Mexico looking to Aguirre to rally El Tri once again

June 4, 2009

He came to the rescue eight years ago. He came in and helped lift a deflated El Tri.

Mexico needed a coach like Javier “El Vasco” Aguirre, who came in and took over as Mexico’s coach. He led them to the 2002 World Cup when the team was flirting with elimination.

Two World Cup cycles and three coaching changes later, Mexico finds itself in a similar situation. Aguirre has returned for a second stint after leading the team from 2001 to 2002, and this time, the expectations are very similar it not more demanding.

“For me, it’s an honor to return home,” Aguirre said in April when he was introduced.

Aguirre’s immediate task is to keep Mexico from falling into the bottom of the standings in the region’s final round of qualifying round for next year’s World Cup in South Africa.

Mexico sits in fourth place with three points behind Honduras, Costa Rica and the United States as the “hexagonal” approaches its midpoint.

Aguirre’s first test comes Saturday as El Tri heads into its third road game against El Salvador.

“June 6 is our D-Day,” said Aguirre, who replaced Sven Goran Eriksson in what amounted to be an eight-month post-Hugo Sanchez experiment.

Eriksson coached Mexico to six victories and a draw in 13 matches after he took over in August. That included two convincing losses to the United States, El Tri’s arch rival.

Sanchez was better, winning 13 and losing only four of 26 matches while in charge, but also coached the under-23 team that failed to qualify to the Olympic Games in Beijing, resulting in his dismissal.

“It’s our important obligation.” Aguirre said of qualifying for the World Cup and the match against El Salvador, which enters the match tied with Trinidad and Tobago for last place with two points.

The El Salvador contest will be Aguirre’s first taste of a national team that, to some, hasn’t altered much since he left it five years ago.

Aguirre doesn’t see it that way.

“I see a lot of changes,” he said. “There is an evolution in our structure. The organization is better. There is a solid dedication to our youth system. I can tell you with pride that in the last seven years, Mexican soccer teams have fed through the youth systems. That makes any coach’s job easier.”

Perhaps it makes it easier that players, the Mexican media and fans mostly approve of Aguirre’s attitude.

He is regarded as a straight-forward, no-nonsense coach. He is also a seasoned coach.

“My experience then doesn’t compare to what I have now,” said Aguirre, who after departing Mexico spent the next 6-7 years coaching Osasuna and Atletico Madrid in Spain. “I had a short experience (as coach). I can say with pride that I have 11 years of experience and I come in to this second stint with more experience and greater understanding to make decisions.”

Aguirre had only managed Mexican club Pachuca in 2001 before turning a Mexico’s qualifying campaign around with four wins and a draw in its final five matches in 2001.

He plans to do the same this time around with the help of players “who come with pride, with identity, with love for the shirt.”

Perhaps the most notable inclusion to Aguirre’s first team is Chicago Fire forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who retired from national team duty last year.

“I accepted to return to the national team because Javier spoke with me face-to-face and told me how things are going to be,” Blanco told a Mexican newspaper. “I’ll try and help in any way required by the coach.”

Other notable additions by Aguirre include veteran goalkeeper Oscar Perez, who was Mexico’s No. 1 during the 2002 World Cup under Aguirre.

America’s Guillermo Ochoa is the likely starting goalkeeper, but Perez brings 12 years of experience to the national team.

Aguirre also included naturalized forward Guillermo Franco, Morelia forward Miguel Sabah and Jose Cardenas of Pachuca. All three could be considered surprise picks.

“May the player who comes, come with pride, with identity,” Aguirre said. “Let this be a prize, not a punishment, because this is a prize for our careers.”

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Tags: aguirre, America, arch rival, Beijing, Chicago, coaching changes, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, Costa Rica, d day, El Salvador, el tri, first taste, first test, Franco, Guillermo, guillermo ochoa, Honduras, Hugo Sanchez, Javier, Jose, MADRID, Mexico, midpoint, Miguel, Morelia, olympic games, Oscar Perez, qualifying for the world cup, road game, rsquo, Sabah, second stint, South Africa, Spain, Sven Goran Eriksson, Tri, trinidad and tobago, United States, Vasco

Nadal loses at French Open, Ancelotti leaves AC Milan

May 31, 2009

It has been quite a day in the world of sport, especially for tired sports journalists.

Rafael Nadal lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round at the French Open. Yes you read that right. The four-time champion’s 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros is over.

