HexagonalBlog

CONCACAF exits the Copa Sudamericana

CONCACAF have decided not to extend their participation in CONMEBOL's Copa Sudamericana.  They had originally agreed to participate in four editions of the tournament from 2005-2008.  With the advent of the CONCACAF Champions League, there are more matches and conflicting dates in the region, so participation in the Sudamericana no longer makes sense to CONCACAF. 

I'd say that participation in the Copa Libertadores -- which will continue -- doesn't make sense to CONCACAF, either.  Mexican clubs like it, of course, because of the increased exposure, advertising revenue, and level of play.  But there exist the same issues with conflicting dates, as well as the matter of why clubs from one confederation are playing in the club championship tournament of another.  Apparently the same question is going through CONCACAF's collective mind, as the Executive Committee will discuss the confederation's participation in Copa Libertadores in November. 

Monterrey and Puebla are the clubs who will suffer most by CONCACAF's action; Puebla haven't been in international competition in 16 years and their coach was not at all pleased by the news.

My overdue comments about the Confederations Cup

Like anyone else cares, anyway.   Apologies for the lack of posts; I'm moving from my apartment in a couple of days.

Let me just say...wow, it's so easy to go bipolar with this team, huh?  The USA's first two performances were not at all encouraging, and I feared that it might foreshadow a performance on the order of France 98.  We all know the rest of the story -- USA caught lightning in a bottle during the final round of group matches, then played the game of their lives against Spain and the best 45 minutes of their lives against Brazil.

What was encouraging about the USA's performance in the second half of the tournament was that they finally figured out how to score goals from open play.  Dempsey and Altidore were willing to take on opponents, but the best US goal came from Landon Donovan's counterattacking run and finish against Brazil.  I felt that the USA's midfield played very well, especially Clark and Bradley in the defensive positions, and Donovan out wide.  And how about Donovan?  I've criticized him in the past for fading in big matches, but he did not do so this time.  His play contributed to the two US victories and very nearly contributed to a third in the final. 

So does the USA's finish mean that they have a chance for a long run at the World Cup finals next year?  First of all, there's still the matter of qualifying, but it as easy to be mindlessly euphoric as it is to be mindlessly despondent.  This is still a team whose luck in the finals is dependent on The USA will run into serious trouble with opponents who know how to hold possession, because they will be forced to make the most of the few possessions they will get and as of now are unable to hold the ball for long periods.  The USA still have a real problem with calibrating their tackles throughout the match.  Yes, the three red cards that the US received were harsh, but that record is still unacceptable.  Clark and Bradley are too valuable to the US not be on the field due to suspension.  Some improved technical and tactical work would be good, but if the players don't have that by now, they're not going to get it. 

At any rate, the US team exit the Confederations Cup with a lot more confidence that they can take on the top national teams in the world, which is not something they could say after their first two games.

Wasn't that something?

Like just about everyone else, I did not expect the USA-Egypt match to change the final outcome of Group B of the Confederations Cup.  With a goal difference of -5, and an Italian goal difference of +1, the Americans needed a six-goal swing between the USA-Egypt and Italy-Brazil results to go to the semifinals.  Yeah, pretty bloody likely.

Well, that's exactly what happened in the USA-Egypt game.  And in the Italy-Brazil game. 

I wasn't able to watch the complete match, so I can't assess completely the USA's performance.  It was their best performance of the Confederations Cup by default; up to today's match, the USA had one good half against Italy followed by a bad second half and a poor performance against Brazil.  It appeared that Bob Bradley was able to get a better performance from his front and back lines, and Ricardo Clark underscored his importance as a holding midfielder in the national team.  It was fitting that Michael Bradley would score yet another goal for his father on Father's Day.  Bradley couldn't avoid a yellow card, but, well, what can you do.  It was a match of grit and determination and huevos.  It would be nice to have some flair, but the US team does grit and determination well, so I guess we'll have to win games that way for the near future.

In the end, the USA lost to the teams that are superior to them, and defeated the one team that was more or less evenly matched.  Next up is Spain, another one of those superior sides.  I don't have high expectations for that match, but the USA will play one more game in the Confederations Cup than I expected.

