Game 7: Pumas 0 - 3 Necaxa

Video here.

After a week of optimism following the 7 points in three games last week, all the old Pumas failings reappeared in CU. Despite controlling large parts of the game and creating a fair number of chances, Pumas were unable to convert even one, while defensive frailties were exposed to give the team from Aguascalientes an easy victory.

The tormentors for Necaxa were Colombian centre-forward Hugo Rodallega (picture) who scored two, Ángel Reyna who got the other and earned the penalty, and two more familiar faces, veteran Walter Gaitán and ex-Puma Gerardo Galindo, both of whom made telling contributions.

In many ways the game was lost right near the beginning. "Tuca" had chosen to go with Jehu Chiapas at left back in place of Velarde who is on Under 23 duty (Iñiguez continued in place of Barrera). Chiapas had a very interesting game, looking lively and dangerous going forward, but (not unsurprisingly since as far as I know he has little experience at the back) a little naive when defending. It was this that led to the first goal after barely two minutes. Gaitán lifted a beautiful ball through for Reyna, but with no imminent danger Chiapas got himself into a bad position and a trifle unluckily clipped the Necaxa striker's heels. It was a definite penalty but Chiapas made no lunge, he just lacked the experience to get into the right position.

Soon afterwards Leandro was booked for a clumsy foul, and so was hamstrung somewhat in his ball-winning for the rest of the match. The start did not faze the university however and slowly they began to build their game. The early exchanges had slightly favoured Necaxa and they had a good spell after the goal, but by the quarter hour Pumas were pretty much in control.

That was the way it stayed throughout the first half. Chiapas and Scocco had a couple of long range efforts go close, while Solari spent the whole match it seemed missing chances. Meanwhile Bernal was not called upon at the other end until just before half time when, against the run of play, Necaxa grabbed the second. Reyna had switched flanks to the left-hand side and after receiving the ball from Gaitán who had been fouled by Verón (Archundia played an excellent advantage) he skipped inside Espinoza and González to finish neatly in the near corner.

The incisiveness of the Necaxa finishing was in complete contrast to the Pumas attack, as the game continued in the same style after the break - Pumas in control, and creating chances, but unable to score. The away team showed how to put the ball in the net once again after half time when Leandro gave the ball away badly in midfield and Galindo fed a lovely ball through to Rodallega (imaginatively known as "Rodagol") who demonstrated two qualities missing from Solari's game (pace and skill) to fire past Bernal for the third.

Pumas kept pushing forward and Sambueza, initially with excellent support from Chiapas, caused a lot of problems down the left. One cross from Chiapas found Iñiguez unable to finish beaten by the bounce of the ball. And Solari and Scocco both had headers which they placed in the only part of the goal where "el Gato" Ortiz could save them. Solari also missed an excellent chance when he miss-controlled with his chest and then shot into the side netting when well placed.

"Tuca" made some strange changes late on. Castro had been imprecise in midfield so he brought on Gerardo Espinoza with Castro moving to right back and Fernando Espinoza to left back. It seemed a lot of movement to make for the change. Similarly when Paco Palencia came on near the end for his first league action since his operation it meant Scocco moving to left wing and Sambueza to the right, neither of which looked convincing. In the end Scocco nearly grabbed a consolation when his cross/shot struck the base of the post and Palencia was unable to put in the rebound.

It was not altogether a bad performance from Pumas, but if they are to challenge for the Liguilla they are going to have to score more freely. They now lie bottom of group 1 and in 15th place overall, but luckily they are still in the hunt following Pachuca's 4-1 humbling by Cruz Azul.

Goals
Rodallega (3 minutes)(pen) 0-1
Reyna (41) 0-2
Rodallega (52) 0-3

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Leandro (poor tackle), Verón (body check), Scocco (talking back), Chiapas (high-footed lunge)
Necaxa: yellow: M. de la Cruz (two-footed tackle), J. De La Cruz (not retreating at free kick), Viades (body check)

Player Ratings
Bernal 6 - cannot be blamed for any of the goals, but in between had virtually nothing to do.
Espinoza 5 - failed to combine effectively with Iñiguez in attack. Ok defensively.
González 5 - exposed for lack of pace.
Verón 6 - brought the ball out well but did not impose himself.
Chiapas 6 - 5 in defence and 7 in attack.
Leandro 6 - got himself booked early but worked hard and got forward on occasion, particularly down the left
Castro 5 - given a lesson by old teammate Gerry Galindo, he will have better days.
Iñiguez 4 - barely did anything until he was taken off near the end.
Solari 4 - I am glad the crowd likes him otherwise he would be under real pressure after a very poor showing in front of goal.
Scocco 5 - curiously subdued and frustrated
Sambueza 8 - by a mile Pumas' best player, caused the Necaxa defence no end of trouble and linked well with Chiapas.
G.Espinoza 5 - not bad he played solidly and his lack of pace was not exposed
Palencia - only had time to do a couple of nice runs and miss a chance.

