Who Mexico Didn't Call

They didn't call Billy boy. 

We are so proud of you! // ¡Estamos muy orgullosos de ti! #DaleWilliam #RugeFiera pic.twitter.com/EpXy1jWHy8
— Club León (@clubleonfc) March 19, 2015

Anyway, I'm not sure anyone even calls William Yarbrough "Billy", but I couldn't help myself. The Mexican-born goalkeeper of American parents has accepted a call-up from the one and only Jurgen Klinsmann, so he's apparently going to throw his lot in with the USA instead of Mexico. 

Club Leon had a nice little throwback to their history of USMNT players. 

Estos son los jugadores felinos que han defendido la camiseta de la Selección mayor de @ussoccer #SerFieraEsUnOrgullo pic.twitter.com/WRwCBugvak
— Club León (@clubleonfc) March 19, 2015

But is Klinsmann really serious about Yarbrough? He's made some picks before that just seemed off-hand and not about building a strong senior squad. 

@WisoVazquez Yeah, that's my concern as well. He seems to randomly pick some players just for kicks, which isn't a viable strategy.
— Andrea Canales (@soccercanales) March 19, 2015

Then again, Yarbrough is probably smart to seize the opportunity. Miguel Herrera wasn't encouraging on El Tri prospects for Yarbrough. 

Herrera explains Yarbrough snub: "I'm not going to call a player just to beat the #USMNT. But, I've got 8 or 9 like Yarbrough" #ElTri
— Eric Gomez (@EricGomez86) March 19, 2015

A friendly match doesn't cap tie Yarbrough, of course. But he would have to file an official FIFA switch to Mexico if he's already suited up for the USA, even in a friendly. 

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera leaves door open to US calling up William Yarbrough http://t.co/KUu3A67PtT
— Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup) March 19, 2015

Here's my article analyzing some of the players Herrera did bring in. 

Best of the Bunch

Here's the Liga MX Best XI - IMHO, and yes, I put in Joe Corona, but I'm not being American-partial. 

Tijuana are top of the league right now. 

It's deserved. 

Herculean Effort at Understanding

It's probably the headline of this piece quoting Herculez Gomez on yet-uncapped Mexican-American Ventura Alvarado that threw me off a bit. 

Herc, who played in the 2010 World Cup with the USA, is as red-white-and-true-blue as they come, encouraging other young Mexican-Americans like Paul Arriola to cast their lot with the USA. But I remember years ago asking a young, as-yet-uncapped Herc about his chances with Mexico - and yes, he was open to that possibility. Mexico never came calling, but the USA did. Thus, I was surprised that he would judge Ventura (a bit harshly, I thought) for doing something similar - saying he was undecided as to his final choice, but open at this point to both countries. 

I tweeted that opinion and then went on to do something else. While I was gone, Herc responded in a couple of tweets. But on my phone, this was the first one that popped up. 

@soccercanales get offended. I can’t control how the media spins it. Or how much of the interview the decide to print.
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) March 4, 2015

While I thought it was odd that Herc would tell me, "Get offended," I figured it was short for "I can't control if people get offended," or something. 

@soccercanales I never said you were offended. I’m confused as to what your gripe is. Respectfully speaking.
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) March 4, 2015

Now I was confused. I scrolled down and saw that the first Tweet I responded to was actually the second part of another one. 

@soccercanales never judged him.. Told the reporter I once felt the same, but you need to think things through before u speak. Fan bases can
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) March 4, 2015

So Herc was explaining that there was more to the quote in the article and he was actually cautioning Ventura about possibly offending fans, not really blasting him at all. Now it was my turn to try to explain. 

@soccercanales for some reason Twitter separated the tweets. They’re not connected (in responses) . Even though they’re on both TL. Weird.
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) March 4, 2015

Herc was pretty forgiving about it all. 

@soccercanales haha no worries. I was getting confused myself. Saludos Andrea!
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) March 4, 2015

  Ultimately, Ventura Alvarado will have to make his choice - like Herc and Omar Gonzalez, Joe Corona and many others to come. Honestly, I think part of the fun of the rivalry involving the USA and Mexico is watching what happens with those choices. 

