Signable Strikers

After nine games this season, the Chicago Fire sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a paltry seven points from nine games. The question asked by MLS analysts and Fire fans before the season is now firmly in the spotlight, namely where are the goals going to come from? The Men in Red have scored a league low six goals so far this season with DP striker Sherjill MacDonald yet to break his duck for the campaign. The talk among journalists is that the Fire are waiting till the summer transfer to make a move for a DP. With that in mind, I’m examining six strikers who could come in and immediately help the team.

Criteria:

I decided to go look at strikers mainly based in Europe due to the Fire’s lack of success with strikers signed from South America in recent seasons. I also chose players with a consistent goal scoring record, not players who scored countless goals five years ago and have done little since then. Finally, I tried to limit my choices to players who will be out of contract this summer, a more attractive and affordable option. All of the strikers have played for a number of seasons in some of Europe’s top divisions and all are current or former internationals.

#1 Javier Saviola – Age: 31 – Nationality: Argentina – Current club: Malaga (Spain)

Javier Saviola is a player is probably the most notable name on the list. He has played with some of the biggest teams in the world including Barcelona, Real Madrid, River Plate and Benfica. He has played 40 times for Argentina scoring 11 goals. He has represented the Albiceleste at a World Cup and an Olympic games. Being 31, Saviola still has many years left at the top level and would certainly be one of the highest profile DP signings in MLS history if he landed in the States. Saviola, who is out of contract this summer, has scored 8 goals for Malaga this season, including 1 in the Champions League. Last season he scored 4 goals for Benfica and in the 2010/11 season he scored 10 for the Portuguese club. Saviola is a pure finisher, something the Fire has lacked since the days of Ante Razov. His creativity around the box is second to none and his goal scoring record of 193 goals in 515 games speaks for itself For some highlights of Saviola’s goals, click here.

#2 Dmitry Bulykin– Age: 33 – Nationality: Russia – Current club: FC Twente (Holland)

Bulykin is another experienced striker more in the target man mold. According to reports in Holland, his contract at Twente will not be renewed and he will be available on a free transfer this summer. The Russian has 5 goals this season for Twente in 19 total appearances. Last season he played with Ajax, scoring 9 goals in 20 appearances. Two seasons ago Bulykin scored 21 goals in 30 games for Den Haag, paving the way for his move to Ajax. He has also represented Russia 15 times, including at Euro 2004. He has a very good first touch for a striker of his size (6’4”) and links well with his strike partners. To see Bulykin in action click here. Here is a highlight video of his goals at Den Haag.

#3 Carlton Cole – Age: 29 – Nationality: England – Current Club: West Ham United (England)

Carlton Cole is another big striker who is also good with the ball at his feet and is very mobile. This season at West Ham he only has two goals but in the previous season he scored 15 goals in the Championship to help West Ham get promoted. In the 2010/2011 season, Cole scored 11 goals. He has represented England on 7 occasions. Cole’s contract with West Ham is up at the end of this season and it is strongly rumored that his contract will not be renewed. Cole can be an extremely frustrating player, often making elementary mistakes, but he certainly has the raw talent to be very successful in MLS. Like Bulykin, his size would suit the physicality of the league. Here is a highlight video of Cole’s goals from a few seasons back.

#4 Mladen Petric – Age: 32 – Nationality: Croatia – Current club: Fulham (England)

Petric is a player I’ve admired for a number of years. He came to Fulham on a free transfer from Hamburg and has scored 5 goals in the EPL this season for the London club. For Hamburg he scored 8 goals last season and 13 the year before. He has played over 40 times for Croatia including at Euro 2008. He is perhaps most famous for scoring the goal the denied England a place in that tournament. His one year deal at Fulham looks set not be renewed, meaning he will be a free agent this summer. Similar to Saviola, Petric is a pure finisher with the eye for the spectacular goal. He has the ability to create a goal out of nothing, something the Fire has lacked this season. The left-footer is also a danger from free kicks. For highlights of some of his goals at Hamburg, click here.

#5 Kevin Doyle – Age: 29 – Nationality: Ireland – Current club: Wolves (England)

Doyle and Wolves recently suffered a second relegation in a row and it looks unlikely that he will be playing in League 1 next season.  Though technically still under contract with Wolves for two more seasons, Doyle should have an escape clause, especially considering Wolves’ relegation. Like Carlton Cole, Doyle is not a prolific goal scorer but a move to the Fire would certainly benefit the team. Doyle scored 9 goals for Wolves this season, 5 goals the season before and 8 in the 2010/11 season. He has played over 50 times for Ireland, representing his country at last summer’s Euro 2012 tournament. Robbie Keane and Darren O’Dea’s moves to MLS have not hurt their chances of making the Ireland team and a change of scenery might get Doyle back into the Ireland frame. Doyle is very good in the air and is comfortable playing as a lone striker or with a partner. Here is a highlight video of Doyle’s goals for Reading and Wolves.

