America attacked ferociously and scored two goals. Arsenal did a lot of defending and scored three. Thus, Arsenal heads home with a 3-2 edge in the Copa Sudamericana final after Friday's pulsating first leg.
Here are the highlights, where you'll see America give away many chances and Arsenal take advantage of three dead ball situations aided by America mistakes.
Showing posts with label Copa Sudamericana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Copa Sudamericana. Show all posts
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Animo America?
It seems like it's an annual thing now, which I guess it is. What's the saying about twice being a coincidence and three times a pattern or something?
Anyway, for the third year running a Mexican team has reached the final of the Copa Sudamericana. Pumas lost to Boca Juniors on '05 and Pachuca beat Colo Colo in '06. Now, it's America's turn to go against a South American giant... um, well, okay, a South American lightweight. I'm guessing a few people think America is playing an English club.
America will play Arsenal de Sarandi tonight in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final. Tonight's game is in Azteca and Wednesday's return leg is in Argentina.
When this has come up before, I wonder what other fans do. For instance, when Cruz Azul reached the 2001 Copa Libertadores final, it seemed like there were suddenly a lot of Cruz Azul supporters. I think that Cruz Azul gained a lot of attention and a lot of support from non-Cruz Azul fans because they were a Mexican club and were competing against a South American team in an historic event.
Now, that novelty has worn off. But the fact that a Mexican club will meet a South American team in the tourney final has not changed. So is there a feeling of support among non-America fans simply because they are from Mexico?
I would guess not. Any Chivas fan worth his/her salt is not going to support America under any circumstances, and if they do then you've got to question their mental sanity. Pumas fans, well, Tenoch and Julio summed it up best with their "Puto el que le vaya al America" mandate. I think Cruz Azul fans too would not necessarily pull for America.
But those teams have bitter rivalries with America. What about fans of Morelia or Tigres, who don't necessarily have America on their hate lists? What about Atlante fans, Tecos fans (El Guero and the five other UAG supporters) or Santos fans?
Honestly, I think that there is still an element of Mexican fans who would put country before club and support America. There are others who would not be upset if a Mexican club won Sudamericana (especially at the expense of an Argentine team) and there are others who will root hard against America. I wonder, though, which of those categories has more fans.
WARNING *** thin-skinned MLS fans might want to stop reading here ***
I guess this is one area where MLS and Mexico differ. I'm guessing if it was an MLS team, be it Houston, New England, New York or L.A., most MLS fans would get behind that club, whether they pull for that team during the season or not.
If you ask me where I stand on the topic, I think America fans should root for America and non-America fans should not. How would an America win benefit Monterrey? How did Pachuca's win last year benefit the rest of the 17 teams? I'd say the same thing if DC would have made it this far.
What's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander.
Anyway, for the third year running a Mexican team has reached the final of the Copa Sudamericana. Pumas lost to Boca Juniors on '05 and Pachuca beat Colo Colo in '06. Now, it's America's turn to go against a South American giant... um, well, okay, a South American lightweight. I'm guessing a few people think America is playing an English club.
America will play Arsenal de Sarandi tonight in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final. Tonight's game is in Azteca and Wednesday's return leg is in Argentina.
When this has come up before, I wonder what other fans do. For instance, when Cruz Azul reached the 2001 Copa Libertadores final, it seemed like there were suddenly a lot of Cruz Azul supporters. I think that Cruz Azul gained a lot of attention and a lot of support from non-Cruz Azul fans because they were a Mexican club and were competing against a South American team in an historic event.
Now, that novelty has worn off. But the fact that a Mexican club will meet a South American team in the tourney final has not changed. So is there a feeling of support among non-America fans simply because they are from Mexico?
I would guess not. Any Chivas fan worth his/her salt is not going to support America under any circumstances, and if they do then you've got to question their mental sanity. Pumas fans, well, Tenoch and Julio summed it up best with their "Puto el que le vaya al America" mandate. I think Cruz Azul fans too would not necessarily pull for America.
But those teams have bitter rivalries with America. What about fans of Morelia or Tigres, who don't necessarily have America on their hate lists? What about Atlante fans, Tecos fans (El Guero and the five other UAG supporters) or Santos fans?
Honestly, I think that there is still an element of Mexican fans who would put country before club and support America. There are others who would not be upset if a Mexican club won Sudamericana (especially at the expense of an Argentine team) and there are others who will root hard against America. I wonder, though, which of those categories has more fans.
