HexagonalBlog

Wednesday's Champions' Cup matches

I'm still updating the above post with updated Champions' Cup results, but I wanted to make a few comments on tonight's games:

• The Marquense-Pachuca match went as I expected.  Pachuca scored on a very nice counterattack and killed off the game from there.  Marquense had a brief 10-minute outburst late in the second half when they had three chances to score, but the match was long over.
• An indication of how seriously the clubs throughout the region take this competition: Marquense's stadium looked mostly full, while the Jalisco stadium is very sparsely attended.
• Chivas' pressing is driving W Connection nuts - they are always forced into making lateral or backward passes, unable to launch any attacks.  I don't think that Connection's defense could hold out much longer, and lo and behold Chivas just scored the opening goal.
• You know, I'm not the first and definitely won't be the last to say this, but it has to be said: CONCACAF's referees are really crap.  First the ref disallows a Chivas goal because of an offside that didn't exist, or an elbow that only he saw.  Then he looks at a collision between the Connection 'keeper and a Chivas player in the box and points to the spot!  At least he's consistently crap to both sides, but right now Connection could be burned by this call.
• But Beckles has other ideas!  What a save, Connection are still in this game!
• Second half started.  Connection were defending really well in the air in the first half, and then Santana scores on a free header a minute and a half in.   Chivas now leads on aggregate!
• Now Connection have to go on attack to tie the series, which they were not able to do in the first half.  Advantage Chivas.
• Chivas goal disallowed, close to the hour mark.  The replay looked like offside, but the announcers said that el Bofo may have touched the ball with his arm.
• A chaotic series of events as El Venado strikes the crossbar, el Bofo fires a shot into a Connection defender.
• About fifteen minutes to go.  More Connection players are moving forward.  Even so it's hard for them to maintain possession.  On Chivas' last counter there were only three players on the back line.
• And there it is.  El Bofo Bautista scores the goal off a low cross by Medina.  3-0 to Chivas, and that should decide the series.
• Six minutes to go now...looks like the dream will die for W Connection.  I would have liked to have seen them be a bit more brave against Chivas, but they are lacking a holding/creating presence in midfield.
• Bravo very nearly made it four, but a scrambling effort by the Connection defender cleared the ball away.
• The final whistle blows, and Guadalajara joins Pachuca in the semifinals.  And most importantly, both teams will host the decisive return leg in their respective series.

Second leg preview, Champions' Cup quarterfinals

They start tomorrow, so it's time to give a preview of the return matches in the quarterfinals (or 1/4 round for those overseas) of the Champions' Cup.  Kickoff times are local.  This post might be updated to account for last-minute news reports.

Guadalajara vs. W Connection (28 Feb, 20:45 hrs)
W Connection leads aggregate 2-1

This is probably the biggest match involving a team from Trinidad and Tobago since the WC playoff series against Bahrain.  W Connection have been in Mexico for over a week to acclimatize to the conditions there, but what I find most impressive is that they left in the middle of Carnival -- which is a really big deal in T&T.  Connection have a very young squad - almost 70% of the team is under 25 - with deep connections to the club (at least ten who are products of the youth system).  Two of those players will be asked to fulfill critical roles, such as Kerwyn Beckles, who substituted as goalkeeper in place of the suspended Jan Michael Williams, and Kern Cupid, who takes over defensive midfield duties from Christian Viveros, who could not get a visa into Mexico.   I expect Connection to play a defensive match with any offensive forays based on the counterattack, perhaps with one player up front.  Connection's backline will have a tall order against a side that is currently at the top of the overall standings in the Primera División and are one of the top attacking sides in Mexican football.  Omar Bravo and Alberto Medina are among the top scorers in the Clausura tournament, and they will be key to the outcome of the match.   The defeat in Trinidad and Tobago created shockwaves throughout the Mexican press, who see this match as a chance for Chivas to "wash clean their honor".  As much as I'd like to see a bonafide gatecrasher in the CONCACAF semis, I don't see it happening - it's going to be very difficult for Connection to keep Guadalajara off the board at home for ninety minutes.  I do expect a nervous game if goals aren't scored quickly.

Prediction: Guadalajara wins 2-0 and advances.

Marquense vs. Pachuca (28 Feb, 18:15 hrs)
Pachuca leads aggregate 2-0

This appears to be one of the 'settled' ties of the round.  Marquense have won all of their games so far in the Clausura, but they have only played three games because of a backlog of postponed matches (not really sure why).  Even without playing well Pachuca gained a two-goal advantage in Mexico and this side has demonstrated that they can win on the road.  Even so, Enrique Meza has brought his full compliment of players (no one injured or suspended) to Guatemala for this match. 

Prediction: Pachuca wins 2-0 and advances.