#6 Fabrizio Miccoli – Age: 33 – Nationality: Italy – Current club: Palermo (Italy)

Miccoli is a striker that is getting up there in age but is still consistently scoring in the Italian league. His goals were not enough to keep Palermo up this season and it is unlikely that he will drop down to Serie B with the club. His contract is up this summer so he is available on a free transfer. Though he only scored 7 goals this season, he scored 16 last season and 9 the year before that, all for Palermo. Miccoli has also represented Italy on 10 occasions. In total he has scored over 100 goals in Serie A for massive clubs like Juventus and Fiorentina. He, like Saviola, is very small in size but his movement and finishing ability make him an excellent striker. There has been a trend of older Italian players coming to MLS over the past few seasons (most notably to Montreal) but if the Fire could pluck him from Italy, Miccoli would surely solve the Fire’s goal scoring crisis. To see 100 of Miccoli’s Serie A goals, click here.

Podcast de mi Vida #11: Not Good Enough

The gang is back after last weekend’s gutting 1-0 home loss against Philadelphia to review the game, talk about Frank Klopas’ future as Fire head coach, discuss potential strikers to get on a free transfer, preview the return leg against the Union, and the podcast descends into chaos during the Tweets/Huddalis segment.

Also, Nick is away making money to help fund his Fire induced gin debt, Tweed is away as well, Elle dislikes Philadelphia, but does like Mother Russia, Stephen clarifies his new nickname for Patrick Nyarko, Rudy becomes a nomad, Stephen uses an unfortunate term for the next promising young striker, the gang congratulates Nick on his graduation from college, except Stephen (who can gargle it), and Gregg likes the youth.

If you haven’t subscribed via the FeedBurner page, go do so here.

Host: Gregg Mixdorf
Panelists: Rudy Gomez, Stephen Piggott, Elle Harrer
Producer: Nick Fedora

Podcast de mi Vida #10: Evaluation Evisceration

Whoo boy. In this week’s podcast, Gregg and Rudy are left alone to evaluate exactly what in the sweet fuck is wrong with this club right now and the answers are very apparent. Grab whatever drink you need to wash this one down, folks.

Host: Gregg Mixdorf
Panelist: Rudy Gomez
Producer: Nick Fedora

This week in CONCACAF

Another interesting week of action.

Monterrey were crowned CAMPEONES DE CONCACAF for a THIRD CONSECUTIVE time. Congrats!

Canadian Championship

In semifinal action Montreal eviscerated Toronto 6-0 to win their two legged series 6-2. Marco Di Vaio was the man in this game with two goals and two assists. Justin Mapp had a goal and an assist himself. Daniele Paponi, Andres Romero and Andrew Wenger rounded out the goal scorers in an epic, sure to be talked about in Montreal lore, win.

In the other semifinal Vancouver took care of business against NASL side Edmonton by winning 2-0 upping their margin of victory to 5-2 on aggregate. Edmonton played a man down from the Fifty-First minute onward.

The two legged final starts May 15th in Montreal. Winner earns a slot in the next CONCACAF Champions League tournament starting later this year.

MLS

There were a trio of early Saturday games. NY beat Cbus in the nationally televised affair. A Louis Robles penalty save (!) and a header by Tim Cahill sealed victory for NY. San Jose looks to be finding a bit of their form from last year by getting a stoppage goal from Sam Cronin to rescue a point from an excellent Montreal side. Final score 2-2. Impressive nonetheless for the Impact as they take a point on the road. The third afternoon game was a WILD affair in Philly which saw heated post game comments from Union coach John Hackworth. The powder keg was set off when ref Jorge Gonzalez issued reds to both Sheannon Williams and Lamar Neagle for a head to head face off. Minutes later DeAndre Yedlin was also ejected following a rather rash tackle from behind. Eddie Johnson got a yellow a minute later for kneeing a downed Philly player. Then there was a BLATANT handball by Leo Gonzalez off a Conor Casey shot that went uncalled. Gonzalez should have been red carded for that. A terrible final ten minutes for the referee. Overlooked in all of that mess was a Danny Cruz brace (in two minutes!) for Philly. That Fucking Guy Eddie Johnson scored along with the detestable Mauro Rosales.

The Saturday nightcaps were not nearly as exciting. Colorado predictably scored a late goal to steal a win from TFC. While RSL dispatched Vancouver with relative ease. RSL’s kids were very good. Joao Plata got both assists while Luis Gil scored the first one and Javier Morales scored the second.

Sunday afternoon brought us the massacre of Chivas USA on UniMas. A 4-0 beat down from Kansas City. Most of the damage was done after Dan Kennedy was red carded early in the second half. The young Chivas backline never recovered from their leader being ejected. The late Sunday night game between the Galaxy and Dynamo started very late. 10 PM Central time. I ended up falling asleep during the match but did get to see Landon Donovan miss ANOTHER PENALTY. Hilarity. Houston ended up winning the rematch of MLS Cup 1-0 on a Andrew Driver goal scored in the Fifty-Sixth minute.

For more on the MLS week the was check out Graham Parker and the crew at the Guardian. Best weekly recap going.

Current table sees NY, KC, Houston and Montreal all tied on points for the top spot in the East. Weirdly NY has played three more games than Montreal two more than Houston and one more than KC.  FC Dallas continues their stranglehold at the top of the west.

This next week sees almost a full slate of action on Wednesday. New York vs Montreal (6:30 central KO) and FC Dallas vs Portland (8:00 central KO) look to be the best matchups. All games on Wednesday are available via MLS Live.

