The Unemployment Line

Let's face it, being a coach of a European futbol team isn't the most stable position in the world when it comes to job security. You look around at the different leagues all over the continent and the exceptions are few and far between. Sir Alex Fergueson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal stand out as coaches who have been with their teams for more than 10 years. In Sir Alex's case, he's been there 20+ years and is a stalwart at Old Trafford.

Yet venture to the south and in Spain you will find a completely different story. Former Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard was the the Catalan club for five years. That's an eternity in Spanish futbol. Consider that Real Madrid just fired Bernd Schuster and all he did was deliver a La Liga championship last year. Or even more curious is the fact that Fabio Capello, in two separate stints with the Madrid side, won a La Liga crown in each year only to be fired after the season... Que coño???? At least each one of those coaches made it at least one year. The same cannot be said this year in La Segunda. The year is not even half over and there have been seven, count 'em seven, coaching changes. And what's even more mindblowing is that a single club has accounted for FOUR for those. That's right, one team in El Infierno has already had FOUR coaches this year. If you're smart, you know who I'm taking about. Just go back to my previous post and see who is the penultimate 'colista'.... Alicante.

It didn't take long to start this circus either. In Jornada 7, Juan Carlos Granero was replaced by Asier Garitano. A whopping three weeks later during Jornada 10, Garitano was replaced by Nino Lema. Lema actually made it another five weeks to Jornada 15 before being replaced by Manolo Jimenez (see above photo)who hopefully by now has learned the names of his players as he tries to direct them out of the cellar of El Infierno. Alicante has just one win this season and a mere 9 points. The outlook does not look good. The team spent last year in the Segunda B and it's a good bet they'll return there even before the month of May starts. But hey, look on the bright side, at least the players will be able to soak up the spring Valencian sun with no pressure at all once they have 'secured' their relegation. Buena suerte chavales....

On to the games. Side note: Real Murcia just announced that they have fired Javier Clemente and brought on Jose Miguel Campos to try to salvage their season. Will it have an impact? Doubtful. Anyhow, to the games... A little shifting of the top 3. Salamanca is emerging as the strongest side in El Infierno. The Xerex freight train looks to be a little derailed after another tie, this time away at Castellon. A very nice battle is shaping up for the third pormotion spot between Hercules, Zaragoza, Castellon and Rayo Vallecano. Huesca is also right there with 24 points.

Resultados - Jornada 16

Córdoba - Rayo 0-1
Albacete - R.Sociedad 2-1
Castellón - Xerez 2-2
Celta - Zaragoza 2-0
Alicante - Las Palmas 1-2
Salamanca - Levante 3-0
Huesca - Murcia 1-0
Girona - Elche 1-1
Tenerife - Hércules 3-2
Eibar - Alavés 1-0
Gimnástic - Sevilla At 3-1

Clasificacion

1. Salamanca - 31
2. Xerez - 29
3. Hércules - 26
4. Zaragoza - 26
5. Castellón - 25
6. Rayo - 25
7. Huesca - 24
8. Tenerife - 24
9. R.Sociedad - 23
10. Albacete - 23
11. Celta - 22
12. Girona - 22
13. Levante - 22
14. Gimnástic - 21
15. Las Palmas - 21
16. Alavés - 20
17. Eibar - 19
18. Elche - 18
19. Córdoba - 16
20. Murcia - 13
21. Alicante - 9
22. Sevilla At - 7

Where Have You Gone, Real Oviedo and SD Compostela?

We once again travel off the paths of El Infierno and down into the depths of Spanish futbol. In the Fall of 1996, as I was being introduced to Spanish futbol, there were two teams playing in La Liga who are now nowhere to be found even close to the highest level of futbol in Spain. They were Real Oviedo and SD Compostela. What these two have in common is that financial problems and irregularities have landed them in either La Tercera Division or their Division Regional, which is one rung below La Tercera. But what I would like to do today is recount some of the glory and 'fame' that these teams did experience recently ago.

Well, this is the right time of year to recount a story about our Asturian friends from Oviedo. In the 1998-1999 season, when Oviedo was in La Primera, they played Real Madrid at home in Asturias in the last match before the Christmas break. Panamanian Dely Valdes scored the game winner for Oviedo and celebrated by calling his wife on a cell phone and wishing her a Merry Christmas. So before Joe Horn of the NFL's New Orleans Saints got everyone in a fuss about using a cell phone in a touchdown celebration 7-8 years ago, Dely Valdes had already gone down that road in La Liga. The cover of Marca the next day was "Hola, Soy Dely Valdes, Feliz Navidad!" and showed him speaking into the phone while being mobbed by teammates. (See above photo)

Now, there are no covers of Oviedo on Marca, but a curious rebirth has started for the club. The fans are making their back out to the 30,000 person Estadio Carlos Tartiere. A Trofeo Principado (Asturian competition) against Sporting Gijon (then in El Infierno, now in the Primera) saw a jam-packed crowd look on as Oviedo managed to beat their regional rivals 2-1. Pride has now been restored after financial hardship landed on this club and unfortunately on the players. there was even a day when the player showed up for practice only to find there was no electricty. Gone are the days when the fans lined their training ground to protest the players' supposed greediness. Now, after being promoted to La Tercera a couple years ago, the team was the toast of Oviedo as fans lined the streets as if they had won the World Cup. Maybe soon, more celebrations will happen in Oviedo as their native sons battle to return to prominence.