Houston vs. Puntarenas (01 Mar, 20:05 hrs)
Puntarenas leads aggregate 1-0

This could be the match of the round.  There are already some forced changes in the Puntarenas side -- midfielders Kevin Sancho and Leonardo Ocamica could not join the squad because they were denied a visa into the USA, but Michael Barrantes returns from suspension.  For Houston Dynamo, they will be without 'keeper Pat Onstad who suffered a calf injury 20 minutes into the first leg match.  Their players are still steamed about the result, and are eager to turn it around at Texas A&M's soccer complex.  To do so, they will need a better performance in midfield than they got in Costa Rica.  It was a very disjointed attack that lost possession way too easily.  They also need to eliminate the fouls outside the area, as Puntarenas have demonstrated that they can score from set-piece situations.  Zach Wells performed well under challenging situations, and Dynamo really need Brian Ching in the lineup (not sure if he will play - a recurrence of his hamstring problem?).  It's an evenly-match series, and I think it could more than 180 minutes to decide it.

Prediction: Dynamo win 2-1 and advance on penalties.

DC United vs. Olimpia (01 Mar, 19:05 hrs)
DC United leads aggregate 4-1

The other 'settled' tie of the round.  DCU took apart Olimpia in a way that not even their most committed partisans could have imagined.  It is not coincidental that all of their goals were scored by their South American imports, who have experience playing in that kind of environment.  The match really put the leones into a deeper crisis - reports from Honduras stated that their coach was ready to resign after the game but reversed himself, and the players are now refusing to talk to the press.  At least Olimpia won last weekend, but they are still having a disastrous Clausura campaign - not at all resembling the team that dominated Honduran football over the past year and a half.  DCU understandably has a lot of confidence going into Thursday's match and should be able to advance as long as they don't lose their focus. 

Prediction: DCU win 2-0 and advance.

Champions Cup results

I'm updating this post throughout the evening, so come back for updates.

CONCACAF Champions' Cup quarterfinals, first leg:

W Connection 2-1 Guadalajara [14 Feb]
Puntarenas 1-0 Houston
Olímpia 1-4 DC United
Pachuca 2-0 Marquense

Despite the heat, a dubious penalty, and an even more dubious sending-off, Houston Dynamo were fortunate to lose to Puntarenas by only the minimum.  Puntarenas' efforts to score were petering out when Kurt Bernard grabbed a loose ball at the top of the box and fired a low shot that was deflected past the outstretched arms of Dynamo reserve 'keeper Zach Wells.  It was probably the right result since Puntarenas had the overwhelming majority of the possession and almost all of the goal-scoring chances.  Dynamo almost did enough to escape with a valuable draw, but they had too much to overcome.  (I forgot to mention just how well Zach Wells performed yesterday.  Obliged to enter the match when Onstad suffered an ankle injury, he saved the Bernard penalty and made three other important saves during the course of the game.  A very brave effort under the circumstances.)

21:14 - My, Olimpia-DCU has become quite a cup-tie, eh?  A much better attacking effort from the MLS team in this game.  Lots of Argentine-style chants  from the Honduran crowd.

21:17 - I'll be at Steven Goff's blog commenting.

21:19 - What a fantastic strike by Gomito !! 

21:30 - Olimpia's fans, to their credit, have not stopped chanting despite their team being behind by two goals.  This has been another sub-par performance by the Honduran champions.

21:40 - On the flip side, this has been a fantastic performance by DCU.  Gómez has been replaced by Justin Moose. 

21:44 - And that header by Erpen should settle the tie!  Tremendous diving header past the unguarded far post.

And that's it.  DC United has obtained a sensational result in Honduras over the Apertura champions.  They were able to successfully take the attack to Olimpia and took the lead thanks to Gómez's well-taken goal from the outside of the penalty area.  Poor defending on a set-piece allowed Olimpia to level the scores, but near the end of the first half Emilio scored his first goal for DCU off an exquisite side-footed effort.  At the start of the second half, Olimpia started strong and hit the crossbar, which turned out to be the closest they came to scoring.  Gómez appeared again from outside the area to screw the ball under the diving Olimpia 'keeper.  Erpen completed the scoring in the final minutes with a diving header off an Olsen corner.  Without any doubt the best performance by any MLS club away from home in CONCACAF competition.

UPDATE (02/22, 22:20): Pachuca operated at a low gear for this match, but it was more than enough to defeat Marquense.  Damián Alvarez took advantage of some slack defending to steer Chitiva's cross into the net.  Almost all of the action took place in the Marquense half, but the tuzos weren't able to translate their territorial dominance into goals.  Pachuca took their foot off the accelerator in the second half (which was already lightly pressed anyway), but they managed to score off a corner kick on the hour.  The crowd was never into the game and greeted the final whistle with a simple applause.  It could have been more, but two goals should be enough for the second leg in Guatemala.