Saturday sees the return of the Fire as they do battle with Philadelphia at 12:30PM on NBC Sports. So I’ll see you guys at 10 AM on Saturday. Right?

Sunday Houston plays Sporting KC at 7PM available on MLS Live.

Check out the entire schedule here.

Mexico

Tigres beat America at Azteca 2-0 to claim the Clausura and the top spot in the Liguilla playoffs. Excellent work from Tigres all season.

America ended up coming in second due to Atlas somehow losing to Leon 1-0 at home. Who knows maybe they wanted the third seed? No idea. The rest of the results were a bit mundane.

Monterrey snuck into the final playoff spot even while losing 5-1 to Cruz Azul. Winning championships has hangover type effects. Monterrey got into the playoffs even coming in Ninth place because Queretaro was disqualified from the playoffs due to being relegated for next year. Relegation in Liga MX is complicated and involves average points over a certain amount of time. Queretaro lost out to Puebla for the relegation spot. The Leguilla playoffs get started this week. The Univision schedule lists tomorrow as the start date but no times are listed.

There are some terrific pairings to start the playoffs. America vs Pumas being the big one. Mexico City rivals clash here. Both games are expected to sell out. Only 160,000 fans over two legs. No big deal.

The other rivalry happening in the quarterfinals is Tigres vs Monterrey.  The Monterrey derby will be excellent. It is a 1 vs 8 matchup but anyone who just watched Monterrey win the CCL final knows they are dangerous and battle tested over two legs. This will not be easy for Tigres.

CFU Club Championship

This tournament is going on right now. Hard to find much about it but Three CONCACAF Champions league slots are the prize. The winner of each group (there are only two) advance. The runner ups of each group play each other in a playoff game.  Currently W Connection(Trinidad) and Valencia (Haiti) are winning their respective groups. with Portmore United (Jamaica, who were a late replacement for Inter Moengotapoe a Suriname club that withdrew) and Caledonia AIA (Trinidad) in position to play for the final slot.  Results are hard to find so standings may have changed.

Belize

It is playoff time in Belize as Police United take on Belize Defence Force and FC Belize try to take down regular season champs and top seed Belmopan Bandits. The winner of this playoff would play the Bandits for the right to participate in CCL play.

Games were played over the weekend but I am unable to find results.  I will update when I do.

That is it for now.

The Robbie Rogers thing

Unsurprisingly Robbie Rogers doesn’t want to play in Chicago. That he wants to play for the Galaxy isn’t shocking. Lets be honest with ourselves. The Fire aren’t one of the better run MLS franchises right now. You can make a convincing argument that they may actually be one of the worst in terms of building an on the field product. The only players that express interest in playing for Chicago are guys we seemingly won’t/can’t sign. Carlos Bocanegra and DeMarcus Beasley being prime examples of former Fire players that we wouldn’t pony up the money or move up far enough in the allocation order for.

The Galaxy ARE the best run franchise in MLS. They spend money, bring in high-profile players that help market the league. They employ one of the best US coaches in history who happens to have World Cup experience under his belt. Oh by the way they also just won back to back MLS Cups. Toss in the fact that Rogers is a west coast kid and you can see the appeal.

Remember that the Fire gave the Galaxy permission to have Rogers in camp. One would think that you wouldn’t do that without discussing the parameters of a deal would you? Consider that from the very moment that Rogers rights were acquired it was viewed as another trade chip. He was ALWAYS rumored to end up on the west coast.

Robbie Rogers is a young kid with a giant ego about his last few years abroad. He had a total of FOUR appearances for Leeds and then SIX while on loan with STEVENAGE (a League one club in England). One wonders how much he will be able to contribute this year or even next. I realize he is a big story and a young player with a decent amount of talent. Yet how good can he be without playing in the same midfield as someone the quality of a Guillermo Barros Schelotto? His career has been on nothing but a downward trajectory since Schelotto stopped passing him the ball.

This situation has several similarities to that of the Brian McBride saga of 2008. A not very good team holds the rights to a returning MLS player that a very good team wants. The not very good club held out for as much as possible. In 2008 that was Chad Barrett, a 1st round pick and allocation dollars.

The Fire should have and hopefully did demand Mike Magee in return for Rogers rights. Magee is a logical choice for the Fire. A guy with Chicago ties who can score goals and play in the midfield. This year Magee’s goal total has exploded as he benefited from the absence of Landon Donovan and playing next to Robbie Keane.  Will Rogers net as much for the Fire as McBride did for TFC? I doubt it. Rogers isn’t as good as McBride. Odds are Magee (who was instrumental in both MLS Cup runs and is a fantastic player in general) will stay in LA. Rogers will stay in limbo for a while until the Fire get whatever they feel is enough to move his rights. If it was up to me I would trade the kid and get as much as I could and call it a day.   He isn’t the type of on field player that is going to make a difference for the Fire.

AS IT HAPPENED: CONCACAF LIGA DE CAMPEONES FINALE Santos vs Monterrey Leg 2

It is fucking PACKED in Monterrey Estadio Tecnologico is rocking. TIFO is raised. Balloons are a moving. The crowd is a singing. GREAT ATMOSPHERE!

