Harbour View v Pumas - cancelled

Because of Tropical Storm Gustav the match between Pumas and Harbour View of Kingston, Jamaica was postponed on Thursday as the storm passed over the island. The match was rescheduled for Friday evening, but after making a pitch inspection the authorities declared the surface unplayable.

The tie will now be decided in one match at CU on September 4th at 9pm.

Game 5: Pumas 3 - 1 Pachuca

Video here.

In a fast and open game, not something that can often be said about mathces in CU, Pumas broke their 9-year streak of not defeating Pachuca at home, and moved level with Cruz Azul at the top of group 2. Meanwhile Pachuca are struggling, with only two points from the campaign, and only one goal from their forward line in five matches.

Pumas were again unchanged, Tuca keeping faith in the side that was beaten in Morelia, except for Carlos Humberto Gonzalez stepping in for "Pikolín" Palacios, with Juan Carlos Cacho (picture) facing his old club. Pachuca were still without Bruno Marioni, but fielded the spine of the side that was so successful at the beginning of 2007.

The "tuzos" started the brighter, evidently determined to grab their first win of the season and vindicate their management's decision to sell 10 players from the first team squad in the summer transfer window. But in Pumas's first real attack of note, they took the lead with a fortuitous goal. Efrain Juárez put in a long cross from the left, Fernando Morales backed away from the last defender and headed back into the middle, and the unfortunate Leobardo López confused himself and ended up bundling the ball into his own net.

Pachuca lost their early impetus but Pumas could not pick it up and the game slowed down for a while, but the home side bit by bit wrested the initiative and after a couple of half chances from long shots, Cacho had the ball in the net but was called back for the narrowest, if not inexistant, offside. Finally on 44 minutes Pumas had the lead; Castro swung in a free kick from the right and Carlos Humberto González appeared unmarked to head powerfully towards goal. Although Calero got hands to it, the power on the ball meant that it squirmed over the line for Pumas's second.

In the second half Pachuca upped the tempo and threw things forward, knowing that an early goal might shake things up, but their attacking dynamism left them exposed at the back and good work from López and Morales put in Cacho, who despite getting a bad connection, put the ball past Calero for his first Pumas goal. There then followed a period where Pumas looked like they would run away with the game, López forcing a good save out of Calero, but Pachuca began to hold onto the ball better and create a couple of half-chances of their own. In the end the reward came from a debatable free kick, which "el Chaco" Giménez slammed in on the hour, with Bernal slightly out of position.

Pumas became a bit nervous and Juárez looked very uncomfortable against Alvarez on the Pachuca left side: the winger skipped round the full-back on three occasions, coming close with a shot that just cleared the bar. Meanwhile Bernal had to be alert to push away a long-range chip that nearly caught him out.

Towards the end, however, with a two-goal deficit, Pachuca ran out of steam and Pumas sent on three players from the reserve team for experience, two of whom, David Cabrera and 19 year-old Javier Cortés, were making their debuts. Leandro even managed a fine shot that Calero could only parry, but Cacho put the rebound over. Pumas ended up comfortable winners while Pachuca are now languishing just above Indios at the bottom of the general classification.

Goals
Leobardo López (o.g.) (12 minutes) 1-0
Carlos Humerto González (44) 2-0
Juan Carlos Cacho (47) 3-0
Christian Giménez (59) 3-1

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Verón
Pachuca: yellow: Cárdenas, Manzur, Álvarez, Pinto

Player Ratings
Bernal 7 - Some great saves, but caught out on the free kick
Velarde 7 - looked completely at ease; now needs to link more with Morales
González 7 - nice header for the goal and sound at the back
Verón 7 - the usual pillar and a couple of nice forays forward
Juárez 5 - looked at sea against Álvarez
Leandro 6 - in control when Pumas were on top, but Pachuca had too many spells of possession
Castro 6 - got involved well and decent cross for the second goal
Iñiguez 7 - a constant threat down the right and came close with a shot from the edge of the box
Morales 7 - looked lively and a good ball to Cacho for the third
López 6 - not his best game so far, but still lively and better understanding with Cacho
Cacho 7 - improving game on game, let's hope there is more to come
Cortés 6 - lively runs while he was on
Rosas and Cabrera - on for a short time

Tuca 7 - let us give him credit for more movement, a great result, and for giving a debut to two young Pumas.