WARNING *** thin-skinned MLS fans might want to stop reading here ***
I guess this is one area where MLS and Mexico differ. I'm guessing if it was an MLS team, be it Houston, New England, New York or L.A., most MLS fans would get behind that club, whether they pull for that team during the season or not.
If you ask me where I stand on the topic, I think America fans should root for America and non-America fans should not. How would an America win benefit Monterrey? How did Pachuca's win last year benefit the rest of the 17 teams? I'd say the same thing if DC would have made it this far.
What's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Five alive
In many ways, this upcoming two-week stretch will be a unique one in Mexico.
The Apertura season is down to four teams as Santos will play Pumas and Chivas will meet Atlante in the Liguilla semifinals. But those aren't the only clubs alive in the quest for glory. Club America will play Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina in the Copa Sudamericana final.
It's not every week that a Mexican club has the opportunity to capture South American glory. Of course, it's happened three years running now in this tournament as Pumas and Pachuca reached the Sudamericana final in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
At least one Mexican club will add to its mantle in the coming weeks. My money's on Santos simply because how dominant they have been all season long. But I also think that America has a great chance of walking away with international glory. Arsenal is a strong opponent - their 2-1 win over Boca Juniors on Sunday and run to the Sudamericana final will attest to that. But America should have as motivation the chance to claim its first-ever South American championship.
The Apertura season is down to four teams as Santos will play Pumas and Chivas will meet Atlante in the Liguilla semifinals. But those aren't the only clubs alive in the quest for glory. Club America will play Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina in the Copa Sudamericana final.
It's not every week that a Mexican club has the opportunity to capture South American glory. Of course, it's happened three years running now in this tournament as Pumas and Pachuca reached the Sudamericana final in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
At least one Mexican club will add to its mantle in the coming weeks. My money's on Santos simply because how dominant they have been all season long. But I also think that America has a great chance of walking away with international glory. Arsenal is a strong opponent - their 2-1 win over Boca Juniors on Sunday and run to the Sudamericana final will attest to that. But America should have as motivation the chance to claim its first-ever South American championship.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sudamericana or nothing
Turns out three goals were too much to overcome, even at home.
America lost to Morelia in their repechaje series by a 3-1 aggregate. America won Sunday's game 1-0 but was eliminated nonetheless. Perhaps the worst moment for America on Sunday was when Rodrigo Lopez missed two penalty kicks within minutes of each other. First, Moises Munoz dived and blocked Lopez's attempt but the linesman penalized Munoz for leaving his line early and Lopez got another chance. However, he launched it over the crossbar.
A goal would have made it 3-2 in the aggregate and could have given America more life but it wasn't meant to be. Now America will have only Sudamericana to play for while Morelia moves on to face Santos.
America lost to Morelia in their repechaje series by a 3-1 aggregate. America won Sunday's game 1-0 but was eliminated nonetheless. Perhaps the worst moment for America on Sunday was when Rodrigo Lopez missed two penalty kicks within minutes of each other. First, Moises Munoz dived and blocked Lopez's attempt but the linesman penalized Munoz for leaving his line early and Lopez got another chance. However, he launched it over the crossbar.
A goal would have made it 3-2 in the aggregate and could have given America more life but it wasn't meant to be. Now America will have only Sudamericana to play for while Morelia moves on to face Santos.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
A dream final ruined
America held up their end of the dream Copa Sudamericana final but River Plate did not.
Arsenal de Sarandi beat fellow Argentine side River Plate in penalties to reach the Sudamericana final on Tuesday.
America, who beat Millonarios a day earlier, will host the first leg of the final on Nov. 28. Arsenal will host the second leg on Dec. 5.
This is the third consecutive year that the Sudamericana final will feature a Mexican team and the third time Mexican and Argentine teams have met in a South American club tournament final. Boca Juniors, though, took care of the other two Mexican teams, first beating Cruz Azul in the 2001 Libertadores final and then dispatching of Pumas in the 2005 Sudamericana final.
Arsenal, though, does not quite have the history of Boca or River, but that did not matter in the semifinals of this tournament.
Here's how the Argentine press saw the result:
"Cuenca's Crime"
Incidentally, Arsenal's goalkeeper, the player pictured above, is Mario Cuenca.