Monterrey is ninety minutes away from third consecutive CONCACAF CAMPEONATO. The last time this was done was in 69, 70 and 71 by Cruz Azul. Wow.

Oswaldo Sanchez reads a bit to the fans before the game then he hands the mic off to the Monterrey capitan Basanta who also reads something from the sheet. They smile and shake hands with each other. MARCO RODRIGUEZ, otherwise known as CHIQUIDRACULA, is our referee. It is an all Mexican crew for this match up.

Lineups

Santos: Peralta, Quintero, Cardenas, Rodriguez, Salinas, Lugo, Mares, Baloy, Figueroa, Estrada, Sanchez

Monterrey: de Nigris, Suazo, Solis, Zavala, Ayovi, Corona, Chavez, Basanta, Lopez, Mier, Orozco

First Half is underway!

First: Monterrey is in their traditional dark blue with white piping. Santos is in their white with green cross on the front (an instant classic kit).

Second: Monterrey corner. Chupete to take (still baffles me). A bit of a short corner is flicked on but Santos pushes it out. Santos on the counter. Quintero crosses it in but to no avail! There was a shout for handball in the Santos box before the counter. Replay indicates it did was not a hand ball.

Fourth: The Panamaniac making his presence felt as he separates the ball away from a Monterrey attacker (Solis?). Baloy needs to make his presence more felt this evening. He was surprisingly quiet during the first leg.

Sixth: Peralta snakes through but Bassanta is there to put the ball out for a throw in. Oribe looking dangerous right off the bat is a good sign for Santos.

Eighth: Things of note so far. Baloy looks to be keeping a close eye on Chupete. This game is being played at a much slower pace to start than the first leg. A tactical slow start if you will. Both teams would rather not get caught out of position.

Ninth: Chupete gets the ball in space heads into the box and goes down. He does the Blanco ground girations! The replay indicates he is clearly fouled outside the box but he stayed up until he was in the box. Then he went down making it look all very floptastic. This game is going to be very physical.

Twelfth: Long cross comes in from the wing for Monterrey. Somehow finds Chupete’s head (the only blue jersey in the box) and he puts it over the bar. Monterrey looking for Suazo early tonight.

Fifteenth: Santos have a spell of possession but Ayovi manages to play some terrific one on one defense get his man to the sideline and then take the ball from him. Excellent work. If Ayovi is willing to sacrifice is offensive game to do the dirty work Santos is in deep shit.

Sixteenth: Solis with the nice footwork as he gets clear to hit a sweet cross. Surprisingly no one is at the back post.

Seventeenth: Chupete GOES FOR GOAL FROM EXACTLY ONE MILE AWAY! Free kick attempt whistles wide and high but Sanchez was working hard to cover his post.

Eighteenth: Zavala is working hard and winning free kicks for Monterrey. In many ways Zavala is one of the major keys for Monterrey. Their midfield has not exactly been great this year but if he can frustrate Santos into fouls and play the same sort of defense he did last week. Things do not look good for Santos (sense a theme?)

Nineteenth: Chupete gets a quick pass back from Ayovi in the box. He rips a shot at goal but Sanchez is there to save. Nice work from Monterrey to get the shot.

Twentieth: Santos looking all out of sorts once they get possession back. An opportunity was there to release a man into the box but Quintero’s pass was too long. No one was happy after that.

Twenty-Third: Quintero hits another pass far to long for Lugo to get on. This one was really bad as he hit that pass about ten yards away from the midfield stripe. Santos need to calm the fuck down.

Twenty-Fourth: Mares tries to catch Orozco off his line from FORTY YARDS OUT! It almost works as Orozco looks beaten but the shot goes wide. And with that Santos seems to have their swagger back.

Twenty-Seventh: Santos wins a corner after a nice attacking sequence. Nothing comes of the corner but Santos is playing significantly better. Moving the ball really well and combining with each other excellently.

Thirtieth: Chupete wins a corner. Ensuing corner easily cleared by Santos. Santos on the break as they like to do after a corner. Nothing came from it but Quintero made a great pass that wasn’t handled well by his teammate.

Thirty-First: A mistifying yellow for Basanta. Not sure what Chiqui Dracula saw there. Replay indicates it wasn’t much. Free kick for Santos outside of the box.  GOOAA……offsides. Bummer but the correct call. THIS FINALE NEEDS A GOAL. Badly.

Thirty-Fourth: Zavala with a long range shot that is headed out by the Santos defense. Sanchez is VERY PLEASED with his defenders. He had good reason to this thing was mightily struck.

Thirty-Fifth: Orozco comes out to quickly grab a cross. Good keeping to avoid the pressure.

Thirty-Sixth: Baloy with a yellow due to an elbow grazing the precious head of Suazo. This was a bit more legit than the last yellow. There will be less than 22 players on the field at the end of the game.

Thirty-Seventh: Quintero wins the ball from Chupete, drives up the field flicks the ball off to Lugo who backheels it sweetly to Peralta whose shot is snagged out of the air by Orozco. Vintage Santos right there.