Less of a surprise was Carlo Ancelotti saying he was leaving as AC Milan soccer coach, although he refused to confirm he is heading for Chelsea.

To cap a frenetic day, Russia’s Denis Menchov won the Giro d’Italia despite falling over only seconds from the line.

I forgot why I love sport so much….

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Tags: carlo ancelotti, CHELSEA, denis menchov, french open, giro, Italia, match, Milan, rafael nadal, robin soderling, roland garros, rsquo, russia, Serie A, soccer, soccer coach, sports journalists, surprise, time champion, winning streak, world of sport

Football’s heart still beating strong at FA Cup final time

May 31, 2009

Football nostalgia is not what it used to be but there were times on Saturday when the Champions League, 120,000 pounds-a-week contracts and “the business of the game” were forgotten in a return to the days when the FA Cup was the only thing that mattered.

As I walked down Wembley Way towards the stadium, the massed Everton fans out to squeeze every last drop from the day brought back memories of countless other sunny Saturdays in May, when everything stopped for the Cup final.

For generations of fans, players and managers, getting to the final was often the pinnacle of their season if not their lives.

For those not lucky enough or too young to attend there was the consolation of hours of build-up and the rarity of a live TV match, followed by hours of re-enacting it all outside with friends.

The stadium has changed since then but that walk from Wembley central underground station, now shadowed by the arch, rather than the twin towers, remains one that every fan should experience at least once.

It was a well-trodden one for Everton fans in the 1980s as they reached four FA Cup finals and also a League Cup decider but things have been lean since then, with their 1995 victory over Manchester United a rare taste of the big time.

The fans were back at the stadium for the semi-final against United last month, but it is not the same thing at all.

Effort and imagination had gone into the design of Everton’s special final T-shirts and banners and there was a terrific atmosphere in and around the ground.

Just as in the semi, Everton’s singing and supporting put to shame the followers of the “Big Four”, for whom a mere FA Cup final, or especially a semi-final, has become small beer.

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink said he was brought up loving Cup final day – and he was talking about the FA, not Dutch, competition – and there was no disguising his delight at delivering the trophy to Chelsea after a barren spell since the departure of Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea’s fans eventually warmed to the occasion to play their part in an uplifting day and their players, particularly the extraordinary Frank Lampard, gave everything they had in scorching conditions.

At the end, Chelsea’s jubilation and Everton’s desolation merely reminded us of how important the FA Cup is and underlined the anger and frustration felt by so many when it is treated as something of an inconvenience by so many Premier League managers during the season.

PHOTO: Badges are seen on the shirt of an Everton fan prior to their English FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in London, May 30, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Staples

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Tags: big time, champions league, CHELSEA, consolation, Darren Staples, decider, dutch competition, everton, FA Cup, fa cup final, fa cup finals, frank lampard, hiddink, Jose, jose mourinho chelsea, live tv, london, loving cup, Manchester, manchester united, premier league, rare taste, rarity, rsquo, saturdays, small beer, terrific atmosphere, twin towers, underground station, Wembley, wembley stadium, Wembley Way

Besiktas Champions Of Turkey

May 31, 2009

Besiktas railcar Mustafa Denizli ordered a achievement in Turkey by success the Turkic Title with threesome assorted Stamboul teams.

That is ground he is the prizewinning railcar in Turkey……

Besiktas tight the Turkic Turkcell Super association denomination for the 11th instance on Sat with a 2-1 get absent to Denizlispor, adding to their Turkic Cup success.
Slovak Filip Holosko unsealed the scoring for the Stamboul lateral in the 28th time patch Ibrahim Toraman long the Negroid Eagles’ advance in the 63rd time with a crack long-range shot.

Brazilian politico justice metropolis pulled digit backwards for the bag lateral in the 85th minute, but couldn’t belt a crack Besiktas soured their stride.
It has been a bitter unsatisfactory flavour for Besiktas’ field Stamboul rivals Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, who hit both won the denomination 17 nowadays and who ended in
fourth and ordinal place.

Source: Ahmet Turgut and Reuters

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Tags: ahmet turgut, avrupa, besiktas, cup success, Denizli, dud, fatih terim, fenerbahce, Filip Holosko, futbol soccer, galatasaray, ibrahim toraman, mustafa, mustafa denizli, railcar, rsquo, soccer football, soccerteam, turk futbolu, turk milli takim, turkcell, Turkcell Süper Lig, Turkey, Turkic, turkish soccer

Grafite’s stunning goal hailed throughout Germany

April 6, 2009

German media have already decided that Grafite’s brilliant 77th-minute solo goal in Wolfsburg’s 5-1 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday is the goal of the year.