Apologies for the silence

Sorry for not having posts the last few days (aside from a couple of tweets).  I was too bitter about the USA-Italy game to write about it, I've been lazy on a few posts in my hopper such as the CCL review and the mid-Hexagonal review,  and I've been busy with work and upcoming publications (don't get too excited; they're for technical journals that attract fewer readers than this blog).  And I'm moving to a new apartment on the other side of town in a couple of weeks.

I need to take care of things away from here, but I'll be back in a day and I hope to get those delayed posts published by the end of this weekend.  You can also follow me on Twitter.  I've heard it's actually been useful to a lot of people lately.

More titles and promotions decided in Central America

Following up on my post from Friday:

San Francisco FC won the Apertura championship in Panama after defeating Chorrillo 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the final last night.  The hero was San Francisco 'keeper William Negrete, who was substituted into the match by manager Rúben Guevara a minute before the end of the extra time period because of his expertise in saving penalties.  In the end, he only saved one -- that of César Blackman -- but it allowed his side to claim their eighth domestic title.  San Francisco will play San Juan Jabloteh in the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League, while Árabe Unido will play Olimpia for a place in the group stage.

In Honduras, Atlético Gualala won promotion to the top flight after defeating Necaxa 1-0 this afternoon for a 2-1 aggregate victory.   Santa Bárbara will continue being represented in the Primera División as Gualala will replace Real Juventud.

In Guatemala, Deportivo Jalapa completed a worst-to-first turnaround by winning the Clausura title over Municipal 4-1 on aggregate (3-1 on Thursday and 1-0 today).  Jalapa had the luxury of a two-goal advantage heading into the decisive leg, and Municipal couldn't overcome neither their nerves nor Jalapa 'keeper Juan José Paredes, who was the best goalkeeper of the championship.  Pedro Ortíz's goal in the 90th minute put the contest beyond any doubt and ensured the team from the eastern province of Guatemala their second league title.  Jalapa will play the preliminary round of the Champions League, while Communicaciones will enter the group stage.  Municipal, who had the best overall record this season, will be shut out of CONCACAF competition in 2009-2010.  In the promotion final for the final spot in Liga Nacional, San Pedro defeated Juventud Retalteca 3-1 in the first leg. 

A taste of Chicago

One thing for sure: 48 hours isn't even close to enough.

I didn't make it to the bars before or after the game, and I hung around with my friends from Florida who flew in for the game, but I had a good time.  Saw the Fire play at Toyota Park, watched the Section 8 pyrotechnics with my mouth hanging wide open, had some great deep-dish, sat in the club seats at Soldier Field, and the USA won.  Oh, and The Don walked into our elevator, too.

Enjoy the pics, which are beneath the fold.

A roundup of Central American league action

There have been more news throughout the Central American leagues since my last update, so here's a summary:

In Guatemala, Jalapa defeated Municipal 3-1 in the Clausura final yesterday, thanks to two goals by Juan José Castillo.  The return match will be Sunday at the Mateo Flores stadium, and Municipal will have to win by three goals to win the league title and advance to the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League.  The promotion playoffs are almost complete -- Peñarol de La Mesilla and Universidad de San Carlos will play in Liga Nacional next season.  San Pedro and Juventud Retalteca will play off over two legs starting on Sunday to decide the final promoted team.

In Costa Rica, Santos de Guápiles will play in Primera next season after defeating Barrio México 4-3 over two legs in the Segunda División promotion playoff.  It's a quick return for Santos, who were relegated from the top flight at the end of last season.  Barrio México haven't appeared in Primera in 25 years.

Atlético Gualala and Necaxa drew at a goal apiece in the promotion final in Honduras.  The return leg is this Sunday. 

Chorrillo and San Francisco will meet in the Apertura final in Panama on Sunday.  Chorrillo defeated Tauro over two legs, and San Francisco defeated Atlético Chiriqui.  (I don't have to aggregate scorelines, but in the return legs Chorrillo beat Tauro 3-0 and San Francisco won 3-1.)  The winner goes to the CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round.

ADDENDUM: I didn't include Nicaragua in my original post, but Chinandega FC won the second division Clausura championship after defeating Inatec 3-2 over two legs.  Because Chinandega also won the Apertura tournament, they will ascend to the Primera División.  According to that news report I just referenced, Inatec and Unan Managua will playoff for the runner-up position in Segunda, and the winner of that series will face Real Madriz in a promotion/relegation playoff.  But Real Madriz finished seventh overall in the table; how did they end up in the playoff?  I'm missing something here.