Tuca 5 - right to play Chiapas and unlucky it didn't come off, although I was a little surprised with his late substitutions, not so much for the players he brought off and on, but for the positional complications.

Elsewhere in Mexico
Veracruz sunk deeper into relegation trouble losing 3-2 at home to Toluca for whom Manuel Maciel got the winner. Jaguares beat Tecos 2-0 in Tuxtla in an exceedingly drab game, while Chivas extended their unbeaten run coming from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against San Luis. Cruz Azul scotched notions of their over-reliance on under 23 players when a dynamic performance saw them despatch Pachuca 4-1 in their own back yard. In the late game on Saturday Atlante and Tigres shared a 1-1 draw in an intriguing match with few chances.

On Sunday Puebla exposed Morelia's frailties and played with vigour winning 4-0 in the Estadio Cuauhtémoc, with a brace from Uruguayan Nicolás Olivera. A 25-yard William Paredes strike rescued a draw for Monterrey after they were outplayed at home by Atlas. Meanwhile América's miserable run continues, despite a new manager, and they lost out 1-0 in the Azteca against Santos for whom Vicente Vuoso got the goal.

Chivas remain at the top of the general table with 15 points, and also at the top of group 3 ahead of Cruz Azul. Toluca lie second overall and at the top of group 1 with 14 points with Puebla second. Santos are third and lead group 2 from Monterrey.

Next Up
Tecos in Guadalajara on Friday night.

Game 6: Pumas 4 - 1 Jaguares

Video here.

It is really hard to know what to say about Pumas' performance against Jaguares in CU this Sunday. Have the team suddenly improved or were Jaguares just awful?

It was indeed a much improved Pumas performance with Ismael Iñiguez to the fore, and two goals from a lively Esteban Solari, but I have never seen such a woeful defensive display in Mexican football as Jaguares, not even Veracruz when they lost by 8 before Christmas.

Right from the start Pumas were on top fielding the team that started on Wednesday, but with Sambueza back in place of Chiapas. Moving the ball around with certainty and probing gently for opportunities the university could have been two up within fifteen minutes, Solari putting a good chance wide and Sambueza being denied by an excellent save by Edgar Hernández. Scocco also missed a couple of half chances. Jaguares had no possession to speak of and Castro and Leandro played the ball about at will in the midfield, with "el Bofo" an isolated figure up front for the Chiapas team.

Pumas duly scored after twenty minutes when a regulation corner from Sambueza found Solari unmarked at the back post and he nodded easily past Hernández. The marking for the goal was enough to give René Isidoro García the Chiapas coach nightmares for weeks to come (and incidentally to lose him his job hours after the game), as at least four Jaguares defenders were standing on their own when the ball came over.

The Jaguares manager realised that the team was in trouble and put on Batista, a midfielder, for Sánchez, one of his five defenders. It made little difference as Pumas continued to push the ball about at will. Jaguares did not have a single shot of note in the first 45 minutes, yet it was still only 1-0 at the break as Pumas, not for the first time, failed to make their dominance pay.

Early in the second half, however, they started to put that right. A dreadful clearance by Hernández landed at the feet of Leandro who drove into the box and powered a left-foot shot goalwards. Hernández, trying to make amends, could only push his save into the path of Solari for an easy tap-in. The defence was a shambles as Leandro picked up the ball and there was no cover to stop his advance into the box, nor was anyone anywhere near Solari when he put the ball into the net.

Jaguares tried to push forward realising that there was no other way now they were two down, but all they managed was a slight scramble in the Pumas area after a corner which was eventually grabbed by Bernal. Then some further poor defending let in Pumas for the third. González cleared from the right back position, but as the ball bounced over the head of the central defenders, Iñiguez raced through and lobbed it over the keeper.