Sangre Nueva, All Over Again

Luis used to track Mexican-American players - shoot, once he and I worked together to uncover a Mexican-American player where no one expected it - but now it's quite common to have such players in Liga MX. 

Still it's kind of cool news every time another one breaks out into the scene of a league in a big way. 

Frankly, no team in Liga MX is bigger than Club America right now, as they close in on a historic 12th title. And right there in the mix is Arizona native Ventura Alvarado. 

But will USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann care? Or even pay attention? Aaron's not optimistic. 

@JuanG_Arango Doubtful. Klinsi has given up on his "Mexican project." Seems obsessed w/Europe like rest of Amer. Soccer. @soccercanales
— Aaron Stollar (@aaronstol) December 8, 2014

Sangre americana J11 recap

Back with another update on our boys south of the border, both in the top flight and second tier. Of course, now there is quite a bit more interest with Jose Francisco Torres committing to the US. Torres responded to his call-up to the US with his second 90-minute effort of the season... and his third booking.



PRIMERA DIVISION
Jose Francisco Torres - Played 90 minutes and picked up a yellow card in 1-1 draw with Necaxa
Michael Orozco - Played 90 minutes in San Luis' 3-2 win over Indios
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 1-0 win over Morelia
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in Jaguares' 2-1 win over Monterrey
Jesus Padilla - Came on as substitute in 88th minute of Chivas' 2-2 draw with Tigres
Marco Antonio Vidal - Did not dress in Indios' 3-2 loss to San Luis

PRIMERA A DIVISION
Sammy Ochoa - Played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Tecos' 3-0 win over Dorados
Miguel Gonzalez - Did not dress in Chetumal's 1-0 loss to Veracruz
Carlos Borja - Played 90 minutes in Tapatio's 1-0 loss to Salamanca
Noel Castillo - Indios Chihuahua had a bye

Wailing and gnashing of teeth

Ok, so people aren't really crying in the streets of Mexico that they've lost Torres to the U.S., but they don't seem happy about it, either. Here's an article I translated from espn.deportes
- it's a little vague on sources and light on quotes, but one definitely gets the sense that some people feel Eriksson really dropped the ball on this one.
By contrast, then, Bradley and Gulati would seem to get credit for doing the opposite.



Anyone who has followed closely the career trajectory of Jose Francisco Torres, a left-sided winger, can assure that he’s a player who has already demonstrated his quality with Pachuca.

It turns out that this promising player that could have been a part of Mexico's future has now declined the shirt of the national team that Sven Goran Eriksson leads, because simply, he grew tired of waiting and has decided to defend the colors of the Uunited Sttes.

Rejected going to Beijing with the U.S.
Francisco was born in Longview, Texas, and will turn 21 on the 29th of October. He is the son of a Mexican and an American.

We know that in the last few months he was waiting for a call from El Tri. He counted on being part of the team that confronted Chile (and lost 1-0) and was made up of a team based on younger players.

Since he was young he dreamed of playing with Mexico. He always believed he could do it. That’s why five years ago he got permission from his parents to come to Pachuca and play for the Tuzos (Gophers).

It’s also been only three months since Torres rejected a call from the U.S. to play for their national team when he was invited to the Olympic Games, even though he had not participated in the qualifying games.

Sources close to the situation reveal that Jesus Martinez, the president of Pachuca, convinced him not to go to Beijing, because he thought Javier Aguirre would be the new national team coach and would soon include Torres in his plans.

The coach of Pachuca, Enrique Meza, also tried to influence his decision, and he succeeded for a while. But the day that Torres didn’t see his name on the list of players for Chile, he decided to accept a second call from the U.S.

He said, “No thanks”
Many people, everyone, recognizes the qualities of Torres, except for el Tri. It was finally this week that the coaching staff convinced Eriksson that Torres should be picked, despite his small size.