Thirty-Eight: GOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL SANTOS~! VAMOS SANTOS~! DARWIN QUINTERO FINISHES! Oribe got the ball flicked it out wide, pass went in looking for Quintero, cut out. Lugo with something that looked like a shot but was actually a pass back into the box to Quintero who finishes nicely. On the first ball to Quintero he looks offsides. I need another look at the play. I’m sure halftime will provide. Halftime replay indicates he was offsides although it was very close. I would have liked to seen it slowed down but in real speed it was very hard to tell.

Forty-Third: Baloy is hatcheted down by Solis in a fucking horrible tackle that could have seen red if his studs even hinted at being up. They didn’t so yellow he gets.

HALFTIME

Good half of soccer. Monterrey was the stronger side to start but Santos regrouped and pulled together the better offensive chances as the half wore on. The second half should be something else with Monterrey searching for the equalizer. Away goals are at play here so Monterrey will need two to win. NO EXTRA TIME TONIGHT.

Second half is Underway~!

Monterrey sub: Madrigal on Solis off.

Forty-Seventh: Madrigal just got the stupidest yellow you will ever see. Just reaches out and grabs Estrada flying buy him with the ball. Stupid since he was nowhere near breaking away. Needlessly conceded free kick.

Forty-Eight: Aye Aye! Almost an own goal on Monterrey as Orozco is forced to make a GINORMOUS save. He has to dive to his left and he pushes the ball around the post. Corner for Santos amounts to nothing. SEE STUPID YELLOW CARDS RESULT IN STUPID THINGS.

Fiftieth: Santos with a cross into the box that is headed out for a corner. Santos looking for the kill early here in the second half. Monterrey look like they are asleep. Ensuing corner GOOOAAAALLLLLLLLL SANTOS~! VAMOS SANTOS~! THE MOTHERFUCKING PANAMANIAC FELIP BALOY~! WITH HIS GIANT CABEZA! Hell yes! He holds off two Monterrey players and just snaps a header into the lower corner. FUCKING AMAZING.

Fifty-Second: Orozco forced to make a save off a long blast. Estrada looks to have hit that.  Santos are doing whatever the fuck they want right now. Seriously Monterrey DO NOT JUST LIE DOWN. I really don’t want to see a great team like this just sleepwalk through the second half at home.

Fifty-Fourth: Darwin almost bursts through but has the ball tackled away from him at the last minute. Monterrey burst back down the field and find a bit of life as they make a run at goal.

Fifty-Fifth: Monterrey Sub. Meza on. Basanta off  Monterrey goal is under siege. Rodriguez’s shot goes just wide.

Fifty-Sixth: Monterrey earn a corner. Fans are freaking out. Corner goes short. Almost cleared out. Chupete gets the ball back and ends up weakly chipping it at the keeper. NOT GOOD ENOUGH CHUPETE (I’m so sorry for saying that. I love you Chupete).

Fifty-Seventh: Monterrey burst into the box but can’t make the final pass. They are exploiting Santos’ left flank right now. Seems to be providing some punch for them. Unfortunately they can’t seem to make the final pass.

Fifty-Ninth: Corner for Monterrey. They are really pushing. Corner is headed wide for a goal kick.

Sixty-First: GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL ALDO DE NIGRIS~! Cross comes in from the wing missing its intended target but there is de Nigris lurking at the far post and he fucking buries it. GAME FUCKING ON! CROWD IS FREAKING OUT.

Sixty-Second: Santos Sub: Gomez on. Cardenas off.

Sixty-Fifth: Quintero gets the ball at the top, stutter steps, slides past the Monterrey defense. Flicks to Lugo whose cross to Gomez is cut out for a throw in.

Sixty-Sixth: Santos Sub: Lugo off. Crosas on. Good game for Lugo.

Sixty-Ninth: Monterrey Sub: Cardozo on. Chavez off.  Chupete is dropping back near the midfield strip for the ball. He wins a free kick for his efforts.

Seventieth: Madrigal gets a talking to. The big man was up front trying to win a header but through some elbows. He is already on a yellow. Prime candidate to get his second tonight.

Seventy-Second: A massive collision between Zavala and Hercules Gomez. Looks like the rammed each others heads together. Wow. Yep they absolutely knocked heads together. and then took a mighty fall. Both men are up and shake hands. GOOD SHOW OF SPORTSMANSHIP MEN!

Seventy-Third: Cross comes in to Madrigal who heads it back into the box where Chupete’s outstretched foot just misses the ball. WOW.

Seventy-Fourth: The Panamaniac and de Nigris engage in combat IN THE BOX and this time Baloy wins as he somehow muscles the ball away from Aldo. That was fantastic stuff from both guys.

Seventy-Ninth: Monterrey holding possession. Mostly through Ayovi. de Nigris is very involved. Chupete has been quiet for the last few minutes. While Monterrey still need two goals to win this thing allowing them to have possession for the final thirteen minutes seems like potential suicide considering who there strikers are.

Eighty-Second: Monterrey corner. Corona heads it into the ground it it bounces harmlessly out. Missed opportunity. Santos sub. Cejas on Quintero off. Darwin was a difference tonight for Santos.

Eighty-Third: Monterrey being a bit to fancy. A backheel was tried to no avail and completely disrupted possession.

