SuperLiga: Matchday Two (Your Running Commentary)
Good evening folks. The second night of SuperLiga is here and we have some good match-ups once again. Santos Laguna is in New England tonight to take on the Revolution (8pm, Telefutura), with Chivas USA playing host to Pachuca in the nightcap at Home Depot Center (10pm, Telefutura).
If you don't have Telefutura, remember that you can watch a live video stream of the match with English commentators on the SuperLiga website.
If you are watching either of tonight's matchs, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the matches.
Ives Galarcep is an American soccer columnist for ESPNsoccernet.com and creator of SoccerByIves.net.
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Revs look like the much more physical team right now.
Posted by: Sack Lodge | July 13, 2008 at 08:18 PM
We'll see if Sanchez tries to slide-tackle Dube when he does his galloping horse goal celebration...
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 08:30 PM
I have a feeling that won't be the only red card we'll see tonight.
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 08:47 PM
Red Card - Santos down to 10 players. An elbow thrown into the face of Nyassi right in front of the linesman.
Santos have had best chance so far, but Revs are getting forward. Reis has made one or two important saves. Let's see what Stevie's boys can do.
Posted by: ren | July 13, 2008 at 08:49 PM
That was reeeeeeeally bad. This just got to looking like USA-Mexico again.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 08:50 PM
where is Twellman? injured?
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 13, 2008 at 08:53 PM
Twellman hurt his ankle in the last few minutes of overtime in the USOC game on Tues... was pulled off just before they went to PKs.
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 08:55 PM
Where is cristman at?
Posted by: shawn | July 13, 2008 at 09:02 PM
Twellman injured? Shocking.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 09:03 PM
Cristman is hurt as well. He has a bad toe that causes him pain whenever he takes a step. He has been playing with the inury most of the year and it is getting worse. New England is giving him a couple of weeks off in the hope that the inflammation will go down.
Posted by: timpramas | July 13, 2008 at 09:24 PM
looks to me like the way through is on the near sideline with Nyassi.
Posted by: Betinho | July 13, 2008 at 09:24 PM
DUBE!
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 09:33 PM
Whaddya know Betinho, somebody called that perfectly.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 09:33 PM
DUBE!!!! REVS UP!
Nyassi was the key - good call.
Posted by: ren | July 13, 2008 at 09:34 PM
Betinho - you posted about 8 minutes too early!
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 09:34 PM
Nice...eat it Sanchez.
Posted by: Betinho | July 13, 2008 at 09:34 PM
Thank you thank you :)
Posted by: Betinho | July 13, 2008 at 09:35 PM
Nice game. Well done Revs.
Posted by: Betinho | July 13, 2008 at 09:57 PM
Good game Revs.
Did my eyes decieve me or was that Clint Dempsey walking off with Dube there at the end?
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 09:59 PM
Goats USA put an early chance off the bar in the 3rd minute... that would have been a great start!
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 10:12 PM
I always hate to see shots go off frames, but especially in the corners. It's like, you show the great skill to put it right up into the corner, and you're just an inch or two off.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 10:14 PM
PK OFF THE BAR TOO - why didn't Razov take that??!!
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 10:18 PM
Again, this time a pk with the keeper going the wrong way, the wonderfully struck shot goes just off the corner of the frame and stays out.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 10:19 PM
sacha should have taken it.or razov..
i know it's erly but want to see flores
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 13, 2008 at 10:21 PM
No great skill there. Kljestan had the whole net open. No need to aim for corner when you can tap in. I like sacha, but he choked.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 10:22 PM
Razov put it home (off the crossbar from point blank of course)
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 10:25 PM
That's the way to do it
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 10:25 PM
That makes 2 chokers.
Posted by: a f | July 13, 2008 at 10:26 PM
Chivas vs Chivas for a million dollars anyone?
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Ante cut it real close there. Almost 3 horrible chokes in 15 min. At least they are creating chances.
Posted by: a f | July 13, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Suarez tried to be cute with the clearance - results in a Pachuca goal.
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 10:32 PM
On the goal, the initial surge down the right was started while a pachuca player in that area was whining to the ref and allowing chivas to advance unchallenged. Nice.
Posted by: aftbl | July 13, 2008 at 10:33 PM
I'm with you arena, he had that easy, I was just pointing something out.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 10:35 PM
suarez had a xavier moment
Posted by: cbr | July 13, 2008 at 10:36 PM
At first it looked like the pachuca goal went in off suarez's ass; however, the reply suggests that the pachuca player actually knocked it in off his knee behind suarez's back.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 10:39 PM
Wher is the mexican-american u-23 kid, torres for pachuca?