Solari was obviously excited about the sort of space he was getting, which allows him to make up for his lack of pace, and he was able to slip the ball through to Scocco on the edge of the area on 71 minutes. The young Argentinian then placed a delightful chip over Hernández to make it four.

At that point you really felt Pumas should go on to score a couple more, but perhaps understandably they took their foot off the pedal to coast towards the final whistle. Jehu Chiapas came on for Sambueza, striker Rodrigo Briones came on for Scocco and failed to cap his debut with a goal after a couple of half-chances. And then old favourite "Pikolín" Palacios made his first league appearance since his return from Veracruz.

All this allowed Jaguares one or two incursions into the Pumas half and a speculative shot from Juan Pablo García somehow found its way into the net after a big deflection to give the half dozen or so Jaguares supporters in the stadium something to shout about.

Pumas then climb to within one win of a qualifying spot on 7 points level with Puebla and Tecos. As last season I feel that the rivals for qualification are going to be Toluca and Pachuca, I see little threat from the others with Puebla battling relegation and Tecos and Jaguares poor teams. The team from Chiapas now lie at the bottom of group one.

Goals
Solari (20 minutes) 1-0
Solari (47) 2-0
Iñiguez (59) 3-0
Scocco (71) 4-0
García (87) 4-1

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Solari (lunge - a bit harsh), Espinoza (bad tackle)
Jaguares: yellow: Bautista (presumably for being annoying), Gutierrez (trip)

Player Ratings
Bernal 7 - made a couple of good saves in the second half but never really under pressure
Espinoza 7 - no real defensive duties necessary but worked well with Iñiguez
Velarde 6 - lacked real spark but carried the ball forward ok
Verón 6 - sound but what did he have to do?
González 6 - turned into a great ball for Iñiguez on the 3rd goal. Solid.
Castro 7 - there was no real competition in midfield
Leandro 7 - played further forward this game, good stuff
Iñiguez 8 - the best I have seen him play for a long time, caused havoc with their defence (if that's what you can call it)
Solari 7 - two good goals but could have had four
Scocco 6 - quiet but an excellent goal late on
Sambueza 7 - starting to get into it this season, I don't see many openings for Fernando Morales
Chiapas 6 - always does a good job if unspectacular
Briones 5 - but seems to me to offer more than Bonells
Palacios - only on to give him a minute's run out

Tuca 8 - I will err on the side of congratulating Tuca for masterminding a deserved victory. Looked happy for once.

Elsewhere in Mexico
There were no games on Friday night this week because of the midweek matches, so Cruz Azul opened up on Saturday afternoon, defeating Veracruz 1-0 while missing a hatful of chances. San Luis came from behind after conceding a "gol olímpico" (goal direct from a corner) to Pachuca's Christian Giménez, and won 2-1 with Alfredo Moreno getting the winner. Humberto Suazo continued his good run as he got the winner in Monterrey's 1-0 win at Morelia.

New manager Manuel Lapuente got a good reaction from his Tigres team who managed a 0-0 draw against runaway leaders Chivas, for whom "el Pato" Araujo was sent off. América continue their poor run losing at Atlas to an early goal from Mendivil, while Toluca moved up to second in the overall table with a 2-1 away win at Necaxa.

In Sunday's game a fine Ludueña effort got Santos on their way to a 3-0 win over ten-man Atlante, for whom Pereyra was sent off for use of the elbow. In the final game Tecos overcame Puebla 3-2 in a frantic finish. With ten minutes to go Puebla were leading from an Olivera penalty, but three goals in six minutes put Tecos ahead, and Olivera's second came too late to save the game.

Toluca lead group one from Pachuca, Santos and Monterrey have both climbed above Atlante and América in group 2, while Chivas still lead group 3 with San Luis in the second qualifying spot.

In th relegation battle Puebla are now bottom with 24 points from 23 games, Veracruz just above them (96 from 91) and then Tigres (101 from 91). It seems to be between these three as the next club Tecos has a seven point cushion on Tigres.

Next Up
Without Velarde and Barrera who are on Olympic Qualifying duty, Pumas entertain Necaxa in CU on Sunday.

Game 5: Puebla 1 - 1 Pumas

Video here.

In an interesting and on occasions exciting match in the Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Pumas did well to hold off a determined Puebla side in need of points to stave off relegation. Although it was an open game it did lack quality, particularly in the final third where both teams were limited and unimaginitive.

