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Marathon returns to Champions League for third straight time

Two-time quarterfinalist Marathon will return to the CONCACAF Champions League for a third straight year next season, clinching at least a Preliminary Round berth with a 2-0 victory over Olimpia to win the Honduran Apertura title.

Pando Ramirez scored in the fifth minute and Jerry Palacios added a second-half goal for Marathon, whose victory Wednesday night overturned a first-leg deficit for a 2-1 aggregate triumph and gave the club its eight domestic title and third straight Apertura crown.

Marathon, which lost to the Puerto Rico Islanders in the quarterfinals of the Champions League last season, has been drawn to face Pumas of Mexico in March.

It is guaranteed at least a berth in the Preliminary Round, but could garner a place in the Group Stage if it wins the Clausura crown or finishes both seasons with the best overall record.

Marathon becomes the fifth team to clinch a place in the 2010-2011 Champions League, joining fellow quarterfinalist the Columbus Crew and fellow U.S. clubs Real Salt Lake, the MLS Cup champion, the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy.

NEW YORK

Concacaf

Tags: berth, columbus crew, concacaf, concacaf champions league, fellow, group stage, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Mexico, MLS, mls cup champion, New York, olimpia, palacios, Puerto Rico, puerto rico islanders, pumas, quarterfinals, real salt lake, record marathon, seattle sounders, Sounders, straight time, triumph, U.S, victory, wednesday night

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Early goals, pair by De la Torre lifts Toluca 7-0

Isaac Brizuela and Diego de la Torre scored goals just over a minute apart early in the first half to pace Toluca’s 4-0 win over Marathon on Thursday in a clash that gave the Mexican side the undisputed lead in Group B of the CONCACF Champions League.

The result gave Toluca nine points with three games remaining and within sight of the quarterfinals. Toluca, playing with a core of its regulars that lead the Mexican Apertura, controlled from the start and rarely let Marathon enjoy any extended periods of possession – especially after Jerry Palacios was sent off in the 37th minute with his second yellow card.

Marathon, which lost for only the second time this season in all competitions, remained in second place with six points, three points ahead of third-placed D.C. United. Two teams from each group advance to the knockout round.

Brizuela scored in the 13th minute after settling a cross by Antonio Olvera that was flicked to the far side of the penalty area by Raul Nava. Brizuela twisted defender Juan Carlos Garcia into the ground and then squeezed a shot between goalkeeper Juan Obelar and the near post.

Sixty-three seconds later, Vladimir Marin launched a left-footed cross that De la Torre ran through the six-yard box to head in unmarked.

Toluca, which is unbeaten in eight games in the Mexican league including six victories, continued to dominate and nearly added to its lead in the in the 23rd when Marin was able to break in on Obelar after trapping a long ball with his chest. He continued to close on Obelar, who came off his line and managed to block Marin’s left-footed try with a flick of his right hand.

Marathon managed a pair of corners in the first half, which midway through appeared to be handling the Toluca attack. But Palacios, who earned a first yellow card from Guatemalan referee in the 22nd for a late challenge on Edgar Duenas, received another in the 37th for shoving Marin in the back, reducing Marathon to 10 men and ending the Honduran side’s hopes.

Toluca capitalized on a pair of defensive mistakes to double its lead in the second half. Nava pounced on a loose ball at the right post in the 47th after Marathon center back Erick Norales chested down a cross from Moises Velasco in front of the Honduran goal.

And Mario Beata allowed a long ball out of the back to bounce in front of him and De la Torre reacted by volleying the gift from inside the six past Obelar.

Toluca will remain at home next week to host pointless San Juan Jabloteh, while Marathon will travel to Washington to face D.C. United.

TOLUCA, Mexico

Source

Tags: Antonio Olvera, brizuela, d c united, D.C., Diego, diego de la torre, duenas, Edgar Duenas, eight games, Erick, far side, flick, Goalkeeper, guatemalan, Isaac Brizuela, Jerry Palacios, juan carlos garcia, knockout, marathon, Mario Beata, mexican apertura, Mexico, nava, palacios, quarterfinals, Raul Nava, regulars, san juan, six points, three games, Vladimir Marin, Washington, yellow card

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D.C. shooting for more improvement

D.C. United already has made history. Now it wants to make the quarterfinals.