If you never saw SD Compostela play a game, you at least saw them as the opposing team in one of the famous Ronaldo clips ever. Once again, it was the year Ronaldo was with Barca. It also happens to be my favorite goal of all-time. He picks up the ball at midfield and basically beats the entire team, is getting dragged down by his shirt when he enters the penalty box, yet still swung his right boot round and scored the first of his 3 goals that night. I'll never forget it. I was at the Atleti-Betis game at Estadio Vincente Calderon and the scoreboard was like a pinball machine lighting up with "Gol en Compostela - Gol de Ronaldo". Barca won that game 5-1 and the cover of El Mundo Deportivo the next day was "Apostol Ronaldo", a direct reference to the fact that Santiago is home to Apostle James. I still have it at my home too.The whole world went on to know all about Ronaldo that year, but everyone forgot about poor Compostela or, "Compos" as they are called. Compostela lasted another year in la Primera before they descended down to la Segunda and soon enough, in 2001 they had trouble paying players. It was then that the Spanish Futbol Federation sent them down to the lower rings of Hell. This is all ironic considering that the most famous religious pilgrimage in the world, The Camino de Santiago, just so happens to end at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, a mere 20km or so away from their futbol stadium. It just doesn't seem right that a team in such a Holy City has to play in such an ungodly and hellish division.

On to the results. Xerex comes back down to earth as the Top 3 tightens up. Zaragoza avoids embarassment and equalises late against Huesca in the 'derbi aragones' with two goals from the Brazilian Ewerthon. It was Huesca first visit to play their regional neighbors in league play in 58 years! Also, new coaches abound at Cordoba and Alicante.

Clasificacion:

1. Xerez - 28
2. Salamanca - 28
3. Zaragoza - 26
4. Hércules - 26
5. Castellón - 24
6. R.Sociedad - 23
7. Rayo - 22
8. Levante - 22
9. Huesca - 21
10. Tenerife - 21
11. Girona - 21
12. Albacete - 20
13. Alavés - 20
14. Celta - 19
15. Gimnástic - 18
16. Las Palmas - 18
17. Elche - 17
18. Córdoba - 16
19. Eibar - 16
20. Murcia - 13
21. Alicante - 9
22. Sevilla At - 7

Resultados - Jornada 15

Hércules - Eibar 2-0
Murcia - Tenerife 2-2
Sevilla - AtCastellón 0-2
Zaragoza - Huesca 2-2
R.Sociedad - Alicante 1-0
Las Palmas - Celta 2-0
Elche - Córdoba 3-1
Levante - Albacete 3-1
Alavés - Gimnástic 1-1
Rayo - Salamanca 1-1
Xerez - Girona 2-2

The Fall of Real Murcia

A mere 11 months ago, then newly-promoted Real Murcia was one of the surprises of La Liga. They started off their 100th year of futbol, or their 'Centenario' as it is known, with a win against Osasuna to lay claim to 9th place in La Liga. Things reached a fever pitch that first week in January when thoughts of UEFA Cup futbol danced in the heads of Real Murcia supporters. A newly promoted team earning a spot to the following year's UEFA Cup was unheard of. And unfortunately for Real Murcia, it still is. Following the euphoric win against the Pamplona side, Real Murcia went into a tailspin like no other eventually falling to 19th place and being relegated back down to La Segunda Division. Real Murcia was only capable of scratching out 8 points in their next 20 games. Unfortunately for them, the trend has continued and now Real Murcia once again find themselves in the relegation zone. This time, to be relegated down to the Segunda B.

What makes this so painful for the team and its supporters is that the 'Centenario' is suppose to be a special year. A club celebrating 100 years of existence is suppose to summon magic and win games against 'los gigantes' or better yet, take their fans on a wild ride in the Copa del Rey. But sometimes, the Centenarios don't work out and now Real Murcia are seeing one of their worst years ever in the year of their Centenario.

Now Real Murcia has called on former Spanish National Team Coach Javier Clemente to turn things around. Clemente himself has been around the block many many times, and is sure to eventually piss off another team in another Spanish autonomous region. He's done it in his native Basque Country, Andalucia, Catalonia, Comunidad de Madrid, Tenenrife... and even Serbia! This is also a coach who managed to take a powerful Spanish National Team and lose to Cyprus. That's not a typo. That really happened. Not surprisingly, he resigned as 'Seleccionador' three days later. Don't hold your breath the the faithful who still go to La Nueva Condomina will see a quick tunraround. Real Murcia is in trouble. Let's hope the start of their second Centenario is better than the end of the first.

On to the results.... The Xerez train keeps rolling. They are now 'lider' of La Segunda. And don't look now but the Gallegos from Celta are making their way towards the top.

Jornada 14
Tenerife - Zaragoza 1-2
Salamanca - Córdoba 1-0
Castellón - Alavés 0-1
Alicante - Levante 0-2
Gimnástic - Hércules 2-2
Albacete - Rayo 2-1
Celta - R.Sociedad 0-0
Xerez - Elche 3-1
Huesca - Las Palmas 2-1
Girona - Sevilla At 1-0
Eibar - Murcia 3-1

Clasificacion:

1. Xerez - 27
2. Salamanca - 27
3. Zaragoza - 25
4. Hércules - 23
5. Castellón - 21
6. Rayo - 21
7. Huesca - 20
8. R.Sociedad - 20
9. Tenerife - 20
10. Albacete - 20
11. Girona - 20
12. Celta - 19
13. Levante - 19
14. Alavés - 19
15. Gimnástic - 17
16. Córdoba - 16
17. Eibar - 16
18. Las Palmas - 15
19. Elche - 14
20. Murcia - 12
21. Alicante - 9
22. Sevilla At - 7

Abuelo, pasa el balon!

