Snak

With Sanchez & Vidal, Chile Dream of Advancing to Last 16 in the World Cup

The sparkling form of Alexis Sanchez and some fine recent form have left Chile dreaming of progressing beyond the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in more than half a century.

Four years ago, Chile tumbled out of the tournament in their first knockout game, beaten by Brazil in a repeat of their exit at the same stage, also against Brazil, at the 1998 finals in France.

Brazil could well be waiting for Chile in the last 16 once more if they finish as runners-up in a demanding Group B which also includes defending champions Spain, a powerful but unpredictable Netherlands side and Australia.

Yet even with the possibility of another encounter with the Brazilians looming on the horizon, Chile - who finished third as hosts back in 1962 - will head to the tournament fearing no-one.

They finished South America´s qualifying tournament as very much the form team, winning five of their last six games in impressive style after a faltering start to the campaign was put firmly back on track when Argentinian coach Jorge Sampaoli replaced the sacked Claudio Borghi in late 2012.

La Roja served notice of their emergence in September last year, when they led twice against Spain in a Geneva friendly before the world champions scrambled a late equalizer to snatch a 2-2 draw. They then outclassed England at Wembley, winning 2-0 courtesy of goals in each half from Barcelona forward Sanchez.

Only a 90th-minute Robinho goal denied Chile a draw with Brazil in another friendly in November, when they lost 2-1. The Chileans were also unlucky to lose 1-0 to Germany in March, when they dominated the game to such an extent that German fans were reduced to booing their own team.

Under Sampaoli, Chile have resurrected the high-tempo pressing game they adopted to great effect under another Argentine, Marcelo Bielsa, who coached them at the 2010 finals.

Sampaoli has also benefited from the blossoming of Sanchez into a genuine world-class talent, and the 25-year-old will head to Brazil in the best form of his career.

Sanchez is ably supported in attack by Eduardo Vargas, scorer of both of Chile´s goals in the draw with Spain last September.

Vargas, who has spent the latter half of this season on loan from Napoli to Valencia in Spain, finished joint top scorer for Chile during qualifying, with five goals.

While Vargas and Sanchez will spearhead Chile´s attack, the South Americans also threaten goals in midfield through Arturo Vidal. The dynamic Juventus midfielder has gone from strength-to-strength in Italy after shining at the World Cup in 2010, becoming one of Serie A´s most admired foreign players.

Vidal is in no doubt a more mature Chile side can improve on their last-16 finish of four years ago.

"The side that´s going to Brazil is twice as strong and intense as the one that lined up in the last World Cup," he told the BBC earlier this year.

"I think all the players from 2010 have matured a lot and we´re a better team that plays better football. We know we have to at least beat one of the reigning champions (Spain) and (2010) runners-up (Netherlands). But we´ll go out to win every game we play."

Carlos Bustos New Chivas of Guadalajara Manager

Chivas of Guadalajara announced on Monday that Colombian manager Carlos Julio Bustos would be the new manager of the team heading into the Apertura 2014 season of LIGA Bacomer MX.

The South American had begun the Clausura 2014 season with Monarcas Morelia, he was let go shortly after the team was unable to secure a place in the Copa Libertadores group stage. He was one of four managers that Morelia had throughout the Clausura season.

Bustos will take over the spot left void by Argentine manager Ricardo La Volpe who was let go after only four months on the job due to an alleged sexual harassment claim against him.

La Volpe is accused of having a female doctor at the club give him a massage while wearing only a towel; as well as exposing himself to her. Said doctor has already filed charges against La Volpe.

Bustos will have the uncomfortable task of navigating the historic Chivas side away from the relegation pressure the team finds itself in.

"Club Deportivo Guadalajara welcomes Mr. Carlos Bustos to the most important institution in Mexican soccerand wishes him the best of luck in his goal to enrich the triumphant history of Chivas" read a segment of the official Chivas press release.

Klinsmann Names 30-Player Preliminary Roster for 2014 FIFA World Cup

CHICAGO (May 12, 2014) – U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has selected the 30-man preliminary roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. From this list, a squad of 23 players must be chosen by June 2 for the final roster that will travel to Brazil. A date to announce the USA’s 23-player FIFA World Cup roster has not been set.