On Thursday night, Torres was contacted by a member of the coaching staff of the national team (perhaps Guillermo Canto?) to answer if he would accept an an invitation from Eriksson, but his response, in perfect Spanish, was, “No, thanks”.

Similar Cases
Mexico has lost the opportunity to count on a great player, young, versatile, left-footed, who has a lot of potential ahead of him.

Something similar happened in the case of Michael Orozco, a Mexican defender born in Orange, California, who is 22 and plays with San Luis. If El Tri didn’t give him a chance with their younger national teams, they probably weren’t going to do so on the older squad. That’s why for some time he has played for the U.S. and played for them in the Olympic Games.

Edgar Castillo, who plays for Santos, was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico and will turn 22 this October. He also claims double nationality, but he had the fortune to be called in for youth teams and now is an important player on the senior squad.

Debut in qualifying
In Pachuca, Torres said that he made his decision aware of what he was doing and that it is what he wants to do.

His family supports him in everything. Torres spoke with both the national team coach of the U.S. (Bradley) and directors of their soccer federation (Gulati, I’ll wager).

“The truth is that I had to take advantage of this second opportunity. I’m very happy to represent the country of my birth, but I will always have great affection for mexico, “ said Torres, who hopes to have a place in the starting roster of the team that plays this upcoming week.

His debut is very close and will probably come in a qualifying match for the World Cup 2010. On the 11th of October, the U.S. will play Canada, and on the 15th, they will face Trinidad and Tobago.

Sangre americana J8 update

Our young Mexican-Americans were in action over the weekend in Mexico. Okay, well, closer to the truth... their teams were in action. But we didn't get to see Jesus Padilla, Daniel Hernandez or Michael Orozco play. And as far as I can tell Sonny Guadarrama isn't with Morelia much, and if he is still around he isn't dressing for matches anymore.

Here's the rundown of the Americans south of the border.

Primera Division

Edgar Castillo: Played final 28 minutes in Santos' 1-1 draw with Necaxa.
Daniel Hernandez: Did not play in Jaguares' 2-1 win over Indios.
Marco Antonio Vidal: Played final 37 minutes in Indios' 2-1 loss to Jaguares.
Michael Orozco: Did not play in San Luis' 2-1 loss to America.
Jose Francisco Torres: Started and played 75 minutes in Pachuca's 5-2 win over Chivas.
Jesus Padilla: Did not play in Chivas' 5-2 loss to Pachuca.

Primera Division A
Sammy Ochoa: Played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Tecos' 3-1 win over Real Colima.
Miguel Gonzalez: Played 90 minutes in Chetumal's 0-0 draw with Atletico Mexiquense.
Noel Castillo: Played final seven minutes in Indios Chihuahua's 3-1 loss to Queretaro.
Carlos Borja: Tapatio had a bye week.

Sangre americana J7 recap

El Gringo scores! The most newsworthy item among our Mexican-American boys in Mexico was Jesus Padilla's goal. Now, I'm not sure if Gerardo Mascerano scored in his one and only season with Chivas but this may be the first time an American scored for Chivas during league play in its history.

It probably won't be the last as the native son of San Jose, Calif. will probably have plenty more chances to score.

Here's the goal. It's toward the end, as the goal was a stoppage-time equalizer.





Primera Division
Jesus Padilla - Came on as a substitute in the 66th minute and scored equalizer in stoppage time in Chivas' 1-1 draw with Morelia
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 2-0 loss to Monterrey
Jose Francisco Torres - Played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 2-1 loss to Indios
Michael Orozco - Did not dress for San Luis' 1-0 loss to Atlante
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in Jaguares' 1-1 draw with Puebla
Marco Antonio Vidal - Started and played 45 minutes in Indios' 2-1 win over Pachuca
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not dress for Morelia's 1-1 draw at Chivas

Primera A Division
Sammy Ochoa - Started and played 89 minutes in Tecos' 1-0 loss to Tapatio. Ochoa was sent off in the 89th minute and subsequently suspended for three games due to violent conduct
Carlos Borja - Played 90 minutes in Tapatio's 1-0 win over Tecos; was booked in the 71st minute
Noel Castillo - Did not dress for Indios Chihuahua's 3-3 draw with Tampico Madero
Jose Gonzalez - Did not dress for Chetumal's 1-1 draw with Coatzalcoalcos

Sangre americana J6 update

Another game, another goal. This time, it's from Jose Francisco Torres, and this time we've got highlights.