Futbol is a rough game. You look around and most of the players running on pitches every weekend are men in their 20s. Some are even teenagers. There are certainly players in their early 30s, but once you start getting around the age of 35, it's just about time to hang up the boots. Futbol takes a toll on the knees (just look at Ronaldo) and simply put, most players lose their much needed velocity to stay competitive once they get north of 35. There are exceptions, Paolo Maldini at AC Milan is one that immediately comes to mind. But in Spain the player who holds the title of 'abuelo' of Spanish futbol is a man who goes out every week and plays 'al hueso' for Rayo Vallecano in La Segunda Division. He is Carlos Llorens.

Carlos Llorens was born in Alicante back in 1967 and rose through the ranks of futbol in the Comunidad de Valencia. Most of his futbol has been played in La Segunda Division with occasional stops with teams in La Segunda B. Here is the resume:

Tomelloso (91-92), Cartagena (92-93), Elche (93-94), Levante (94-95) ,Lleida (95-97), Leganés (97-98), Rayo Vallecano (98-00), Atlético de Madrid (00-01), Osasuna (00-01), Alavés (01-03), Polideportivo Ejido (03-06) and back to Rayo Vallecano (06-current).

Even if his play was not in La Liga at the first division level, it's still very impressive and is worth respect and admiration. And not only is Carlos still playing, but he performs at a high level at the left back for Rayo. He started all games last year for the Vallecas club and is on track to do the same this year.

He will always be remembered as a hero to Rayo Vallecano fans after Carlos cooly converted the PK that gave Rayo the 1-0 win over Benidorm to ensure promotion from Segunda B to La Segunda. It was during that game where an unforgettable scene played out. The referee whistled the PK in favor of Rayo and of course the savvy veteran Llorens was chosen to take it. Carlos' daughters were in the stands that day in Vallecas and assured all of those around them that their father would not fail, and as stated above, they were right!

So to all of you who are now over 30 and starting to feel some ill effects of aging, especially after engaging in sport, be sure to channel your inner Carlos Llorens! As a tribute to Carlos Llorens, this week's Team of the Week is Rayo Vallecano.

I forgot to post results and La Clasificacion from last week. Xerex esta en racha! The boys from southwestern Andalucia have scored 10 goals in their last two games!

Jornada 12

Sevilla At - Elche 0-2
Xerez - Alavés 5-0
Girona - Hércules 1-0
Castellón - Murcia 2-0
Gimnástic - Zaragoza 0-0
Eibar - Las Palmas 1-2
Tenerife - R.Sociedad 1-1
Huesca - Levante 2-1
Celta - Rayo 0-0
Alicante - Córdoba 2-2
Albacete - Salamanca 2-2

Clasificacion:

1. Salamanca - 24
2. Xerez - 21
3. Hércules - 21
4. Castellón - 20
5. Rayo - 20
6. Zaragoza - 19
7. Huesca - 17
8. Tenerife - 17
9. Albacete - 17
10. Girona -17
11. R.Sociedad - 16
12. Levante - 16
13. Gimnástic - 15
14. Las Palmas - 15
15. Celta - 15
16. Córdoba - 13
17. Eibar - 13
18. Alavés - 13
19. Elche - 11
20. Murcia - 11
21. Alicante - 8
22. Sevilla At - 7

Who is Real Union?

I was all set to write a piece about a certain player in La Segunda Division, but the events of yesterday in the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu take precedence. Let's just go ahead and call it what it was - The greatest upset in the history of the Copa del Rey. So instead of our usual discussion about a team from La Segunda, we're gonna talk about a team from La Segunda B!

Yes I know, there have been surprises before such as the Barcelona meltdown against Figueres. But that was one of those quirky one game only knockout games. What transpired yesterday was a team from the third division of Spanish futbol eliminating the defending La Liga champion by netting three goals in the return leg match in Madrid.

Real Union surprised Madrid up in Irun in the first leg 3-2. A stunning result, no doubt, but there were few who didn't think Madrid would soundly hammer the modest Basque side on their home turf. Well, Madrid scored four goals, but Eneko Romo's header in the 90th minute secured the precious away goal for Real Union that gave them the tiebreaker and formally bounced Real Madrid from the Copa del Rey.

So exactly who is Real Union? Well, for a team so far in the depths of Spanish futbol, they have a rather illustrous past. Situated in the Basque town of Irun, right near the French border, Real Union was one of the trailblazers of Spanish futbol. In fact, the team holds the honor of being a charter member of La Liga back when it started in 1928. The Copa del Rey was played well before then and Real Union won the second of their four Copa del Rey titles against.... Real Madrid (of course!) back in 1918. Real Union has spent only four seasons in La Liga , the latest being 1932. As of late, Real Union has spent the last five season in the Segunda B finishing a respectable 5th or better each time. Perhaps this vitcory against Real Madrid is a springboard towards reaching La Segunda Division. In the meantime, the team will enjoy the wellwishes they receive from Real Madrid haters all over the world. Bien hecho tios!

Lo pegó desde Cuenca!

