Yuckiness

The fallout from both Wendesday's Chivas-Everton match and the swine flu in Mexico has been, well, as Mural put it - Fuchila!

* Chivas and San Luis made it through to the second round of Libertadores where they'll play Sao Paulo and Nacional (Uruguay) respectively, but where will they play?

* Because of the swine flu, it seems Mexico is not an option for Chivas and/or San Luis to host South American teams. Colombia was in line to play host to games as the two Mexican teams were all set to play their home legs in Bogota but the Colombian government said no. FMF officials had said Chile might be an option but everything is seemingly up in the air, and when government officials get involved and are emphatic against something like a soccer game, it makes it hard to get around that.

* I was wondering if this might mean we'd have a Libertadores game here in LA but I read somewhere that the idea of playing those games in the US had been kicked around but discarded. Guess it'd be hard for Nacional to get from Montevideo to Los Angeles for a midweek game.

* I really hope that the series isn't reduced to a one-off game for both, with the matches being played at Sao Paulo and Montevideo, but that could be an option. Chivas at Sao Paulo for a winner-take-all series. A neutral site, even if it's in that country, would be preferable, but a two-leg series would still be the most ideal thing. Don't know, just seems there are a lot of people throwing up roadblocks and if Colombia already said no, if Chile was already hostile in their treatment of Chivas, I wonder if any South American country will say yes to Chivas and San Luis at this point.

* Getting back to the spitting incident, Chivas president Pedro Saez had some damage control and said he was surprised a player of Reynoso's caliber would do such an act. Mural ran a great picture of the incident:

The Everton player said afterward: "I hope he doesn't have some sort of disease." Ouch.

Tying their way through

Guadalajara tied Everton 1-1 in Chile on Wednesday and advanced to the second round of Copa Libertadores. They needed just a draw to get by and they did just that.

Of course, the week wasn't an uneventful one. Because of their travel from Mexico City to Santiago, the locals were not exactly welcoming to players while they were out and about in Viña Del Mar.

Which prompted this cartoon from Terrazas:

Chiva tells Everton: Your countrymen treated me like a pig.
To wit Everton replies: And because of you, they'll treat me like trash.

The game wasn't without incident though as there were a pair of red cards at the end of the match.

Clasico de Clasicos

Chivas looked like a mess coming into Sunday's game against America. They fired their manager after 17 days on the job (and no losses in three games) and the turmoil may have taken away from their focus.

Then, when new manager Francisco "Paco" Ramirez did not start Javier "Chicharo" Hernandez, one of the club's hottest scorers, it looked difficult. Salvador Cabañas' absence though helped as Chivas were able to pull out a 1-0 win over America on Sunday.

Chivas have a crucial match at Pumas next week; a victory there would all but send the club through to the Liguilla. Regardless, they dealt America a tough setback as America now return home, a place where they haven't won this season, with a load of pressure.

Chivas' novela

I've got a few stories up on Chivas' mess on Goal.com.

Among the highlights: Francisco Ramirez is enthused to be manager while Jorge Vergara insists Arellano was an interim, then goes on to rip into the players.

Classic brawl

It really was too bad that Omar Arellano was fired. We had a little story set to go on Goal.com about Arellano, his thoughts on the Clasico with America and his involvement in the huge brawl in the mid-80s between the teams.

This is quite an impressive brawl. I'll still share it with you here, but too bad there won't be a manager on Sunday that played a direct role in it.

Sacking of Omar

Sometimes, you couldn't make stuff up like this.

No matter how hard you'd try to fabricate something, it just wouldn't seem real.

This is one of those things. If you would have said yesterday at this time that Omar Arellano would not manage Guadalajara in Sunday's game against America, people would think you were crazy.

Well, it happened. Chivas sacked Arellano, just three weeks after he took over for Efrain Flores. Now, the club is onto its third boss in the last 24 days as Francisco "Paco" Ramirez is now in charge of El Rebaño.

Actually, Mural is reporting that Ramirez and Salvador Reyes Jr. are in charge of the team, but who is the boss and who is the assistant will be sorted out, though it appears it's Ramirez.

American fans are quite familiar with Ramirez. He was an assistant coach under Ricardo Lavolpe with the Mexican national team and served in the same role under Sven-Goran Eriksson with El Tri. After the 2-0 loss Mexico suffered against the US on Feb. 11, Ramirez slapped Frankie Hejduk and was banned for two games. Then, Eriksson got ran and Javier Aguirre was hired and is bringing in his own people.

