Buenos Aires, Argentina – June 1st 2010

It is no secret that River Plate is going through some tough times, but as a club and as an institution. Daniel Passarella, president of the institution, decided not to travel to South Africa in his role of Vice President of AFA to remain in Buenos Aires and fix some of the problems in the club.

The main objective was to bring the Juventus-duo; Trezeguet and Camoranessi. However, the financial problems of the club did not allow negotiations to go through. The same financial problems have stuck the negotiations for Juan Pablo Carrizo, Mario Bolatti and Matias DeFederico.

In order to re-strengthen the squad, River started looking for players on a loan basis. The first three players that could sign for “El Millonario” this season are Josepmir Ballon, Leandro Caruso and Marcos Perez.

River and the Universidad de San Martin de Porres have already agreed on the transfer of the Peruvian International Josepmir Ballon. Initially, Ballon would arrive to River on a year loan for U$250,000, with the option of acquiring 50% of the player’s rights after the loan is over for U$750,000. “His arrival will only depend on an agreement between the player and the club” said Alvaro Barco, general director of the USMP. The 22 year old midfielder comes to the club to contest Matias Almeyda, captain and idol of the club.



Leandro Caruso admitted today that negotiations with River Plate are in progress, and that he expects to have positive feedback in the next few days. During an interview with Argentine media giant TyC Sports, Caruso admitted contact with both Daniel Passarella and Angel Cappa. Caruso, is expected to return to Italy to join Udinese for pre-season, however the interest from River Plate could change things, especially considering the fact that the Italian club is after several River Plate youngsters. Initially he would also arrive to the club on loan for one year.



The revelation of the Clausura 2010 was Marcos Perez. The Colombian International was key for Gimnasia LP to remain in first division. In the last couple of weeks his name had been linked to clubs like Boca Juniors, and Estudiantes de La Plata. However, Daniel Passarella has taken the necessary measures to contact Full Play, the company that manages his rights and a loan is already being negotiated. Perez would arrive on loan for one year with a buy option of U$2,500,000. If successful Perez would become the third Colombian center forward to join the club (Angel and Falcao). Upon his arrival, Gustavo Canales could depart to Colon de Santa Fe as part of a debt River holds with Colon.



Cappa also requested a goalkeeper, and after making unsuccessful efforts for Juan Pablo Carrizo and Justo Villar, Passarella is going after Gaston Monzon, the young goalkeeper of Huracan. Monzon was part of Cappa’s famous Huracan that gave birth to the tiki-tiki.

River begins to give shape to the new squad; we are 2 months away from the beginning of the Apertura and anything can happen. River may even surprise and brake the market in a surprise signing.

Ballon, Caruso and Perez could sign with River Plate this week

Argentine defeated Canada, N˚ 69 in the FIFA ranking, 5-0 in the last international friendly before the world cup in South Africa.

This match was part of Argentina’s Bicentennial celebration, the 200th anniversary of the revolution that opened the way to Independence. The pre-game was similar to the super bowl half time show, with the presence of commemorated artists like Shakira, Ricky Martin and Fito Paez.

Lineups:

Argentina:
Sergio Romero; Nicolás Burdisso, Nicolás Otamendi, Gabriel Heinze; Jonás Gutiérrez, Maxi Rodríguez, Javier Mascherano, Angel Di María; Javier Pastore; Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuaín.

Canada:
Patrick Onstad; Paul Stalteri, Richard Hastings, André Hainault, Michael Klukowski, William Johnson, Nik Ledgerwooed, Daniel Imhof, Dwayne De Rosario; Josh Simpson and Robert Friend.

Maradona did not side Walter Samuel, Martin Demichelis, Diego Milito and Lionel Messi for this match, the first three were involved in the UEFA Champions League final and the best decision was to give them a rest. The Barcelona striker and FIFA world player of the year carried a small injury and in conjunction it was decided he would not be risked. Juan Sebastian Veron was also not included in the starting XI, however the Estudiantes playmaker played 30 minutes in the second half.