UEFA has seen its share of cup finals that were truly amazing. The 1999 Champions League final when Manchester United scored twice in injury time to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 comes to mind. The aforementioned UEFA Cup final in 2001 when Alaves and Liverpool battled to a 4-4 result in regulation and saw Liverpool win with a golden goal in the extra period. There are plenty of other for sure.

However one match that may have had the most amazing game winning goal is the Cup Winners Cup final of 1995 when Zaragoza beat Arsenal 2-1. This was at a time when UEFA still had three cup competitions. The Cup Winners Cup was reserved for the sides that won their domestic cup competition. In this case Arsenal had won the FA Cup while Zaragoza had taken home the Copa del Rey in the previous year. The teams battled to a 1-1 result at the end of the 90 minutes. No goals were scored in the first 29 minutes of extra time and it looked for all the world the the faithful in the Parc des Princes stadium would see PKs. With the final seconds coming to a close, Spanish midfield Nayim, from the town of Ceuta, lobbed a hopeless shot 40 yards away from goal. But the only thing that was hopeless was the reaction of Arsenal keeper David Seaman after the ball curled right over his fingertips and below the crossbar into the goal. The stadium erupted and the call on Spanish television was priceless with the commentator shouting, "Gol de Zaragoza. Lo pego desde Cuenca!!" For those geography buffs out there, you can understand the great distance that separates the cities of Zaragoza and Cuenca!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp8SjQjqEEA

Much like Real Sociedad, Zaragoza has a rather illustrious history for a team that is playing in the Second Division. Real Zaragoza has never won La Liga, but they have come away as Copa del Rey champs an amazing six times, including a legendary victory over a Zidane, Beckham, Ronaldo and Luis Figo-led Real Madrid in 2004. Zaragoza plays in La Romareda that seats over 35,000 people. No question it is one of the largest stadiums in la Segunda Division.

Zaragoza is located in the heart of Aragon, a region known for its rugged landscape. It sits right smack dab in the middle between Barcelona and Madrid so any time you take the bus between these two big cities, inevitably you will stop right near Zaragoza so you can munch on a bocadillo de chorizo and a coca cola. Zaragoza is reputedly known as the starting point of Christianity in Spain. The Patron Saint of Spain is Our Lady of Pilar so it is the least bit ironic that the Basilica in Zaragoza just so happens to be her home.

The faithful of Real Zaragoza recently celebrated the Festival of Pilar on October 12th. One has to assume that some prayers were made to get some help from above so their boys will be back in la Primera Division soon.

Jornada 9 - Resultados

Hércules - Alavés 3-0
Murcia - Sevilla At 1-0
Zaragoza - Xerez 2-1
Las Palmas - Girona 2-2
R.Sociedad - Castellón 2-3
Levante - Gimnástic 2-2
Rayo - Eibar 4-1
Córdoba - Tenerife 2-0
Salamanca - Huesca 2-0
Albacete - Celta 1-1
Elche - Alicante 0-0

Clasificacion:

1. Salamanca - 20
2. Hércules - 17
3. Zaragoza - 17
4. Rayo - 16
5. Castellón - 15
6. Xerez - 14
7. Gimnástic - 13
8. Tenerife - 13
9. Albacete - 12
10. Córdoba - 12
11. Alavés - 12
12. Levante - 12
13. Huesca - 11
14. Girona - 11
15. R.Sociedad - 11
16. Eibar - 11
17. Las Palmas - 10
18. Celta - 8
19. Murcia - 8
20. Alicante - 7
21. Sevilla At - 6
22. Elche - 4

Sherry, Horses, Flamenco and.... Futbol!

Pity the tourist who, upon arriving in Spain with Catalonia or the Basque Country being their first destination, asks the concierge at the hotel as to the availability of seeing a Flamenco show. If you're lucky, the concierge might be able to dig up a show for you to see, which most likely it's a Flamenco show marketed specifically to tourists. However, in most hotels, you'll probably get a blank stare or a simple roll of the eyes explaining that there is no Flamenco in Barcelona, Bilbao or really in any part of Northern Spain. To find the true home of Flamenco, you must venture to the complete opposite end of the country, all the way down in the region of Andalucia and to the southwestern province of Cadiz which is home to the city of Jerez and Xerez CD.

In addition to Flamenco, the city of Jerez prides itself as being the cornerstone for horses and sherry. The Spanish style of riding horses begins here and all things sherry originate from the vineyards sourrounding Jerez. These three things ensure that, as a city, Jerez will be able to withstand economic hardship which may plague other regions of the country. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for its futbol.

Futbolitacamente, Xerex has a very modest history. They have never played in La Liga, only reaching 5th place in La Segunda Division. There have been close calls, including the 2001-2002 season when current Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster directed the squad to the brink of glory. Xerex fell just short and Schuster quickly scuttled off to bigger and more prosperous coaching ventures. One has to assume he had a much more amicable relationship with the Jerez media than the Madrid media. It's a shame that Xerex does not have any great success because there have been players of high quality that have come from the city of Jerez, including 1990s Atletico Madrid legend Kiko and current Spanish National Team star Dani Guiza who is now playing in Turkey for Fenerbache under the watchful eye of El Sabio Luis Aragones. Xerex currently sits in the Top 5 of La Segunda Division with 14 points. If they can maintain that 'racha', there just might be a place for them next year in La Liga.