CONMEBOL: Four rounds left

The never-ending World Cup qualifying tournament in CONMEBOL is nearing the finish line.  Brazil could be the first side from the region to clinch a spot in the finals if they defeat Argentina in September, while Peru are the first team mathematically eliminated from World Cup contention. 

What really matters to CONCACAF viewers is battle for fifth place, because that side will play the fourth placed team from the Hexagonal in a home/away playoff for the final berth in South Africa.  As of now fifth place is occupied by Ecuador on 20 points.  However there are four teams within three points of Ecuador -- Argentina lie in fourth place on 22 points, Uruguay have 18 points, and Colombia and Venezuela have 17 points each. 

Here's how the five national teams will conclude the tournament:

Ecuador: Colombia (H), Bolivia (A), Uruguay (H), Chile (A)
Argentina: Brazil (H), Paraguay (A), Peru (H), Uruguay (A)
Uruguay: Peru (A), Colombia (H), Ecuador (A), Argentina (H)
Colombia: Ecuador (A), Uruguay (A), Chile (H), Paraguay (A)
Venezuela: Chile (A), Peru (H), Paraguay (H), Brazil (A)

With the exception of Venezuela, all of these teams will have to play a fellow competitor for the playoff spot over the final four games.  And that fourth and final automatic qualifying spot could be up for grabs too; Argentina's finishing schedule is not at all easy, and it could come down to that final match in Montevideo. 

Hexagonal 2009: Round 5

Credit: Mexsport (mediotiempo.com)
Mexico 2-1 Trinidad & Tobago

Mexico suffered, their players, their coach, and their supporters alike.  After Tinto's goal, did the thought go through anyone's heads, "Oh my God, could Trinidad & Tobago actually win points from this game?"  But a few minutes after the restart, Kevin scored a golazo, and Azteca could exhale once more.  The press reports that I've read said that Mexico dominated the match throughout.  That wasn't how I viewed it, at least not during the second half.  Perhaps Mexico dominated by default; they enjoyed the bulk of the possession, but were only able to convert all that possession into a few scoring opportunities.  The opportunities that they did have were disrupted by their own imprecisions, as well as last-ditch defending by the T&T defenders and midfielders (especially Yorke).  Mexico didn't play remotely close to their best game, and Trinidad & Tobago were brave but limited in attack.  It made sense that T&T would score from a mistake, and that Mexico would score the winner off an isolated play.  The break will be welcome for Mexico, who will have a couple of months to refocus before they host USA and Honduras in the second half of the Hexagonal.  As for Trinidad & Tobago, they can take some comfort in their most competitive match in Azteca, but a loss is still a loss, and the Soca Warriors are running out of time.

Credit: Diez.hn
Honduras 1-0 El Salvador

The script was similar to last time -- Honduras would score an early goal, then they slowed down and let their opponent back into the game.  In contrast to the match in Chicago, this time Honduras won.  In contrast to previous matches between these two countries, there was no "baile".  This was a "marcha".  Even after the goal, Honduras were a bundle of nerves with errant passes and poorly executed runs.  El Salvador were the better team in the second half, and the more aggressive throughout.  The closest they came to scoring was Pacheco's free kick in the second half that Valladares pushed around his post to concede a corner.  Perhaps El Salvador deserved a tie, but the Salvadoran coaching hierarchy conceded that the match was lost in the midfield.

So Honduras are back in the direct qualifying positions for South Africa, and El Salvador have shown that they won't be a soft touch in the Hexagonal.  But did Rueda actually think about leaving??  What on earth for?  Or was it a destabilizing tactic from outside?  Honduras went through this in 2001 and ruined a golden opportunity; let's hope it doesn't happen again.

CONCACAF Champions League 2009-10: The Group Stage Draw

The group stage draw was conducted at the same time as the preliminary round, and those results are shown below.  The 'PR#" tag refers to the match in my post on the preliminary round draw.

Group A
Houston Dynamo (USA)
Metapán (El Salvador)
PR2
PR4

Group B
Toluca (Mexico)
Marathón (Honduras)
PR6
PR1

Group C
Columbus Crew (USA)
Saprissa (Costa Rica)
PR5
PR8

Group D
Pumas UNAM (Mexico)
Comunicaciones (Guatemala)
PR3
PR7

I'll have more to say about the groups when the preliminary round is completed.