The absence of Veron in the first half wasn’t noticed, as Pastore, the young Palermo midfielder took the reins of the squad and generated the first clear opportunity when he was taken down in the box. The official denied the penalty kick, awarding a free kick instead; Maxi Rodriguez exchanged it for a goal.

The second goal started with a counter led by Gonzalo Higuain, the Real Madrid striker found Carlos Tevez open on the left side, “El Apache” made a great individual play and found Maxi Rodriguez open in the far post to put Argentina two goals ahead.

The pearl of the match was the goal of Angel Dimaria, who is expected to join Real Madrid this summer. A chip shot over the goalkeeper that made El Monumental roar as if the team had won the world cup.

Tevez and Aguero closed the curtains in a match that was over before it even began.

Carlos Tevez was without a doubt the mvp of the match, he fought every ball as if it were the last one, scored a goal and assisted Maxi in the second goal. This means problems for Diego, a good kind of problem. What coach wouldn’t be tempted to play with three strikers when you have Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito and Sergio Aguero?

Argentina showed a different face, aggressive, fast and effective in offense. Canada is no rival to brag, with all due respect that they disserve, however I can say that if the team attacks with such voracity teams will have a lot of trouble.

Argentina defeats Canada in the last International friendly before the world cup

It hasn’t been even 4 days since Claudio Borghi won the Argentine League with Argentinos Juniors, today it was confirmed he will succeed Tito Pompei in one of the most popular and succesful clubs in South America, Boca Juniors.

Borghi met with Boca Junior’s president Amor Ameal, and they agreed on a one-year contract, his salary will be around U$750,000, making him one of the higest paid coaches in the Argentine league behind Ramon Diaz (San Lorenzo) and Miguel Angel Russo (Racing).

Besides his contract, they discussed the arrival of new signings, which will include Clemente Rodriguez (His contract with Estudiantes expires and he will not renew), Juan Mercier (Argentinos Juniors), Insaurralde (Newell’s) and Matias Caruzzo(Argentinos Juniors).

The best of luck for Claudio Borghi, friend of We Are Futbol and simply futbol. Borghi is currently back home in Chile, once he returns to Buenos Aires we will have a exclusive interview and possibly some giveaways for our readers.

Claudio Borghi will continue his career in Boca Juniors

The wait is over, Diego has confirmed the list of 23 players that will represent Argentina in South Africa. After calling over 108 players, he has finally made a decision, leaving out Coloccini, Insaurralde,Mercier,Jose Sosa, Datolo, Blanco and Lavezzi from the original 30-man roster.

The biggest surprise was the inclusion of Ariel Garce, who has only one cap with the Argentine National team under Diego Maradona, that cap being in a friendly against Haiti; Garce was chosen on top of Coloccini and Javier Zanetti.

The roster:
Sergio Romero – 23 years old – AZ Alkmaar – 5 caps - 1st world cup
Nicolas Otamendi – 22 years old – Velez Sarsfield – 6 caps – 1st world cup
Martin Demichelis – 29 years old – Bayern Munich – 25 caps – 1st world cup
Walter Samuel – 32 years old – Inter Milan – 54 caps – 2nd world cup
Gabriel Heinze – 29 years old – Olympique Marseille – 65 caps – 2nd world cup
Jonas Gutierrez – 27 years old – Newcastle – 15 caps – 1st world cup
Javier Mascherano – 25 years old – Liverpool – 56 caps – 1st world cup
Juan Sebastian Veron – 35 years old – Estudiantes LP – 69 caps – 3rd world cup
Angel Di María 22 years old –Benfica -7 caps – 1st world cup
Lionel Messi 22 years old -Barcelona- 45 caps - 2nd world cup
Gonzalo Higuaín 22 years old - Real Madrid - 4 caps – 1st world cup
Mariano Andújar 26 years old – Catania - 4 caps – 1st world cup
Diego Pozo 32 years old – Colón - 3 caps – 1st world cup
Nicolás Burdisso 29 years old – Inter- 28 caps - 2nd world cup
Clemente Rodríguez 28 Years old – Estudiantes - 11 caps – 1st world cup
Mario Bolatti 25 years old - Fiorentina - 4 caps – 1st world cup
Javier Pastore 20 years old – Palermo – no caps – 1st world cup
Maxi Rodríguez 29 years old – Liverpool - 35 caps – 2nd world cup
Sergio Agüero 21 years old - Atlético Madrid - 21 caps – 1st world cup
Diego Milito 30 years old – Inter Milan - 21 caps – 1st world cup
Carlos Tevez 26 years old – Manchester City - 53 caps – 2nd world cup
Martín Palermo 36 years old – Boca Juniors - 13 caps – 1st world cup
Ariel Garcé 30 years old – Colon - 3 caps -1st world cup