Arsenal de Sarandi beat fellow Argentine side River Plate in penalties to reach the Sudamericana final on Tuesday.
America, who beat Millonarios a day earlier, will host the first leg of the final on Nov. 28. Arsenal will host the second leg on Dec. 5.
This is the third consecutive year that the Sudamericana final will feature a Mexican team and the third time Mexican and Argentine teams have met in a South American club tournament final. Boca Juniors, though, took care of the other two Mexican teams, first beating Cruz Azul in the 2001 Libertadores final and then dispatching of Pumas in the 2005 Sudamericana final.
Arsenal, though, does not quite have the history of Boca or River, but that did not matter in the semifinals of this tournament.
Here's how the Argentine press saw the result:
"Cuenca's Crime"
Incidentally, Arsenal's goalkeeper, the player pictured above, is Mario Cuenca.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
America in the finals
America beat Millonarios of Colombia by 2-0 on Tuesday and reached the final of the 2007 Copa Sudamericana.
America can join Pachuca as the only Mexican clubs to win a South American club tournament.
America can join Pachuca as the only Mexican clubs to win a South American club tournament.
American fatigue
If Club America can pull off either the Copa Sudamericana title or the Apertura 2007 championship, they will only add to their already grand lore. But if the club can pull off the double, they will set a new standard that even Pachuca didn't achieve.
America is currently alive and well in two campaigns. Today, the Mexican club will host Millonarios of Colombia in the second leg of their Sudamericana semifinal series. America pulled out a 3-2 win in Colombia last week and need just a draw to go through to their first-ever Sudamericana final.
The club gets no breaks, though. America is in the repechaje of the Apertura and will play at Morelia on Thursday.
While Pachuca held both the Sudamericana and Mexican league titles at the same time, los Tuzos did not pull off the double when winning Sudamericana. America has a chance to top Pachuca's grand run to finish off 2006 when they won the Sudamericana and reached the semifinals of the Apertura 2006.
America might be running on fumes though. Since Sept. 22, America has played 15 games in 53 days. By Sunday, they will have played 17 games in 58 days. That's about one game every four days, and that calendar has included games in Colombia and Brazil and all over Mexico. In fact, here's how they've fared over that time:
Sept. 22 at San Luis (1-2 L)
Sept. 25 at Pachuca (4-1 W)
Sept. 30 Cruz Azul (2-2 T)
Oct. 3 Pachuca (0-2 L)
Oct. 7 at Toluca (1-3 L)
Oct. 10 Vasco da Gama (2-0 W)
Oct. 14 Veracruz (0-0 T)
Oct. 20 at Pachuca (2-1 W)
Oct. 24 at Vasco da Gama (0-1 L)
Oct. 28 Chivas (2-1 W)
Oct. 31 at Atlante (1-2 L)
Nov. 4 Necaxa (1-0 W)
Nov. 7 at Millonarios (3-2 W)
Nov. 10 Monterrey (1-0 W)
Nov. 13 Millonarios
Nov. 15 at Morelia
Nov. 18 Morelia
It's a taxing schedule to say the least but so far America has come away with excellent results.
America is currently alive and well in two campaigns. Today, the Mexican club will host Millonarios of Colombia in the second leg of their Sudamericana semifinal series. America pulled out a 3-2 win in Colombia last week and need just a draw to go through to their first-ever Sudamericana final.
The club gets no breaks, though. America is in the repechaje of the Apertura and will play at Morelia on Thursday.
While Pachuca held both the Sudamericana and Mexican league titles at the same time, los Tuzos did not pull off the double when winning Sudamericana. America has a chance to top Pachuca's grand run to finish off 2006 when they won the Sudamericana and reached the semifinals of the Apertura 2006.
