Chiva Clasico

Que mamadas son estas, Y quien fue el pendejo que se le ocurio nombrar al amistoso Chiva Clasico. No recuerdo ver ningun partido entre ambas Chivas y ya es clasico; vayanse a la Verga..

El Hachita Luduena

Daniel "Hachita" Luduena arrived to the Mexican League in 2004 to play with Tecos and in the five years that he has been plying his trade in Mexico has become one of the best foreigners in the league. Last year Luduena applied for Mexican citizenship and it was believed that he was in former coach Sven Goran Ericksons plans to received a call-up to the national team.

Luduena also suffered a series of injuries that hindered his performance with current club Santos Laguna which coincidentaly struggled in league play. This season Luduena appears to be back. Hachitas brace in Santos recent two-goal draw against Tigres have certainly put him back in the spotlight.

My question now is; does Javier Aguirre have any plans to include Luduena in the Tricolor. The current Mexico boss seems to have discarded Pavel Pardo and Zinha; a spot that Hachita will be more than willing to cover in the Tricolor.

Super Plastico

I would like to pretend that I care for the Chivas USA vs. Los Angeles match up but that is no longer the case. The L.A derby, the only derby in MLS, was one of the few games that would take me to the Home Depot Center. However, that no longer happens as I find myself detaching from the Chivas franchise with each passing season.

For starters the fact that the matchup gets named the Honda Super Clasico even before the two team’s even play a single game pissed me off. I believe Honda has since dropped off as sponsors but the game keeps being marketed as the Super Cassico with a nifty trophy awarded to the winner of the three or four game series. Regardless, the rivalry is far from being a Super Clasico.

A Super Clasico is the type of game that divides a country in half, it is a game between the two most popular teams, and lines are drawn. Important events and games are settled during Super Clasico's; all of which are still lacking from MLS version of the mother of all league games.

Another important factor of a Super Clasico is the number of important matches disputed by the rivals. Chivas and Galaxy have yet to meet in Championship finals; granted the rivalry is only four years old. Still, there has been no reason to market a fledging rivalry as a Super Classico that is only deceiving the fans. I have no doubt that the L.A derby can become a great matchup but we are still a few years away from that to happen

And the main reason I have been staying away from the Super Plastico has been the Home Depot Center front office which have banned the Union Ultras and Legion 1908 from using flags and fireworks; pretty much terminating any real passion present in the stadium to ensure MLS remain a mom and pop league. Match atmosphere is a very important aspect to the game take that away and I would rather watch the game at home.

Damian Manso

There are many promising players that get touted as the next best thing and at 16 years of age Damian Manso was going to be the second coming of Maradona. I was fortunate to have seen one of Manso’s first games with Newell’s Old Boys and throughout the years kept tabs on the upstart Argentine.

Unfortunately a string of injuries marginalized Manso and kept him away from the spotlight. The crafty midfielder even had two failed stints in Europe with French outfit Bastia and the Greek club Xanthi; with each failed run leading him back to Newells. I had all but forgotten about Manso until watching the 2008 FIFA club’s World Cup semi-final’s match between Pachuca and LDU Quito.

It was there that I learned that Manso had been a key figure in Quito’s Copa Libertadores conquest. At 30 years of age Manso was finally fulfilling half of his projected potential. Manso’s participation in the club’s WC earned him the bronze ball and a contract with Pachuca.

El Chelis

Ever since Jose Luis Sanchez Sola, commonly known as Chelis, took over the reins of the modest Puebla he has become one of the Mexican Football League’s most controversial figures. It has been almost three years now since Chelis arrival to the coaching scene and I must admit my impression of the Pierluigi Colina look alike has greatly changed.

My first impression of Chelis, with all due respect, was that of a little bitch. Chelis caught his fair share of the agro from the Mexican media, which had a field day, every time the Puebla boss began tearing up at post match press conferences. Now, I am not sure what happened between the Apertura 2006 to the 2009 season but Chelis balls grew to the size of Grapefruit.

The images of a teary eyed Chelis have now been replaced by that of a no nonsense, take no prisoners, lumberjack of a man that happens to look like Mr. Clean. Indeed, the big-balls Chelis not only told the CONCACAF higher ups to go fuck themselves up their stupid asses but he also said what many have wanted to say in the MFL and were afraid to say; that Pachuca cheats to win.

Perhaps, Chelis claims have been out of line but there is no denying that he is a changed man. Chelis outbursts, however, have come at a price and the Puebla coach has now been fined on two occasions. As for Chelis capabilities as a coach; with the bald man at Puebla’s helm the “Camoteros” have gone from relegation candidates to reaching the league semifinals.

It's Nacho team anymore

Ignacio "Nacho" Ambriz, having spent the past seven years under the tutelage of Javier "Vasco" Aguirre, turned down a lucrative offer to be part of the Mexican national team’s coaching staff in order to pursue a job as head coach. Last season Ambriz was offered the reigns of Chivas de Guadalajara but Nacho politely declined as he had unfinished business in Madrid.