By edging Luis Angel Firpo on penalty kicks, D.C. became the first Major League Soccer team to advance out of the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Now, United is hoping to improve on last year’s group stage form, which saw D.C. earn just one point out of six matches.

A 2-0 league loss to Toronto FC on Saturday afternoon, though, wasn’t the ideal way to head into the group stage, especially with 10 games in the next 31 days.

“You always want to start these stretches in the right way,” D.C. coach Tommy Soehn said after the match. “It’s very disappointing and we’ll have to adjust very quickly. We have no time to hang our heads. We’re going to watch a lot of tape on this one…We had six fouls today. That just shows me that we’re not fighting enough.”

D.C. has the difficult task of heading to San Pedro Sula to take on Marathon on Tuesday night.

Marathon is two points in front of archrival Real Espana, having won four of its first six matches in the Honduran Apertura. Jerry Palacios struck twice in the opening 12 minutes, but Carlos Pavon scored three to lift Espana to a 3-2 win on Saturday at Estadio Francisco Morazan.

Like Soehn, Marathon coach Manuel Keosseian is concerned about his team’s fixture congestion.

“We have a heavy schedule,” he told La Tribuna. “We must handle the physical aspect to reach every game as best they can.”

One of four Mexican teams among the final 16 in the Champions League, Toluca meets Trinidad & Tobago’s San Juan Jabloteh at Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, Trinidad Thursday night.

Toluca won its first three games to sit atop Group 1 in Mexican’s Apertura, but faltered Saturday, losing 1-0 to Monterrey. Despite the defeat, Toluca coach Jose Manuel De la Torre wasn’t especially concerned.

“I leave feeling calm,” he said. “I’m upset because of the defeat, but calm because of the effort and the way we played.”

It was the first game of the Apertura that Nelson Calderon failed to score.

“Today, things didn’t go as we planned,” said Calderon, who leads the league with four goals. “It hurts to lose the unbeaten streak because the team had set finishing the tournament unbeaten as a goal. The team gave their best effort and it wasn’t enough. They had opportunities and they put them in. We had one or two clear efforts, but we didn’t know how to take advantage of them.”

Jabloteh rallied to beat San Francisco of Panama 4-3 on aggregate to join fellow Trinidadian squad W Connection in the Group Stage. But while W Connection is attempting to bolster its roster ahead of the group stage, Jabloteh manager Earl Jean doesn’t think his roster is deep enough to compete in the group stage.

“I don’t think we have the depth for that kind of football at international level,” he told reporters after beating San Francisco. “We are doing what we can, but based on our financial problems it is very difficult. But, we will take our chances.”

In their first game back in the Digicel Pro League following an emotional win against San Francisco, Jabloteh tied W Connection before being upset by St. Ann’s Rangers 1-0 last Tuesday.

By Dylan Butler

Tags: Carlos Pavon, concacaf champions league, d c united, D.C., Dylan Butler, Earl Jean, fouls, francisco morazan, group stage, Jerry Palacios, jose manuel, luis angel firpo, Major League Soccer, Manny Ramjohn, Manuel Keosseian, marabella trinidad, marathon coach, Monterrey, Nelson Calderon, palacios, Panama, physical aspect, quarterfinals, San Francisco, san juan, san juan jabloteh, san pedro sula, soccer team, St. Ann, three games, Tobago, Toluca, Tommy Soehn, toronto fc, W. Connection

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Honduran midfielder Thomas signs for Wigan

LONDON (AFP) – English Premier League side Wigan have signed Honduran international midfielder Hendry Thomas on a three-year contract, subject to international clearance.

The 24-year-old was due to join the Latics last summer but his transfer was torpedoed as he did not meet the work permit criteria in terms of the number of times he had played for his country.

That situation has now improved and a deal was agreed a couple of months ago between the clubs, with the player now passing a medical and agreeing terms.

Thomas was originally spotted by former manager Steve Bruce, who has now left the club to take over at Premier League rivals Sunderland.

He will be the third Honduras international to play for Wigan, with left-back Maynor Figueroa featuring in every Premier League match last season and fellow midfielder Wilson Palacios becoming a pivotal figure before his January transfer to Tottenham.

“Everyone knows how well Wilson and Maynor have done in the Premier League and it is no wonder there was lots of interest in Hendry, who comes from the same club as those two and has impressed,” said new Wigan manager Roberto Martinez.