America might be running on fumes though. Since Sept. 22, America has played 15 games in 53 days. By Sunday, they will have played 17 games in 58 days. That's about one game every four days, and that calendar has included games in Colombia and Brazil and all over Mexico. In fact, here's how they've fared over that time:
Sept. 22 at San Luis (1-2 L)
Sept. 25 at Pachuca (4-1 W)
Sept. 30 Cruz Azul (2-2 T)
Oct. 3 Pachuca (0-2 L)
Oct. 7 at Toluca (1-3 L)
Oct. 10 Vasco da Gama (2-0 W)
Oct. 14 Veracruz (0-0 T)
Oct. 20 at Pachuca (2-1 W)
Oct. 24 at Vasco da Gama (0-1 L)
Oct. 28 Chivas (2-1 W)
Oct. 31 at Atlante (1-2 L)
Nov. 4 Necaxa (1-0 W)
Nov. 7 at Millonarios (3-2 W)
Nov. 10 Monterrey (1-0 W)
Nov. 13 Millonarios
Nov. 15 at Morelia
Nov. 18 Morelia
It's a taxing schedule to say the least but so far America has come away with excellent results.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
America over Millonarios
America took the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana series against Millonarios by 3-2 in Colombia.
Now, America needs just a draw in the return leg next week to advance to the final, which would be their first-ever in a South American cup tournament.
America has a league match on the weekend - a Saturday date in Monterrey - so the club will be quite busy in the coming days and weeks. Trying to play in both tournaments might be costly - it might knock the club out from both. But if America focuses on one tourney, they may have a shot of winning it at the expense of the other.
The domestic campaign is not a strong one, though America has a foot in the repechaje, or wild-card, stage. Going for domestic glory is always a must. However, if international success is within reach, it might not be a bad idea to go full guns blazing in that tourney either.
America has the roster to field strong teams in both tournaments. Playing the same 11 could eventually catch up to las Aguilas.
It's a quandary new coach Daniel "Ruso" Brailovsky must face. It may be best if Ruso plays his top players in Sudamericana and uses a mix of backups and those who can get away with playing every 3-4 days (Memo Ochoa, Juan Carlos Mosqueda) in league.
Now, America needs just a draw in the return leg next week to advance to the final, which would be their first-ever in a South American cup tournament.
America has a league match on the weekend - a Saturday date in Monterrey - so the club will be quite busy in the coming days and weeks. Trying to play in both tournaments might be costly - it might knock the club out from both. But if America focuses on one tourney, they may have a shot of winning it at the expense of the other.
The domestic campaign is not a strong one, though America has a foot in the repechaje, or wild-card, stage. Going for domestic glory is always a must. However, if international success is within reach, it might not be a bad idea to go full guns blazing in that tourney either.
America has the roster to field strong teams in both tournaments. Playing the same 11 could eventually catch up to las Aguilas.
It's a quandary new coach Daniel "Ruso" Brailovsky must face. It may be best if Ruso plays his top players in Sudamericana and uses a mix of backups and those who can get away with playing every 3-4 days (Memo Ochoa, Juan Carlos Mosqueda) in league.
Nemesio's help
For America, the road to the Copa Sudamericana final won't go through Estadio Azteca. Instead, it will have to pass through Toluca's Nemesio Diez.
A religious event apparently has forced a change of venue for America's home leg of the Copa Sudamericana semifinals against Colombian side Millonarios.
The first leg of the series is tonight in Colombia, which has already caused some sort of violence. Apparently groups of fans were enraged that they were unable to get tickets and started some sort of fracas in which police had to intervene.
As for the game itself, America played reserves against Necaxa on Sunday in order to rest its players for today. Here are some probable lineups from MedioTiempo.com:
América: Guillermo Ochoa; José Antonio Castro, Duilio Davino, Ricardo Rojas, Oscar Rojas; Germán Villa, Alejandro Argüello, Federico Insúa, Juan Mosqueda; Rodrigo López, Salvador Cabañas.
Of those, only Mosqueda started on Sunday, and America still won, 1-0.
As for the Colombian side's potential lineup:
Millonarios: Eduardo Blandón; Andrés Salinas, Gonzálo Martínez, Andrés Mosquera, Alex Díaz, Ervin González, Rafael Robayo, Gerardo Bedoya, Jonathan Estrada, Ricardo Ciciliano, Carlos Villagra.
A religious event apparently has forced a change of venue for America's home leg of the Copa Sudamericana semifinals against Colombian side Millonarios.
The first leg of the series is tonight in Colombia, which has already caused some sort of violence. Apparently groups of fans were enraged that they were unable to get tickets and started some sort of fracas in which police had to intervene.
As for the game itself, America played reserves against Necaxa on Sunday in order to rest its players for today. Here are some probable lineups from MedioTiempo.com:
América: Guillermo Ochoa; José Antonio Castro, Duilio Davino, Ricardo Rojas, Oscar Rojas; Germán Villa, Alejandro Argüello, Federico Insúa, Juan Mosqueda; Rodrigo López, Salvador Cabañas.