Eighty-Fourth: Monterrey corner. Weakly cleared out. CARDOZO SITTING ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BOX SHOOTS IT PAST SANCHEZ! GOOOOAAAAALLLLL MONTERREY! Welcome to hell Santos.

Eighty-Fifth: Yellow for Peralta who absolutely butchered someone from Monterrey.

Eighty-Sixth: HIGH DRAMA! Chupete follows up a de Nigris blast that Sanchez spills. Chupete knicks Sanchez head and gets a yellow for his troubles. HOLY FUCK PEOPLE. TREMENDOUS FINAL!

Eighty-Seventh: Baloy with a stupid foul and then does a bit of pushing. Free kick from way out. Chupete over the ball. he chips it in. GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL MONTERREY~!  DE NIGRIS! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME! INCREIBLE! HIS GIANT CABEZA SOCRES! HE SCORED WITH HIS HEAD AND FOOT TONIGHT! AMAZING.

OROZCO GOING CRAZY IN HIS GOAL. FANS HAVE LOST THEIR COLLECTIVE MINDS. GREATEST FINAL IN ALL THE WORLD DELIVERING!

Ninetieth: Ball goes towards Hercules in the box. He is sandwiched between three players. He goes down to no avail. Wasn’t a dive he just got beat up on his way to a ball he was never going to get. HOW MUCH STOPPAGE? TRES MINUTOS MAS!!!

Ninety-First: Chupete takes the ball into the box but loses it. TAKE IT TO THE CORNER OLD MAN!

Ninety-Second: CHUPETE GOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL~! BELOVED CHUPETE SCORES TO ICE IT! FUCKING GREATEST FINAL IN ALL THE LAND!!!!! MONTERREY ON THE COUNTER ATTACK AND THEY JUST FUCK UP SANCHEZ WHO COMES OUT AND DOESN’T GET THE BALL. AYE AYE.

Seriously I just lost twenty dollars to Piggott and I give no fucks. This was fucking amazing and I love Chupete. HALLA CHUPETE.

FINAL WHISTLE BLOWS

Classy coaches meet and have a classy conversation. One congratulates, the other gives his condolences. I love both of these teams. Fucking amazing game. You want an argument why a final should be over two legs this is the final to point to. Fucking amazing. Sanchez bummed standing next to his back up keeper. He shrugs in a “what the fuck do you do?” kind of way. Not really his fault as he made some great stops.

Monterrey have shirts that say CAMPEONES on them. WELL FUCKING DESERVED. This Monterrey team is the gold standard that all future CONCACAF Champions will be held to. Winners of three straight. Two of the greatest CCL players in history delivered when the game was on the line. Suazo and de Nigris delivered when their club needed them the most. ABSOLUTE BRILLIANCE.

Trophy ceremony is absolutely increible. Gold confetti is everywhere. Fireworks. So many fireworks. Queen is playing. Basanta lifts the trophy with a hand from Aldo. Chupete has the Chilean flag. Running dive into the corner celebration with the trophy. I LOVE ALL OF THIS~!

Amazing tournament. Incredible final. I will miss you CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. Come back soon.

Love Always,

Gregg

AS IT HAPPENED: CONCACAF LIGA CAMPEONES GRAN FINAL! Leg 1 Santos vs Monterrey

We start tonights festivities in Torreon, Mexico. ARE YOU READY FOR THIS! The most important final in all the world starts tonight! CAN YOU DIG IT?

It is a scorching hot 93 degrees in Torreon. Wow. Insane. For those of you that listen to the podcast you will know that Stephen Piggott has bet me TWENTY dollars on who will the Cup. He has taken Monterrey and I have taken the mighty Santos.  VAMOS SANTOS!

This bet hurts me as I love both clubs. If the Fire could acquire any of the attacking players for either club I would be very, very happy. Alas the chance has been blown and all we can do is wistfully watch Chupete Suazo be great from afar.

ENOUGH OF THAT. Prepare thyself! Grab your libations, gird your loins, acquire food if you must. Let us watch the feast of football that lays before us!

Why hello there UniMas you sexy spanish over the air channel you. Thankfully I won’t have to listen to Brian Dunseth or that red headed bartender guy. YAY! VICTORY IS MINE!

SANTOS: Sanchez, Baloy, Mares, Manjarres, Figueroa, Lugo, Guerrero, Salinas, Peralta, Quintero, Cardenas

MONTERREY: Orozco, Solis, Basanta, Mier, Lopez, Ayovi, Zavala, Corona, Delgado, Suazo, de Nigris

Hercules Gomez on the bench to start the evening. The first choice Monterrey keeper is back as Jonathan Orozco makes his return in time for the final.

Roberto Garcia is our referee tonight.

Santos walks out HOLDING EACH OTHERS HANDS! Incredible. Yoshihiro Akiyama is smiling somewhere.

KICKOFF! VAMOS SANTOS!

First: Smoke rises up from the Santos supporters. WELL DONE YOU CRAZY PEOPLE YOU!

Second: OSWALDO SANCHEZ STUFFS CHUPETE! AYE AYE AYE! Our friend Felipe Balloy, the Panamaniac, mishits his clearance right at a Monterrey player. Who then finds Chupete. Sanchez dives to his right to make the save. Mother of all the fucks don’t do that again.