Maradona confirms Argentina World Cup roster

Boca Juniors u-18 squad will travel to Madrid on may 23rd to take part of the 5th annual u-18 club world cup.

The tournament hosts some of the most prestigious teams in the world including Boca Juniors, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

List of winners:

2005 - Boca Juniors (Argentina)
2006 - Boca Juniors (Argentina)
2007 - Sao Paulo (Brazil)
2008 - Sao Paulo (Brazil)
2009 - Real Madrid (Spain)

This year's tournament will feature 12 teams, divided into 4 groups:

Group 1: Real Madrid, Corinthians, Ton Jing
Group 2: Atlético Madrid, Lazio, Mamelodi
Group 3: Boca Juniors, Getafe, Manchester City
Group 4: Rayo Vallecano, Valencia, Chivas

The finals will take place on May 30th.

Boca Juniors' roster:

ATTALIA Joaquín
CICHELLO Nicolás Javier
AGUIRRE Alan Maximiliano
MEZA Lucas Maximiliano
PAJUREK Pablo Alejandro
SILVA Javier Alejandro
ORFANO Esteban Gabriel
ALVAREZ Cristian Marcelo
BAIMA Leonardo
GONZÁLEZ Nicolás Antonio
MEDORI MARTÍNEZ Manuel Moisés
GENARO Kevin Luis
AUBONE CABRAL Mauricio Alfredo
FURTADO Martín Ezequiel
GUAYCOCHEA Luciano
PALACIOS Sebastián Alberto
MONTENEGRO Julián Ariel
ERCORECA Facundo

Boca Juniors U-18 travels to Madrid

Argentinos Juniors defeated Huracan 2-1 and ended a drought of 25 years.

In 1985 they were led by a young and talented player, Claudio Borghi. The squad not only earned the local title, but won the Copa Libertadores and Played the Intercontinental Cup against Juventus, game they lost in penalty shootouts after a 2-2 draw. In 2010 the squad was once again led by Claudio Borghi, but this time as a player.

The club was founded on August 14, 1904. In 1905 they played their first game as a football team, the result was catastrophic, 12-1 defeat. In 1909 they gained the affilitation to AFA. 22 years later, in 1931 Argentinos joined 17 other clubs in forming a breakaway professional league, a move that marked the beginning of the professional era of Argentine football.

Argentinos were allowed to keep their place in the Primera, but succumbed to relegation in 1937 after finishing second from bottom of the table.

In 1940 Argentinos enjoyed a good campaign in a new stadium, which culminated in winning the 2nd division, but the club were not allowed promotion because their ground did not meet the requirements of the Primera División, and AFA would not make an exception for Argentinos to play at another ground, even though they had done so for several other promoted clubs in previous seasons.

In 1960 there was a complete overhaul of the Argentinos Juniors team, the new team performed well and it was only on the last game of the season that they missed out on the championship. They finished in 3rd place, only 2 points below the eventual champions Independiente. Although they didn't win the championship, the team is fondly remembered by those old enough to have seen them play. In the following years the team did not live up to expectations, rarely finishing in the top half of the table.