Of those, only Mosqueda started on Sunday, and America still won, 1-0.
As for the Colombian side's potential lineup:
Millonarios: Eduardo Blandón; Andrés Salinas, Gonzálo Martínez, Andrés Mosquera, Alex Díaz, Ervin González, Rafael Robayo, Gerardo Bedoya, Jonathan Estrada, Ricardo Ciciliano, Carlos Villagra.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sudamericana semifinals
River Plate tied Defensor Sporting of Uruguay 0-0 and qualified for the Copa Sudamericana semifinals. River Plate will meet fellow Argentine side Arsenal in one half of the semis while Club America of Mexico will play Millonarios of Colombia in the other.
At this point, the final most people want to see is River Plate-America. Both sides are loaded with tradition and count on support from millions of fans across the globe. That final would be truly captivating. However, it probably won't happen. Too many things seem to go wrong against Mexican teams in South American competition. Still, Pachuca won this very tournament a year ago to break Mexico's duck in South American tournaments so if anything America has that to draw inspiration from.
A final of Arsenal-Millonarios might still be entertaining but it wouldn't draw nearly the same amount of attention as River-America.
River Plate seems like a team of destiny, at least in this tournament. Their Round of 16 match against Botafogo was one of the more thrilling finishes I've seen in a while. River were playing 9-on-10 and needed a goal to win the series. It seemed like it was all but over until Ariel Ortega hit a perfect cross to Radamel Falcao, who placed the header gently into the back of the net in stoppage time and River Plate won 4-2 and advanced on a 4-3 aggregate.
At this point, the final most people want to see is River Plate-America. Both sides are loaded with tradition and count on support from millions of fans across the globe. That final would be truly captivating. However, it probably won't happen. Too many things seem to go wrong against Mexican teams in South American competition. Still, Pachuca won this very tournament a year ago to break Mexico's duck in South American tournaments so if anything America has that to draw inspiration from.
A final of Arsenal-Millonarios might still be entertaining but it wouldn't draw nearly the same amount of attention as River-America.
River Plate seems like a team of destiny, at least in this tournament. Their Round of 16 match against Botafogo was one of the more thrilling finishes I've seen in a while. River were playing 9-on-10 and needed a goal to win the series. It seemed like it was all but over until Ariel Ortega hit a perfect cross to Radamel Falcao, who placed the header gently into the back of the net in stoppage time and River Plate won 4-2 and advanced on a 4-3 aggregate.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
First steps
The first step towards a dream Copa Sudamericana matchup (at least for Mexican soccer fans) is well underway.
America beat Vasco da Gama 2-0 in Estadio Azteca while Chivas tied Arsenal de Sarandi 0-0 in Argentina.
For America, a pair of America veterans hooked up for the first goal as German Villa set up Duilio Davino for a goal. The match also kicked off the Daniel "Ruso" Brailovsky era triumphantly.
Chivas, meanwhile, got a somewhat positive result. Against DC United, Chivas lost the first leg but still won the series with a 1-0 home win. A similar result against Arsenal in Estadio Jalisco would do the trick.
America beat Vasco da Gama 2-0 in Estadio Azteca while Chivas tied Arsenal de Sarandi 0-0 in Argentina.
For America, a pair of America veterans hooked up for the first goal as German Villa set up Duilio Davino for a goal. The match also kicked off the Daniel "Ruso" Brailovsky era triumphantly.
Chivas, meanwhile, got a somewhat positive result. Against DC United, Chivas lost the first leg but still won the series with a 1-0 home win. A similar result against Arsenal in Estadio Jalisco would do the trick.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
They're mortal
Pachuca's reign is over.
Holders of four trophies entering the match, Pachuca was eliminated from contention from Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday despite a 2-0 win over Club America. Las Aguilas advanced on a 4-3 aggregate and will play Brazilian side Vasco da Gama in the next round.
Christian Gimenez accounted for both goals; he scored one directly off a set piece and forced Guillermo Ochoa to make a save on another, which Damian Alvarez cleaned up and put past "Memo" for another goal. But los Tuzos fell just one goal short of pulling off the result.