He somehow managed to elude five Bayern players before scoring with a cheeky backheel.

It may seem a bit early to be choosing the “Tor des Jahres” with nine months left in 2009 but even the normally reserved public TV broadcast “Das Aktuelle Sportstudio” proclaimed it “the most spectacular goal in Bundesliga history”.

The electrifying goal has featured in German newscasts all weekend.

Grafite’s goal, coming two days after his 30th birthday, also served as a fitting metaphor for the season as it helped Wolfsburg jump to the top of the Bundesliga in front of Hamburg SV, Hertha Berlin and Bayern.

The small club from the northern town made famous by the Volkswagen factories have now won eight of their nine matches since the winter break (the only blemish a draw at Cologne) after ending the first half of the season back in ninth place and nine points behind Bayern.

It is hard to get enough of the Brazilian’s magical 12-touch goal, which was his second of the match and 20th in the Bundesliga this season, putting him alone at the top of the scoring charts.

Grafite first beat Bayern’s Andreas Ottl and Christian Lell on the left and then dodged lunging goalkeeper Michael Rensing before duping compatriot Breno and Philipp Lahm with the quick backheel just as he appeared to be dribbling away from danger.

“Grafite makes record-champs Bayern look like fools,” read Kicker.de’s headline.

Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath said: “You only get one goal like that in a lifetime.”

Grafite, whose father died in October, was his usual modest self afterwards.

“I had my 30th birthday a few days ago so this was a nice present.”

PHOTO: VfL Wolfsburg’s coach Felix Magath (L) shakes hands with Grafite during their Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich, April 4, 2009. REUTERS/Thomas Bohlen

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Tags: 30th birthday, andreas ottl, Bayern, bayern munich, berlin, breno, Bundesliga, christian lell, compatriot, felix magath, fitting metaphor, german media, Germany, hamburg sv, hertha berlin, lahm, michael rensing, minute solo, newscasts, public tv, rsquo, solo goal, spectacular goal, Thomas Bohlen, tv broadcast

Tempete-Alpha United match in Caribbean Club Championship postponed for one week

March 28, 2009

NEW YORK – Tempete FC’s home leg against Alpha United of Guyana in the first round of the CFU Club Champions Cup has been postponed a week until April 5, the Caribbean Football Union announced Friday.

The match was to be played Sunday in Saint-Marc, Haiti, but the delay was caused by travel difficulties encountered by Alpha United, the CFU said.

Tempete rallied for a 1-1 draw at Alpha United in the first leg on March 23 on an own-goal by Kelvin McKenzie. The winner advances to a second-round meeting against the victory between Sevilla FC of Puerto Rico and the Greenbay Hoppers of Antigua.

They drew 3-3 in the first leg of their series in Puerto Rico on March 21.

The Caribbean championship qualifies three teams for next season’s CONCACAF Champions League.

CFU Club Champions Cup

Results and Schedule

First Round

First Leg

Wednesday, March 18

Bath Estate (Dominica) 0, W Connection (Trinidad) 5

CSD Barber (Netherlands Antilles) 1, Inter Moengo Tapoe (Suriname) 3

Saturday, March 21

Alpha United (Guyana) 1, Tempete FC (Haiti) 1

Sevilla FC (Puerto Rico) 3, Greenbay Hoppers (Antigua) 3

Sunday, March 22

SA Cavaly (Haiti) 5, SV Britannia (Aruba) 0

Second Leg

Wednesday, March 25

W Connection (Trinidad) 12, Bath Estate (Dominica) 1

(W Connection advances on 17-1 aggregate)

Inter Moengo Tapoe (Suriname) 0, CSD Barber (Antigua) 1

(Inter advances on 3-2 aggregate)

Sunday, March 29

Greenbay Hoppers (Antigua) vs. Sevilla FC (Puerto Rico)

Monday, March 30

SV Britannia (Aruba) vs. SA Cavaly (Haiti)

Sunday, April 5

Tempete FC (Haiti) vs. Alpha United (Guyana)

Second Round

First Leg: April 13

Second Leg: April 20

*San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad) vs. Moengo Tapoe (Suriname

*Greenbay-Sevilla winner vs. Tampete-Alpha United winner

*W Connection (Trindad) vs. Cavaly-Britannia winner

*hosts first leg

Semifinal winners and the Puerto Rico Islanders will be drawn for single-game semifinals after the second round is complete. The semifinals will be played May 15 in Trinidad, which also will stage the final and third-place match two days later.