Pumas started with Chiapas and Iñiguez in place of Sambueza and Barrera, but otherwise the same team as saw off Monterrey. Sergio Pérez and Mario Ortiz were new for Puebla.

The game, as it was to be throughout, started very open, and Pumas had just the upper hand in the first few minutes. Castro was lively and Leandro looked a class apart at this stage. In fact Castro came close to opening the scoring with a left foot curler from the edge of the box that was tipped away by Villalpando.

By the half hour mark however it was clear that Puebla were dominating. First Ortiz flicked on from a corner across the goal and then Bernal had to make two saves from Noriega who was looking lively down the right. The left flank looked more secure as Iñiguez worked hard to cover back and Espinoza looked focused. During this period Pumas were clearly holding on but the storm was weathered and as half time approached the game evened out and the teams went into the break level.

The second half began inauspiciously for Pumas when Leandro was booked for being near the ball and his opponent falling over. Meanwhile Puebla got back into the rhythm that had troubled Pumas in the middle of the first half. Pumas however had a much more profitable outlet down the left with Sambueza on for Chiapas. With the game so open Sambueza skipped past Brown and delivered a wonderful cross to Castro unmarked six yards out who managed only to hit the post with the goal beckoning.

Puebla were putting in a lot of effort and chasing down every ball. This made it complicated for Pumas coming out of defence and there were too many long balls. One such worry in defence led to a corner which led to the Puebla goal. The ball was poorly cleared and bobbled about in the area for a while before Brown appeared in the six-yard area to push it into the net. In the context of the game this clumsy defending by the Pumas back four was uncharacteristic, but nevertheless it was punished. Puebla had also been deservedly rewarded for their dogged persistance throughout the match.

The annoyance of conceding a goal obviously got to Verón who got upset with the admittedly very annoying Jorge Cámpora and punched him in the backside. While inexcusable the Puebla striker made such a meal of it that it was a good thing the referee was unsighted, if only to save him from the theatricals.

The game remained open and soon Pumas were on level terms. Solari turned well on the edge of the box. His shot was deflected from a Puebla head and found the bottom right hand corner: 1-1.

Puebla stuck to their task and were nearly back ahead after a Cámpora effort was ruled out after a foul on Solari by Zamogilny. They also had a penalty shout turned down when Olivera went down easily under the attentions of Espinoza. Pumas too had a half shout for a penalty as Scocco was barged off the ball deep in the Puebla area. The referee got both calls right and going into the final twenty minutes there was still all to play for.

Both teams pushed forward looking for opportunities but were thwarted by a lack of imagination and some stout defending. The nearest to a goal was when Solari missed an easy one-on-one only to have his blushes spared by being called back for an (incorrect) offside decision. The assistant referees made some pretty poor calls all night, especially since the grass was cut in alternating dark and light stripes every one metre down the pitch. Luckily it did not affect the result.

With much endeavour but little goalmouth action the game came to an end. Neither Puebla nor Pumas can be entirely satisfied with a draw, but it was probably a fair result. Pumas remain at the bottom of the general table and therefore their group, but close up slightly. Puebla remain just ahead of Veracruz in the relegation table.

Goals
Brown (58 minutes) 1-0
Solari (62) 1-1

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Leandro (attempted tackle), Sambueza (trip), Solari (brushing gently against a Puebla player's hip)
Puebla: yellow: Brown (hack on Scocco)

Player Ratings
Bernal 6 - made some good saves, but flapped badly at the cross for the goal and almost fumbled a weak shot with 10 minutes to go.
Velarde 6 - Improving slightly but still needs to work more on defence where Noriega did some damage
Verón 6 - Solid if unspectacular. Partially at fault for the goal
González 6 - A sound performance and seems happier on the right now with Verón on the left
Espinoza 7 - much improved and worked very hard
Castro 7 - A good all round performance but did miss a sitter
Leandro 6 - Started like a king but faded
Iñiguez 6 - worked hard to get back in defence and at the moment is offering more than Barrera
Chiapas 6 - did well but lacks the spark of Sambueza
Solari 6 - a little lucky with the goal but made the luck with a lovely turn
Scocco 5 - subdued and not really involved at all until the second half
Sambueza 7 - transformed the left hand side when he came on

Tuca 6 - Still not a polished performance but right to rest Barrera.