On Thursday 20 October 1976, fans of Argentinos Juniors witnessed probably the most important debut in the history of Argentine football With Argentinos losing 1-0 the manager, Juan Carlos Montes sent on a fifteen year old debutant named Diego Armando Maradona making him the league's youngest ever player until his record was broken by Sergio Agüero in 2003.
The Nacional championship of 1985 was the last, and featured by far the most complicated structure in the history of the Argentine Primera. Once the competition reached the knockout stage, the eliminated teams got another chance to play on in the losers knockout. Argentinos won the winners group with a 4-2 penalties win against Vélez Sársfield after a 2-2 aggregate score, but Velez got another chance to play for the title after beating River Plate in the losers final. Argentinos and Velez played for the title and after a 1-1 draw, Velez won the penalty shootout, but because they has come from the losers group a new game was needed, which Argentinos won 2-1. The squad was led by a young star, Claudio Borghi.

In 2010 , Argentinos Juniors was once again led by Claudio Borghi, this time as a coach. Nobody expected “los bichitos” to win the title, the objective of the season was to earn the most ammount of to impove the averages, the team had finished last with only 15 points the previous season.

Cluadio Borghi was leader, his three pilars Raymonda, Calderon and Dominguez, the only veterans in the club, they also happen to be the only players in the squad to win a championship.

Borghi had to deal with the sale of Hauche and Torrico, in his place he was able to bring Calderon back from retirement. The 39 year old playerd a crucial role in the squad.

Today La Paternal celebrates, 25 years later they can say once again “DALE CAMPEON”.

Argentinos Juniors wins the Argentine League after 25 years

Diego Maradona has released the so anticipated 30-man World Cup list.

This week was full of problems for Diego and his players. Alfito Basile, the son of former Argentine National team head coach Alfio Basile made a very strong accusation against Diego. Basile said “He called players before his appointment and said he counted with them, that is conspiracy”.

Carlos Dibos, added fuel to the fire by stating “What he says (Basile) is true, everyone knows that, during our time in la seleccion we saw very strange things”.

El Ruso Ribolzi joined the crusade against Maradona and said “Maradona does not deserve to speak about his accomplishments, he is useless as a person, he has no dignity”.

Mancuso slammed Dibos and said that when Basile was still in Boca Juniors, he received a call from Dibos with a special request “If Diego starts coaching, let him know I want to work with him, Basile is getting old and I don’t want to be left without a job”.

Enough issues, let’s get back to what we are all here for. The World Cup list:


Goalkeepers:
Sergio Romero (Az Alkmaar)
Mariano Andújar (Catania)
Diego Pozo (Colón)

Defenders:
Nicolás Burdisso (Roma)
Ariel Garcé (Colón)
Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle)
Martín Demichelis (Bayern Munich)
Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marsella)
Juan Manuel Insaurralde (Newell's)
Nicolás Otamendi (Vélez)
Clemente Rodríguez (Estudiantes)
Walter Samuel (Inter)

Midfielders:
Sebastián Blanco (Lanús)
Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina)
Jesús Dátolo (Nápoli)
Angel Di María (Benfica)
Jonás Gutiérrez (Newcastle)
Javier Macherano (Liverpool)
Juan Mercier (Argentinos Juniors)
Javier Pastore (Huracán)
Maxi Rodríguez (Liverpool)
José Sosa (Estudiantes)
Juan Sebastián Verón (Estudiantes)

Forwards:
Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid)
Ezequiel Lavezzi (Nápoli)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Diego Milito (Inter)
Martín Palermo (Boca)
Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)
Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid)

The three goalkeepers are confirmed, no changes will be made along that line.This is probably one of the most controversial areas. When Maradona tookever he said "Juan Pablo Carrizo will be my goalkeeper", After the famous 6-1 loss against Bolivia he removed Carrizo from the goal despite him having a very good match, If it would have not been for him the game would have ended with 4-5 more goals against Argentina.

Two defenders will be excluded, and most likely they will be Ariel Garce and Juan Insaurralde, one midfielder, along this line it will be hard to make a decision, will Diego opt to take a experienced player like Maxi Rodriguez, or the young talent of Javier Pastore? In the offensive line one player will also remain home,we believe that will be Ezequiel Lavezzi.

