Five-year-old Brujas joins Champions League field

December 30, 2009

Brujas FC has won its first Costa Rican league title in its five-year existence and will join the CONCACAF Champions League field next season.

It prevailed over Puntarenas on penalties 5-4 after a 1-1 draw in Monday’s second leg of the Costa Rican Invierno finals, becoming the 11th team in the 24-club field and guaranteeing itself a place in the Preliminary Round.

Brujas, which replaced the folded Guanacasteca in the Costa Rican first division 2004, has qualified for the domestic league playoffs in eight of the 11 seasons since its founding, and every season since the playoffs were expanded to eight teams.

After a 0-0 draw in the first leg on Wednesday, Puntarenas went ahead Tuesday with a 14th-minute goal by Luis Lara. Daniel Jimenez equalized in the opening minute of the second half, a goal which eventually forced extra time and penalties.

The qualification of Brujas fills nearly half of the field for the 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League, joining Real Salt Lake, the Columbus Crew, Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders from the United States’ Major League Soccer, Monterey and Cruz Azul from Mexico, FAS of El Salvador, Municipal of Guatemala, Marathon from Honduras and Arabe Unido of Panama.

Walter Ferreti put itself in position to claim Nicaragua’s lone berth by beating Real Esteli 4-1 on Sunday and claiming the Central American league’s Apertura title 4-2 on aggregate. The team with the best overall record between the Apertura and Clausura champion will earn Nicaragua’s place in the Preliminary Round.

The 2009-2010 CONCACAF Champions League resumes with the first leg of the quarterfinals on March 9 when the Crew hosts Toluca.

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Concacaf

Tags: aggregate, apertura, Arabe, arabe unido, berth, Central American, columbus crew, concacaf champions league, cruz azul, Daniel Jimenez, extra time, Galaxy, Guatemala, Honduras, league playoffs, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Luis Lara, Major League Soccer, Mexico, minute goal, monterey, New York, Nicaragua, Panama, puntarenas, quarterfinals, real esteli, real salt lake, Seattle, seattle sounders, Toluca, United States, Walter Ferreti

Columbus-Toluca to open CCL quarters on March 9

November 26, 2009

Columbus will host Toluca on Tuesday, March 9 to open the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, kicking off the tournament’s knockout stages.

Marathon will be home against Mexico’s Pumas in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, the following day in the first leg of their two-game series while Comunicaciones will host Pachuca of Mexico in Guatemala City later that night.

Panama’s Arabe Unido will be home against Cruz Azul on Thursday, March 11 to complete the first leg matches.

Pachuca will host the second leg against Comunicaciones in Hidalgo, Mexico, on Tuesday, March 16, the only game that day. Toluca will play Columbus and Arabe Unido will travel to Mexico City to take on Cruz Azul on Wednesday, March 17.

Pumas will complete the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 18.

The winners will advance to the semifinals March 30-April 1 and April 6-8 with the finals set for April 20-22 and April 27-29.

Quarterfinal Schedule
(Home teams listed first; times U.S. Eastern, local time in parentheses)
First Leg
Tuesday, March 9
Columbus (United States) vs. Toluca (Mexico), 8 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 10
Marathon (Honduras) vs. Pumas (Mexico), 8 p.m. (7 p.m.)
Comunicaciones (Guatemala) vs. Pachuca (Mexico), 10 p.m. (9 p.m.)

Thursday, March 11
Arabe Unido (Panama) vs. Cruz Azul (Mexico), 8 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Second Leg
Tuesday, March 16
Pachuca (Mexico) vs. Comunicaciones (Guatemala), 10 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 17
Toluca (Mexico) vs. Columbus (United States), 8 p.m. (6 p.m.)
Cruz Azul (Mexico) vs. Arabe Unido (Panama), 10 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Thursday, March 18
Pumas (Mexico) vs. Marathon (Honduras), 10 p.m. (8 p.m.)

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Tags: april 1, Arabe, arabe unido, COLUMBUS, concacaf champions league, cruz azul, game series, Guatemala, guatemala city, hidalgo mexico, Honduras, knockout stages, m cruz, marathon, march 11, march 17, Mexico, mexico city, New York, pachuca mexico, parentheses, san pedro sula, san pedro sula honduras, toluca mexico, U.S, United States

Houston claims away point

August 28, 2009

LA CHORRERA – After 11 yellow cards, five ejections and a floodlight failure seconds before the final whistle, host Arabe Unido tied the Houston Dynamo 1-1 in a bizarre CONCACAF Champions League match at the Estadio Agustin Sanchez.

The result left both teams even atop the Group A table on four points, with Arabe ahead slightly on goal difference.

Trinidadian referee Neal Brizan issued red cards early and often as Arabe and Houston had two and three players sent off, respectively.

Kei Kamara had given the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 69th minute, when the Panmanian side was already down two players. The 24-year-old gathered in a long ball from the back and took it to the top of the area before firing a shot past goalkeeper Carlos Bejarano.