Elsewhere in Mexico
A very busy night in Mexican football. Tigres troubles deepened when they were thrashed 6-1 in Pachuca. While not helped by a couple of debatable penalty decisions and the sending off of Cubero, their defence was worryingly leaky. Rey got a hatrick for Pachuca.

Morelia meanwhile pulled themselves up after two defeats to overcome another poor América performance. Luis Landín could have had four, but had to be happy with one which he put through Ochoa's legs from a tight angle. There is an increasing amount of dissent about Ochoa's ascent and high rating, many seeing it as a crude Televisa ploy to increase his value. Many would argue that he is not even the best goalkeeper in the Mexican league, and he was certainly embarrassed here.

Jaguares and Necaxa shared a poor quality 0-0, while a fine Suazo hatrick gave Monterrey a 3-0 victory over Tecos. Veracruz and San Luis ended 1-1, with "El Piojo" still unbeaten, and Toluca and Cruz Azul finished with the same score in a game of missed opportunities. Omar Bravo grabbed two to help Chivas past Santos 3-2 in the Jalisco after the Torreón side had made a spirited comeback from 2-0 down.

Atlas gained a late draw against Atlante in a thrilling gmae in Cancún despite ex-Puma Bruno Marioni being sent off for a bad tackle from behind. A fine Maldonado free-kick had put the Potros 3-2 up with a half hour left, but substitute Ulises Mendivil popped in a header from a corner with two minutes left to give the "Zorros" a point.

Pachuca now move ahead of Toluca in group 1 with 9 points (Pumas have 4 in the same section); Atlante's point takes them above América in group 2 while Chivas are still clear of second-placed Morelia in group 3, and also hold a 4-point lead in the general table.

Next Up
Jaguares in CU on Sunday.

Game 4: Pumas 2 - 1 Monterrey

Video here.

Pumas finally broke their duck for the tournament with a last-gasp winner to edge out Monterrey in the Ciudad Universitaria. It was another unconvincing performance but nonetheless an improvement on the first three games, and given the nature of the Mexican First Division sees them only 4 points behind second in the overall classification, despite being in last place. Monterrey and La Volpe's woes meanwhile were not alleviated as they have still to win in the tournament and are also on 3 points.

It was a predictable start from the university, as they controlled the possession but yet again failed to create any real danger. The ball was often played around nicely but Barrera and Sambueza were unable to get to the by-line or play in any dangerous crosses. Solari's lack of movement left little space for Scocco to invent something.

Monterrey were uninspiring despite their bright orange shirts with glossy white diagonal stripes. Curiously the goalkeeper Christian Martínez was wearing the regular Monterrey shirt. This is the first time I can remember this happening, since the away kit is used in the event of a clash of colours, and therefore is not allowed for the 'keeper either.

Then suddenly out of nowhere Pumas had a goal. Martínez rolled the ball out to Solano at right back, but pressured by Sambueza he gave the ball away and the Argentinian's inside ball found Scocco who rounded the keeper to finish left-footed. The score appeared to give the team a lift and there was more movement for the next fifteen minutes or so, and Castro nearly made it 2-0 as he rattled the underside of the bar from a free kick.

But as has happened so often this season a lack of focus at the back, and it has to be said a nice break down the left by Robert De Pinho, had the scores level on 36 minutes. Espinoza found himself too far upfield. González had to come across to cover but could not cope with De Pinho's pace as he charged into the left-side of the area and laid the ball on a plate for Suazo to sidefoot home.

Pumas were stunned and Monterrey had a good little spell with Suazo going close again from a pass by Pérez. Nevertheless the teams went in level, with the tv vote suggesting equal numbers of people thought that Pumas and Monterrey were about to claim their first win of the campaign.

The second half was very even but as before Pumas had more possesion but were unable to break through. Tuca withdrew Sambueza for Iñiguez and Barrera moved over to the left. There was immediately more vitality down the right as Ismael started to drag the Monterrey defence out of shape. Scocco got in a shot from the edge of the area that was saved by Martínez while a Pérez free header was comfortably taken by Bernal.

It looked very much as if the game was heading for a draw, although Monterrey were pushing forward a little more in search of the win. This, however, proved to be their undoing on 88 minutes as a quick break from Chiapas (who had replaced Espinoza) found Scocco. He drove towards the retreating defence, skipped round a defender, then slid the ball right to Iñiguez who drove into the bottom left corner.