Torres started and played 58 minutes for Pachuca in their 2-0 win over Puebla. He picked up a yellow card as well as scoring his first-ever goal in the Primera Division.

Also in action...
Edgar Castillo: Played 90 minutes in Santos' 2-0 win over Tecos
Marco Antonio Vidal: Played 90 minutes in Indios' 1-0 win over Morelia

Doble jornada for Mexican-Americans

There will be a near-full slate of action in Mexico tonight as Jornada 6 will continue.

Of course, two games have already been played while another is slated for November and those three games involve teams who have some of our players on them: San Luis-Cruz Azul, Toluca-Chivas and Jaguares-Pumas.

But there should be some Mexican-Americans in action regardless.

Primera Division
Edgar Castillo, Santos vs. Tecos, 2 p.m. Castillo has played every minute of every game for Santos this season as Santos needn't worry about any sort of drop of form from Castillo. In fact, Castillo is taking the next step towards stardom as he has been part of El Tri's roster under Sven Goran Eriksson. With Santos, Castillo should provide some danger on the left side as usual. It's another foreign-born Mexican national team player, though, who is garnering attention as Argentine Matias Vuoso scored two goals in a 5-3 win over Chivas a week ago. TV: Azteca America (delayed to 8:30 p.m. PT)

Jose Francisco Torres, Pachuca vs. Puebla, 6 p.m. Torres has not enjoyed much success this season, but then again neither have Los Tuzos. Torres has played in four of five games with just one start. He's logged just 167 over the first five games of the season. Pachuca have started the season off with an 0-3-2 clip and desperately need a win against Puebla to get some points and stay in the playoff chase. Perhaps Torres can help earn himself some more playing time if he can get a start and show well in a Tuzo victory. If Pachuca continues losing, it seems only a matter of time before Enrique Meza is shown the door at which point Torres' future might be up in the air. TV: Azteca America (delayed to 10:30 p.m. PT)

Marco Antonio Vidal, Indios at Morelia, 6:30 p.m. Vidal's season has been a bit of back-and-forth. He played all 90 minutes in Indios' season opener, lost his starting spot, went down to the second division, went back to the top flight and sat the bench before starting on Sunday against Toluca. And that's just five games into the season. Maybe it's a bit ff uncertainty on Vidal's part or a lack of confidence or just a lack of first-division skills. Whatever the case, Vidal has not enjoyed consistency this season at all. Maybe he'll start, maybe he will come off the bench, maybe he'll do neither. Who knows? At least we'll get to see this game live. TV: Azteca America.

Primera Division A
All games will be played on the weekend.

Borja tallies

Sorry I'm just getting to this but I just ran across it.

Seems like an American scored a goal for Chivas de Guadalajara's second-division side. And it wasn't El Gringo either.

On Monday, Carlos Borja scored the only goal for Tapatio in a 1-0 win over Academicos, Atlas' Primera A side. Borja, ex-Chivas USA developmental player, scored his first goal with Tapatio in the 76th minute.

Sangre americana J5 update

Michael Orozco is back with San Luis. He reported earlier this week back to his club and will now try and regain his starting spot in San Luis' defense. San Luis hasn't necessarily missed him. While Tigres and Pumas have yielded fewer goals than San Luis, los Gladiadores have a whopping 16 points through five games. With Orozco back, the club's defense could become even more sound than it already is.

So, how'd Orozco do in his first game back? Actually, he didn't play. But other Mexican-Americans did.