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Tags: Aruba, britannia, CFU, champions cup results, club champions, concacaf champions league, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, csd, Guyana, home leg, kelvin, Kelvin McKenzie, moengo, Netherlands Antilles, New York, puerto rico islanders, rsquo, saint marc, san juan, san juan jabloteh, SEVILLA, sevilla fc, Suriname, tempete, travel difficulties, trindad, Trinidad, winner advances

Bahamas enters CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship for first time; Canada returns after two-year absence

March 27, 2009

NEW YORK – The Bahamas will compete in the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship for the first time and Canada will rejoin the competition, it was announced Friday, filling out a six-nation field for the fifth annual event that will begin late next month.

Defending champion Mexico will host the April 29-May 3 event for the third straight time as it returns to the Unidad Deportivo Municipal Agustin Flores in Puerto Vallarta along the Pacific Coast.

Canada reappears after a two-year absence. It will join with the Bahamas, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico and the two-time champion United States to decide CONCACAF’s two qualifiers for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2009 to be played in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates November 16-22.

The draw to determine the two three-team groups is set for April 22 in Puerto Vallarta. The teams will play each other once in their group with the top two advancing to the semifinals. The semifinal winners will qualify for Dubai and contest the CONCACAF title.

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Tags: Agustin Flores, april 29, Bahamas, beach soccer, Canada, canada returns, concacaf, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, Costa Rica, defending champion, Dubai, El Salvador, FIFA Beach, fifa beach soccer world cup, flores, Mexico, New York, Pacific, pacific coast, puerto vallarta, rsquo, semifinal winners, soccer championship, soccer world cup, straight time, time canada, time champion, united arab emirates, United States

Cheryl Cole Puts Baby Plans on Hold Again!!

March 27, 2009

Cheryl Cole has apparently put her plans of having a baby on ice, after the whole Ashley being arrested incident.

The WAG has said herself that she can’t wait to start a family, but after her hubby’s run in with the law she isn’t so keen.

A source has said: ‘She has had to reconsider the whole baby plan now. She feels the time is just not right.’

They add: ‘It is really hard for her because she wants a family more than anything in the world, but she is a clever girl and won’t bring a baby into this world until both her and Ash are ready. He has a lot of proving to do before then.’

Don’t we know it, indeed be careful Cheryl you don’t want to bring any babies in to a world where their Daddy is being angry and getting arrested!!

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Tags: ash, ashley, babies, Cheryl, cheryl cole, Cheryl Cole Puts, clever girl, Don, having a baby, hubby, incident, isn, rsquo, wag, WAGS

Charlotte Mears on Being Loved up With Defoe

March 26, 2009

Charlotte Mears comments on her bod during her WAG days.

Charlotte Mears and Su-Elise Nash at the final night of Liverpool Fashion Week

The model admits to letting go a little whilst she was with Defoe:

“So what if I had love handles and wobbly thighs? I was in love.”

It’s a good point, but I don’t ever remember her having love handles can you?!

And all I have to say on the dress Charlotte’s wearing here is eeewww!!

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Tags: bod, Charlotte, charlotte mears, defoe, dress, eeewww, having love, ldquo, love handles, Loved, model, rdquo, rsquo, thighs, wag, WAGS, Whilst

Alex Curran Keeps up the Fitness Regime!

March 26, 2009

Alex Curran-Gerrard has been keeping up with her new year’s fitness regime and it looks to be paying off.

Alex Curran heads to the hairdressers after hitting the gym on the day her husband Steven Gerrard was appearing in court to have his assault charge reduced to one of affray

The WAG is pictured here on her way to the hairdressers after her work out.

And as you would expect she is looking very chic in her adidas ensemble, only Alex Curran could look this polished after the gym.

I wish this was what I looked like after sweating it out, Alex is either very fit or not working hard enough!

We think Alex’s bod is looking fab and the workouts are obviously doing her good, but we’re a bit wary of her losing any more weight, she’s looking slender enough I think you’ll agree??

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