World Cup USA - The Venue Guessing Game

The guys at MLS Underground have an interesting thought question going on - in case of a hypothetical World Cup in the USA, what should the 12 venues be, which ones would host the semifinal round, which one should host the 3rd/4th place game, and which one should be given the final?  I put together the following list.  I really need to get some sleep, so maybe tomorrow I'll defend these choices.

So, to answer their questions...

A: Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Houston, Miami Gardens, Pasadena, New York, Cleveland, Pasadena, Glendale (Phoenix)

B: New York, Chicago

C: Boston

D: Washington (FedEx Field)

All this is motivated by reports that the USSF is considering a bid for the 2014 or 2018 World Cup finals in case no South American country is able to host.  I have some thoughts about that, and possible home and abroad reactions to a second World Cup in the USA.

Now the Champions Cup starts for real

Last week the CCC started with an upset - Trinidad and Tobago's W Connection came from behind to defeat Guadalajara despite playing most of the match with ten men.  This week the remaining matches of the quarterfinal round kick off. 

Olímpia vs. DC United (21 Feb, 20:00hrs)

This series appeared to be the pick of the round when the draw was released in November, but a lot has changed for both teams since then.  First of all, the Brazilian goalscorer Luciano Emilio, who helped Olimpia advance to the UNCAF final and the Honduran Apertura championship, was transferred to...DC United.  Because the UNCAF club tournament is not considered to be part of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Emilio is available to face his former side.  It's quite awkward for opposing players and fans, and Emilio is eager to score goals.  If he's smart, he won't celebrate them.  As for DC United, they dealt Freddy Adu to Real Salt Lake and let Alecko Eskandarian go to Toronto FC. 

Matches involving MLS sides are hard to figure out because one only has a few meaningless friendlies to go by.   (They probably aren't meaningless in helping the coaches pick a starting XI, but they are in determining the team's current form.)  DCU has a number of players with experience in these situations, such as Moreno, Gómez, Olsen, and now Emilio.  Olímpia has a dangerous striker in Wilmer Velásquez (scored four goals for Honduras in the UNCAF 3rd place match), but they haven't started the Clausura tournament well and are beginning to feel the pressure.  Olímpia will have the home surroundings and the crowd tomorrow night, but the crowd may not be on their side for very long if they struggle.  Anything less than a two-goal win will make it very difficult for the Leones in the return leg.

Prediction: 1-1.

Puntarenas vs. Houston Dynamo (21 Feb, 13:35hrs)

The Orange derby features the MLS champions against CONCACAF debutants from this port town on Costa Rica's Pacific side.  Even though Saprissa swept the domestic championships last year, they (and Alajuelense) performed very poorly in the UNCAF tournament.  Nevertheless, Costa Rica's remaining representative had a very good 2006, finishing second in Costa Rica and first in UNCAF.   They have also started 2007 very well - unbeaten in their last five matches.   The key player for Puntarenas is Kurt Bernard, who has been among the top scorers in the Costa Rican league over the past two years.  Another player to watch is Marío Víquez, who despite playing defense led the Apertura in assists (10 in 15 games).  Puntarenas scored close to 45% of their goals off headers, so whoever wins the aerial game will have the big advantage in this series.

Houston Dynamo enter this match having played friendlies - they won all three against college and MLS opposition.  They are a team with a lot of international experience, and five members of the team were part of the San Jose Earthquakes side that last played in the Champions' Cup in 2004.  Dwayne DeRosario and Ricardo Clark will be the keys in midfield, and they and Brian Ching need to work well together in order to make the most of the (few) scoring opportunities.  Because of Puntarenas' aerial game, expect a lot of pressure to be placed on the Dynamo back line. 

Puntarenas may be a newcomer to the CONCACAF Champions Cup, but the more I look at this series, the more I think that they will make the most of the Big Two's down year in regional competition.  The start time is a little weird, but at least isn't not on Sunday when most matches in Costa Rica start at 11am!

Prediction: Puntarenas win 2-0.

Pachuca vs. Marquense (22 Feb, 20:05hrs)

Pachuca won the Copa Sudamericana at the end of last year, and they start their quest to grab trophies in two regions at the same time when they play Guatemala's Deportivo Marquense tomorrow night.  Marquense are unknown to most of the Pachuca squad, although eight of their players were selected for the Guatemalan national team in the UNCAF Cup.  Because so many players were absent, Marquense have only been able to play two games in the Clausura, which is leaving their coach complaining about lack of preparation time.  On the other side, Pachuca will want a better offensive production -- only four goals in six Clausura matches so far. 

Marquense will try to disrupt in midfield and get out of Hidalgo with a draw.  It's going to be a tall order once they actually get there (bus ride to Tapachula, plane ride to Mexico City, and another bus ride to Hidalgo).

Prediction: Pachuca win 2-0.