Primera Division
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 5-3 win at Chivas
Jose Francisco Torres - Played final 45 minutes in Pachuca's 3-1 loss at Pumas
Michael Orozco - Did not dress for San Luis' 1-0 victory over Tigres
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in Jaguares' 3-2 win at America
Marco Antonio Vidal - Started and played 45 minutes in Indios' 1-1 draw over Toluca
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not dress in Morelia's 2-0 loss at Puebla
Jesus Padilla - Served one-match suspension for picking up red card in J4

Primera Division A
Sammy Ochoa - Played final six minutes in Tecos' 1-1 draw with Irapuato
Carlos Borja - Tapatio plays Academicos on Monday
Noel Castillo - Did not play in Indios Chihuahua's 0-0 draw with Correcaminos
Miguel Gonzalez - Did not dress in Chetumal's 2-0 loss to Pumas Morelos

Sangre americana J4 update

Things got a bit interesting for one of our own in the First Division this weekend. Jesus Padilla got some actual playing time for Chivas as he came on at halftime. He didn't make it to the end of the match, though, as he got a red card three minutes from time. So he's gone for next week as well, a suspension that I believe keeps him out of Tapatio's match as well.

Anyway, here is how the rest of the Mexican-Americans did down in Mexico. It was another quiet week, though, with a lot of DNPs.

Primera Division
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 3-0 win over Indios
Jose Francisco Torres - Played final 28 minutes in Pachuca's 1-1 draw with Atlante
Michael Orozco - Did not dress for San Luis' 1-0 win at Atlas
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in Jaguares' 1-1 draw with Atlante
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not dress for Morelia's 1-0 win over Pumas
Jesus Padilla - Replaced Sergio Santana at halftime and was sent off in the 87th minute in Chivas' 2-2 draw with Necaxa; Padilla had also played in Tapatio's 1-0 loss to Dorados on Thursday and was booked in the second half
Marco Antonio Vidal - Dressed but did not play in Indios' 3-0 loss at Santos

Primera Division A
Carlos Borja - Did not play in Tapatio's 1-0 loss to Dorados on Thursday
Miguel Gonzalez - Did not dress for Chetumal's 3-0 loss to Merida
Noel Castillo - Did not dress for Indios' 4-3 loss to Santos
Sammy Ochoa - Tecos had a bye week

Non-call on Torres

I'll be updating our Mexican-Americans after Jornada 4 is over but I just wanted to share this video of Jose Francisco Torres. He was taken down inside the box, and stepped on for good measure, but no call was made. Was it a PK? You decide.




Torres came on in the 62nd minute in the match, which finished 1-1. Gimenez, who missed the chance at the end of the clip there, had scored in the first half. Pachuca is a bit of a mess right now. Pachuca had a 1-0 lead and went up a man in the 59th minute but completely mismanaged the game from then on. America had multiple chances to score - twice America hit the crossbar - and finally equalized in the 89th minute.

Sangre americana J4 preview

It's nearly one quarter of the way into the Apertura 2008 campaign for our beloved Mexican-Americans down south. While some players have done well for themselves, others are still awaiting to debut for their clubs this season while still others are hoping for increased playing times.

Also, thanks to our trusty, eagle-eyed readers we have a new member of this elite group to keep tabs on. Okay, maybe it's not quite elite but it's special nonetheless. At least to me.

Primera Division
Edgar Castillo, Santos vs Indios, Sunday 4 p.m. Castillo has had an eventful season thus far. He's played every minute of every game, something he did not do a season ago, and has caught the attention of national team boss Sven Goran Eriksson. Castillo was part of the first group of callups to El Tri and is on the most recent list as well, the one that included a dozen players based abroad. It will be interesting how Sven sorts out the left side with Castillo and Andres Guardado. But for now, Castillo will have Indios on his mind. Indios are a rather sad sack of a club so Castillo should do well to find space and create chances and, of course, outrun the opponents to ever ball.