Ramirez was also a finalist in the Chivas USA post when it ultimately went to Preki. At the time, I thought Ramirez should have gotten the job. I guess I liked the idea of a deviation from the Bradley era and thought that Ramirez may have been able to bring in guys like Paco Palencia or Loca Garcia.

Anyway, there you go. The wild and wacky world of Club Deportivo Guadalajara. As the corner of Mural's cover says... Ripley's Believe it or Not.

Midweek kickaround

Some random thoughts and links to fill the morning/afternoon:

- I didn't actually get to write about the attendance figures for my PE column. In case you hadn't noticed, attendance figures around the league are sagging. MLS Daily does an excellent breakdown of this so you can click on this link to check out the figures.

Now, it's a little early in the season to say that the sky is falling or anything but there have been some wretched attendance figures around the league thus far.

* Real Salt Lake drew 11,806 to their season opener against Columbus. Yes, it was on a Thursday night but the game kicked off their home schedule. And it was against the defending champions. They actually drew 13 less fans to a Saturday match against DC United about 10 days later.

* FC Dallas drew 6,524 fans to a Sunday afternoon match against Chivas USA.

* The Galaxy drew 23,317 fans Saturday against Chivas USA. Now, it wasn't the most poorly-attended Clasico they hosted - only 18,260 showed up in June 2006 to watch Chivas-Galaxy, but it was just the second time the Galaxy did not sell out a Clasico.

* The Galaxy also drew just 18,013 to their home opener. It was the first time since the Galaxy moved to Home Depot Center that they have drawn fewer than 20,000 to their home opener.

* Kansas City, Columbus and San Jose (twice) have played home games with fewer than 10,000 in the seats.

Anyway, I'm not going to make any sort of final judgments on this - it's still too early to do so - but this certainly bears watching.

ADD: Thanks to Michoacano, I remembered to add the second part of this attendance thoughts. Not all attendance figures have been negative. Seattle has made a splash in their games, averaging just under 30,000 in three home dates. Chivas USA also has enjoyed a bit of a rise in attendance, which is encouraging.

So while the overall figures look bleak there are some stats to be encouraged by.

- Fredy Montero won't face any sort of criminal charges for an alleged sexual assault. That's good. MLS has nowhere near the media exposure of the major American sports leagues, but it also doesn't have many of the off-the-field problems those leagues deal with either. Last thing we needed was for one of the brighter young imports acting badly. Well now, not sure if he did or didn't act badly but at least there was nothing criminal about his behavior.

- President Obama threw his support behind a US World Cup bid. Here's what he had to say about the matter, according to a US Soccer press release:

Hosting another successful World Cup is important for the continued growth of the sport in the United States. And it is important to me personally. As a child, I played soccer on a dirt road in Jakarta, and the game brought the children of my neighborhood together. As a father, I saw that same spirit of unity alive on the fields and sidelines of my own daughters’ soccer games in Chicago. Soccer is truly the world’s sport, and the World Cup promotes camaraderie and friendly competition across the globe. That is why this bid is about much more than a game. It is about the United States of America inviting the world to gather all across our great country in celebration of our common hopes and dreams.

- San Diego might be one of the venues for some possible World Cup games. Or it might not. The Union-Tribune's Mark Zeigler looks at "America's Finest City" and their prospects of potentially hosting World Cup matches.

- In case you aren't aware, Chivas and America will play on Sunday in the best football rivalry north of Boca-River on this side of the world. I'd put them in the same category and I'm not about to say one is better than the other. Of course, I follow the Mexican superclasico more but that's natural. My family's from Mexico.

Anyway, Chivas didn't look very good against Lanus on Tuesday in Copa Libertadores although they could have won the game had they not had a late goal disallowed.

And for overall coverage of the game and the Mexican league, stop by Goal.com. I'm treating it as a national team game and will have a lot of coverage before the game and on matchday.

Monday morning quick takes

Just a few things before I start the morning:

- Carlos Ochoa scored again, finally. You might remember Ochoa as Chivas' hot offseason acquisition. He did well to find the back of the net in InterLiga and on his debut with Chivas in league. Since his first game, however, he's been nothing but terrible and his ghastly unproductive performances led to Efrain Flores' ouster. Apparently, Ochoa's play had been so bad that some teammates began calling him "El Bloopers," according to Mural. Well, Ochoa scored on Sunday alright - for Tapatio. Looks like "El Bloopers" will be tearing things up for the second-division club.

- By the way, the guy who stepped up and started scoring goals was Javier "Chicharo" Hernandez, who was linked to Chivas USA in the preseason. Hernandez ain't going nowhere now. Also, um, Hernandez > Jesus Padilla. By a long shot.