It was a historic run for sure and los Tuzos can still make history by winning the Apertura season. Only one other team has pulled off the feat since the Mexican league switched to its current short-season format in 1996.
Holders of four trophies entering the match, Pachuca was eliminated from contention from Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday despite a 2-0 win over Club America. Las Aguilas advanced on a 4-3 aggregate and will play Brazilian side Vasco da Gama in the next round.
Christian Gimenez accounted for both goals; he scored one directly off a set piece and forced Guillermo Ochoa to make a save on another, which Damian Alvarez cleaned up and put past "Memo" for another goal. But los Tuzos fell just one goal short of pulling off the result.
It was a historic run for sure and los Tuzos can still make history by winning the Apertura season. Only one other team has pulled off the feat since the Mexican league switched to its current short-season format in 1996.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
DC-Chivas pictures
Some pictures from the match.
A lot of pictures, but DC's coach is Tom Soehn, not Dave Kaspar.
A lot of pictures, but DC's coach is Tom Soehn, not Dave Kaspar.
DC-Chivas quotes
A couple of things that were said after the game.
Ramon Morales of Chivas scored a nifty goal to send his side through to the next round. He didn't taken DC lightly.
Give DC credit. They came here to play and the important thing is that they had a great mentality and fought the entire game. The good thing is that we scored the goal that helped us advance.
DC coach Tom Soehn on the match. It's hard to do this sometimes - translate something from Spanish to English that was originally said in English. It loses something in the translation.
Our players were upset over the foul on Luciano Emilio and that hurt because on the very next play they scored. The rest I think was fine. They were very aggressive and we came to defend. After the goal, it was obvious we had to open up in order to try and equalize.
Ramon Morales of Chivas scored a nifty goal to send his side through to the next round. He didn't taken DC lightly.
Give DC credit. They came here to play and the important thing is that they had a great mentality and fought the entire game. The good thing is that we scored the goal that helped us advance.
DC coach Tom Soehn on the match. It's hard to do this sometimes - translate something from Spanish to English that was originally said in English. It loses something in the translation.
Our players were upset over the foul on Luciano Emilio and that hurt because on the very next play they scored. The rest I think was fine. They were very aggressive and we came to defend. After the goal, it was obvious we had to open up in order to try and equalize.
Another result
I didn't post much on Copa Sudamericana and DC United's participation in the tournament because I feel like every time I write something on the topic, I hear from people saying that I'm a pro-Mexico homer and that I need to give MLS more credit and all sorts of other colorful feedback.
Well, turns out, another MLS team crashed out against a Mexican side. DC United, pretty much the consensus top team of MLS at the moment, lost to Chivas de Guadalajara by 1-0 in Estadio Jalisco on Tuesday. Chivas moves on. DC is out.
It's funny how just a couple of months ago we all heard about how SuperLiga proved that MLS teams were on par with Mexican sides but now MLS' best team goes down against a team that fired their coach not even a week ago. I guess this shows the biggest flaw in SuperLiga, in that all games were played on American turf. Had this been a one-off series, DC would already have advanced to face Arsenal of Argentina and we'd hear about how coupled with SuperLiga MLS' results against Mexican teams showed the gap has been closed. Instead, DC had to go to Mexico and try to get a result there and wound up with nothing.
Honestly, that whole debate doesn't really concern me too much. The Mexican league has better clubs than MLS. That's just fact. But what's also true is that the two leagues play by different rules and have vastly different environments (acceptance among country's fans and media, financial backing, etc.). Of course, with more financial resources and relatively few roster limitations, you would expect the Mexican league to have stronger and deeper clubs.
Before anyone proclaims MLS' superiority over Mexico, I'd like to see an MLS club go down into Mexico and get a result. KC beat Santos back in like 2001 or something but otherwise it's been utter domination by Mexican teams. Yeah, MLS teams can play with Mexican teams and the scores aren't 6-0 like they have been in the past but the results are the same.
Anyway, forgive me if this result doesn't surprise me. I was on Around the League in 90 Minutes today, a show on Champions Soccer Radio, and I said on there that DC blew it by not having won by more than a goal at home and I brought up MLS' paltry record in Mexico and that MLS teams had been outscored something like 35-4 or something along those lines in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and I expected Chivas to pull it out.
So this result surprises me about as much as the sun does when it shines through my window every morning.