Elsewhere in Mexico
Hugo Rodallega added to his goal tally, and moved to the top of the goalscoring table, with two more for Necaxa as they earned a 2-2 draw in the Estadio 3 de marzo against Tecos. Cruz Azul came from two behind at home to Monterrey to win 3-2, the winner from a Jaime Lozano penalty. Meanwhile an explosive game which San Luis ended with ten men, and Tigres with nine, ended with a 1-0 win for the "Potosinos" after a mistake by "El Conejo" Pérez let in Víctor Piríz for the decisive goal.

The game of the week was undoubtedly in the Jalisco where Chivas entertained Santos. Three times ahead, Chivas could not cope with the force of Vuoso, who scored two, the sending off of Edgar Solís, and the return of Ludueña who needed less than 25 minutes to score after coming on in the second half. The score, an amazing 5-3 to the away side.

Despite continuing defensive problems, Indios de Ciudad Juárez finally gained their first point, coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Toluca. Atlante came from two behind in Cancún to draw against Atlas, despite Maldonado missing a penalty. Again "el Hobbit" Bermúdez was decisive, scoring the equaliser. Puebla finally got a win at the expense of Morelia int he estadio Cuauthémoc, their 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Álvaro González. Despite "el Chango" Moreno scoring his first domestic goal for América, they squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at home to Jaguares, the winner coming from Itamar Batista with three minutes left.

Atlante now top group 1 from Santos, Cruz Azul, Pumas and Tecos all have ten points each at the top of group 2, while San Luis are clear at the top of group 3. In the relegation struggle, Indios are clear bottom, with Tecos, Tigres and Puebla battling above them.

In Primera A, Pumas Morelos defeated Atlante Chetumal 2-0 in Cuernavaca with goals from Salvador Medina and Oscar Rojas. They are now top of group 3, and top of the general table, although they are not eligible for promotion.

Next Up
This week there are midweek league games (Santos v Tecos looks the pick of these), but Pumas's game in Tuxtla against Jaguares will be postponed until November as they travel to Jamaica to play Harbour View in the preliminary phase of the Concacaf Champions League. Next weekend the game is at home against Atlas. Pumas Morelos visit Veracruz.

San Luis play Deportivo Quito on Tuesday and Chivas travel to Aragua Wednesday in the Copa Sudamericana. Cruz Azul play Hankook Verdes in the Concacaf Champions League on Tuesday.

Game 4: Monarcas 1 - 0 Pumas

Video here.

In a curiously unexciting game in the Estadio Morelos, where neither side showed much initiative or flair, Monarcas of Morelia, showing more perseverance towards the end, stole the points in the last minute with a nicely finished goal from Elías Hernández.

Pumas handed back the right back spot to Efrain Juárez, despite Fernando Espinozsa's performance the previous week, but were otherwise unchanged. Morelia surprisingly left out Luis Landín and Ever Guzman.

Pumas had the better of a dull first half, but as before the main danger came from long-range efforts as Cacho dropped deep and he and Lopez looked out of contact with each other and the wingers. Castro and Leandro both had decent shots which went just wide while Lopez had a shot pushed away by Muñoz. Morelia created little danger for their part and most of the game was played in the middle with the Pumas pairing of Leandro and Castro overshadowing the subdued Droguett, whose best moment was when he sliced wide after being put through by Mendoza.

Nevertheless neither side looked much like scoring, the closest being Cacho's strike from the edge of the box which found the upright, while Verón failed to latch onto a Lopez knock on from a Leandro corner. Cacho also had the ball in the net but was pulled back for a narrow offside.

In the second half Morelia came out in more positive fashion, and Pumas appeared content to allow the home side to dictate the play. This approach was fraught with danger despite the imprecision of the Monarcas attack, and the "Purepechas" came close on a number of occasions, Bernal saving well from a Leao Rodríguez free kick and blocking a Droguett effort. Cacho and Lopez were seeing much less ball and Castro and Leandro were sitting close in front of the defense. There looked little prospect of a Pumas goal and Morelia persevered, pushing forward with little threat.

