Como no te voy a Querer?

The Clausura 2009 league champion was crowned today as Pumas prevailed over the Tuzos of Pachuca, away at Hidalgo stadium, with a two-goal draw to win the final series with a 3-2 aggregate.

I am glad that Pumas won because the Tuzos deserved to lose at home after having stolen a semi-finals match up against my beloved Chivas youth squad. Remember with me if you will the Clausura 2006 season. Pachuca had won the first leg (2-1), at the Jalisco stadium, and seemed to have the series in the bag since Chivas would be missing many key players for the return-leg.

Then Chivas, true to themselves, shocked the Tuzos with a 3-1 score that had them eliminated. That was until the match official decided to extend the three minutes of overtime into five-plus allowing the Tuzos to score and level the aggregate (4-4) and advance to the final with their better league standing.

Since then I have grown a hatred for Pachuca. They have also managed other upsets but I will admit those were because they got lucky. As for Pumas, even though they have a mild-rivalry with Chivas due to Vergara’s marketing schemes, I cannot hate them. They have always been Chivas feeder club even if they will not admit it.

Gallos Blancos

I had all but forgotten about Isaac Romo, a player I had been following closely ever since Hans Westerhof had hand picked him to be Chivas center forward, until a few days ago. Romo had gotten on the score-sheet in Queretors 2-1 home win over Merida in the first-leg of the Primera A championship.

The former Guadalajara and Chivas USA player, who had fallen into oblivion, finally made his presence be felt as he converted from the 12 yard mark to give Queretaro a 5-4 penalty kick shoot-out victory over Merida and send the Gallos Blancos back to the Mexican top flight.

Naco Ramirez: A Lost Hope

Jorge Vergara seems hell-bent on making me suffer! Of all the idiotic decisions he has made in the past I have always remained loyal but now it is getting too much. My beloved Chivas had crossed into the dark side with the emocentric Naco Ramirez at the helm; an affair I thought would not last.

Vergara, none the less, has decided to give him six more months to try and flush Chivas down the toilet. As much as I doubt it will happen I hope that Naco Ramirez proves me wrong because I am not the type of fan that hopes for their team to fail in order to bring changes.

In the four games Ramirez coached not once was the team able to score more than one goal, and when qualification for the Liguilla was on the line the team choked. I honestly do not know what to expect from this coach aside from the club continuing it's trend of not qualifying to the liguilla.

They stole all hearts away

Barcelona you are too hot. You have never been in love until you've seen the Stars rise over the stadio Olimpico and you have never been in love until you've seen the Blaugrana rise behind the home for the blind. We are the pretty petty Champions League thieves and your standing on our streets..

Newcastle United Relegated

Newcstle’s one-nil defeat to Aston Villa, with an own goal from Damien Duff, has seen the Magpies' 16-year stay in the top flight ended with relegation to the Coca-Cola Championship.

I knew the Toon Army was set to go downhill after they sold their top players to Real Madrid. Perhaps, Newcastle would have done well without Gavin Harris but trading Santiago Munez for Michael Owen, a deal which then Tinyside head coach Roz disagreed with, proved to be disastrous.

Newcastle also ignored Glen Foy, the former Scottish footballer and scout, who spotted Santiago playing for an amateur club in Los Angeles. Poor old Foy had to return to his used car lot when he would have been better put to use looking for gems in and around Macarthur Park.

IL Grande Capitano

Paolo Cesare Maldini, "il capitano dalle 901 battaglie", bid farewell to the Rossoneri faithful today after playing his last match at the San Siro stadium with a 2-3 defeat against AS Roma.

The 40 year old battle-hardened defender made his debut for AC Milan at the age of 16 and remained at the club for his entire career becoming the most selected player in the history of the Milan Club, the Italian Serie A, and the Italian national team.

Maldini had an illustrious career with the Milan club having won seven league titles, five Italian super-cups, five Champions League cups, two Intercontinental cups, and one FIFA Clubs World Cup. Still, Il grande capitano was not as successful with the Italian National team and even admitted in a recent interview his lament for not being able to win silverware with the Azzurri.

Maldini played in four World Cups (90-02) and had he not retired from the Italian National Team would have added the one trophy that escaped his long list of achievements.

El Maleno

Indios of Ciudad Juarez began their season with an uphill relegation dog-fight but managed to avoid the drop and even clinched qualification to the league playoffs in the last match day. Julio Daniel “Maleno” Frias is the clubs unlikely hero.

When I first heard Frias name mentioned I thought he was a third rate South American player found in the lower leagues. Frias, however, is from the ravaged city of Juarez where he claims to have been involved in drugs and gangs.

“I had to abandon the things I used to be involved with in order to take care of my son,” said Frias who worked in construction before landing in Indios. “I am used to the troubled city, I live with that, most of my teammates are afraid to go outside,” explained Frias who maintains a great relationship with the locals.