Resultados - Jornada 8

Gimnástic - Rayo 3-1
Huesca - Albacete 1-2
Eibar - Córdoba 1-0
Girona - R.Sociedad 0-0
Castellón - Levante 4-1
Tenerife - Salamanca 2-3
Celta - Alicante 2-2
Hércules - Elche 0-0
Xerez - Las Palmas 1-0
Sevilla At - Zaragoza 0-4
Alavés - Murcia 4-1

Clasificacion:

Salamanca - 17

Zaragoza - 14

Hercules - 14

Xerez - 14

Tenerife - 13

Rayo Vallecano - 13

Gimnastic de Tarragona - 12

Castellon - 12

Alaves - 12

Huesca - 11

Real Sociedad - 11

Albacete - 11

Levante - 11

Eibar - 11

Girona - 10

Las Palmas - 9

Cordoba - 9

Celta - 7

Alicante - 6

Sevilla Atletico - 6

Murcia - 5

Elche - 3

Alli esta Puertaaaaaaa!!!!.........

It gets said entirely way too much that after a tragedy happens in sport, athletes and media alike come out and say, "this really puts everything in perspective." This is all true. But we still lament the loss of life, especially when it is one of our heroes who roamed over pitches all over the world. One such case was last August of 2007 when Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta collapsed in a Liga game and died after suffering several cardiac arrests. Antonio was a mere pup. Only 23 years of age. He was beloved by the Sevilla FC faithful and will always be remembered in the annals of the club for scoring one of the most memorable goals in history when his electrifying volley ripped past the Schalke goalkeeper in the 100th minute to send Sevilla to the 2006 UEFA Cup final. Sevilla FC radio went beserk and it still remains one of my favorite calls of a goal ever.

"Alli esta... alli esta Puertaaaaa. GOL! GOL! GOOOOOOL! PUERTA GOL! PUERTA! GOL! GOL DE ANTONIO PUERTA!!!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3msyoOGI0M8

I mention Antonio Puerta because he was part of what has now become one of the best 'canteras' in all of Spain. To refresh everyone's memory, the 'cantera" is the youth system developed by the club. Antonio was born and raised in Sevilla so it was only natural that he be groomed within the Sevilla system. Other La Liga teams have their own "B" teams that play in the different divisions, but it is only Sevilla who has a feeder team playing in La Segunda Division. That happens to be Sevilla Atletico. As opposed to the other 21 teams in La Segunda Division, Sevilla Atletico has reached their ceiling from a team perspective. But the goal of reaching the first division still remains for the players and looking at the current and recent Sevilla FC squads, that goal is very much attainable. The aforementioned Antonio Puerta played for Sevilla Atletico, as did goal-scorer Jesus Navas and Diego Capel.

It certainly speaks to the depth and talent in the Sevilla system to essentially have thir "B" team playing at the next to highest level. That's not the case with some of the other 'gigantes'. Barcelona B was only recently promoted to Segunda B for example. In years past, some B teams have had such a successful season in La Segunda Division including Castilla (Real Madrid's B team), Bilbao Atletic and Atletico Madrid B. There's a certain purity and feeling of innocence when one watches the "chavales" of the B teams play in more modest venues. I'm sure fans who take in these games get wispy when they see one of their boys achieve success with the parent team. And one can only imagine the sense of heartbreak it gave Sevilla fans to watch one of their own come up through the system, yet have his life taken so suddenly. Dare I say, it puts things in perspective...

Jornada 7 - Resultados

REAL MURCIA 0 - 0 HERCULES
LAS PALMAS 2 - 0 SEVILLA AT.
REAL SOCIEDAD 0 - 0 XEREZ
ALICANTE 1 - 3 HUESCA
REAL ZARAGOZA 4 - 2 ALAVES
RAYO VALLECANO 4 - 2 CASTELLON
ALBACETE 0 - 1 TENERIFE
ELCHE 1 - 1 CELTA
LEVANTE 1 - 1 GIRONA
CORDOBA 0 - 0 GIMNASTIC
SALAMANCA 2 - 0 EIBAR

Clasificacion

1º - SALAMANCA - 14
2º - HERCULES - 13
3º - TENERIFE - 13
4º - RAYO VALLECANO - 13
5º - HUESCA - 11
6º - REAL ZARAGOZA - 11
7º - XEREZ - 11
8º - LEVANTE - 11
9º - REAL SOCIEDAD - 10
10º - GIMNASTIC - 9
11º - LAS PALMAS - 9
12º - GIRONA - 9
13º - CASTELLON - 9
14º - ALAVES - 9
15º - CORDOBA - 9
16º - ALBACETE - 8
17º - EIBAR -8
18º - SEVILLA AT. - 6
19º - CELTA - 6
20º - REAL MURCIA - 5
21º - ALICANTE - 5
22º - ELCHE - 2

La Cara de Tenerife

In the early 1990s, futbol legend Johan Cruyff directed over a Barcelona team that was loaded with stars like Hristo Stoichkov and Ronald Koeman. Those teams were knicknamed "The Dream Team", a direct take off of the 1992 USA Men's Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics. FC Barcelona won La Liga in 1991-92, 92-93 and 93-94. Team USA easily won its gold medal but FC Barcelona's road to each of the three championships proved to be alot more difficult. In fact, it could be construed as somewhat miraculous. The first two of those La Liga titles were won in similar fashion and both wore "La Cara de Tenerife".

