HexagonalBlog

A visit to la ciudad de la furia

Jeff Rusnak of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has a story of the USA U-20s trip to Argentina and Uruguay, where they played some matches against club and national teams and took in a couple of club matches in Buenos Aires.  It was quite an experience, to say the least.

Like I said before, football in Argentina is like nowhere else in the world, for better or for worse.

Down to the wire in Argentina

Argentina's Apertura tournament will be decided between Lanús, a modest club in the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires, and Tigre, another modest club in the northern suburbs that has former RSL 'keeper D. J. Countess on the lineup.  Tigre came from behind to defeat Boca Juniors 2-1 in Victoria, and Lanús hammered Gimnasia-La Plata 4-0.  This has been an amazing tournament in Argentina, and the first time in a very long time that a small club will win the league title.  What makes it even more amazing is that one of the title contenders - Tigre - was just promoted to the top flight this year.

Lanús are in a better position to win their first league title, but they must avoid defeat against Boca next weekend.  Tigre must beat Argentinos away and hope that Boca defeat Lanús in order to send the championship to a one-match playoff.

I'd like to say that Countess has had something to do with this title run but that's not the case, unfortunately.   He hasn't played at all during the Apertura and has rarely made the lineup, and that's not going to change now that Tigre is contending for a championship.  I don't expect him to get any opportunities for match experience until the summer mid-season tournaments get started.

Nevertheless, this has to be an incredible experience for Countess, not to mention the people in Victoria and San Fernando.  It's like no other place in the world.

An American in Argentina

I'm getting to this story late, but I did not know that D.J. Countess, the former RSL goalkeeper, was now playing for Tigre in Argentina's Primera División.  According to this article on Yanks Abroad, he joined the team in early August in time for the Apertura tournament.  He hasn't played in Primera, but he has played in some friendly matches.

CA Tigre has a special resonance to me.  The club resides in Victoria, which is in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires (San Fernando county of Buenos Aires province), where my former girlfriend used to live.  I remember watching the fan shows on the local cable system and walking past Estadio Monumental on Avda. Pdte. Perón several times, something I do not recommend doing on a game day because of the presence of the barra bravas.  I haven't been there in almost five years, and at the time Tigre were a third-division club back then and very few people dared to dream that they would return to Primera (their last stay in the top flight was in 1980). 

Tigre is currently making the most of its return to Primera (currently in third place, four points behind leaders Independiente), but they have to know that their first order of business is staying up which is easier said than done because of the average system in Argentina.  ¡Vamos el Matador, che!

UPDATE:  It's not common to see an American in Argentina's Primera, but here is a Wikipedia entry on Renato Corsi who was the first American-born player in Argentina's top flight.  He played on the Argentinos Juniors team that won two national championships and a Copa Libertadores in the mid-80s.

Liveblogging DC United-Guadalajara

In about 15 minutes, the second leg of the Copa Sudamerica round of 16 match between DC United and Guadalajara will start.  DCU won the first leg in Washington 2-1, and will seek to maintain the advantage in Estadio Jalisco.

For those of you wondering, AWAY GOALS COUNT in CONMEBOL competitions.  So a 1-0 victory in favor of Chivas puts them through on the away goals rule.  If DCU score one goal, Chivas must score two to send the series to penalties.  But if DCU score two, Chivas must score four times to go through.

The winner of this series will play Argentina's Arsenal in the next round.

Watching the pregame on Fox Sports en Español...Jalisco stadium looks about 1/8 full.

Looks like Chivas will lineup with Luis Michel in goal, then Esparsa, Rodríguez, Reynoso, Magallón, Pineda, Mejía, Avila, Morales, Medina, and Bravo. 

DC United will have Perkins in goal, and then Namoff, MacTavish, Vanney, and Boswell in defense, Gómez, Olsen, Gros, and Simms in the center, and Emilio and Moreno up front.