What we are sure is what the starting XI will be:
Sergio Romero; Nicolas Otamendi, Walter Samuel, Martin Demichelis, Gabriel Heinze; Jonas Gutierrez, Javier Mascherano, Juan Sebastian Veron, Angel DiMaria; Gonzalo Higuain and Lionel Messi.

Key Players that will miss the world cup:
Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso, Pablo Aymar, Juan Pablo Carrizo, Gabriel Milito, Fernando Gago, Juan Roman Riquelme, Javier Saviola, Hernan Crespo, Rodrigo Palacio, Lisandro Lopez and Marcos Angeleri.

Some words on the street:
"What is he thinking about not calling Zanetti, we have no wide backs" - Sports Admin Student U Kennedy

"Carrizo is my goalkeeper haha" - Engineering Student U Kennedy

Maradona releases 30-man World Cup List

With only two games left in the season, Angel Cappa has a clear idea in mind of what he wants his squad to look like next season. He has asked the board for four reinforcements for next season, including one goalkeeper, a defender, a central midfielder and a center forward.

He has asked the board to also extend Ariel Ortega’s contract, however he has put in doubt the continuity of Marcelo Gallardo and Matias Almeyda; The 36 year old and current captain of the squad is a fan favorite and one of the most regular players in the squad. Cappa said he does not picture Almeyda in the starting eleven, especially if the club seals the arrival of the Argentine International Mario Bolatti. Almeyda expressed his feelings to retire with the River Plate jersey despite having offers from the MLS, he has even stated that he would be willing to fight for a spot like the rest of the team.

In the next couple of days River hopes to finalize the agreement with an important investment group, the money will be used solely to improve the squad for next season, let’s not forget River will start next season in “direct relegation”.
River plans to break the market and sign players like David Trezeguet, Mauro Camoranesi, Andres D’Alesandro, Matias DeFederico, Mario Bolatti, Paolo Goltz and Juan Pablo Carrizo.

The French striker, who happens to be a River Plate fan, has expressed his desire to finish his career in River Plate, the main issue will be his salary, it will be hard for River to compete against other European clubs, but the club seems optimistic to seal the arrival of the former Juventus.

Camoranesi also finishes his contract with Juventus, the club has announced they will not renew his contract after being with the club for eight years. His agent, Sergio Fortunato, released the fact that there are three clubs interested in signing the Argentine-Italian midfielder, including Lyon, Cruz Azul and River Plate. Some say that Mauro has already reached an agreement with Daniel Passarella and would join River after the world cup. At age 33 he wants to return to Argentina, and finish his career in River Plate, club he also happens to be a follower of, like David Trezeguet.

Some of the players that will leave the squad are Oscar Ahumada to Veracruz, Diego Barrado, Gustavo Cabral, Marcelo Gallardo, Gustavo Canales, Rodrigo Archubi, Galmarini, Andres San Martin and Loeschbor.

It is also rumored that Sampdoria will offer 8 Million Euros for Rogelio Funes Mori, the 19 year old striker that astonished everyone against Boca Juniors this past summer. The club would most likely accept the offer, since he has not yet “exploded” his potential, and River is in no position to wait.

Along with the signings, Cappa plans to use bring out the best from players like Diego Buonannote, Facundo Afranchino, Pereyra, Mauro Diaz, Ciriliano, Daniel Villalba and Rogelio Funes Mori.

Two players that could return to the Club are Cristian Nasutti and Patricio Toranzo. Both would be welcome by the coach, especially Toranzo, one of the Pillars of Cappa’s squad in Huracan.

The future looks bright. Cappa and Passarella are qualified to get River out of this position, let’s hope Boca Juniors does the same thing, for the sake of Argentine Football.