Way back in 1992 when a win in futbol only earned you two points, Real Madrid found themselves one point ahead of Barcelona going into the last game of the season. Barcelona were home to Real Sociedad while Madrid had to travel way out to the Canary Islands to play in the heat of Tenerife. Madrid jumped out to a quick 0-2 lead and a La Liga championship was all but won. Barca upheld their end by netting a goal against Sociedad. But them something happened. Tenerife, who was had everything to play for as they were trying to ward off relegation, got their game together and scored in the latter stages of the first half. Then they scored again. 2-2. Then, as the game was nearing its end, they secured their stay in La Liga and also gift-wrapped La Liga title to Barcelona with a goal delighting their sun-soaked fans. The TV monitors in the Nou Camp transmitted the happy news to the Catalans and the celebration started in both Barcelona and Tenerife. Real Madrid was devastated and Marca aptly shot photographs of players like Fernando Hierro slumping off the pitch in tears. This face of anguish, pain, helplessness and utter defeat is what is called, "La Cara de Tenerife".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDrHIsVMsBQ&feature=related

Oddly enough, the same exact scene played out the following year. Same situation. Madrid ahead by one point over Barca. Last game to be played at Tenerife. Barca at home against a Basque side (Atletic Bilbao). Except this time Madrid didn't even allow themselves to start celebrating early. They were beaten from the start and Tenerife's two first half goals put the game away early while Barca cruised to victory over Bilbao. Once again, "La Cara de Tenerife."

Fast forward to present day, the drama that played out those two late May days in the industrial section of Santa Cruz de Tenerife seems long ago. Tenerife has been up and down between La Liga and La Segunda for the last 15 years. There has been some European glory, including an impressive run to a UEFA Cup semifinal in the late 90s, but lately financial trouble has hampered the club from any run of success. However that does not seem to be stopping this year's squad who currently sit in 3rd place with 10 points and hold the last promotion spot to La Liga. The fans of this island team can only hope that on the last day of this year's season, they will be inflicting "La Cara de Tenerife" on someone else.

Jornada 6 - Resultados
Murcia - Elche 1-0
Hércules - Zaragoza 2-1
Alavés - Las Palmas 2-1
Sevilla At - R.Sociedad 1-0
Xerez - Levante 2-0
Girona - Rayo 1-1
Castellón - Córdoba 1-1
Gimnástic - Salamanca 2-0
Eibar - Albacete 1-1
Tenerife - Alicante 3-1
Huesca - Celta 0-0


Clasificacion

1. Hércules - 12
2. Salamanca - 11
3. Tenerife - 10
4. Xerez - 10
5. Rayo - 10
6. Levante - 10
7. R.Sociedad - 9
8. Castellón - 9
9. Alavés - 9
10. Gimnástic - 8
11. Huesca - 8
12. Zaragoza - 8
13. Girona - 8
14. Albacete - 8
15. Córdoba - 8
16. Eibar - 8
17. Las Palmas - 6
18. Sevilla At - 6
19. Alicante - 5
20. Celta - 5
21. Murcia - 4
22. Elche - 1

Viva La Rana!

Every September, a town known for its Renaissance architecture wakes up from a hot, sleepy Summer to welcome 36,000 new residents. Some are there for the first time while others have already spent many years in this golden city located out in the northwest part of Castilla y Leon near the Portuguese border. La Universidad de Salamanca ranks as one of the finest universities in Europe and also serves as a place for many international students to come and learn Espanol. Granted, being a place with alot of students means there is alot of 'marcha' so it's no doubt that some of the first words these Spanish newbies learn are 'un litro', 'una copa' and 'discoteca.' All partying aisde, the facade at the entrance of the University of Salamanca is breathtaking as you can see to your right. Among all the intricate and ornate details on the facade, there is a tiny frog ("rana") that is nestled above and keeps an eye on every student who passes underneath. This has included such scholars such as Unamuno and way before he wrote the legendary "Don Quijote", Cervantes.

One has to wonder if the 'rana' ever stretched his neck to view the action going on at the Estadio Helmantico. That's where UD Salamanca plays. 'Los Charros' have spent the bulk of their history in La Segunda Division with periodic appearances in La Primera. I happened to catch them play a game at the Vincente Calderon back in 1998 against Atletico Madrid. They lost meekly 0-2 in Jornada 2 and it was a slippery slope after that as they were soon relegated back down to La Segunda.

Looking at their history of players, one that stands out is Ismael Urzaiz. Widely known for his play at Atletic Bilbao, Urzaiz spent one season at Salamanca where he netted a modest 4 goals. Urzaiz is best known for being the player that assisted Alfonso in the 'milagroso' goal against Yugoslavia in the 2000 EuroCup match day 3. Spain was losing 2-3 going into extra time when Gaizka Mendieta converted a PK to equalise. Spain still needed another goal to advance to the knockout round. Current FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola floated a nearly hopeless ball into the area which found the forehead of Urzaiz who delicately placed it onto the right foot of Alfonso who then drilled it into the back of the net sending the Spanish bench into delirium.

Salamanca currently sits atop the Clasificacion of La Segunda Division so perhaps we will see the same kind of delirium in the streets of Salamanca should they earn a ticket back to the Primera. At the very least, someone should at least 'pedir una copa por la rana de la fachada!'