Fourth: Peralta sneaks into the box with the ball! OROZCO WITH A KICK SAVE, IT IS A BEAUTY! This series should just be subtitled THERE WILL BE GOALS.

Monterrey is UP for this game. Their classic slow start does not seem to be there. THEY HAVE COME TO DEFEND THEIR CROWN!

Seventh: Chupete is already bombing forward putting pressure on the Santos backline. He has now almost broken through twice. The Santos defense is holding but it isn’t inspiring much confidence.

Eighth: Darwin Quintero gets himself a yellow for a challenge on the keeper but he barely touches him and WE HAVE OUR FIRST CONCACAF CALL OF THE EVENING. That didn’t take long.

Eleventh: We get a split shot of the coaches and they both are rocking fine suits. Well done gentlemen.

Twelfth: Manjarrez chests the ball out for a Monterrey corner. THIS WAS A MANLY CHESTING. Nice play.

Thirteenth: Ensuing corner punched out by Sanchez for, wait for it, ANOTHER CORNER. Nothing comes of that corner. Chupete is taking the corners which seems a bit weird to me. Here you have one of the best in the box finishers ever and he is hitting your crosses? His crosses are good but seriously someone else can’t do that?

Fifteenth: Santos seem to be getting the better of the possession now. Monterrey dropping into their typical shell.

Sixteenth: AYE AYE AYE, QUINTERO DENIED BY OROZCO. Great cross from Guerrero that Darwin tries to flick in with his foot. It hits the keeper who looked to have been fooled by the shot.

Seventeenth: Monterrey says fuck that shit and brings the offense down the field. Chupete in acres of space and it ends up earning a corner. Nothing comes of the corner.

Eighteenth: Yellow for Zavala as he takes out Salinas’ leg. Not nearly as soft as the other yellow. Fairly legit. Free kick for Santos that the ONE MAN WALL OF CHUPETE BLOCKS. HALLA CHUPETE!

AAAAAHHHHH, Chupete gets the ball makes a great pass to a bursting Delgado. Sanchez is out parries the ball away and Delgado goes flying. Santos defense clears the ball out for a throw in. THIS GAME IS AWESOME.

Twentieth: Yellow for Chupete! He tries to tackle a guy from behind, doesn’t really get him and sees a yellow. OK.

This game is a track meet in 90 degree heat.

Twenty-Fourth: Yellow for a rather wreckless challenge from Lugo. That could have been disastrous. I would also like to point out Aldo de Nigris just dropped back into the defensive third to win the ball and hold it up. That is what a great player does.

Twenty-Fifth:  ANOTHER YELLOW! This time to Manjarrez for a soft from behind challenge. THERE WILL BE RED CARDS TONIGHT. Probably more than one.

The constant facebook/twitter ticker during this game is horrible. On the bright side it is the thinnest and least obnoxious ticker in all of sports television so yay for that. Also the fact I can’t read Spanish very well is helping me out a lot right now.

Twenty-Ninth: The Monterrey midfield has shown up tonight. They are playing some very good defense. Holding their own and disrupting Santos possession excellently. Santos is having a hard time getting their offense going.

Thirtieth: Aldo de Nigris gets the ball at the top of the box, shrugs a defender off, and just blindly rips a shot at goal. This shot was ON FRAME and would have gone in but Sanchez was standing right where the shot was hit. Wow. Aldo has his working boots on early tonight.

UniMas turning the sound off during the Puto chants is downright amazing right now. NEVER CHANGE SPANISH LANGUAGE TV!

The game has slowed down but the physicality is high right now. Lots of banging going on. Elbows are high (would you expect less?) but so far neither team is losing their cool. Both of these sides are easily the classiest of the Mexican league in recent history.

Thirty-Sixth: Oswaldo Sanchez with a MIGHTY throw initiates the offense. Santos end up misfiring at the end of the run as Peralta couldn’t get on the end of a Quintero cross. Unfortunate.

Thirty-Seventh: Peralta takes a blast from from distance. It goes way wide but is a notable moment since Quintero was able to get the ball at the top and quickly facilitate to an open Peralta.

Thirty-Ninth: Chupete conferences with his manager Victor Vucetich. Not sure what that was about

Fortieth: free kick conceded by Monterrey. Needlessly. Silly trip on Lugo who wasn’t about to do anything. Don’t worry the ONE MAN WALL CHUPETE puts the ball out for a corner. Nothing comes of the corner.

Forty-Second: Delgado (or Chelitos as the back of his jersey says) is absolutely massacred in a dangerous tackle by Manjarrez. Somehow no cards were given. Manjarrez is very, very lucky right now. Could have been his second yellow. The ref is trying to gain control of the game by not carding anyone here. Good call if you ask me. Too many soft cards early.

Forty-Fifth: one minute of stoppage for this half.

Halftime Whistle:

THAT WAS A FUCKING GREAT HALF OF SOCCER. Santos have to be a bit upset with themselves as they have allowed Chupete too much space on the counter attack. de Nigris has been kept pretty much in check. On the other hand Monterrey is fighting hard. They have come to defend their CAMPEONATO. Lots of good fight from them this half along with their normally excellent counter attack. Second half should be great.

Second Half is underway!

