shape.

After all of that time there can be no excuses. After a bad 2013 the Sao Paulo sides look strong contenders for this year’s title. If they can take advantage of their fortune in falling out of the state competition, then Corinthians should be up there and fighting when it really matters.

Víctor Blanco niega que haya habido contactos con Martín Palermo

BUENOS AIRES -- El presidente de Racing, Víctor Blanco, negó contactos con Martín Palermo al afirmar que no hay ningún dirigente "autorizado" a hablar con entrenadores porque el equipo "tiene un técnico".

"Estoy sorprendido con lo que dijo Palermo. Yo desconozco quién lo puede haber llamado porque Racing tiene técnico", dijo Blanco.

Fue el ex técnico de Godoy Cruz de Mendoza quien, en rueda de prensa tras un evento previo al Superclásico, contó que llamaron a su representante, Gustavo Goñi, para sondearlo como posible reemplazante de Reinaldo Merlo si es que "Mostaza" dejaba su cargo.

"Nunca surgió ninguna comunicación ni contacto, no existió. Sólo nombres informales, pero nunca hemos autorizado a nadie a hablar", remarcó Blanco.

Sobre su relación con Merlo, que no es la misma desde que los dirigentes se reunieron para tratar si le renovaban la confianza al entrenador, Blanco dijo que tiene un vínculo "normal".

"Tengo una relación normal con Mostaza. No tenemos relación asidua de todos los días, pero es normal. Hablamos", concluyó.

Palermo sorprendió al señalar que llamaron a su represente pero remarcó que "no es ético" de su parte estar "hablando de Racing. Sé que hubo un llamado a mi representante Gustavo Goñi pero hay un técnico trabajando", precisó.

La continuidad de Merlo en Racing, que pendía de un hilo previo al encuentro ante Belgrano, tomó algo más de aire luego de la victoria frente al conjunto cordobés.

Neymar a ´problem´ for Barca, claims Cruyff

Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff believes the signing of Brazil international Neymar has created a "problem" for the club.

The 22-year-old joined the Spanish champions in the close-season from Santos, with the financial arrangements surrounding his transfer causing controversy in recent months.

Sandro Rosell resigned as president over the affair, although the club denied any wrongdoing after being charged with tax evasion by the Spanish authorities.

And Cruyff, who played 227 times for Barca between 1973 and 1978, feels the off-field issues relating to the Brazilian´s move are proving troublesome.

"At Barca and at any big team, the coach has to be the boss. That´s why Pep (Guardiola) left, because the board interfered. And Barca´s problem is Neymar," he said in quotes reported by AS.

"He´s a terrific player, there can be no argument about that, but you can´t sign a 21-year-old player and pay him a higher wage than players who have won everything."

By Barca´s own standards, their campaign has been somewhat disappointing, losing four times in the league to sit a point behind Madrid neighbours Real and Atletico.

However, Lionel Messi´s hat-trick helped keep their title hopes alive with victory in El Clasico on Sunday and Cruyff feels the Argentina international, rather than Neymar, remains the key figure for Gerardo Martino.

"If you already have the best player in the world, a 21-year-old player (Neymar) can´t be the main man," Cruyff added.

"That´s impossible in football. At 26 he can, but at 21 it´s impossible."

Bianchi busca el acompañante de Gigliotti

BUENOS AIRES -- A cuatro días del Superclásico que enfrentará a Boca y River, Carlos Bianchi analiza realizar variantes en el sector ofensivo, teniendo en cuenta la poca presencia goleadora del conjunto Xeneize en los últimos partidos.

Por ello, durante el entrenamiento del miércoles, realizó una serie de ejercicios tácticos probando variantes en el sector de la delantera.

Mientras es un hecho la presencia de Emmanuel Gigliotti como referencia de área, el entrenador evalúa si mantiene a Luciano Acosta o le das lugar a Claudio Riaño o Juan Manuel Martínez.

Cabe recordar que habrá dos cambios confirmados de cara al partido del próximo domingo ya que volverán al equipo titular Daniel Díaz y Fernando Gago, en lugar de Claudio Pérez y Federico Bravo.

En definitiva, con la duda en la delantera por despejar, los once serían: Agustín Orión; Hernán Grana, Daniel Díaz, Juan Forlín, Emanuel Insúa; Fernando Gago, Cristian Erbes, Juan Sánchez Miño; Juan Román Riquelme; Emmanuel Gigliotti y Juan Manuel Martínez o Luciano Acosta o Claudio Riaño.

Por otro lado, Cristian Erbes no pudo terminar los trabajos por una leve molestia en el talón. De igual manera, el mediocampista no tendrá inconvenientes y será titular en lo que será su partido número 100 con la camiseta de Boca.

Boca recibirá a River desde las 18:15 hs. del domingo, con el arbitraje de Néstor Pitana. El conjunto de Carlos Bianchi apenas sumó dos de los últimos seis puntos en disputa ya que igualó ante Argentinos Juniors y Quilmes.

Rodolfo D´Onofrio: "Vamos a ir a ganar y vamos a ganar"

BUENOS AIRES -- El presidente de River Plate, Rodolfo D`Onofrio, derrochó confianza para el superclásico con Boca, al asegurar esta noche la victoria del equipo de Ramón Díaz el domingo próximo en La Bombonera.
"El resultados no lo sé, pero vamos a ir a ganar y vamos a ganar. Todos los hinchas estamos convencidos de ir a ganar", enfatizó el dirigente durante un evento solidario en la semana previa al partido de la décima fecha del torneo Final.

D`Onofrio depositó su "fe en (Fernando) Cavenaghi", capitán del actual plantel y goleador del último triunfo de River en La Boca en 2004.

"Nos hizo ganar hace diez años y espero que esta vez vuelva a hacer lo mismo", deseó el presidente, que no quiso fijar postura sobre la presencia del colombiano Teófilo Gutiérrez o Daniel "Keko" Villalva en el equipo titular.

"No sé quien jugara, si uno u otro o los dos. Que lo decida el técnico", desligó.

D`Onofrio participó esta noche de un evento solidario con niños de la Fundación S.O.S. Infantil, en La Rural de Palermo, junto a su par de Boca, Daniel Angelici, y los futbolistas Cavenaghi y Fernando Gago (Boca).