Michael Orozco, San Luis at Atlas, Saturday 6:45 p.m. It remains to be seen whether Orozco will have jet lag and not be in conditions to play or if he will step right into this match with San Luis. I actually think he might not play much this weekend in order to give his body a chance to recover from the time change. He wont be fatigued, at least not as much as some of his Olympic teammates. After all, Orozco only played three minutes in the third and decisive US match. Without Orozco, San Luis has allowed five goals in four games and have the most points in the league with 10.

Jose Francisco Torres, Pachuca vs America, Saturday 5 p.m. Torres has played twice in three games and has just one start. He's logged a total of 95 minutes this season as Pachuca has stumbled to an 0-2-1 start. Coincidence? Well, probably not. Probably, it just reflects a possible reason for Pachuca's slide - inconsistency. Six players have started each game so that leaves five spots where coach Enrique Meza has juggled starters. This may be a decisive week for Torres though. If he starts and Pachuca wins, perhaps it could lead to more playing time for the Longview product. TV: Azteca America.

Daniel Hernandez, Jaguares vs Atlante, Saturday 3 p.m. Hernandez made his season debut a week ago after serving a two-match ban from a playoff brawl last spring. Hernandez, though, was partly responsible for giving up a pair of goals against San Luis. The ball seemed to go right past him on both occasions as San Luis won 2-0. Jaguares made the playoffs a year ago but it will take time for the club to regain the form that helped lead the club to the postseason. It should start now, if it's going to start, as Hernandez is among the players who missed time due to the brawl against Cruz Azul. TV: Azteca America.

Sonny Guadarrama, Morelia vs Pumas, Sunday 6 p.m. Guadarrama has been part of the first team since the start of the year but has yet to see any action. It's doubtful that he will start, well, highly unlikely would be more accurate. Again, we'll wait for him to get himself some playing time before we start to think about him starting or even playing any significant minutes.

Primera Division A

Jesus Padilla and Carlos Borja, Tapatio. Thursday night futbol isn't just for Major League Soccer. Tapatio played a match on Thursday. Jesus Padilla went the distance and picked up a yellow while Carlos Borja was an unused sub as Tapatio lost to Dorados of Sinaloa by 1-0. Borja had played in each game this season but missed the match altogether. Padilla meanwhile was on the bench for Chivas against Monterrey a week ago but did not play.

Marco Antonio Vidal and Noel Castillo, Indios Chihuahua vs Santos Laguna, Sunday 7 p.m. Vidal played all of one match for the senior club before he was shipped off to the Primera A side again. Castillo is on the opposite side as he is trying to become a Primera A regular. Indios' first-league team is struggling mightily in the top flight and their stay up top might only last one year but Vidal's opportunity may have already passed as the club could use as much experience as possible and Vidal wouldn't have much to offer.

Miguel Gonzalez, Chetumal vs Merida, Sunday 4 p.m. The latest addition to our Sangre americana family, Gonzalez is plying his trade with Chetumal. A bit of background on Gonzalez: He was born in Miami and was with New England for a spell. While with the Revs, Gonzalez played in some reserve games but not with the first team. Gonzalez, a midfielder by trade, also made some appearances with the U.S. Under-20 national team and played in a tournament in South Korea. He scored a few goals as well. Not sure how he ended up with Chetumal but he's there and playing.

Sammy Ochoa, Tecos. Ochoa served his three-match ban and promptly returned to inactivity. Tecos have a bye this week.

Sangre americana J3 recap

Well, here's the recap for the Mexican-Americans in Mexico. Outside obligations kept me from posting a preview of this week's action so I'll catch you up as much as possible here and now.

We had one player move up from the Primera A to the top flight as Jesus Padilla's goal against Barcelona apparently earned him some bench time for Guadalajara - well, that and Omar Arellano's injury. That honor went to the guy who may have the longest name in Mexican soccer today - Marco Jhonfai Fabian de la Mora.

Also, Marco Antonio Vidal was apparently demoted as he suited up for Indios Chihuahua (Primera A) instead of Indios Juarez (Primera Division).