- In case you forgot, international action returns on Tuesday in CONCACAF as Puerto Rico visit Cruz Azul. La Maquina are in a state of disarray but whether or not that carries over in the CCL remains to be seen. Puerto Rico already pulled off one improbable road win as they beat Marathon. But, well, let's keep the theme going... Cruz Azul > Marathon.

- Also on Tuesday is the return of the US Open Cup, for the Galaxy anyway. The Galaxy will play Colorado again - and that again is on two notes. The Galaxy played Colorado on Saturday night of course, but they also played Colorado in an Open Cup play-in game in 2008. The Galaxy lost both games, on Saturday by 3-2 and a year by 1-0.

- I've got some audio links coming up later as I already posted one online and will have another couple also ready to go.

- One quick non-soccer note: Metallica tickets go on sale Saturday, at least locally. They've scheduled a show on Dec. 11 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Shake-up in Guadalajara

A lot has been going on down in Guadalajara lately, and it may have an effect on Chivas USA.

- Chivas VP Nestor De La Torre left the club for a role with the national team. Nestor has shown his face here in Carson for some time now, and he's been involved with what little player movement has gone on between the clubs.

- Chivas sacked Efrain Flores. That's no real surprise, just perhaps that it took so long to finally oust him.

- Chivas' Francisco Mendoza was banned for two games after a red card on Saturday. Panchito has barely played for Chivas.

There may or may not be a ripple effect. Flores welcomed Mendoza to the club and the move from north to south was streamlined by De La Torre. If the incoming coach wants no part of Mendoza, which isn't really a stretch, perhaps Mendoza might find his way back to Carson in the summer.

It's also possible that whatever promises De La Torre made in terms of players, perhaps with Jared Borgetti, a rumor that was strong in the preseason, will be followed through by his successor or the Guadalajara front office in general.

It just seems that if there was anyone who had Chivas USA on their mind or in their corner down in Mexico, it was De La Torre. Of course, we've seen plenty of suits during the years here but his has been the only consistent one.

Don't know, maybe it's a stretch to think that some front-office moves in Guadalajara would have an affect on Chivas USA but if nothing else one more semi-familiar face won't be seen 'round these parts any more.

In case you missed it

This is what a 5-0 ass-kicking looks like:



Still, the game could have gone in Pachuca's favor early on had their chances been a bit more on target. But it wasn't meant to be.

Terrible defending

Chivas beat Everton 6-2 on Wednesday, destroyed them actually. It didn't seem like Everton put up a tough fight. Their defense actually looked downright awful.



Not sure what this means in the grand scheme of things, if Chivas has what it takes to make a run at the Copa title, or if Everton is just a bad team. But for now, it keeps Efrain Flores' job safe and puts Chivas atop Group 6 in Copa Libertadores.

Four in action

Four Mexican teams will be in action on Wednesday and none of the results will count towards league play.

Chivas will play Everton in Copa Libertadores play in Mexico. Meanwhile Santos visits Montreal and Cruz Azul hosts Pumas in CONCACAF Champions League play.

In terms of results, Chivas' poor form could carry over into cup. Chivas need a victory over Everton as they need to maximize their home points. Chivas can ill afford to get a point and put themselves in position to get a road win or two just to advance. If they win, everything's fine in Copa. A draw or loss, and maybe the grumblings over Efrain Flores' job grow louder.

Meanwhile, Santos seems to be taking their Champions League effort seriously - at least that's what coach Daniel Guzman said.

This is in contrast to Pumas and Cruz Azul. However, Cruz Azul have six players out and suspended and will be forced to use backups.

Pumas, meanwhile, is fielding young players. They won't even bother to try and hide the fact that they are using only young players.. but given their horrendous league form, that may be a good thing.

Not if but how many

According to Mural, Chivas USA will leave Mexico with at least one, if not two or more Mexican players. CD Guadalajara Vice President Nestor De La Torre told Mural that the club is weighing options and has not made a decision regarding reinforcements for Chivas USA, and did not deny the possibility of some of the names the paper mentioned who could join Chivas USA.

The names tossed around are Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, Jesus "Gringo" Padilla and Antonio "Hulk" Salazar.

Mural's story included a quote from Preki, who told the paper was not "antimexicanos" - anti-Mexican - and preferred to have good players from Guadalajara, not just players who were not going to be in the mix at all for Chivas.

Both Hernandez and Padilla (who was born in California) have played in the Clausura 2009 season. Hernandez even scored a goal, in a 2-1 win in Monterrey. Salazar, who is also a forward, has not played for the first team this season.

Ratings

It really was a Juegazo, Chivas-Cruz Azul. The game ended 3-3, featured a red card for one side, a yellow that easily could have been a red for the other and overall just a high-intensity game, which for the first game of the season is saying something.

