Panchito bags two

Francisco Mendoza scored two goals for Tapatio on Saturday in a 2-2 draw for Chivas' second-division side.

Mendoza combined with Jesus Padilla on the first goal as Mendoza fed Padilla who returned the ball to Panchito, who slid and knocked the ball into goal. In the 89th minute, with Tapatio down 2-1 and with 10 men on the field, Mendoza fired a shot from some 15 yards past the opposing goalkeeper after a brief scramble inside the box.

Panchito might see more action for the first team on Wednesday as Chivas will play a Copa Libertadores match at home.

Sound familiar?

Mural gave Francisco Mendoza a 6 out of 10 rating for his 20-something minutes of action on Saturday against Necaxa. Here is their assessment of his match (in Spanish):

"Corre mucho, dribla, pero no con profundidad, no hizo desbordes de peligro"

So what do I have to say about that?

Y sigue con las mismas pendejadas!

And in case you're interested...

Michel 7, Ponce 6, Reynoso 5, Mejia 6.5, Magallon 5.5, Solis 6, Araujo 7, Baez 6.5, Morales 8.5, Hernandez 6, Borgetti 5; Fabian 5.5, Mendoza 6, Padilla 5.5; Flores 6.5

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?

Done Deal

Francisco Mendoza is gone. Property of Guadalajara. Just got it confirmed.

I will have more later when I get home in front of a PC.

Chivas USA update

Ante Razov had been rumored at heading to Mexican club Leon but he won't be going there or anywhere. A club source told me that Razov will stay at Chivas USA for the upcoming 2009 season.

Razov is the league's second all-time leading goal scorer and just one of four players who have played every one of MLS' first 13 seasons. He had only five goals a year ago and missed time to injury but he is still an important piece of the team's puzzle and one of the team's most valuable players.

Another player who is set to return is Raphael Wicky. The highly-touted former Swiss international spent most of his time off the field as injuries limited him to five games. But he's back and could threaten for a starting spot if healthy.

As far as Francisco Mendoza, the likelihood of him sticking around is slim and he may very well be officially out of MLS in the coming days.

Good as gone?

Francisco Mendoza could earn his first start for Chivas de Guadalajara in tonight's InterLiga game against Tigres at Home Depot Center. He stands to have a shot of more action on Sunday should Chivas advance to the final.

If I'm a betting man, I'm guessing this will be the only time we'll see him around HDC this year.

Mendoza has long stated that he has a contract with Chivas USA but a source explained otherwise. Chivas de Guadalajara can take Panchito back when they see fit, and they don't even need to ask for permission.

Officials from Chivas Mexico are in the Southland for InterLiga and will hammer out Panchito's future over the course of the next few days... if it hasn't been hammered out already. If Chivas wants him, they will take him, and from what coach Efrain Flores has said the club wants him.

What could stop Chivas from nabbing themselves a left-sided midfielder? A poor showing tonight, for one. A bad attitude for two. But since Panchito has never shown anything close to a bad attitude, it probably will come down to how he plays tonight, again if the decision hasn't been made.

Chivas of course is fairly loaded and have a deep midfield. But the club struggled last season, did not reach the playoffs and Flores is lucky to have survived the offseason. Newcomers Aaron Galindo, Amaury Ponce and Carlos Ochoa have already been brought in to reinforce the team but injuries to Jonny Magallon and Omar Arellano threaten to deplete the team ahead of the Clausura 2009 season. Thus, Flores might feel the need to bring Mendoza - who has been fairly injury-free during his career in MLS - to use as an option off the bench and an occasional starter.

I'd say a possible heir apparent to Ramon Morales but I don't think Mendoza has the potential to be as good as Morales has been. Mendoza is a fine player and a solid starter for Chivas USA. His problem throughout his career has been his lack of aggression. He doesn't score much, in fact had zero goals a year ago. But he showed he could play defense as he spent part of last season at left back - which to be fair to Mendoza also contributed to his lack of goals.

Still, Mendoza has always been a bit tentative around the goal and his long-distance shot is nonexistent. But playing for Chivas, the club of his dreams near his hometown of El Salto, might have ignited a fire under him and we might see a brand-new Panchito Mendoza tonight.

Whatever kind of player we see, though, we'll probably see him only on television in 2009.

In the mix

According to Mural, Francisco Mendoza may get quite a bit more playing time for Chivas than he has already. The Chivas USA player has seen just two minutes of action in InterLiga thus far and has reportedly been upset with his lack of playing time.

But all that may change. Efrain Flores told Mural that Mendoza may start against Tigres on Friday at Home Depot Center.

"In soccer, you never know what will happen... and you always need to be ready for action," Flores said.

Additionally, Flores is already penciling Mendoza in for the upcoming Clausura 2009 season as Mendoza's time at Home Depot Center this weekend might be the last time he suits up there for quite some time.

"To me, he's more of a part of Chivas (Mexico). I don't know what he thinks or what the front office thinks or about any other factors but Panchito is part of my group and that's how I look at it. That's why I asked for him, not to see what could happen. It's simple for me. I know what kind of player he is and to me there are no problems."

Panchito wants to stay

Francisco Mendoza was an unused substitute for Chivas against America in Saturday's InterLiga match, but that doesn't mean his experience isn't going well.

In fact, if Mendoza had things his way, he'd stay with his hometown club.

"If I were to make a choice, believe me when I say that I'd be happy to stay here," Mendoza told Mural. "We're going step by step though and the most important thing is to be in the mix for this season."