Well, turns out, another MLS team crashed out against a Mexican side. DC United, pretty much the consensus top team of MLS at the moment, lost to Chivas de Guadalajara by 1-0 in Estadio Jalisco on Tuesday. Chivas moves on. DC is out.
It's funny how just a couple of months ago we all heard about how SuperLiga proved that MLS teams were on par with Mexican sides but now MLS' best team goes down against a team that fired their coach not even a week ago. I guess this shows the biggest flaw in SuperLiga, in that all games were played on American turf. Had this been a one-off series, DC would already have advanced to face Arsenal of Argentina and we'd hear about how coupled with SuperLiga MLS' results against Mexican teams showed the gap has been closed. Instead, DC had to go to Mexico and try to get a result there and wound up with nothing.
Honestly, that whole debate doesn't really concern me too much. The Mexican league has better clubs than MLS. That's just fact. But what's also true is that the two leagues play by different rules and have vastly different environments (acceptance among country's fans and media, financial backing, etc.). Of course, with more financial resources and relatively few roster limitations, you would expect the Mexican league to have stronger and deeper clubs.
Before anyone proclaims MLS' superiority over Mexico, I'd like to see an MLS club go down into Mexico and get a result. KC beat Santos back in like 2001 or something but otherwise it's been utter domination by Mexican teams. Yeah, MLS teams can play with Mexican teams and the scores aren't 6-0 like they have been in the past but the results are the same.
Anyway, forgive me if this result doesn't surprise me. I was on Around the League in 90 Minutes today, a show on Champions Soccer Radio, and I said on there that DC blew it by not having won by more than a goal at home and I brought up MLS' paltry record in Mexico and that MLS teams had been outscored something like 35-4 or something along those lines in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and I expected Chivas to pull it out.
So this result surprises me about as much as the sun does when it shines through my window every morning.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
End of an era?
It's hard to maintain dominance for an extended period of time.
Pachuca's run as the best club in Mexico and one of the top clubs in the Western Hemisphere might be starting to crumble as America routed Pachuca 4-1 in the first leg of their Sudamericana series.
Pachuca needs to win by a large margin in Estadio Azteca to have a shot of defending their Sudamericana title.
This should serve as a wake-up call to DC United. Regardless of league form, if you're not careful against a well-prepared and motivated team, this can happen.
Pachuca's run as the best club in Mexico and one of the top clubs in the Western Hemisphere might be starting to crumble as America routed Pachuca 4-1 in the first leg of their Sudamericana series.
Pachuca needs to win by a large margin in Estadio Azteca to have a shot of defending their Sudamericana title.
This should serve as a wake-up call to DC United. Regardless of league form, if you're not careful against a well-prepared and motivated team, this can happen.
Sudamericana begins
Copa Sudamericana will get underway for participating CONCACAF teams this week. Pachuca and America will play today in Hidalgo and DC United will host Chivas Guadalajara on Wednesday. The winners of the two-leg series will advance to the quarterfinals.
Pachuca are defending champions but have been playing poorly of late. Two consecutive league losses and the absence of goalkeeper Miguel Calero leaves Pachuca vulnerable to America. However, las Aguilas are struggling in league right now and are seven points back of Atlante in Group 2. It should be a good match, however, though Pachuca has the upper hand.
DC United and Chivas already put on some good shows this year. DC fans want some revenge for what happened earlier this year. DC is in much better form now than they were in March while Chivas was playing better then than now. With DC already in the MLS playoffs and sitting comfortably atop the league, I would not be surprised to see DC pull this one off. In fact, I'm expecting DC to win. Chivas is just plain average right now while DC is the class of MLS. There aren't any preseason excuses for either side now.
Pachuca are defending champions but have been playing poorly of late. Two consecutive league losses and the absence of goalkeeper Miguel Calero leaves Pachuca vulnerable to America. However, las Aguilas are struggling in league right now and are seven points back of Atlante in Group 2. It should be a good match, however, though Pachuca has the upper hand.
DC United and Chivas already put on some good shows this year. DC fans want some revenge for what happened earlier this year. DC is in much better form now than they were in March while Chivas was playing better then than now. With DC already in the MLS playoffs and sitting comfortably atop the league, I would not be surprised to see DC pull this one off. In fact, I'm expecting DC to win. Chivas is just plain average right now while DC is the class of MLS. There aren't any preseason excuses for either side now.
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