Of interest to area fans, Francisco Mendoza played as a substitute late in the game. Mural rated the players and gave him a 6.5 rating. Here's what they had to say about his night:

"When Morales left the threats ended, though he (Mendoza) made a few plays."

That last part actually said "hizo algunos desbordes" so if you can translate it better, feel free to let me know. I guess that's the gist of it anyway.

I thought Mendoza should have gotten a 7 (based on their other ratings) since he was after all responsible for having a Cruz Azul player sent off.

Here's how their other ratings went (sorry, don't have time to give you all the commentary):

Starters: Luis Michel 6, Xavier Baez 7, Hector Reynoso 6, Edgar Mejia 6.5, Ramon Morales 7, Patricio Araujo 6, Gonzalo Pineda 7, Amaury Ponce 7, Sergio Avila 7, Alberto Medina 7.5, Carlos Ochoa 8.

Subs: Edgar Solis 6, Marco Fabian 6.5, Francisco Mendoza 6.5.

Coach: Efrain Flores 7

In case you missed it, here are the highlights. At the very end, you can see the clip of Panchito getting taken out:

Panchito debuts

And he looked great!

Panchito Mendoza came on in the second half of Chivas' season opener against Cruz Azul on Saturday. He drew a red card when he got kicked viciously in the shoulder. That didn't exactly take a great deal of skill but still he was right there battling for a ball and took a beating for his new team.

He actually looked dangerous on the left wing. He had a couple of good crosses and made some other good passes. He looked poised and confident and capable, didn't look timid for one moment.

Not sure if Mendoza can nab a starting spot but he didn't hurt his chances any on Saturday. Chivas tied 3-3 incidentally. Carlos Ochoa had two goals while Amaury Ponce got the other as the newcomers did well for their new club.

Pieces in motion

I wrote about Francisco Mendoza and Jared Borgetti and their significance and potential impact on Chivas USA for SI.com this morning.

Borgetti seems poised for a move stateside and I wanted to explore that, Chivas' relationship with their MLS franchise and how Mendoza's move to Mexico could affect not just himself and his former club but all of MLS.

All smiles

The newest batch of Chivas refuerzos for the Clausura 2009 season.

How does Panchito look in those stripes?

Jared to Chivas USA?

Guadalajara daily Mural said that part of the reasoning behind Chivas' signing of Jared Borgetti is to ship him to Chivas USA in June. Mural ran a quote from a "source close to the club" talking about the possibility of Borgetti joining Chivas USA.

"He would be the star of the team in Los Angeles," the source told Mural. "But first, they think that he can help Chivas win Copa Libertadores. That's Jorge's objective, to win the cup no matter what. If things work out, then he would become the star of and would play for a couple of seasons with Chivas USA."

Borgetti to Guadalajara

Jared Borgetti joined Chivas de Guadalajara as the club's fifth and final reinforcement ahead of the Clausura 2009 season. Borgetti joins Amaury Ponce, Carlos Ochoa, Aaron Galindo and Francisco Mendoza as the club's newest additiosn, which isn't a bad score for them.

Not sure how much Borgetti has in the tank but the club is willing to gamble on the one-time national team star.

Borgetti's former clubs include Santos, Dorados, Cruz Azul and Monterrey, and he's had varied levels of success at each stop. He probably will score a few goals for Chivas but I don't think he has the ability to play 90 minutes effectively every week. However, Borgetti doesn't exactly run a lot and defend a lot so he could probably get away with more playing time than someone else with as much mileage on them.

This move also rasies eyebrows for the potential it has in paving the way for Borgetti to join MLS. It seems if any team is close to having Borgetti join their ranks it would be Chivas USA, mostly because Guadalajara took Mendoza and gave nothing in return. I think Chivas owes their northern brethren some sort of kick back, and this may be it. I don't know if it would be the greatest move for Chivas USA but I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Now, the Cup

CD Guadalajara is through to Copa Libertadores. After winning the finals on penalties, Chivas has reached Copa Libertadores directly and will advance to Group 6 of the tournament proper.

Atlas meanwhile came back from a 3-0 deficit only to crash out of the tournanement on penalties... lots of them.

Here's what the residents of Guadalajara awoke to this morning:


Chivas will make up Group 6 along with Lanus of Argentina, Everton of Chile and Caracas of Venezuela. San Luis will also participate in the tournament and will be in a group along with San Lorenzo of Argentina, Libertad of Paraguay and Universitario of Peru. Meanwhile, Pachuca, who beat Atlas, will play U de Chile in a play-in series.