In a strange turn of events Ambriz refusal opened the doors for Francisco Ramirez to take over the Guadalajara side. Ramirez stint with Chivas, however, has been nothing short of disastrous and with the club having already missed the last two league playoffs Pacos bad start of the season has him with one foot out of the institutions revolving door.

Rumors have now hit the airwaves and Vergara is believed to have given Paco one last chance against Pachuca. Nothing short of a well played victory will keep Ramirez at Guadalajara and seeing how the club has been performing I would not be surprised if Paco prepares his suit case before the match.

Already lined up to take over Ramirez is Ambriz. The former Necaxa and Mexico midfielder is known for his no nonsense attitude and hard work ethic. Ambriz time in Spain, helping coach Osasuna and Atletico de Madrid, is more preparation than all of the debutant coaches who have taken over the helm under Vergara’s reign. In that sense Nacho should be more than capable of turning Chivas fortunes around.

Luis Angel Landin

Luis Angel Landin was set to become the heir apparent to Jared Borgetti but amidst the hype the once promising striker fell by the wayside. Landin's venture with Cruz Azul, much like his stint with the Tricolor, left much to be desired. Perhaps realizing he had done everything he could in the Mexican League the lanky forward decided to switch to Major League Soccer.

I am not sure what prompted Landin to play with the Houston Dynamo but his move is a first for any Mexican player in their prime. Juan Pablo Garcia had moved from Atlas to Chivas USA but only after being blacklisted by the MFL’s “Gentlemen’s Pact” and there seems to be similarities with Landin's transfer as it is not Cruz Azul involved in the deal but Morelia.

Thiago Martins

One of the worst displays of professional football I have ever seen came from my home town team Chivas USA in their inaugural 2005 season. Club owner Jorge Vergara had boosted “the peace and quiet ends now”, or something along those lines, making it seem as if the Guadalajara franchise was going to revolutionize Major League Soccer.

That, however, never happened as Chivas display on the field went from bad to worse. And of all the players from the very first Chivas USA team that have long disappeared the one that always comes to mind is Thiago Martins; The Brazilian striker from Sao Paolo whose pursuit of the American dream took him from beach bum to professional football player.

Martins also has the distinction of being the first player to score an official goal for Chivas USA assuring that his name will long be linked to the Los Angeles club. Other than that Martins was rather useless. He sucked so bad that the USSF did not even try to cap him. And after three years in MLS and having only scored six goals Martins ended up at FK Bodø/Glimt of the Norwegian top flight. Martins scored 20 goals in his first season and his since become the clubs most valuable player!

Little Boy Blue

Last week's Hexagonal match-up between Mexico and the United States was supposed to be the game where Landon Donovan finally succeeded in defeating the Tricolor at the mighty Colosus of Saint Ursula; the estadio Azteca. And after nine minutes it appeared that he would do just that.

Donovan set up Davies with a brilliant pass to open the scoring sheet. The so-called "Mexicutioner" seemed poised to fulfill every Nads fan boys wet dream. However, as the minutes draged on so did Landon who in his final act was outpaced by Efrain Juarez who set up the match winner.

A few days after the match news surfaced that Landycakes had played whilst suffering from the H1N1 virus. Regardless of Donovan's condition the U.S have now fallen to the Tricolor for the second straight game and have allowed a surprising seven goals. I like where this rivalry is headed..

Return of the prodigal son

"Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found". – (Vergara 15:32, CHV)

After a failed stint with Spanish outfit Deportivo La Coruna Bravo has returned to Chivas de Guadalajara. It was a though year for both Chivas and Bravo. While the speedy striker warmed the bench Chivas missed out on both the Apertura 08 and Clausura 09 league playoffs.

Many fans fear that Bravo's return will affect the rise of upstarts: Chicharo Hernandez and Omar Arellano. While both players have the potential to be good they have yet to match Bravos consistancy. Chivas afterall is not a feeder club but one of the top Mexican clubs.

Chivas needs Bravo as much as the striker needs the club. Hopefuly, with Bravo back on the field Chivas can once again qualify for the league playoffs and boost a strong attack when they make a run for Copa Libertadores glory. As for Hernandez and Arellano; the cream always rises to the top.

Mas Que un Empate

So, last week my beloved Chivas de Guadalajara played European super-champions Barcelona in a meaningless friendly that ended with a one-goal draw.

After the match Chivas owner Jorge Vergara claimed that Chivas should have won; even if they only managed to get two shots on goal all game. Vergara's comments if anything were made to show that he is still backing up Francisco Ramirez.

Vergara went against his own word with his comments as he has been doing ever since taking over the club. According to the Chivas Supremo the club's philosophy is to always play an attacking style of football. Well, against Barcelona Chivas philosophy turned to bunkerball.

I can understand why the team played the way they did; a heavy loss could have brought down team morale. Still, no need to bullshit the fans. Many of whom were hoping for a defeat if only to get Francisco Ramirez sacked. The coach has yet to convince the Chivas faithful.