River begins to think about the future

The Argentine National team, made up of local players only, defeated Haiti in a FIFA International friendly that was held in the city of Cutral-Co in Neuquén. The main reason behind this match was to raise funds for Haiti; however, Diego used this chance to define his world cup list.
Lineups

Argentina: Diego Pozo; Ariel Garce, Paolo Goltz, Juan Insaurralde, Cristian Villagra; Patricio Toranzo, Juan Mercier, Sebastian Blanco, Facundo Bertoglio; Martin Palermo and Ariel Ortega

Haiti: Jean Zephirin; Frantz Gilles, Bruny Richard, Jean Paulin, R. Ednerson; Vaniel Sirin, James Marcelin, Judelin Aveska, J.M Alexandre; Eliphne Cade and J.B Fritzson

The match finished 4-0 in favor of Argentina. The goals were scored by Facundo Bertoglio (2), Martin Palermo and Sebastian Blanco. Haiti did not cause any trouble to Argentina; in fact, the goalkeeper was never really tested. However, it is great to see these players perform in the football pitch after such a devastating earthquake they suffered.

Palermo was confirmed within the World Cup list, the third goalkeeper will be a tight decision between Diego Pozo (Colon) and Adrian Gabbarini (Independiente). Another player that has a very good chance of going to the world cup is Juan Mercier (Argentinos Juniors), the midfielder has seduced the coaching staff with a very good level in the Argentine league and a low profile, making him a perfect member for the group.

One more surprise that Diego could announce is the inclusion of Javier Zanetti and Ariel Ortega; both experienced players could make the list in the last minute. After calling more than 100 different players, Diego will make the 30-man list public on Monday, and we expect to see surprises, it wouldn’t be Maradona if he didn’t. The final 23-man roster is due on June 1st.

Argentina defeats Haiti during an International friendly

Olimpo de Bahia Blanca returns to the top flight of the Argentina league after two years. The institution that was founded in 1910 earned the third promotion of its history, this time under the lead of head coach Omar de Felippe.

Bahia Blanca is a small city of Buenos Aires, known as the capital of Basketball, and home of Manu Ginobili. However in the last few years the city has also earned a name in the football charts, after accomplishing three promotions to the Argentine first division (2001, 2007 and 2010).

The team accomplished the promotion two games before the end of the league, with 68 points Olimpo could be crowned as the champion if they tie or win their next match, or if Quilmes (62 points) ties or loses the match. If the “aurinegros” win the championship, it will be the fourth time that the club accomplishes such goal.

During an interview with one of the main icons of the club, Alejandro Delorte, he said “It is of immense value to obtain such accomplishment in the clubs 100th anniversary” .

Some numbers:

Most memorable match in first division : 4-0 result against River Plate (Apertura 2007)

Highest defeat: 0-6 defeat against Estudiantes LP (Apertura 2002)

Highest standing in first division : 5th (Clausura 2003)

Highest scorer in first division: Alejandro Delorte with 25 goals (2002 – 2006)

Player with the most matches in first division: Rogelio Martines with 142 games (2002 – 2006)

Notable players: Gaston Aguirre, Angel Cappa, Sebastian Chamagol Gonzalez, Mauro Laspada, Josemir Lujambio, Carlos Navarro Montoya, Javie Paez and Carlos Roa.

Olimpo de Bahia Blanca earns the promotion to first division

Velez Sarsfield (Argentina) lost 3-0 against Chivas de Guadalajara (Mexico) in the first leg of the round of sixteen of the Copa Libertadores. The first goal was scored by the Hector Reynoso, the Mexican international had been suspended by the CONMEBOL and his ban had not been removed.

In a 2009 Copa Libertadores cup game against Everton from Chile, Hector Reynoso spat several times on the face of Sebastian Penco after threatening to pass him the swine flu virus (AH1N1), which was considered a pandemic disease last year. After the match Reynoso apologized for his actions, but that did not stop the suspension.

Reynoso played against Velez Sarsfield despite the suspension and this could cost Chivas the ticket to the next round, giving Velez Sarsfield an automatic go. This is sad considering the fact that Chivas outplayed Velez.

Hector Reynoso can cause Chivas elimination from the Copa Libertadores

(Pictured: Pablo Calvari and Ariel Ortega - hosts of the show)

Simply Futbol Exclusive

Ariel Ortega just keeps surprising us. After being called up for the National team by Diego Maradona and playing a superb match against Velez Sarsfield, Ortega shows that he is not only displaying his “magic” inside the pitch, but soon he will host his own television show.