“What happened last season here was a shame but the player now has the chance to prove himself over here.

“He is a powerful figure in midfield, who can sit in front of the back four and destroy attacks, or can also come forward and score.

Thomas is now a regular for Honduras and has won 31 caps for his country.

“What happened last year was very disappointing for me personally,” he said.

“But I have worked hard all season to stay fit and qualify for the work permit rules and it is a dream come true for me to come to England.

Tags: caps, contract subject, England, English Premier League, fellow, hendry, Honduras, latics, london, match, maynor, midfield, midfielder, palacios, pivotal figure, roberto martinez, score, shame, Steve Bruce, Sunderland, Thomas, Wigan, Wilson, wilson palacios

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Brazil leads qualifying, Argentina defeated

RECIFE, Brazil (AFP) – Robinho scored in the 40th minute and Nilmar netted the winner in the 49th as Brazil seized sole possession of first place in South American 2010 World Cup qualifying by beating Paraguay 2-1.

Paraguay shared the qualifying table lead with Brazil entering Wednesday’s showdown and grabbed a 1-0 in the 25th minute on an own goal by Brazil’s Elano before the five-time World Cup champions battled back for the victory.

Other matches saw host Ecuador upset Argentina 2-0, Chile rise to second in the table with a 4-0 romp over visiting Bolivia, Venezuela and Uruguay play to a 2-2 draw and host Colombia blank qualifying doormat Peru 1-0.

The results left Brazil (7-1 with six drawn) atop the table on 27 points, one more than Chile (8-4 with two drawn) and three ahead of Paraguay (7-4 with three drawn) after the 14th of 18 rounds of matches.

Despite the defeat, Argentina (6-4-4) held onto the fourth and final guaranteed World Cup qualifying spot on 22 points, two points ahead of Ecuador (5-4 with five drawn) and four atop Uruguay (4-4 with six drawn).

The four top teams advance to next year’s global football showdown in South Africa. The fifth-place finisher faces a playoff against the fourth-place team from North American qualifying to decide a World Cup 2010 berth.

Colombia and Venezuela were level on 17 points, one back of Uruguay, with Bolivia on 12 and one-win Peru eliminated from any chance at qualifying for the World Cup.

In Quito, Ecuador pulled nearer Diego Maradona’s squad thanks to goals from Walter Ayovi in the 72nd minute and Pablo Palacios in the 84th.

Manchester United standout Carlos Tevez of Argentina was denied by Argentine-born Ecuador goalkeeper Marcelo Elizaga on a penalty kick in the 29th minute, summing up a night of high-altitude frustrations for Argentina.

At Santiago, Chile stayed within one point of the lead by routing Bolivia. Jean Beausejour found the net in the 43rd minute while Marco Estrada followed in the 73rd and Alexis Sanchez added insurance markets in the 77th and 88th minutes.

Uruguay could have moved ahead of Ecuador on goal difference for the fifth spot with a victory at Venezuela but settled for a draw that kept them tight on the heels of qualifying.

Giancarlo Maldonado’s goal in the ninth minute gave the hosts a half-time lead but Luis Suarez leveled in the 60th minute and Diego Forlan but Uruguay on top in the 73rd.

Just three minutes later, Jose Manuel Rey found the net with the equalizer and neither club could break the deadlock.

Colombia’s Radamel Falcao Garcia scored in the 25th minute to seal Peru’s fate.

South American qualifying resumes September 5 with Brazil at Argentina the headline clash. Chile will entertain Venezuela while the Uruguayans visit Peru, Ecuador travels to Colombia and Paraguay will play host to Bolivia.

Tags: Argentina, Argentine, bolivia, bolivia venezuela, Brasil, brazil, carlos tevez, Chile, chile rise, colombia, diego forlan, diego maradona, Ecuador, elano, jean beausejour, Jose Manuel Rey, luis suarez, Maldonado, Manchester, manchester united, marcelo elizaga, Marco Estrada, North American, Pablo Palacios, palacios, paraguay, penalty kick, place finisher, qualifying for the world cup, quito ecuador, Recife, recife brazil, Robinho, Santiago, santiago chile, sole possession, South Africa, South American, time world, uruguay, venezuela, Walter Ayovi, World Cup, world cup 2010, world cup champions

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