Nevertheless Romero had the ball in the net after a powerful header from a Leao corner, but he was adjudged to have fouled the defender in his jump. It was a close decision and it looked like Pumas had got away with the draw. "Tuca" played his hold-on-for-a-draw card by bringing on Carlos Humberto González near the end, but the Morelia huffing and puffing finally paid dividends in the last minute. Landín who had come on for Droguett controlled the ball on the edge of the area and without looking up fired the ball low across the area. It fell to another substitute, Elías Hernández, completely unmarked and he slotted nicely past Bernal for the win.

The game was stop-start and not helped by some fussy refereeing from Marco Antonio Rodriguez (picture). He made the correct decisions on the disallowed goals but there was no flow to the game, and at least three of his cards were unnecessary or just incorrect.

This was Morelia's first win, but with Tecos and Cruz Azul also doing well the Pumas group is looking ever more complicated. Pumas will have to tighten up the link between midfield and attack, while getting rid of the negative mentality that so often blights the last half-hour in close games. Pumas stay on 7 points, still in touch in group 2.

Goals
Elías Hernández (90 minutes) 1-0

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Leandro, Juárez
Monarcas: yellow: Romero, Trujillo, Cabrera, Hernández

Player Ratings
Bernal 7 - made a couple of crucial second-half stops
Juárez 5 - adds to the team going forward but still naive in defence. He has picked up a yellow on each of his three starts
Palacios 6 - again looks in command but shaky towards the end in the general malaise
Verón 7 - good performance against uninspired attacking
Leandro 6 - good first half but faded
Castro 6 - industrious as ever, but needed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half
Morales 5 - never got into the game
Iñiguez 5 - like Morales, the lack of width was a serious problem all game
Cacho 6 - is getting better, but he is having to come too deep
López 6 - still our best option up front and nearly sneaked one past Muñoz
C.H.González & Bonells - only on for a couple of minutes.

Tuca 5 - it is nice to have continuity of selection, but dropping Espinoza after his fine showing last week is dispiriting. The wingers need some back up - is there anyone who could do the job while Toledo and Chiapas are recovering from injury?

Elsewhere in Mexico
Jaguares threw away a victory against Atlante in Tuxtla, Itamar Batista missing a penalty and an open goal as well as scoring in the 1-1 draw. América rescued a 1-1 draw against Pachuca despite having a defender sent off for the third game in a row. Pachuca gave a debut to 16 year-old Víctor Mañón. Two-goal Robert de Pinho was the star for Tecos against his old club as they won 4-2 in Monterrey, for whom Ordaz and Baloy were sent off. Israel Martínez grabbed a late winner in the Estadio Jalisco to continue San Luis's fine run and gain a 1-0 victory over Atlas. Toluca came from a goal behind to register their first win of the tournament and ease the pressure on their manager De La Torre. Goals came from Mancilla, Dueñas and Diego De La Torre in a 3-1 victory.

Chivas claimed their third draw of the season in a 2-2 in Aguascalientes against Necaxa. Santos finally achieved their first win, demolishing Indios who now have four straight losses in the top flight. Despite the 3-0 scoreline, Vicente Vuoso missed his second consecutive penalty for Santos after the miss against Pumas in game 2. The final game of week 4 between Tigres and Cruz Azul will be played on November 5th because of Cruz Azul's trip to Europe.

All the groups are close: Atlante top group 1, Tecos group 2 and San Luis group 3 and the general classification. Puebla, Pachuca, Indios and Jaguares have yet to win.

Meanwhile in Primera A, Pumas Morelos went down 2-1 to Jaguares in the Estadio Victor Reyna in Tuxtla. Cristian Zamudio got the goal.

Next Up
Pumas play Pachuca in CU next Sunday. Pumas Morelos host Atlante Chetumal. And look out for Leandro's debut for Mexico in the World Cup qualifier against Honduras in the Estadio Azteca on Wednesday.

Game 3: Pumas 2 - 1 Toluca

See the video here.

An average Pumas performance against an under par Toluca side was resucued in the Olympic Stadium by a gutsy performance by Fernando Espinoza (picture) and a wonderful last-minute strike from Leandro Augusto.