The 30 players on the preliminary roster will begin reporting to Palo Alto, California, on May 14 for the start of training camp at Stanford University.

“First of all, we want to thank all of the players who have been a part of the process these last three years,” said Klinsmann. “It’s been an incredible journey, and everyone has worked tremendously hard. We had some difficult decisions to make, and we are very excited about the 30 players coming into camp. There is competition in every position, and these next couple of weeks will allow us to make the final determinations on the best 23-man unit to represent the United States in the World Cup.”

Under the banner of “One Nation. One Team.” the U.S. will play three matches in the Send-Off Series from May 27-June 7 in San Francisco, New York and Jacksonville, Florida. The Send-Off Series kicks off with USA vs. Azerbaijan, powered by Yingli Solar, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco [TICKETS]. The USA then hosts Turkey at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 1, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, before traveling to Jacksonville, Florida, to face Nigeria on June 7 at 6 p.m. ET at EverBank Field [TICKETS]. All three Send-Off Series matches will be broadcast live on ESPN2, WatchESPN, UniMas and ESPN Deportes Radio. Fans can also follow the games live on Twitter @ussoccer.

A host of interactive events and social media programs will provide U.S. Soccer fans across the nation with unprecedented opportunities to connect with the U.S. Men’s National Team on its journey from training camp through the build-up toward the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. [SCHEDULE]

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (3) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (11) : DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Nürnberg), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)

MIDFIELDERS (10) : Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Maurice Edu (Philadelphia Union), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (6) : Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

The U.S. Men’s National Team was drawn into Group G of the 2014 FIFA World Cup along with Ghana, Portugal and Germany. The U.S. opens the tournament on June 16 against Ghana, with kickoff at 6 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local) at Estadio Das Dunas in Natal, located on the northeast coast of the country in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.

The USA will then face Portugal on June 22 at 6 p.m. ET (6 p.m. local) at Arena Amazonia in Manaus, in the state of Amazonas, and will finish group play against three-time World Cup champion Germany at Arena Pernambuco in Recife, which is the capital of the state of Pernambuco and is also located on the northeast coast of the country. Kickoff for the match against Germany is at 12 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local).

ROSTER NOTES

Nine top-flight leagues are represented on the preliminary roster: USA’s MLS (15), England’s Premier League (4), Germany’s Bundesliga (4), Mexico’s Liga MX (2), Austria’s Bundesliga (1), France’s Ligue 1 (1), Netherlands’ Eredivisie (1), Norway’s Tippeligaen (1) and Turkey’s Super Lig (1).

A total of 24 clubs contribute players to the camp. The Seattle Sounders send three players to Stanford, while the LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City have two apiece.

A total of 10 players were also on the preliminary roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup: Jozy Altidore, DaMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Clarence Goodson, Brad Guzan and Tim Howard. Bedoya is the only player who did not make the trip to South Africa.

Beasley and Donovan have each appeared on three World Cup rosters. Dempsey and Howard have two each, while Altidore, Bradley, Edu, Goodson and Guzan all made their debut in 2010 in South Africa.

Three players on the roster (Beasley, Dempsey and Donovan), have more than 100 caps, while Tim Howard is set to become the 15th player in MNT history to play in 100 games.

At the other end of the spectrum, five players have 10 caps or less: John Brooks, Timmy Chandler, Julian Green, Aron Johannsson and DeAndre Yedlin.

A total of 25 players on the preliminary roster appeared in at least one FIFA World Cup qualifier in the 2014 cycle. The five who did not are Brooks, Green, Nick Rimando, Chris Wondolowski and Yedlin.

Costa Rica.

Sorpresas arrojó prelista de convocados para Brasil 2014

Pinto (2)El llamado del guardameta Esteban Alvarado, así como convocados como Hansell Arauz y Heiner Mora, son tan solo algunas de las sorpresas que se vieron en la prelista de convocados mundialistas que entregó la mañana de este lunes 12 de mayo el Director Técnico de la Selección Mayor, Jorge Luis Pinto.