It was clearly a relief to the players to finally get a win, and there will, I am sure, be a boost to their confidence. But there are still areas of worry. Solari is too stationary and there is often little option for the through ball. Scocco in particular could do with having more space. Leandro is playing too deep as he tends to do when the team is not playing well. He and Castro need to alternate attack and defence. The full backs can drift too far upfield; it is fine to overlap or support the attack but both Espinoza and Velarde need to show more urgency about getting back. Similarly Barrera and Sambueza need to work harder to cover them. Pumas have been exposed down the flanks several times already this season.

Still, with a midweek game this week Pumas have the chance to build on their first win and start to move up the table as they take on Puebla.

Goals
Scocco (22 minutes) 1-0
Suazo (36) 1-1
Iñiguez (88) 2-1

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Scocco (diving in the box)
Monterrey: none

Player Ratings
Bernal 7 - Unruffled, no real work to do and had no chance for the goal
Espinoza 5 - Worked hard to get forward in attack but too often caught out of position
Velarde 5 - Similar to Espinoza but didn't look so tired this week despite playing a friendly for the u23s v Atlante this week
González 5 - caught out for pace on the goal, but his understanding with Verón is improving
Verón 6 - Steady and made a couple of telling interceptions
Leandro 5 - Very quiet for him
Castro 6 - Got more involved and was unlucky not to score with the free kick
Scocco 7 - Scored one and created one. A shame he is not given more space
Barrera 5 - A better showing but still a little sluggish. Needs to get to the by-line more often.
Sambueza 5 - Marked well by "Chícharo" but he needs to get more crosses in.
Solari 5 - Solid coming back to receive the ball but too static when the team is moving forward.
Iñiguez 7 - Provided a spark down the right when he came on and finished well for the winner.
Chiapas 6 - Definitely looks the part, maybe Barrera should come off the bench and we could start with Chiapas
G. Espinoza 5 - Did nothing wrong but neither did he impress

Tuca 6 - Good substitution bringing on Iñiguez as early as he did. Has still to get the team playing with any dynamism though.

Elsewhere in Mexico
Two games stood out this weekend. Firstly Atlas were edged out 2-0 by Chivas in the Guadalajara derby ("clásico tapatío") despite being the better team for most of the match. In front of a capacity crowd in the Jalisco two Omar Bravo goals, one right at the end, sent Chivas clear at the top of the general table and group 3.

At the other end of the table two of the teams battling it out to avoid relegation played a heated match in Monterrey. Veracruz finally got a win 3-0 against Tigres but there was some unpleasant half time words between "El Piojo" Herrera and "El Tolo" Gallego (who had been managers for Monterrey and Toluca in a hotly disputed recent final). Then after the break there were 3 sendings off, two of them ex-Pumas (Sancho and Victorino) and just time for "El Pony" Ruiz to come off the bench for Veracruz and celebrate making his 500th appearance in Mexico by creating the 3rd goal.

América continue to play poorly but Cabañas again helped them out with a brace in a 2-1 win at Tecos. Puebla got their first win in Chiapas (1-0) while San Luis beat Toluca 2-0. Atlante won 2-0 at home to a poor Morelia team, Necaxa beat Cruz Azul 2-0, with Oscar Pérez dropped for the first time in two years, while Santos beat Pachuca 2-1 in Torreón.

Toluca head group 1 from Puebla, Atlante and América share the top of group 2, while Chivas have a 4-point cushion over Necaxa in group 3.

Next Up
A trip to the Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla on Wednesday evening.

Game 3: América 2 - 0 Pumas

Video here.

Another forgettable game, another forgettable Pumas performance, and now the university languishes on its own at the bottom of the table with three consecutive defeats. América were poor, Pumas were worse, once again showing no bite up front and making two costly mistakes at the back. The 'águilas' were little better, their only saving grace two expert finishes.

Pumas now have the dubious distinction of having been adjudged the worst defence in Game 2 by mediotiempo, and the worst attack in Game 3.

The defeat crowned a bad week for "el Tuca" after he was fined 121,000 pesos by the Mexican Federation for objecting to Chivas' mildly offensive banner. It was heavy-handed and unnecessary, but sadly completely in character. The big clubs América and Chivas enjoy special protection in the game, possibly because they have the most money, and Chivas has the most Mexican players.