The story all week had been about Leandro, who has had an unfeasible amount of opposition to his call-up to the Mexican national side. Although he did not particularly shine during the game this was completely overshadowed by his 89th minute strike. The game was drifting towards what would have been a fair draw, with Pumas pressing forward but with little conviction when the ball reached Leandro about 25 yards out on the left hand side. Taking a little step forward he struck the ball ferociously and it sped right into the top corner, hitting the inside of the post and nestling in the back of the net. The crowd burst into life, "Como no te voy a querer" rang round the stadium, and Pumas had their second win of the campaign.

All this had seemed far away when Toluca had taken the lead in the 9th minute. A drowsy start from a line-up only changed by the inclusion of Fernando Espinoza for Efrain Juarez allowed Amaury Ponce to float in a wonderful long ball over the central defenders and Héctor Mancilla poked the ball past Bernal with his shin. Throughout a turgid first half the crowd remained quietly optimistic, but although Pumas had possession they created little danger. Cacho was obviously trying hard but coming too deep, and he and Dante Lopez have yet to gel as a striking partnership. The principal threat came from Iñiguez down the right and a couple of long range efforts from Castro. The only other action of the first half was a header apiece from central defenders Da Silva (Toluca) and Verón (Pumas) which went close after set pieces.

In the second half Pumas began to press more, but still without conviction. Nevertheless Fernando Espinoza was having a lively game at right back, and almost unexpectedly he fed Iñiguez, raced into the box and took the winger's low cross first time, thrashing it past Cristante for the equaliser on the hour. Toluca now pulled back even further and both teams made some ineffectual changes. The draw looked the only possible result, until Leandro came up with his "golazo" and silenced a few critics.

In a bizarre incident with about twenty minutes to go, the normally unflappable (and grumpy) Pumas manager Ricardo Ferretti, was sent off for disrespectful behaviour after he showed his understandable contempt for the new Mexican Federation rule that a manager cannot remain out of his seat for more than three minutes. It is difficult to understand the reasoning bejhind this initiative, and "El Tuca" pretended to return to his seat on various occasions before "sneaking" back to the technical area. Young referee Rafael Medina felt himself obliged to send Tuc off, but really the referee ought to be concerned about matters on the field rather than enforcing such a ruling, which could be left to the fourth official for example. In any case Ferretti will be banned from the sidelines next weekend against Morelia.

Goals
Héctor Mancilla (9 minutes) 0-1
Fernando Espinoza (59) 1-1
Leandro Augusto (89) 2-1

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Verón, Palacios, Leandro; red Ferretti
Toluca: yellow: Almazán, Méndez, M.de la Torre, Ríos

Player Ratings
Bernal 6 - really had nothing to do
Espinoza 7 - his return after being dropped was full of enthusiasm and ideas
Palacios 7 - other than the goal completely untroubled
Verón 7 - again assured in the centre of defence
Velarde 6 - didn't get forward much but sound
Leandro 7 - great goal but below his high standards in the first half
Castro 7 - the only player to look good in the first half
Iñiguez 6 - kept trying and good pull back for the first goal
Morales 6 - one or two sparks but is inconsistent
Cacho 5 - it still isn't working for a player who is a team man
Lopez 6 - made some good runs but still not connected with his teammates
Toledo, Juárez, Bonells - little time to make an impression

Tuca 6 - an unimpressive performance but a good result and he is right about the Federation's rule.

Elsewhere in Mexico
A Joaquín Beltrán goal in the 5th minute set Cruz Azul on their way to a 2-0 win in the Azul against Tecos, despite a rather lacklustre performance. Two goals from Israel Martínez gave an impressive San Luis a 2-0 win over Jaguares and sent them to the top of the table. Meanwhile Indios de Ciudad Juárez suffered their third consecutive defeat falling 3-2 at home to Necaxa. Colombian Hugo Rodallega scored two for Necaxa.

Chivas continued their unsteady start to the season drawing unimpressively 1-1 at home to Monterrey, and having to rely on a controversial penalty retake for their goal. Former Pumas favourite Kikín Fonseca finally broke his year-long goal drought and also delivered a scoring pass as Tigres overcame Atlas 3-0, while diminuitive midfielder "EL Hobbit" Bermúdez had a similar influence for Atlante who overcame Pachuca 2-1 in Cancún. Santos and Puebla are still yet to win after sharing a 0-0 draw in the Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Jorge Estrada was sent off late on for Santos. Ismael Rodríguez had threatened to leave América if he did not get more game time, and he got his wish on Sunday in the Estadio Azteca against Morelia. Unfortunately after Enrique Esqueda had put América ahead Rodríguez gave away the penalty for the equaliser and got himself sent off for complaining about the decision; this could make it easier for Ramon Díaz to leave him out next time.