La lista la conforman:

Guardametas

1. Keilor Navas / Levante (ESP)
2. Patrick Pemberton / Alajuelense
3. Daniel Cambronero / Herediano
4. Esteban Alvarado / AZ Alkmaar

Defensas

5. Johnny Acosta / Alajuelense
6. Giancarlo González / Columbus Crew (USA)
7. Michael Umaña / Saprissa
8. Oscar Duarte / Brujas (BEL)
9. Waylon Francis / Columbus Crew (USA)
10. Heiner Mora / Saprissa
11. Junior Díaz / Mainz 05 (GER)
12. Christian Gamboa / Rosenborg ( NOR )
13. Roy Miller / Red Bulls New York (USA)
14. Kendall Waston / Saprissa

Volantes

15. Celso Borges / AIK (SUE)
16. Christian Bolaños / Copenague (DEN)
17. Oscar Esteban Granados / Herediano
18. Michael Barrantes / AAlesund (NOR)
19. Yeltsin Tejeda / Saprissa
20. Diego Calvo / Valerenga (NOR)
21. José Miguel Cubero / Herediano
22. Carlos Hernández / Wellingtong Phoenix (NZL)
23. Ariel Rodríguez / Alajuelense
24. Hansell Arauz / Saprissa

Delanteros

25. Álvaro Saborío / Real Salt Lake (USA)
26. Bryan Ruiz / PSV Eindhoven (NED)
27. Joel Campbell / Olympiacos FC (GRE)
28. Randall Brenes / Cartaginés
29. Marco Ureña / FC Kubán Krasnodar (RUS)
30. Jairo Arrieta / Columbus Crew (USA)

Racing: se desgarró Luciano Vietto

BUENOS AIRES -- No fue el semestre de Racing y para que no queden dudas, la "Academia" sumó a Luciano Vietto como nuevo lesionado de cara a la última fecha.

El delantero Luciano Vietto se retiró antes del entrenamiento para realizarse estudios que arrojaron que padece un desgarro en el bíceps femoral de la pierna derecha.

De esta manera, Vietto, quien jugó los 90 minutos ante Rosario Central, estará al menos tres semanas inactivas por lo que no estará a disposición de Fabio Radaelli para el último partido de Racing en la temporada.

Mientras tanto, el plantel trabajó en el gimnasio y realizando una serie de ejercicios tácticos de los cuales formaron parte Claudio Corvalán y Luis Ibáñez.

Por otro lado, Bruno Zuculini continuó haciendo trabajos diferenciados aunque los mismos ya fueron con pelota, por lo que podría viajar a Mendoza y ocupar un lugar en el banco de suplentes.

Racing, con sólo 17 puntos en el Torneo Final, tuvo una floja temporada ya que perdió 20 de los 37 partidos disputados hasta el momento. Cabe recordar que por la dirección técnica pasaron: Luis Zubeldía, Carlos Ischia, Ignacio González (interino), Reinaldo Merlo y Fabio Radaelli (dos interinatos).

Liga MX Radar: Brotherly Final

We enter the grand finale of Liga MX this season as Pachuca and Leon are set to face each other for the Clausura 2014 title.

However, many headlines have erupted following this week´s semi-final action. While both teams that reached the final stage of the tournament share the fact they miraculously made it into the playoffs, the real story-line is the fact they both share the same owner, while the club presidents are father and son.

Meanwhile, Santos´ fighting spirit has been left in the shadow of manager Pedro Caixinha´s meltdown on Saturday, feeding the negative image and perception of the Portuguese manager.

Speaking of negative images, the weekend´s semifinal referring is the perfect example as to why the Mexican Football Federation will be represented by only one referee in the World Cup.

Finally, perhaps the most successful manager in Liga MX history is set to take the reigns of a collapsing Chivas club as they attempt to avoid relegation.

Let´s take a look at what the radar captured as the most important stories and events in this week of Liga MX.

Luck-Filled Final

What started-off with eight teams is now down to two: Pachuca and Leon. Besides the obvious co-ownership (We’ll get to that later on) there is a distinctive trait that both teams share and that is the almost miraculous way they made the playoffs.

