The Americas Forum
Everything from CONMEBOL to CONCACAF including national teams, Copa Sudamerica, Copa Libertadores and the CONCACAF Champions League. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico are featured here. Apertura and Clausura are not Spanish words for open and shut in this forum.
Latest CONCACAF and CONMEBOL Entries
Total Threads: 10 | Replies: 57
Milan Target Sao Paulo Super Prospect Lucas Piazon
Category: Americas - Brazil
Created by: dynamo Create Date: April 13, 2010 Last Comment: April 26, 2010
AC Milan are challenging Chelsea for exciting Brazilian teenager Lucas Piazon. When he was 14, Piazon was regarded as a bigger talent than Kaka for the same age and agreed a deal with Sao Paulo to sign a contract when he turned 16 in January this year.
However, in December, Chelsea came knocking and Piazon's family have been attempting to break the agreement with Sao Paulo. The Brazilian Federation has sided with the local club, but the dispute has seen Piazon frozen out of football.
With the 16 year-old not seeing any action, cash-strapped Sao Paulo know they risk losing money on his transfer and is now expected to sell. Chelsea remain keen, however, Italian sources say Milan are also interested, well aware they can snap up the midfield playmaker for a ridiculously low fee. The youngster is currently on €2,000-a-month.
AC Milan youth chief Mauro Pederzoli believes there's too much hype surrounding the Brazilian whizkid while denying reports he was in Brazil last week to speak with Sao Paulo about the 15 year-old midfielder.
He told MilanNews.it: "Piazon is one we've talked about in the past, he is one of many players I've seen and is very good. But today he is a player of Sao Paulo.
"I would also like to stress that this media hype created around Piazon is not good. We're talking about a player who belongs to another club. Milan are interested because he is very good, but there are others like him - seven or eight names that could be good players that we're following."
comment | Total Replies: 4
A Telling Moment
Category: Americas - CONCACAF
Created by: jimsvejk Create Date: April 5, 2010 Last Comment: April 23, 2010
I just went to the Peubla website to find footage of Gomez' goal this weekend, which was a very mice one by the way, and was struck by something... They are a pretty big club in a pretty big league and there was no English option on their sight(to make sure it wan't unique to their site I also checked Toluca, Cruz Azul and America's and found the same). There are dinky clubs in much smaller European leagues (BEL, ROM, UKR etc) with at least English versions of their sites.
Through my rudimentary Spanish I managed to find the clips without too much difficulty. I think the time when that league starts (since they are heavly broadcasted on Univision, Telemundo, etc.) posting english web content it will signal a positive benchmark of growth in the 'gringo' sector of the NA sports scene.
comment | Total Replies: 9
Cruzeiro and Inter Earn Libertadores Success
Category: Americas - Copa Libertadores
Created by: KunFan10 Create Date: April 1, 2010 Last Comment: April 1, 2010
BUENOS AIRES - Kleber scored twice as Cruzeiro crowned a good night for Brazilian teams in the Libertadores Cup with a 3-0 win over Argentina's Velez Sarsfield at the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday. Internacional beat Uruguay's Cerro 2-0 to relieve the pressure on coach Jorge Fossati and Sao Paulo drew 0-0 away to Mexican champions Monterrey.
Cruzeiro, last year's runners-up, went top of Group Seven with 10 points from five matches, the same as Velez but with the better goal difference. Colo Colo are third with four points from four games. Man-of-the-match Thiago Ribeiro put twice South American champions Cruzeiro ahead just past the half hour when he cut inside from the left wing, beat three defenders on a mazy run and swivelled to shoot home from the edge of the box.
Thiago then laid on two goals in six minutes at the start of the second half for striker Kleber, who took his tournament-leading tally to six and squashed any hopes Velez had of fighting their way back into the match. Kleber netted Thiago's first-time cross from the right in the 48th minute then latched on to the winger's pass down the middle and steered the ball past goalkeeper German Montoya.
Velez midfielder Leandro Somoza was sent off in the 82nd minute for a second booking. Argentina's Estudiantes, who won the title by beating Cruzeiro in last year's final second leg at the same Mineirao ground, kept on track for the knockout phase with a 2-0 away win over Juan Aurich of Peru on Tuesday.
Internacional, title winners in 2006, bucked a string of poor results that had Uruguayan coach Fossati under fire with a win in Porto Alegre that put them top of Group Five, one point ahead of Cerro after four matches.
The Uruguayans, having held Inter 0-0 at home two weeks ago, were unlucky when they fell behind in the 58th minute to an own goal by defender Walter Ibanez. Goalkeeper Damian Frascarelli had a shot from the left by Inter forward Walter covered but Ibanez stepped ahead of him to clear and sliced the ball into the net.
Striker Alecsandro rammed home the second from the rebound after Frascarelli could only parry man-of-the-match Giuliano's spectacular scissors kick from the edge of the box 13 minutes later. Fossati had said he would resign if Inter, who had gone six matches without a win in the Gaucho state championship and Libertadores, did not beat Cerro.
Three times champions Sao Paulo are top of Group Two, two points ahead of Colombia's Once Caldas, who can take the lead if they beat eliminated and point-less Nacional of Paraguay at home on Thursday. Monterrey are third two points further back.
comment | Total Replies: 2
Brazilian President Lula: Kaka in Most Difficult Moment
Category: Americas - Brazil
Created by: KunFan10 Create Date: March 26, 2010 Last Comment: March 26, 2010
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva admits he fears for Real Madrid midfielder Kaka. Lula accepts Kaka is struggling to adapt in Madrid.
He said: "I think Kaka is perhaps in the most difficult moment in his career. Not only through injury, but also because the team of Real Madrid is almost an exhibition of paintings, artists, and many artists have much competition on the canvas.
"I think Kaka is essential for the Brazilian team, remains a great football player, but is living a delicate time."
Former Madrid manager Bernd Schuster believes Kaka is suffering in the shadow of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo. Schuster has likened the situation at Real to what he experienced at Barcelona playing with Diego Maradona.
The former Real coach said: "They said that between Diego Maradona and Schuster we were going to win everything.
"Diego had a shadow as large as Cristiano and for some, like myself, we fell back. We did not complain because we believed in Diego and that he would solve everything.
"Cristiano keeps everyone in the shade because everything goes through him: statements, training, matches ... Kaka is one of the ones in the shadows behind him, and cannot shake it off."
comment | Total Replies: 7
How To Fix Superliga
Category: Americas - CONCACAF
Created by: dynamo Create Date: August 4, 2008 Last Comment: March 22, 2010
Whether you love or like or despise MLS, you have to agree that the concept of Superliga is the second best reasons to watch American Soccer, only surpassed by the US Men's Team. The idea is, quite frankly, simple and therefore brilliant.
Let the market engine pimp up the fact that Mexican and American soccer supporters don't like each other. Assume the Mexicans will enter games so confident in their superiority and Americans highly offended by the little brother syndrome. Bank on fans in Hispanic-influenced cities like Los Angeles, Houston and Dallas to flock to these games involving storied Mexican clubs in the hope that passions explode into a festival of football pleasing to all.
Yet year two revealed a couple of flaws. Half-empty stadiums, a revelation that the Mexican winner would get $1 million while the MLS winner would get $165,000, and a wasteland of proper officiating.
How would you fix Superliga because it's a tournament worth the effort of fixing.
comment | Total Replies: 12
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