• Teams are onto the pitch, and the anthems are being played.  First the USA's, then Mexico's.
• Tonight's referee is Samuel Haro from Ecuador, with fellow countrymen Carlos Vera and Marco Muzo assisting along the touchlines. 
• The sound from Fox Sports has gone out!!  Is anyone else having this problem?
• Mexico's Medio Tiempo site has a blog devoted to the match.  They have the coach for DC United listed as Dave Kasper, who isn't.
• 1st half.  DCU kicks off.    Two minutes gone, and Chivas get an early throw-in in the DCU half.  It's well defended, however.
• 5':  First shot on goal to Chivas, but Santana shoots it over the bar.
• 6':  Bravo slips in behind a DCU defender (MacTavish?) to chase after a high ball, but Perkins comes out and collects.  That looked dangerous.
• 7':  Looks like Chivas is going to try to pop a high ball over United's defensive line to see if Santana and Bravo can beat them.  That could be a good bet.
• 8':  United's first good foray upfield...the ball goes wide to Gómez, but his cross is very high and very wide of goal.  Wasted opportunity really.
• 14': Good charging run by Moreno, and he's brought down hard drawing a free kick.  Gómez to take it...
• ...and a powerful free kick by Gómez is saved well by a diving Michel! It was low and bending toward the far corner, and Michel made an excellent save.
• 15': Action on the other end now as Medina (?) connected on a header, and the ball flew just past the sliding foot of Bravo in front of Perkins' goal.
• 17': Moreno launched a shot from the halfway line, but it was well wide.  Did he see Michel off his line?
• 19':  United's left defensive side is very vulnerable...Santana ran onto another high ball, beat Boswell, and only a defensive scramble prevented a Chivas goal.  Chivas have the advantage right now, and the crowd sense it.  If only I could hear it!
• 24': How did Chivas not score??  Bravo runs on the left side, hits a very good cross that Santana meets with a spectacular scissor kick just three meters in front of goal, and blasts it spectacularly high.  Just a simple header would have scored, Santana was that wide open.
• You have a feeling that a goal is coming; Chivas is having success opening up the United defense.
• 26': MacTavish decides to line one up, and why not?  A knuckling ball that Michel dives to save on his right.
• 30': Not good passing from DC United at all.  They're not going to have much success if they give up possession so freely.
• 37': Corner to Chivas.  Most of the half has been played in the DCU half.  But here comes a United counter, if for no other reason than to ease the pressure.
• 40':  Moreno went to ground, foul called, free kick to DCU.  Another Moreno run downfield, he goes down, and this time he stays down.  Replays showed that Rodríguez's boot wrapped around Moreno's ankle, and he looked like he was in a lot of pain.  But with the magic sponge he'll be good as new.
• Five minutes to halftime.  Time for DCU to concede a goal, like just about every other American side at this point of the game.
• 45': DCU lived dangerously in their own end, but they have a counterattack going on and, my goodness, it actually looks good.  And they were working the ball very nicely among six, seven, even eight players.  Alas it can't last too long, and Chivas clear the ball away.
• Two minutes of added time.
• 45'+2: One last foray for Chivas, this effort is also very well worked.  But they lose possession in the final third, and that's the end of the first half.
• Halftime.  The scoreline is the same as before, DC United advances to the quarterfinals on this result, while Chivas need a 1-0 result to go through.  Guadalajara 0-0 DC United
• 2nd half.  Chivas kick off.  Looks like I'm without sound for the second half.  No problem with the TV or the commercials, but with the actual telecast.
• So, can DCU hold on?  And can they get a goal that would ease the pressure?
• 48': Hallelujah!  The sound is back on the broadcast!!
• 50': DCU look strangely calm with the ball at their feet.  It's so un-MLS-like.
• And just as I finished writing that, both teams decide to pass like crap.
• 53':  Pineda screwed the ball wide of Perkins on the left side, and the cameraman decides that it's a good time to focus on the very cute Mexicana perched atop her date waving a Chivas flag.  There's always a good time for that.
• DCU is doing a good job deflecting the ball away, but it would be nice if they could hold on to the ball like they did at the start of the half.
• 56':  Avila looked onside on the right side, but the linesman call him offside.  It was very very close!
• 58':  Chivas substitution.  Pineda comes off in favor of Arellano.
• One hour is complete.  Thirty minutes to go.  Tom Soehn is sitting down looking pensively on the field.
• 61': Boswell sticks his leg out to prevent a Chivas advance, and receives the first yellow card of the match.
• 63':  Simms does the same thing, plus a shirt pull, and gets a yellow card of his own.
• Looks like Chivas is going to force DCU to foul them and pick up cards and
• 65':  GOAL!  And there it is, after another rush upfield that set off alarm bells in the United backline, no one in black could clear it away, and Morales rushed forward and blasted the ball past Perkins.  Chivas 1-0 DC United, and now Chivas go ahead on the away goals rule.
• Chivas was stepping up a gear with their offensive efforts, and United were bunkering too soon...just not brave enough.  Even so, one goal puts them back in charge.
• 69':  Uyyyy!!  Olsen with a takeaway deep in the Chivas half, passes it to Emilio on the right, but his shot flies past the near post.  The best chance for DCU since that free kick by Gómez in the first half.
• 70': DC United substitution:  Dyachenko comes in for Boswell.
• 70': Guadalajara substitution:  Esparza enters for Santana.
• 74':  Chivas' first counter of the game is a dangerous one, Avila's (?) cross had to be saved by Perkins and it was.
• 79': What was that ball from Simms about?  Long, pointless, and headed toward a Chivas defender.
• 80':  That ball from Gómez was a good one, but Michel was equal to the task with a high flying catch.
• 81': Chivas substitution.  Araujo in place of Avila.
• 82': Reynoso picks up a yellow card.
• Looks like if DC United is going to score a goal, Gomito is going to have something to do with it...
• 84': And what was that corner about?  Chivas were caught napping and Carroll forced Michel to dive hard to his left.  The ball just whistled past the near post.
• 85': And Gómez wrestles the ball free at the top of the box, but his shot goes wide.
• No real organized efforts for DCU as they are depending on some individual brillance from Gómez or Emilio.
• 89': Whoops, just as I said that, DCU puts together an excellent buildup and the finishing shot by Olsen forces Michel to push the ball over the bar.  The resulting corner is sprayed wide by Emilio's head.
• Three minutes of stoppage time to be played.
• 90'+1:  Chivas pressing very high now, seeking to deny United possession.
• 90'+2: Chivas doing a very good job keeping possession, very frustrating to DCU's hopes. 
• Stoppage time is up, but it looks like the referee will play one more minute.  Or not.
• Full time.  Chivas 1-0 DC United, 2-2 on aggregate and Chivas advances on away goals.  DC United fought, scrapped, and very nearly nicked the game, but Chivas struck on a thunderbolt and advances to play Arsenal. 
• The Fox Sports commentators selected Morales as the best player on the field.  Not only did he score the goal, but he was also consistently dangerous.
• The top MLS clubs keep getting closer to a breakthrough in these international competitions, but I'm through looking for moral victories.
• Hope you all enjoyed the commentary, and until next time!