In the lead up to the goal, Arabe players made claims for a foul near the Houston penalty box. Brizan let play proceed and Houston wasted no time in advancing the ball swiftly forward.

In the 81st minute, the Dynamo’s Andrew Hainault was issued his second yellow card. Five minutes later, US international Stuart Holden received two cautions for dissent in a matter of seconds and was given his marching orders. Corey Ashe was shown a straight red 10 minutes into the second half.

Arabe took advantage of its extra man and space to the level the game in the first minute of stoppage time.
From the right side of the box, Jose Justavino sent a cross to the far post for Orlando Rodriguez to head past Dynamo goalkeeper Talmon Hall for his third goal of the competition.

Arabe’s David Daniels was expelled in the 11 minutes into the game, while teammate Omar Camarago, despite lengthy pleas to the contrary, was dismissed in the 67th minute.

Houston, which defeated El Salvador’s Isidro Metapan 1-0 last week, returns to Champions League play on September 16 at Pachuca. Arabe Unido, a 4-1 winner over Pachuca in its group stage opener last Wednesday, will play away for the first time on September 15 against Isidro Metapan.

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Tags: Arabe, ashe, bejarano, Carlos Bejarano, concacaf champions league, david daniels, ejections, El Salvador, extra man, far post, floodlight failure, goal difference, group stage, hainault, Houston, houston dynamo, isidro metapan, Jose, la chorrera, Neal Brizan, Orlando, penalty box, red cards, s david, stoppage time, Stuart Holden, U.S., yellow card

Pachuca routs Jalapa 7-1 to reach Group Stage

August 5, 2009

JALAPA, Guatemala – Ulises Mendivil scored three goals — two in the first half — and Pachuca easily advanced to the Group Stage of the CONCACAF Champions League with a 7-1 victory over Jalapa on Tuesday.

Pachuca, which won the last two CONCACAF Champions Cup titles in 2007 and 2008, will join the Houston Dynamo, Metapan of El Salvador and either Olimpia of Honduras or Arabe Unido of Panama in Group A.

It was the second straight year Jalapa has been eliminated in the Preliminary Round, limited to one goal in each attempt.

Last year, Jalapa was eliminated by Panama’s San Francisco on 5-1 aggregate. This year it was overwhelmed by Pachuca 10-1.

Already ahead 3-0 from its first-leg victory at home last week, Pachuca comfortably added to its lead in the third minute when Christian Gimenez was able to get behind Osmar Lopez and head in a cross at the left post.

Gimenez then set up Mendivil for the first of his two, running onto a ball on the left side out of the deep middle, dribbling into the area and sending a low rolling ball across the top of the six-yard box. Mendivil merely had to tap in to an open net in the 14th minute.

Mendivil added his second in the 36th, this time running to the right post and volleying a cross from the opposite side by Paul Aguilar. He knocked it off the underside of the crossbar for a comfortable 3-0 lead and 6-0 aggregate advantage. Jalapa, which hit the underside of the cross bar in the 19th minute, finally tallied when Pachuca keeper Rodolfo Cota raced off his line to intercept a bounding ball in the area and instead brought down Rodrigo de Leon to draw a yellow card. Mario Pineyro then converted the ensuing penalty to leave Pachuca ahead 3-1 at halftime.

Jalapa appeared to be gaining momentum when keeper Ricardo Jerez blocked Gimenez’s penalty attempt in the 50th, but Aguilar scored with a deflected ball on the ensuing play less than a minute later.

Second-half substitute Edgar Benitez continued to add to the route in the 64th, heading a cross inside the far post.

Mendivil’s finale in the 77th was another tap in, running straight through the six-yard box to volley a low cross from Luis Montes. Captain Gabriel Caballero completed the scoring in the 86th.

Pachuca, which has won both of its first games in the Mexican Apertura, will open its Group Stage schedule against either Olimpia or Arabe Unido away on August 19.

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Tags: A. It, Arabe, arabe unido, Captain Gabriel Caballero, christian gimenez, concacaf, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, cota, cross bar, crossbar, cup titles, de leon, Edgar Benitez, El Salvador, gaining momentum, group stage, Guatemala, Honduras, Houston, houston dynamo, jalapa guatemala, Leon, Luis Montes, Mario Pineyro, mendivil, metapan, olimpia, osmar, Panama, Paul Aguilar, Ricardo Jerez, Rodolfo Cota, rodrigo, San Francisco, ulises, Ulises Mendivil, yellow card

Pachuca overwhelms Jalapa 3-0 in Champions League debut

July 29, 2009

PACHUCA, Mexico – Juan Carlos Cacho scored late in the first half and Gabriel Caballero and Christian “Chaco” Gimenez added second-half strikes, leading Pachuca to a 3-0 victory over Jalapa of Guatemala in the Mexican side’s CONCACAF Champions League debut Tuesday night.