Pumas welcomed back Bernal after his niggle, but otherwise started with the same side as against Atlante, with Velarde and Barrera returning from Cancún where they had been with the under-23 pre-olympic squad. They had played a midweek match against Pioneros de Cancún (and won 6-1 incidentally). Likewise Ochoa returned for América from that squad.

Pumas started at a good rhythm, determined to expose the awfulness of Guillermo Ochoa's self-designed jersey (has he no self-respect?). Sambueza had an effort early on, and Scocco tried one from long range, but after about ten minutes the early initiative waned and the game settled down to tedium.

Cervantes and Dominguez looked ever more composed at the back for América and the match became a messy midfield tangle. But then just after the half hour the team from Coapa went ahead as Salvador Cabañas slid a beautiful ball through to new signing Richard Nuñez to beat Bernal comfortably from inside the area. As Pumas pushed forward looking for the equaliser, América broke after a free kick had hit the wall and Nuñez was able to repay the compliment to Cabañas, lifting a cross to the Paraguayan who, unmarked, put the ball past Bernal.

Verón and González had looked secure in the middle, but were caught out by the excellent pass for the first goal, and the defence was caught forward for the second. Velarde was at sea and both goals arose through his channel initially. Maybe his efforts in Cancún had taken it out of him.

The game petered out in the second half. Once again Pumas had all the possession, and yet were unable to create much, with the greatest moments of danger coming from set pieces. González got one shot in that almost surprised Ochoa, but otherwise there was nothing at either end to be excited about. Pumas looked better as Barrera and Velarde made way for more lively Iñiguez and Chiapas, but the result never looked in doubt.

After the game "Tuca" refused to comment on the ridiculous situation of key players being taken just before a league game for the under 23s, saying he did not wish to lose a further 121,000 pesos. Nevertheless the team looks listless and uninspired, and needs desperately to start accumulating points if the liguilla is to be a realistic possibility.

One note of optimism however. The Pumas fans outsung the América fans all game and whereas there were many empty seats in América sections (possibly due to the superbowl) the Pumas 'porras' were as vociferous as ever. Gladly not a case of only singing when you're winning.

Goals
Nuñez (35 mins.) 1-0
Cabañas (42) 2-0

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Sambueza
América: yellow: Castro, Silva, Villa, Rojas

Player Ratings
Bernal 6 - really didn't have to do much except pick the ball out of the net twice.
Velarde 4 - Awful. Tired listless, out of position.Should not have played.
González 7- good game worked really hard and looked the best chance of a goal too
Verón 6 - not at his commanding best but sound
Espinoza 5 - still not offering enough going forward
Leandro 7 - Pumas' best player and kept working till the end
Castro 5 - out of sorts, needs more dynamism, or needs to let Leandro forward more.
Sambueza 6 - starting to come out of his shell - got in a couple of interesting crosses
Barrera 4 - completely anonymous. Again should not have played
Scocco 5 - apart from a couple of moments we barely saw him
Solari 5 - not enough work-rate this game. Very static.
Iniguez 5 - lively but lacking ball control (how often have I said that?)
Chiapas 6 - did well when he came on
Bonells - only on for a couple of minutes

Tuca 6 - Should not have played the two under 23s. Substitutions were right though. Needs to encourage a more dynamic approach. You wonder where the next goal is coming from.

Elsewhere in Mexico
"El Piojo" Herrera began his new job managing Veracruz with a first point 1-1 at home to Santos. Cruz Azul demolished a woeful San Luis 4-0, while Chivas took advantage of Morelia defender Mauricio Romero being harshly dealt a direct red in the 7th minute to thrash the Monarcas 6-0, including the luxury of a Santana penalty being saved.

Atlante's unbeaten sequence came to an end in Cancún with a nice performance from Tecos, including a wonderful goal from Droguett in their 2-1 victory. Cacho scored again for Pachuca in a 1-0 win over Atlas, Toluca eased past Tigres 2-0 in the Bombonera, while Monterrey under La Volpe, and Jaguares played out a dull 0-0. Necaxa and Puebla also drew, 1-1, in the Estadio Cuauhtémoc.

Toluca now head group 1 from Pachuca, América lead group two ahead of Atlante, and Chivas went ahead of Morelia in group 3 after their win.

Next Up
Pumas entertain Monterrey on Sunday. Watch out for Israel Castro playing for Mexico against the USA on Wednesday.