Mendoza said that, if the coaching staff wants him to stay, everything else - all the necessary paperwork and moves to get him from Chivas USA and MLS to Guadalajara, for isntance - would take care of itself.

"I don't see that as difficult. Both front offices get along with each other. They are partners and so from that end I don't see it as complicated at all. It would just be a matter of figuring out what would be best for me."

In the end, though, Mendoza said he felt it was up to him where he played professionally this year.

"I believe this season will be a test for myself. Now that I've been given the opportunity here,. everything is in my hands to whether I stay or go back to MLS. We'll see what happens."

New kid in town

He's not exactly new in town but Panchito Mendoza has only been training with Chivas de Guadalajara for about a week but already he's seen some game action and lived through some moments that had long been dreams of his.

Mural featured Mendoza in a story that ran this morning and here's some of the highlights:

On his ability to play in the Mexican First Division, Panchito responded: "I feel like I am a player who is ready and mature and the only thing now is to have a chance to prove it. But I've always had that in my mind and in my thoughts. A professional player should always challenge himself."

Mendoza is from nearby El Salto, Jalisco, and he got his professional start with Chivas back when Mendoza was in his early teens. A move to Chivas USA in 2005 would ultimately lead to success, a new kind of success for Mexicans in MLS. Mexican soccer players in general have had varied levels of production in the league but Mendoza's is unique as he has only played for an MLS team.

"Just the fact that they've invited me to train with them makes me proud and that motivates me. It's just another challenge in my life that I have to take seriously. Hopefully things work out, either here with Guadalajara or in MLS."

Of all his compatriots, Mendoza is the one who has seen the most game time in Major League Soccer. This will be his fifth year as a professional soccer player no matter where he lines up. But he got some chills before entering Saturday's friendly against Necaxa in Estadio Jalisco.

"More so because it was against a First Division team, so it had the feel of a real game. At first I was nervous but little by little it went away, I got used to the game and tried to do what the coach asked of me."

With only one week of training under his belt, Mendoza has nevertheless seen much difference between leagues.

"Tactically it is 100 percent different. In MLS, there is absolutely zero tactical work. Here, there is a lot more tactical work. In addition, there are players here who are more capable technically and tactically."

As far as whether his stay in Guadalajara will be a short one or a more permanent move, it all remains to be seen. Chivas VP Nestor De La Torre told Mural that Mendoza would be involved in InterLiga but beyond that only time will tell.

"We have to talk about it and give it some time. For now, he is only a reinforcement for InterLiga."

Panchito debuts for Chivas

Francisco "Panchito" Mendoza made his Chivas debut on Saturday in a 2-1 friendly win over Necaxa. Mendoza replaced Edgar "Tepa" Solis at halftime with the score at 1-1.

I'll have more info as it comes. I've only seen the lineup and a brief recap of the match so not sure where he lined up. Here's what the team looked like at halftime so I suppose you could piece together a formation based on this.

Luis Michel
Omar Esparza
Edgar Mejía
Héctor Reynoso
Gonzalo Pineda
Francisco Mendoza
Javier Báez
Patricio Araujo
Ramón Morales
Alberto Medina
Carlos Ochoa

Panchito: good as gone?

Chivas USA midfielder Francisco "Panchito" Mendoza is off in Guadalajara for some offseason training and has the chance to play in InterLiga before returning to the US for the MLS preseason.

Or is he?

Chivas de Guadalajara coach Efrain Flores told Mural that he doesn't see Mendoza as a player who is simply training with the team.

"There is a chance (he could stay for the Clausura 2009 season). Since we have him here and he's part of the same family with Chivas USA, there is a chance he could take (Antonio) Olvera's place on the roster... I see him as a reinforcement. Of course I hope that in both footballing and contractual terms everything works out well."

What did Chivas VP Nestor De La Torre have to say about the whole deal?

"In the future we may be able to work something out with him. He's part of Chivas. He's a Chivas player but he has a responsibility to Chivas USA."

For his part, Mendoza said he's enjoying the entire process and doesn't want to close any doors.

"I don't know anything about (a deal with Chivas). I have a contract with Chivas USA. I'm here to train but I would not say no to pursuing that in the future."

Panchito to Guadalajara... sort of

Francisco Mendoza was supposed to go to Guadalajara following the 2007 season. That's what he said was promised to him by Chivas Guadalajara executives. Nothing, though, ever came of it and he spent all of 2008 with Chivas USA.

Now, Mendoza is getting a chance to show his worth. Mendoza is supposed to report this week to Chivas' preseason training camp. Technically, it's a bit of a short-term loan, the kind that is all the rage nowadays in MLS. Mendoza could play for Chivas during InterLiga, for instance. If he does well during his time with the parent club, it seems that he could make his stay an extended one.

Panchito has been a trooper and has always worked hard here with Chivas USA. Still, he's longed for a return to Mexico and now he has his best chance he's had to show his stuff. If it doesn't work out and he's back here for the start of training camp and/or the regular season, we can expect more of the same hard-working Panchito Mendoza.... which would be fine if he could only learn to finish.

Panchito's words

I didn't get a chance to post this earlier but here's what Francisco Mendoza had to say about the loss to RSL on Saturday.

I also asked him about next season. He was supposed to have left Chivas USA for Chivas de Guadalajara after last season but it fell through. During this season, Mendoza told me that Chivas VP Nestor de la Torre had lied to him and that he was upset about that, so I actually don't expect to see Panchito back in red and white next season. His contract is up and if he gets an offer from a Mexican team I'd expect him to take it. An MLS team would have to trade for his rights and I doubt Chivas USA would trade his rights away.

Anyway, here's the audio of our brief talk.