The result sends the two to Guatemala on August 4 for the second leg, with the winner on aggregate advancing to the 16-team Group Stage. Either Pachuca, which won the last two CONCACAF Champions Cup titles, or Jalapa will join Group A with the Houston Dynamo, Metapan of El Salvador and either Olimpia of Honduras or Arabe Unido of Panama.

Pachuca dominated the first half, putting shots off the bar and just wide, and forcing Jalapa goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez into several acrobatic saves to deny the Mexican side.

Cacho finally converted in the 41st minute, scoring into an open goal after Juan Rojas broke free down the right. He drew Jerez well off his line and then squared a ball into the middle of the area, where Cacho side-footed it into an open net.

Jalapa managed only one shot toward goal in the first half, and well high.

Pachuca continued its domination in the second half, doubling its lead in the 57th when Caballero dived head-first to drive a floated cross from Edgar Benitez on the left just inside the post.

Gimenez completed the scoring in the 76th, bending a right-footed free kick into the far side netting after Eddy Ortiz pulled down Benitez as the two approached the penalty area.

Pachuca won its Mexican Apertura opener on Friday, beating UAG 3-2. Jalapa will begin its season on Sunday away against Juventud Retalteca.

The Mexican side started quickly with Javier Munoz heading Gimenez’s corner off the bar in the 10th minute.

Carlos Rodriguez found himself alone in front of goal in the 22nd, only to be denied by Jerrez with his legs. Cacho then had a header just wide of the left post in the 23rd.

Pachuca continued to dominated after Gimenez’s goal, striking the post with only minutes remaining.

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Teams to learn CONCACAF Champions League fate in Thursday’s draw

June 11, 2009

NEW YORK – Teams will learn their CONCACAF Champions League fate Thursday when the draw will set the Preliminary Round pairings and allocate the sides for the Group Stage.

Eight teams will be seeded directly into the Group Stage: Toluca and Pumas UNAM from Mexico, the Columbus Crew and Houston Dynamo from the United States, Costa Rica’s Saprissa, Marathon of Honduras, Isidro Metapan from El Salvador and either Comunicaciones or Municipal of Guatemala.

The other 16 teams will be entered in the Preliminary Round draw. Teams in Pot A: Cruz Azul and Pachuca from Mexico, the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United from the United States, either Vancouver or Toronto from Canada, Olimpia of Honduras, Liberia of Costa Rica and Arabe Unido or the Panamanian Apertura champion, will be drawn against the teams in Pot B: Chalatenango of El Salvador, Real Espana of Honduras, Herediano of Costa Rica, the Puerto Rico Islanders, Trinidadian sides W Connection and San Juan Jabloteh and the No. 2 teams from Panama and Guatemala.

No team will be pitted against another team from the same country, except for potentially the third-placed teams from Honduras and Costa Rica, for the two legs scheduled to be played July 28-30 and August 4-6. Honduras and Costa Rica received a third berth due to the forfeiture of places by Belize and Nicaragua because of inadequate stadia and their third teams will be considered wildcards for the purpose of the draw.

CONCACAF Deputy General Secretary Italo Zanzi will conduct the draw with the assistance of Mary Lynn Blanks at the confederation’s headquarters in New York City. The draw will be recorded at the CONCACAF’s Trump Tower television studio and be available for viewing later Thursday at CONCACAF.com.

After the Preliminary Round is set, a second draw will be conducted to establish the groups, once more using the principle that no two teams from the same country will be placed in the same group with the exception of Costa Rica and Honduras.

The Group Stage will begin the week of September 18 and continue for six rounds, finishing on October 22. Two teams from each group will qualify for the Championship Round, and will learn their path through the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals in a subsequent draw to be held later this year.

Three berths remain undecided in the 24-team field: Canada’s lone berth as well as the second berths from Guatemala and Panama. Although Comunicaciones has claimed one of Guatemala’s berths, it still is awaiting to learn if it will be seeded directly into the Group Stage or be forced into the Preliminary Round.

Preliminary Round Seedings
Pot A
Cruz Azul (MEX), Pachuca (MEX), New York Red Bulls (USA), D.C. United (USA), Vancouver Whitecaps or Toronto (CAN), Olimpia (HON), Liberia (CRC), Arabe Unido or Apertura champion (PAN)
Pot B
Arabe Unido or Apertura champion (PAN), Comunicaciones or Jalapa (GUA), Chalatenango (SLV), Real Espana (HON), Herediano (CRC), W Connection (TRI), Puerto Rico Islanders (PUR), San Juan Jabloteh (TRI)

Group Stage Seedings
Toluca (MEX), Pumas UNAM (MEX) Columbus Crew (USA), Houston Dynamo (USA), Saprissa (CRC), Marathon (HON), Comunicaciones or Municipal (GUA), Metapan (SLV)

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