Forty-Eighth: CHUPETE OFF THE POST! CHUPETE OFF THE POST! CHUPETE OFF THE POST! Wow. Great cross from someone (couldn’t tell who) that finds an UNMARKED Suazo who hammers a header right into the post. Monterrey looking for that away goal.

Fiftieth: Peralta goes down somewhat theatrically in the box. The replay shows his leg getting stuck under the defender. Peralta may be done tonight. Stretcher is out and he is laying in pain. He was called for a foul earlier in the play. Yep his night is done. Trainer and bench signal for the substitution. This is bad, really bad for Santos. Peralta looks to be in tears on the stretcher. He is up and walking now. Very strange.

Fifty-Third: Monterrey blasts a shot form the top of the box that goes wide. Santos sub: Gomez on. Peralta off. Oribe is shown on the bench getting his knee iced down. Hopefully this is more precautionary than anything else.

Fifty-Eighth: Game is starting to get feisty. Gomez and Delgado get into it a bit. Santos is building from the back but the end product is resulting in a lot of muted goal kicks by Monterrey.

The pace has really slowed down. Monterrey is in their defensive shell disrupting play just enough that Santos is never comfortable with the ball. The Monterrey counter attack keeps trying to create opportunities. As long as the pace stays the same this game is Monterrey’s to take.

Sixty-Third: Santos hold possession for a bit but can’t put anything decent together. They end up weakly conceding possession. Peralta leaving the game has deprived them of their offensive fulcrum. Struggling without him. Quintero is trying to assert himself more but so far it is not so good. The more possession they get the better Santos is going to feel.

Sixty-Fifth: Santos fans in full throat right now. Urging their team into something better.

Sixty-Sixth: RED CARD: CHELITO. Monterrey down to 10 men. Chelito went in hard at Gomez and clipped his foot. Hercules sold it like he was shot. In real time this looked like a legit red card. Replay would indicate it is more along the lines of a yellow. I don’t blame the ref for pulling out the red card. Chelito had been getting more physical as the game wore on and honestly should have already been on a yellow.

Sixty-Seventh: Monterrey Sub. Moreno on. Corona off. Monterrey clearly looking to get out of Torreon with a 0-0 draw now.

Sixty-Eighth: QUINTERO HEADER RIGHT AT OROZCO! The deadlock was almost ended.

Seventy-First: de Nigris wins a free kick near the goal line 5 yards outside the box. Chupete stands over the free kick. He classically wastes time by picking up the junk being thrown at him and trying to deliver it to the ref. Chupete strikes the ball right into the two man wall. Ball finds its way into the box where it bounces around and ends up in the hands of Sanchez.

Seventy-Fourth: Quintero hits a cross well out of bounds. Santos still struggling to find their offensive balance even while up a man. Terrific performance from the Monterrey defense this evening.

Seventy-Seventh: Santos sub. Cejas on. Lugo off.

Seventy-Ninth: Monterrey sub. Chavez on. de Nigris off.

Eightieth: Some nice goal keeping from Sanchez as his defenders header is not great and CHUPETE WAS LURKING.

Eighty-Second: Quintero gets the ball on the left wing. Crosses it into the box for Gomez who just isn’t tall enough to get his head to the ball.

Eighty-Third: Chupete channels his inner Blanco. He stays on the ground grabbing his ankle buying his teammates some time while they are down a man. The ref comes over and waves him up. CHUPETE DOES BLANCO GROUND GIRATIONS! Someone has been watching his tapes.

Eighty-Fifth: Santos sub. Calderon on. Salinas off.  Santos still can’t generate much offense. Monterrey standing strong.

Eighty-Sixth: Quintero gets the ball in space, flicks it to Gomez whose shot is blocked and then put out for a corner. First real offense for Santos in a while.  Ensuing corner amounts to nothing.

Eighty-Seventh: Monterrey sub. Madrigal on. Suazo off. I understand what Vucetich is doing but Monterrey without Suazo and de Nigris on the field is just weird.

Eighty-Ninth: Santos getting a bit desperate as a long ball is hit that goes too far for the wing player to get on the end of.

Ninetieth: Gomez flops in the box to no avail. Good call by the ref.

Ninety-First: Quintero gets free and into space but has his pass intercepted. BAD PASS DARWIN. Four minutes of stoppage forthcoming.

Ninety-Second: Santos work the ball around find a runner into the box. A low cross is hit towards Gomez by Cejas that is cleared out for a throw in.

Ninety-Third: Shot goes in but Orozco easily dives to his right and saves. Didn’t see who got the shot off.  Ball goes back into Monterrey defensive end. Hercules flops again and doesn’t get the call. Ends up being a Monterrey free kick that is blasted into the Santos end.

FINAL WHISTLE

Incredible performance from Monterrey. They held after going down a man and looked likely to win when it was even strength. I did not expect this result tonight. In retrospect for Santos they should have started Gomez with Peralta and Quintero. There offense never got going after Peralta’s injury. In particular Gomez couldn’t get going after being subbed on a man up. Very disappointing from a Santos perspective. Going up a man for thirty minutes and creating almost nothing during that time span is just not good enough.

We are going to have a hell of a second leg next Wednesday in Monterrey. SEE YOU THEN!