Primera Division
Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 0-0 draw with Puebla
Jose Francisco Torres - Started and played 75 minutes in Pachuca's 2-1 loss at Atlante
Daniel Hernandez - Played 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss at San Luis
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not play in Morelia's 1-1 draw at America
Jesus Padilla - Did not play in Chivas' 1-1 draw with Monterrey
Michael Orozco - Is with US Olympic team

Primera A
Carlos Borja - Started and played 72 minutes in Tapatio's 0-0 draw with Tijuana
Marco Antonio Vidal - Played 90 minutes in Indios Chihuahua's 3-1 win over Monterrey
Sammy Ochoa - Will serve suspension for third and final match Monday against Academicos
Noel Castillo - Did not dress for Indios Chihuahua's 3-1 win over Monterrey

Sangre americana J2 recap

Week 2 (or 3 for some of the Primera A guys) is in the books and there wasn't a whole lot of action. Only two of the top-flight guys played, and one was a sub.

However, Jesus Padilla scored a goal. And it wasn't against a scrubby second-division side either.

Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 1-1 draw with Pumas.
Jose Francisco Torres - Played final 20 minutes in Pachuca's 3-2 loss to San Luis.
Marco Antonio Vidal - Did not play in Indios' 2-0 loss at Monterrey.
Daniel Hernandez - Did not play in Jaguares' 3-1 loss to Tigres
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not play in Morelia's 0-0 draw with Atlante
Michael Orozco - Is with US Olympic team

Jesus Padilla - Scored a goal and came on at halftime of Chivas' 5-2 friendly loss to Barcelona in Chicago.
Carlos Borja - Started and played 71 minutes in Tapatio's 4-2 win over Salamanca.
Sammy Ochoa - Served second of three-match ban
Noel Castillo - Did not play; Indios' bye week

I wanted to take the time to write about Padilla. The cactus is alive and well apparently. If you didn't see the play, Padilla latched onto a bad pass that Carlos Puyol was slow to react to, and slammed a shot from the top of the area on goal. Barca keeper Jose Manuel Pinto got a piece of it but couldn't stop Padilla's potency.

English-language outlets - the few that covered the match - didn't speak with him, and if they did I couldn't find what they wrote. MedioTiempo talked to him though and here's a rough translation of what he said.

"I'm happy to have scored a goal against a great club like Barcelona and I need to just keep working. My job as a forward is to score goals and I did so I just need to keep working.

"Goals are goals. They are valuable so I need to continue scoring. Let's enjoy this one. You hardly ever get the chance to play against Barcelona and we just need to learn from both the good and bad."

What he should have said was...

- It's nice to score against Barcelona because when you score goals against clubs like Lobos BUAP nobody notices or cares. -

Okay, well, maybe people notice but it hasn't gotten him any playing time. Don't know if this latest tally will get him some playing time with the first team but it can't hurt.

Torres for SI

I shared Jose Francisco Torres' tale with my SI.com readers.

I tried to add some new elements by making a comparision between Torres and Michael Orozco as well as Edgar Castillo. Orozco of course is with the US and Castillo with Mexico. Torres may become the next Orozco, the next Castillo or just a solid league player with no international prospects.

Torres, Orozco and Castillo of course are all part of a large untapped talent base across the US, and that's also an underlying theme of the story. I didn't get into it but we all know there are many Mexican-Americans like those three out there waiting to get found.

Perhaps I'll explore that theme in the coming weeks and/or months. For now, I wanted to get this out there.

Sangre americana J2 preview

Week Two (or Jornada 2) in the Mexican Apertura 2008 is upon us. Several of our America-born players have already seen action in both la Primera and Primera A but others have yet to debut and won't debut this weekend either.

Here is a preview of the Mexican-Americans down south.

Edgar Castillo, Santos vs Pumas, Sunday 3 p.m. Fresh off a call to the Mexican national team, Castillo will try and show why Sven Goran Eriksson included the New Mexico native in his first-ever list of call-ups. Castillo went the distance in a season-opening 3-2 loss at America and now will face another challenge in Pumas. Daniel Luduena is still recovering from surgery which means Castillo will continue to play as an attacking midfielder for Santos. TV: Azteca America.