Posted by: gooner | July 13, 2008 at 10:44 PM
On the bench. Against the Silverbacks wednesday he came in at halftime, performed fairly well. I didn't really notice him making any real big stops (they played him as a holding mid), but then again, they didn't really need him to. Once or twice I was aware of who he was when he made a run or two at goal, both with and without the ball.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 10:49 PM
Did Bretos just insinuate (sp?) that Monaco is after yet another young American?
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 10:51 PM
Poor marking in the box - Pachuca get a second goal.
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 10:51 PM
looks like a home game for pachuca atleast sounds like one
Posted by: spencer | July 13, 2008 at 10:52 PM
chivas are going to need a new keeper
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 13, 2008 at 10:53 PM
btw, Jacob-
Yes, your eyes deceive you -- that was not Clint Dempsey in the warm-up jacket talking to Kheli Dube. It was reserve left back Chase Hilgenbrinck.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 10:55 PM
yes max just said that monaco was interested in kljestan and so is a team in moscow. it is good to see our your players go over, even though it does weaken the league a little i think right now it will make the league look like the french league. where there is a good quality of play but a bunch of great home grown talent that can go on to bigger things.
Posted by: spencer | July 13, 2008 at 10:59 PM
Not the keeper's fault on either goal. Was that Suarez marking no one as the cross sailed over his head to an open player? Yikes, not a good half for Suarez.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 11:00 PM
I'm a DCU fan but I like watching Chivas USA play. It is easy to get behind guys like Sasha, Bornstein, and Razov - players who are truly the engine of the league.
But the situation with stadium and their fans is just not sustainable. Besides the few hundred or so diehards in the supporters' groups, the stadium is empty; or, for international fixtures, full of fans of teams that are actually in the Mexican league.
I'm not sure a move to Orange County or San Diego will remedy the situation. It doesn't seem like the targeted demographic is buying this sort of branding.
Posted by: hoyanick | July 13, 2008 at 11:03 PM
Crowd shots pick up a freshly shorn Bob Bradley, genius coachmaster of the universe. I guess he wanted to see how bad in HDC picth is in person.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 11:15 PM
The team needs to be rebranded CD Chivas Los Angeles, not USA. They're an LA team, should stay an LA team and will find an audience of support slowly amongst the Mexican American fans and other who cannot stand to root for the Galaxy. Give it time. They should not move to another city by any means. If anything the league needs to look at the long-term which is two teams in LA, two teams in NYC.
Posted by: TheDreamTeam | July 13, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Mikey was also with his dad.
Wow, beautiful sequence by Chivas ends with Razov's header forcing a save from Calero.
Posted by: Joamiq | July 13, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Razov nearly equalizes with a header. Nice diving save to keep Pachuca ahead. Bradley is in the stands making notes about a possible call up -- Marsch or Preki?
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 11:23 PM
I'll bet MB is just itching to get out on the pitch and make some ill-advised challenges.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 11:25 PM
wow a lot of mb haters
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 13, 2008 at 11:28 PM
mcg - "a lot"?
Anyway, MB is a nice player. Was just making cracks on some of his downsides becuase halftime is boring.
Just re-watched the Revs goal -- that was classy. Granted, the Santos left back had a bad touch, but it wasn't ridiculously bad. It was to Nyassi's credit that he was pressuring tightly enough to make a play for it. Nyassi's quickness to get the ball and beat his man down to the touchline was impressive. Then a clever dummy/backwards flick from Ralston and a solid finish from Dube. Seeing ChivasUSA blow 2 golden chances in the first 10 min tonight makes me appreciate Dube's nice finish in the first game all the more.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 11:35 PM
Thanks for the help Arena.
Maybe Bradley, juuuuuust maaaaaybe, was hoping to catch a glimpse of Sueno, cause who wouldn't love to see that? Or maybe to "recruit" Torres?
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 11:39 PM
This is by far the cleanest Superliga game I've seen to date.
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 11:39 PM
Great run by Panchito - just needed that final ball in...
Posted by: MK | July 13, 2008 at 11:41 PM
is the torres that just came in the torres that weve been hearing has the option of choosing to play for Mexico or the U.S.?