Resultados - Jornada 5

Las Palmas - Hércules 1-1
R.Sociedad - Alavés 1-1
Zaragoza - Murcia 2-1
Córdoba - Girona 2-0
Celta - Tenerife 2-1
Albacete - Gimnástic 3-2
Rayo - Xerez 3-3
Salamanca - Castellón 1-0
Levante - Sevilla At 2-0
Alicante - Eibar 3-1
ElcheHuesca 2-2

Clasificacion

1. Salamanca - 11
2. Levante - 10
3. Hércules - 9
4. Real Sociedad - 9
5. Rayo Vallecano - 9
6. Zaragoza - 8
7. Castellón - 8
8. Huesca - 7
9. Tenerife - 7
10. Girona - 7
11. Albacete - 7
12. Xerez - 7
13. Córdoba - 7
14. Eibar - 7
15. Las Palmas - 6
16. Alavés - 6
17. Gimnástic - 5
18. Alicante - 5
19. Celta - 4
20. Sevilla At - 3
21. Murcia - 1
22. Elche - 1

Erreala of Donostia

Out of all the teams playing in la Segunda Division this year, the one that has arguably the greatest pedigree of success is Real Sociedad. Located in the Basque Country, this team plays in the beautiful coastal city of San Sebastian ("Donostia"), which you've probably heard of. Its stadium, Anoeta, is one of the largest in La Segunda Division and this is where its followers go to cheer on "Erreala" as they are known in Basque.

The team traces its roots all the way back to the start of the 1900s when supposedly some Brits made their way south and introduced the beautiful game there. Starting at that time, along with their fellow Basques, Atletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad only chose players of Basque origin to play on their side. This was a tradition that was upheld until 1989 when Sociedad abandoned it and started bringing in players from other parts of Spain and Europe. Coincidentally, Atletic Bilbao still keeps that tradition today of maintaining only Basque players. Needless to say, that led to some sniping between the two clubs and no doubt that players have been stolen from each other's 'cantera' during the years.

The most significant period for Real Sociedad was in the late 70s and early 80s. The same could be said for Basque futbol in general. Upon Franco's death in 1975, autonomy was brought back to Spain's different regions and no region was thirtsting for it more than the Basque Country. It was a region that was utterly annihilated by Franco's Republican troops during the Spanish Civil War (with help from Hitler's Nazi German artillery) and all throughout Franco's dictatorship, pockets of resistance were always present. Once Franco passed, Basque futbol thrived and this included Real Sociedad's two La Liga championships in 1981 and 1982.

The first championship will always be remembered by Real Sociedad fans. They did not become 'lider' of La Liga until the next to last week of the season. All that was required of them to win La Liga was to at least draw against Sporting in Gijon. Sociedad took an early 0-1 lead but the Asturians pulled ahead as the 90th minute neared. In the final seconds, as Real Madrid were celebrating what they thought was their La Liga title in Valladolid, Jesus Maria Zamora found a ball on his boot and skirted through traffic and into the Sporting net to earn Sociedad the 2-2 draw and La Liga title. To this day, you can walk in any bar or 'cafeteria' in San Sebastian and there's a good chance you'll find a picture of Zamora's shot striking the back of the net.
Real Sociedad now sits in the second spot and have the look of a team that is fixed on becoming a La Liga presence again.

Zaragoza - Elche 2-0
MurciaLas - Palmas 0-0
Hércules - R.Sociedad 1-1
Alavés - Levante 2-2
Sevilla At - Rayo 0-0
Xerez - Córdoba 0-1
Girona - Salamanca 0-1
Castellón - Albacete 1-0
Gimnástic - Alicante 1-1
EibarCelta - 0-0
Tenerife - Huesca 1-1


1. Hércules - 8
2. Real Sociedad - 8
3. Castellon - 8
4. Ray Vallecano - 8
5. Salamanca - 8
6. Girona - 7
7. Tenerife - 7
8. Levante - 7
9. Eibar - 7
10. Huesca - 6
11. Xerex - 6
12. Zaragoza- 5
13. Gimnastic - 5
14. Las Palmas - 5
15. Alavés - 5
16. Albacete - 4
17. Cordoba - 4
18. Sevilla At. - 3
19. Alicante - 2
20. Murcia - 1
21. Celta - 1
22. Elche - 0

Proxima Estacion.... Villa de Vallecas

Those of you who have ever traveled to Madrid, have most assuredly traveled on the Madrid Metro. It is arguably one of the best in all of Europe. As a student, I was always riding on the Metro and one of my favorite pasttimes was looking at the Metro Map and figuring out where everything was located in the city. It was a fun exercise. The light blue line, formally known as "Linea 1" essentially took you directly from the northern part of the city, Estacion Plaza de Castilla, all the way to the southern part, Villa de Vallecas.

The Madrid Metro has grown since then and there is now a Linea 11 that connects even more southern parts of the city, plus Linea 1 extends even further south of Vallecas. It's odd for me to think that Vallecas is now considered almost a central part of Madrid. That speaks to the growth of the city. Vallecas has traditionally been known as a more blue collar part of the city. You'll even hear some Madrilenos refer to it as the slums. In the last 10 years, with the growth that Madrid has experienced, those Madrilenos who have lived in Vallecas for decades are now living amongst immigrants and they don't like it. There are constant news reports of anti-immigrant sentiment. South American, Romanian, Russian and African immigrants now all call Vallecas home. If you saw the wonderful movie "Volver" there were allusions to Vallecas' immigrant population boom.

This has produced a xenophobia among alot of Spanairds and unfortunately it has manifested itself in the stands at Rayo Vallecano's futbol matches. The team has come under fire from the Spanish Futbol federation to get a hold of the 'ultras' who are bringing racist symbols to the games. Just look at the high quality individuals in the above photo! I've personally always liked Rayo because of its status of a neighborhood team in a big city. But when these unfortunate events happen in futbol, it needs to be addressed.