Pumas Morelos continued their good start to the season as a Luis Rosas goal in the first half was enough to beat Atletico Mexiquense 1-0 in the Estadio Cententario.

Next Up
Late Sunday kick off in Morelia against Monarcas. Pumas Morelos are away to Jaguares.

Game 2: Santos 1 - 1 Pumas

Pumas struggled to a valuable point against the current champions Santos in the Estadio Corona in Torreon, Coahuila. The "Laguneros" controlled most of the game, but a resolute Pumas defence, and some fine goalkeeping by Sergio Bernal (picture) were able to limit their opportunities and hold out for the draw.

The big news of the week had been Leandro Augusto´s call up to Sven Goran Eriksson´s first squad selection, and a lot of column inches were written about his inclusion, with regrettably some players complaining that other "equally" good players should be selected if they were born in Mexico. It seems they are suggesting that there are two classes of Mexican citizens, yet in some ways a naturalised Mexican is if anything more committed to his "Mexicanness", since he has chosen it, not acquired it through an accident of birth. The other argument was that if Leandro was selected, then so should be Argentinian-born Matias Vuoso of Santos.

Such was the talk as the game got under way. Palencia was still out injured and Bravo's papers are still not in order (more effort needs to be made on that score, including a note to FIFA) so Tuca kept faith in Dante Lopez and Juan Carlos Cacho up front with Pablo Bonells as back up on the bench. Otherwise the team was the same as in the opening game, while Santos rested Walter Jimenez and remain without two of their main attacking weapons, Benitez and Luduena. Matias Vuoso was out to prove himself after being left out of the Mexican squad earlier in the week.

Right from the start Santos were the more dynamic unit, controlling the midfield, with Morales and Iniguez having to drop too deep and Palacios and Veron having difficulty controlling movements forward. As early as the 9th minute, in fact, Rodriguez clipped the bar from a free kick. While struggling to have any significant hold on the ball, nevertheless the centre of defence looked firm, although Vuoso alternatively tested out the young Pumas full-backs. Santos began to become a little frustrated despite some excellent movement from Castillo and Arce, and it was then that Pumas could create some danger of their own, both Lopez and Castro going close with long-range efforts, Oswaldo Sanchez having to be lively.

After the drinks break (after half an hour) Santos continued to press and nearly took the lead as Ortiz headed nicely towards the top corner, but Bernal was able to throw himself high and right to push away for the corner. And just as it looked as if the teams would be going in level, some excellent play by Leandro and Dante Lopez brought the goal. Leandro skipped down the left and put in a low cross which Lopez controlled by pushing it past the last defender and then beating Sanchez to poke the ball into the net.

Despite some nervous moments Pumas arrived at half time ahead and as the second half progressed in a much more even manner, a Cacho break out nearly fed in Lopez, but Sanchez made an excellent save. Daniel Guzman the Santos coach then introduced Walter Jimenez for Mares. He had a dynamic impact and Pumas again began to struggle in the middle and the Pumas team became compressed at the back with little route forward towards a lively Dante Lopez, and an increasingly frustrated Cacho.

Despite their almost complete domination of the ball, Santos were still finding clear chances difficult to create and the equaliser came in slightly fortuitous circumstances. A poor shot across the face of the goal from just inside the area by Vuoso, fell very neatly to Torres evading the Pumas defenders and Bernal had no chance. In a mad moment almost immediately afterwards Pumas were nearly behind. Veron was adjudged to have fouled Castillo in the area, and although replays were at best inconclusive (Veron appeared to take the ball fairly cleanly) Vuoso stepped up for the spot kick. His effort however was anticipated beautifully by Bernal who dived low to his left to push the ball for a corner.

Tuca had seen enough and brought off Morales to play a five-man defence with Carlos Humberto Gonzalez. Santos continued to push forward but space was more limited and chances few. Lopez had a reasonable effort from the edge of the area which unfortunately went straight at Oswaldo Sanchez, while in the last minute Bernal was similarly able to cling on to a "Lorito" Jimenez effort which looked like it was going to grab the points for the home team.