Jose Francisco Torres, Pachuca vs. San Luis, Saturday 5 p.m. Torres did not play in last week's season opener against Tigres (a 0-0 draw) but stands a chance to play in this league game. Torres wound up playing most of Tuesday's 2-0 SuperLiga loss to Houston. With nothing but league play for Pachuca to focus on, at least in the next few weeks, los Tuzos midfield might become a battle for playing time since coach Enrique "Ojitos" Meza won't have to worry about saving players for upcoming non-league matches. He might mix-and-match according to opponents but regardless Torres will need to fight for playing time. TV: Azteca America.

Marco Antonio Vidal, Indios at Monterrey, Saturday 3 p.m. Vidal and Indios debuted in the First Division a week ago but fell to Tecos 1-0. A daunting trip to Monterrey looms. Vidal will be given the task of slowing Monterrey's national team midfielder Luis Perez down in the midfield and will likely also match up against Carlos Ochoa - who also got called up by Eriksson - as well Jared Borgetti. Oh, and if that weren't enough, how about Chupete Suazo? Vidal did well for himself a week ago, as well as you could expect. He should be a lock to play week in and week out for Indios, even if clubs like Monterrey give them a solid thumping. TV: Galavision.

Sonny Guadarrama, Morelia vs. Atlante, Sunday 1 p.m. Guadarrama did not play in Morelia's season opener against San Luis. Before Guadarrama earns a start, he needs to hope for an appearance off the bench, injuries or suspensions. Newcomer Hugo Droguett is suspended for the match as well as Maurico Romero, but Guadarrama doesn't fit into either role. TV: Azteca America.

Daniel Hernandez, Jaguares vs. Tigres, Saturday 3 p.m. Hernandez won't play in this game. He's suspended. But you can watch how bad Jaguares are without him and the other five suspended players. TV: Azteca America.

Michael Orozco, San Luis at Pachuca, Saturday 5 p.m. Orozco is off with the US Olympic team and won't return for several more weeks. San Luis allowed two goals last week without him. Expect the goal tally to continue to rise. TV: Azteca America.

Jesus Padilla and Carlos Borja, Tapatio vs. Salamanca, Sunday 10 a.m. Jesus Padilla scores the goals, but Omar Arellano gets the glory. Padilla's goals, of course, come against second-division competition. Arellano's have come with the first club and as such he gets noticed. Arellano got called up to the senior side while Padilla will test his fate against Salamanca. Borja meanwhile will have the chance to start his second consecutive match for Tapatio. Borja played all 90 minutes a week ago after making his season debut as a late-game substitute in the season opener.

Sammy Ochoa, Tecos vs. Dorados, 4 p.m. Ochoa will serve a suspension this week and will not play. It's the second of a three-match ban.

Noel Castillo, Indios. Castillo won't play as well, but neither will Indios. They've got a bye week.

Sangre americana J1 recap

One week of Mexico's Apertura 2008 season is in the books and here is how the Sangre americana lot fared.

Sort of slow actually as only one of the first-division players saw action. In total, though, one American scored two goals over the weekend.

Primera Division

Edgar Castillo - Played 90 minutes in Santos' 3-2 loss to America.
Marco Antonio Vidal - Played 90 minutes in Indios' 1-0 loss to Tecos.
Jose Francisco Torres - Did not play in Pachuca's 0-0 draw with Tigres.
Michael Orozco - With US Olympic team
Sonny Guadarrama - Did not play in Morelia's 2-2 draw with San Luis.
Daniel Hernandez - Did not play in Jaguares' 5-0 loss at Alts due to suspension.

Primera A

Jesus Padilla - Scored both goals for Tapatio in a 2-0 win over Real Colima.
Carlos Borja - Played all 90 minutes in Tapatio's 2-0 win over Real Colima.
Sammy Ochoa - Served first of three game suspension.
Noel Castillo - Did not play in Indios Chihuahua's 1-0 win over Socio Aguila.