Not only is he displaying his “magic” inside the pitch, but soon he will host his own television show.

The program will feature Ariel Ortega as the main star, in which he will host some of the most prestigious football personalities, including former teammates in River Plate and the Argentine National team.

The program will be hosted once a week and will be produced by El Angelito Producciones. The programs’ rights are currently being negotiated with some very important stations.

Source: EL ANGELITO PRODUCCIONES

Ortega will host his own television show

The game was scheduled to be played at 2:15pm, but our journey began much earlier, around 7am. We planned our trip to el “Nuevo Gasometro” in a way we would avoid the infamous “1-11-14”, one of Argentina’s most dangerous shady towns. We arrived to the stadium around 12:45, time that we picked up our credentials. By that time we were starving, and we saw a very familiar sign “grill” with an arrow that pointed down the street. We followed the sign and we were greeted by two flirtious Paraguayan hostesses, the food was great, cheap and the girls were good looking. Four our surprise, we had stepped right into the neighborhood we avoided so much. Lesson learned: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

But let’s get back to what we are here for right, Futbol. Once inside the stadium we met two particular characters, two priests that were promoting the return of Ramon Diaz, whom they called San Ramon. This was one of the strong dishes of the week. After River Plate signed Angel Cappa as head coach, Ramon Diaz exploded in anger and called Rafael Savino (president of San Lorenzo) to communicate him his desire to coach the team. With this new victory against Huracan, the interim head coach Sebastian Mendez, has establishes his presence as a strong candidate. If Mendez can pull a victory against Boca Juniors, added to the victory against Independiente and Huracan, the former defender could have himself a job as head coach after this semester, leaving Ramon Diaz out of the coaching seat, at least for from San Lorenzo and River Plate.



Another special character we found in the stadium was the recognized Uruguayan model Andrea Ghidone. The model had made a promise on live television that she would appear in the match wearing only her under garments if she was selected in the roster of the 2010 “Dancing for a dream”. Of course, we got our picture with her and an interview. Read the full article on Andrea Ghidone here



For what the game is concerned we could have not asked for more. The match started fairly even, both teams respected each other a bit too much. When Huracan began to attack with Patricio Toranzo, San Lorenzo spiced up the things thanks to a goal by el Papu Gomez. Gomez with a brilliant individual play, made it past the defenders on the right side and took a shot low to the far corner, nothing the goalkeeper could do about it.

One of the players that proved to be key in this match was the Uruguayan international Alfaro, the striker moved all over the defense and had very good individual plays in the first half. He was subbed off the match in the second half, after a very hard tackle from Filipetto that ended in a red card for the defender.

Near the end of the first half, Pablo Migliore saved a shot from Gino Clara, that was Huracan’s clearest chance, and it wasn’t a goal only because Migliore stopped it.
During the halftime, a section of Huracan’s followers contended the police. The riot ended with one police officer hurt and several wounded Huracan fans (Luckily nobody was seriously injured).

During the second half, San Lorenzo took complete control of the match. With the inclusion of Menseguez in the XI, the team gained speed and presence up top. Bordagaray took advantage of a Mistake commited by defender Paolo Goltz, and put the game 2-0 for San Lorenzo. The third goal, also a play by Bordagaray, was finished with a finesse chip by Leiva. After the third goal San Lorenzo began to move the ball around, the crown began to chant “Ole, ole” and Huracan lost all hopes. The only player who seemed to really care about playing in Huracan was Toranzo, who constantly tried to create opportunities but had no assistance from his teammates. Gaston Machin, a disaster, the midfielder who had played a good game against Gimnasia didn’t really do much, neither on defense or offense.

San Lorenzo won the derby, and demonstrated that they are a big team. This upcoming Sunday they will face Boca Juniors in another derby; Simply Futbol could be present at the match if time permits. Stay tuned for more exclusive footage.

San Lorenzo kills Huracan’s hopes for the title run