So a somewhat scrappy point for Pumas, away to the champions and best team of the past year (this is the second successive season that Pumas have played the champions in the second game). They are now in 3rd place in group two behind Tecos and Cruz Azul, while Santos are still waiting for their first win.

Goals
Dante Lopez (38th minute) 0-1
Francisco Torres (68) 1-1

Cards
Pumas: yellow: Juarez, Veron
Santos: yellow: Figueroa, Estrada

Player Ratings
Bernal 8 - definitely the key figure for Pumas, some great saves including the penalty
Velarde 6 - struggled against Vuoso and an arm injury
Juarez 6 - agan did well coping, albeit with some difficulty, with the pace of Vuoso and Arce
Veron 7 - an excellent first half and unlucky to give away the penalty
Palacios 7 - as solid as last week and the centre of defence was tight
Leandro 6 - created the goal, but did not do enough to control the ball in the middle
Castro 5 - unfortunatley too anonymous
Iniguez 7 - got to the byline a couple of times and was the main threat in the first half
Morales 6 - his level dropped from last week, but to be fair he had little service and had to come deep
Lopez 7 - got into good positions and looked sharper than last week, but often had to come deep
Cacho 6 - looked isolated and too often turned into trouble, but there is definitely more to come. He clearly looked upset at making way for Bonells.
Toledo 5 - did very little
C.H. Gonzalez 6 - solidified the centre of defence and allowed the other two to cover more ground
Bonells 6 - looked livelier than he did for Pumas Morelos last week

Tuca 7 - rather negative at the end but the defensive structure is right. The only problem was a poor day at the office for Castro and Leandro. The team also needs to learn how to cope better with the opposition pressuring high up the field.

Elsewhere in Mexico
Both Mexican teams crashed out of the Superliga to MLS teams in the semi-finals. Defending champions Pchuca lost 2-0 to Houston while Atlante went down 1-0 to New England Revolution, and then managed to get 5 players sent off, four after the ninety minutes was up.

In the Mexican League, Chivas continued their mediocre start losing 1-0 against 10-man Tecos as well as suffering an injury to Omar Arellano. Alcantar got the goal that sees them top the "Group of Death". A fine performance by ex-Puma favourite "Kikin" Fonseca condemned Jaguares to their second comprehensive defeat as two goals by Blas Perez contributed to a 3-1 win for Tigres in Tuxtla. Indios de Ciudad de Juarez were yet again unable to open their top flight account after going down 2-0 in Monterrey. A well taken individual goal from Carlos Ochoa was enough to send Monterrey on their way, and an unlucky second half own goal sealed the Indios fate.

Pahuca´s indifferent start continues as San Luis came from behind late on to win 3-2 in the Estadio Hidalgo, Jairo Patino grabbing the winner five minutes from time. Meanwhile in an exciting game in the Jalisco, Atlas lost a 2-1 lead to go down 4-2 to Cruz Azul. A magnificent overhead kick by Mauricio Romero had given Atlas the lead, but they fell apart after Botinelli was sent off for a second yellow and Riveros and Vigneri put the icing on the cake for the "cementeros". In the last Saturday game Necaxa and Puebla played out a forgettable 0-0 in Aguascalientes.

In a scrappy game in Morelia, Monarcas were unable to grind out a win against Atlante, and the game finished 0-0. In the Bombonera, Toluca and America put on an exciting show, the "Diablos Rojos" going two up after 10 minutes then hanging on for the rest of the game while America knocked impotently at the door, managing only a goal from Cabanas when his cross floated past Cristante. Marco Antonio Rodriguez also managed to notch up his regulation two sendings-off before the end.

Monterrey top Group 1 from Atlante, both teams on 4 points. Group 2 sees Tecos ahead of Cruz Azul and Pumas, while Tigres and San Luis now top Group 3.

Pumas Morelos claimed a fine 3-2 away win against Lobos BUAP, with goals from Aguilar, Cortes and Rosas.

Next Up
Pumas play at home to Toluca on Sunday, while Pumas Morelos receive Atletico Mexiquense.