A photo diary of the Dynamo's Costa Rica trip

Houston Dynamo are in Costa Rica to play Puntarenas in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, and they have a photo essay of their trip posted on their website.  The press box at the Puntarenas stadium looks quite, well, spartan to say the very least. 

The stadium and its surroundings reminds me of the some of the smaller football grounds I visited during my many trips to Argentina.  I remember going to Ferrocarril Oeste's stadium and walking up the wooden stands behind one of the goals (with nothing but air and concrete walkways below) while saying to myself, "And they bounce on these?!?"

The hotel and the beach look very nice, by the way.

UPDATE:  More pictures have been posted to their website.  The landscape looks just as pretty on the ground as it does from the window of an airplane.  And Puntarenas' stadium is quite compact.

Administrativa

As I alluded to in my previous post, I decided that it was past time to update my blogroll.  So a big welcome to Ives Galarcep's Soccer by Ives, Steven Goff's Soccer Insider, and MLS Underground. 

As the tagline of this blog says, I seek to write about events from the entire CONCACAF region while focusing on MLS and US soccer.  I'm always searching for more soccer-related blogs from the CONCACAF region from countries other than the final six from the Hexagonal.  Information from the smaller Caribbean countries is hard to come by, and most of the blogs from the Central American countries aren't in English.  I'll keep looking and if I find anything interesting I'll place them on the blogroll. 

The field for the Gold Cup

I shamelessly took this from Ives Galarcep's blog (which I really need to add to my blogroll, BTW), but I don't think he'll mind as long as I credit him.  The final twelve for this summer's Gold Cup are:

1. USA
2. Mexico
3. Canada
4. Costa Rica
5. Honduras
6. Panama
7. Guatemala
8. El Salvador
9. Trinidad & Tobago
10. Cuba
11. Haiti
12. Martinique

The biggest shocker has to be the absence of Jamaica from the field.  Considering that they were hosting one of the qualification rounds, they only have themselves to blame.

Fallout from the draw

Some interesting comments about the draw can be found in the South American newspapers.  The consensus appears to be that Venezuela got an easy draw (which you might expect from the hosts), and that the other two groups are quite even.  Argentina's La Nación described Group C as a difficult group, although some of the players don't think it's quite as complicated as people think.   I liked Fernando Gago's quote:  "To win titles, you have to beat your rivals" - very true, and there's one in particular that Argentina would like to beat more than any other.  One article from ABC Color in Paraguay described Group C as the Group of Death, but this article from Colombia's El Tiempo argues that there such a group isn't so clear-cut.  I still believe that Argentina will win the group, but the three other teams can finish anywhere between second and fourth. 

As for Mexico's group, Hugo Sánchez is taking the news in stride.  He feels that his group is the real Group of Death, but he would rather have played Brazil at the end of the group stage instead of the beginning.   He'd also prefer to meet them again in the final, but there's a long road between here and there.  And to the FMF president, whoever's in the group doesn't matter and it's up to the Mexican team to respond to the challenge.  It's the same story to Ecuador's coach, but Chile's coach Nelson Acosta sees Group B as a very difficult group for them.  The real surprise, to me, is the reaction from some of the Brazilian commentators to the draw.   I'm not familiar with SporTV's commentators so I don't know how many people pay attention to their opinions.  Dunga's still trying to decide on a first-team XI so that may explain some of the reservations that I'm reading.

The draw for Copa América

The draw for this summer's Copa América is held in Caracas right now (watching it on CNN En Español).  However the CSF announced yesterday the opening matches in the three groups, so the draw reduces to deciding the groups of the remaining six teams.   CONMEBOL will find a way to stretch the selection into an hour or two.  (And CONMEBOL President Nicolás Leoz just asked Hugo Chávez to say something, which is an easy way to do just that.  His speech is short - thankfully - and not bad, to be honest.)

1823: The draw is being conducted by Leoz, Brazilian star Careca and Venezuelan player Luis Mendoza, and the first team is drawn,  and the envelope is...empty?!?  Ahh, the slip of paper fell out.  It's Uruguay.

1824: The rest of the draw is going without incident.  Leoz really tears those envelopes apart.

1825: And that's it.  Here are the three groups (seeded teams in red):

Group A: Venezuela, Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia
Group B: Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Mexico
Group C: Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia, USA

All of the groups look even to me, but Group B appears to be the toughest so far.  Mexico-Brazil could be the match of the first round, but Chile could be a dark horse if Matías Fernández matches his form from last year.  Venezuela has two matches that they should win, and the outcome of the match against Uruguay will depend on which Uruguayan team decides to show up.  The USA could finish anywhere from second to fourth in their group (I don't see them beating Argentina), but they simply must create goal-scoring chances and take advantage of them.  It will be difficult to do so against the defenses in those three matches.

But in the end, the games have to be played, and a lot can happen between now and late June.