The game clock was set on the 73rd minute; Queretaro held a comfortable 3-0 lead at home against the Tuzos in a match that held a playoff spot on the balance. However, one minute later, Enrique Esqueda would score the first of four Pachuca goals that would see the visitors secure a shocking and unforgettable 4-3 comeback win that would put them in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Leon entered the final week of the regular season with their dim Liguilla hopes still alive as they hoped to defend their status as reigning title. Having beaten Xolos 2-1 in their own stadium however, with only 23 points, Leon had to wait a complicated series of results; which ultimately all fell in place for the club to make the playoff in a miraculous fashion as well.

The question now is: Who will lady luck smile on now?

Meltdown Stains Caixinha´s Work

For the third consecutive season since his arrival in Liga MX, Portuguese manager Pedro Caixinha has taken Santos Laguna all the way to the semifinals. However, his productivity and positive results will be left in the shadows following his latest series of confrontations off the field.

Watching his team take the lead and dominate the entire first ten minutes of the match, Santos appeared to be on course to make yet another another impressive comeback at home, this time against Pachuca. Yet ten minutes later, Caixinha watched as his team began to collapse following goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanche´s sending-off and substitute´s Julio Gonazlez´s embarrassing error that allowed Pachuca to equalize the match.

Still hot-headed over Sanchez´s sending-off, the Portuguese was sent-off as well after having left his designated area and berated a Pachuca player for time wasting. Not content, Caixinha then confronted a fan in the stands as he headed for the tunnel. Finally, a post-match altercation between Caixinha and Pachuca forward Enner Valencia ended with the Ecuadorian pushing and attempting to headbutt the Santos´ boss.

Known for having a "Mourinho-esque" cockiness, Caixinha´s actions on Saturday are yet another instalment in a long list of similar situations with names such as America´s Antonio Mohamed, Atlas´ Tomas Boy and Queretaro´s Ignacio Ambriz.

While the fact remains that the Portuguese has been able to build a solid and competitive team of football that is regularly considered among the best in the league, Caixinha´s off-field issues are becoming a regular and negative aspect that tarnishes his own work.

Controversial Refereeing Highlight Semi-Finals

While Mexican referees have never been considered among the best in the world, the weekend´s action did little to help out the negative perception that local fans have.

Despite being considered as the best referee in the league, Marco Antonio "Chiquimarcos" Rodriguez, is also known for his urge to be the protagonist, as was the case in the Santos-Pachuca match. After having sent-off Sanchez, Rodriguez quickly lost control of the match as tempers flared and harsh fouls went unsanctioned, and even failed to call flagrant penalty for both teams, directly affecting the final score.

For reasons like the one mentioned above, Toluca manager Jose Saturino Cardozo had pleaded to the Mexican Football Federation to not assign Rodriguez to anyone of his team´s games. But despite getting their wish, Toluca were still victims of bad referring.

Roberto Garcia Orozco was the man in charge for the second leg of the Toluca-Leon match. During the game, Orozco failed to properly sanction the visitor´s harsh challenges on the Toluca players, who were fouled on a constant basis. Also, Orozco denied the local´s an obvious penalty that would have put them back in the game.

The weekend´s disastrous performance justifies why Marco Antonio Rodriguez is the only Mexican referee heading to the World Cup this year.

Multi-Property Once Again the Heart of Controversy

Leon is set to face Pachuca in what is being labeled as a "Brotherly Final" as both teams are owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim´s Grupo Pachuca.

With both finalist being part of Grupo Pachuca , and having Presidents who are father and son, both Mexican TV giants TV Azteca and Televisa, specifically the latter, have gone on to berate the Mexican Football Federation over Slim´s ownership of more than one team.

While both Televisa and Azteca have owned several teams in the past, America,/Necaxa, and Monarcas /Jaguares respectively, the duo have gone on to start of crusade against co-ownership ever since news broke-out of Slim´s possible involvement in Liga MX; potentially affecting the monopoly system they had implemented over the years. Now,for the first time since 2008, Televisa will be without a broadcast of a Liga MX final.

Slim has moved his pieces well in the two years he has been involved with Mexican football, having two of his teams in the Mexican final, and Leon chasing their second consecutive title. Meanwhile, Grupo Pachuca were close to having a third in the top division as second-tier owned team Estudiantes were minutes away from earning their promotion.