Posted by: combo breaker karma | July 13, 2008 at 11:42 PM
Mendoza and Atiba Harris work a beauty of a 1-2 sending Mendoza down the left but the cross is cleared out before usagotas can manage a shot. Seriously, Harris's return pass was hit while fighting off a defender and manged to dissect the Pachuca backline to hit Mendoza in stride. Nicely played Mr. Harris.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 11:44 PM
Combo, I didn't catch it, but I'm fairly certain they have no other Torres in the side, so I'd venture to say yes.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 11:46 PM
wow some mb haters out there
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 13, 2008 at 11:47 PM
put in sueno!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 13, 2008 at 11:48 PM
Combo: Yeah, that's him.
Also, I gotta say, Klejstian looks great.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 11:50 PM
cbk- #18 for Pachuca is the USA-eligible (and olympic-age) Jose Torres. Came in at 69.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 11:52 PM
should be more prize money for the teamsssss
Posted by: Scott A | July 13, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Sorry to have answered to Combo twice, it took forever to put up there and wasn't sure it was ever going to make it.
Posted by: Jacob | July 13, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Jacob - yeah, SK looks dangerous on the ball. "Sigue sacha... sigue kljestan..."
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 11:54 PM
wish chivas had more depth.. with injuries..don't seem to be able to bring on much attack from the bench
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 13, 2008 at 11:55 PM
mcg- What are talking about? Wicky has been a force for them this year. Oh wait... nevermind. But seriously, Flores!!
Posted by: arena futbol | July 13, 2008 at 11:57 PM
I know..where is he..still on the bench right..
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 13, 2008 at 11:58 PM
maybe he ankle is still bothering him
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 14, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Chivas has used 3 subs already. Not sure why Big Red Awkward had to come in for Burling. Was Burling injured or something. When trailing, seems odd to burn subs on Curtin (and Pallawhosiwhatsi) while leaving Sueno on the bench. Ah, Preki...
Posted by: arena futbol | July 14, 2008 at 12:01 AM
you can sub mre than three times..preseason for mexican teams
Posted by: mcgarryj83 | July 14, 2008 at 12:02 AM
MLS teams have a bit of a disadvantage in play style. The Mexico-based teams are all falling all over the field tonight. Some are legit, but I get the feeling that if there was a strong wind their entire team would hit the dirt.
Posted by: Lee | July 14, 2008 at 12:02 AM
Rough game for Suarez with the missed PK and weak defending on both goals going the other way. Now he throws an elbow worthy of a red (if the Santos elbow got one, this one has to).
Posted by: MK | July 14, 2008 at 12:02 AM
Oh, wait, I guess there are more than 3 subs in superliga. ignorante.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 14, 2008 at 12:03 AM
After the first round of matches: 2 to Mexico and 2 to US.
Posted by: MK | July 14, 2008 at 12:05 AM
Did Caleron just blow off Lance Parker's request to swap jerseys? Ha ha. Actusally, given the no-Guzan panic, Parker was fine. No major gaffs and Suarez was the clearly the... er, goat.. today.
Posted by: arena futbol | July 14, 2008 at 12:08 AM
sportscenter just cut to 'deportes' which showed the revs goal (but did not show the giveaway that started the play).
Posted by: arena futbol | July 14, 2008 at 12:13 AM
Sacha is really talented. Makes watching MLS worthwhile...
Posted by: anon | July 14, 2008 at 12:15 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/7504549.stm
:(
Posted by: Scott A | July 14, 2008 at 12:41 AM
so far the tournament looks to be good.
id have to say the teams appear to match up evenly. for me i think its a little more entertaining than another MLS game.
From what i saw in the Chivas game, Sascha is growing into a midfield maestro for his team, and the new goalkeeper doesnt look confident.
also, Torres looked a threat in the moments that he was on the ball, which were few.
Posted by: combo breaker karma | July 14, 2008 at 01:08 AM
Who's the Pachuca coach? He looks like Wahoo McDaniel ...
Posted by: KingSnake | July 14, 2008 at 07:39 AM
Luis Bueno has audio of Torres saying he turned down the chance to play in the Olympics to concentrate on playing for his club.
Also gives some insight to his decision between the US and Mexico, which sounds like he is still dealing with.
http://sidelineviews.blogspot.com/2008/07/jose-francisco-torres-in-his-own-words.html
Posted by: Ted | July 14, 2008 at 09:33 AM