Jornada 4

Murcia - Las Palmas
Sevilla At - Rayo
Alavés - Levante
Gimnástic - Alicante
Xerez - Córdoba
Castellón - Albacete
Eibar - Celta
Girona - Salamanca
Tenerife - Huesca
Zaragoza - Elche
Hércules - R.Sociedad

Somebody pass the albarino!

So Jornada 3 has come and gone in the Spanish Second Division and now all teams have given away at least one point. Every team that was undeated and untied going into the weekend either lost of drew. Girona was actually the only team to draw and thus they sit in the pormotion zone along with Hercules and Basque side Real Sociedad.

There is one thing very apparent after this weekend and that is Celta de Vigo is in serious trouble of falling off and never climbing out of the relegation hole. Two of their losses have been at home including one to Gimnastic de Tarragona where the Catalans ran circles around the Galicians. Joder macho... Celta has some illustrious history in their club but dark days could loom ahead if they don't pull out of it.
So what could their fans do to help relieve their anxiety? Drink, of course!! The region of Galicia sits right to the north of Portugal on the Atlantic coast. It is a slice of Ireland in Spain. It has beautiful rolling green hills, outstanding beaches with crystal blue water and vineyards sprouting with some of the best wine you've ever tasted. The wine grown in Galicia is a white wine made from the grape called 'albarino'. The Denominacion de Origen is Rias Baixas. But don't take my word for it, hop on to the fantastic website http://www.catavino.net/ and you can read up on all the Albarinos. One would have to assume that after their 0-2 loss to Nastic, plenty of Vigueses were drowning their sorrows in locally made Albarinos.
Next time you are in your local wine shop, pick up a bottle and toast victory for Celta! They need as much help as they can get right now.

Resultados y Clasificacion

Las Palmas - Zaragoza 2-2
R.Sociedad - Murcia 2-0
Levante - Hércules 0-2
Rayo - Alavés 2-1
Córdoba - Sevilla At 1-1
Salamanca - Xerez 2-1
Albacete - Girona 1-1
Alicante - Castellón 0-0
Celta - Gimnástic 0-2
Huesca - Eibar 2-0
Elche - Tenerife 2-4


1. Hércules - 7
2. Girona - 7
3. R.Sociedad - 7
4. Rayo - 7
5. Tenerife - 6
6. Xerez - 6
7. Eibar - 6
8. Levante - 6
9. Huesca - 5
10. Castellón - 5
11. Salamanca - 5
12. Gimnástic - 4
13. Las Palmas - 4
14. Albacete - 4
15. Alavés - 4
16. Zaragoza - 2
17. Sevilla At - 2
18. Córdoba - 1
19. Alicante - 1
20. Murcia - 0
21. Elche - 0
22. Celta - 0

La Bestia Negra

Back during the 1996-1997 season in La Liga, a young Brazilian playing for FC Barcelona took the world by storm. His name was Ronaldo. It was not uncommon to see him net 2 or sometimes 3 goals a game. He was unstoppable. "Huracan Ronaldo", "Apostol Ronaldo", "Sin Palabras" would scream El Mundo Deportivo and Marca when describing his play. Barcelona was a goal scoring machine. Yet, in that season, they finished second in La Liga to Real Madrid by a mere 2 points. How? The answer - Hercules.
Hercules is a modest club located in the city of Alicante (can't wait for the Hercules-Alicante derbi this year) in the Comunidad de Valencia (shocker). They have spent a total of 19 seasons in La Liga, but their '96-'97 campaign will always be fondly remembered by their 'aficionados' even if they were relegated at the end of the season. Out of the six points up for grabs in the two games they played against Barca, Hercules came away with all six. This, in itself, is amazing. But the manner in which they won is even more staggering. Both times, Hercules had to come back from deficits to win the game, including being down 2-0 in the Nou Camp. They were down the two goals and then ripped off three goals in a span of 25 minutes, played defense "al hueso" and won the game. Same thing happened in the Estadio Rico Perez. Down 0-1, Hercules scored two goals and secured the game. This was the next to last week of the season and it hand delivered La Liga to Real Madrid.
So beware 'La Bestia Negra' of Hercules!

Huesca - For you scholars out there, the name of this town should sound familiar. Located in the region of Aragon, Huesca is best known not for its futbol, but for its role in the Spanish Civil War which George Orwell wonderfully captured in his book, "Homage to Catalonia". Granted, most of the book takes place in Barcelona but when Orwell did go out on the front to fight against the Spanish Nationalists, the action he saw was very close to the town of Huesca. The running joke among the Spanish Republican troops was, "Tomorrow, we shall have coffee in Huesca", meaning that once they have taken Huesca, coffee will be their reward. Unfortunately for Orwell, the Spanish Republican troops and for many Spanish families, this never came to pass. Personally, I've never been to Huesca but rest assure I will be sure to have a cup of coffee once I arrive.
Futbolitacamente, Huesca is a relative newcomer to El Infierno. This is the first year they have ever ascended to a level this high in Spanish futbol since 1953, so we really don't know much about them. What we do know is that Huesca is situated in the northern part of Aragon right to the south of Andorra so if their fortunes turn sour, at least the Huesca fans can relieve stress by grabbing their skis and swoosh down the slopes of Andorra. Doesn't sound like a bad day, no? So far they are holding their own in 13th place with 2 points.

Las Palmas - One of these days, I'm going to make a point to spend an entire winter in the Canary Islands so I can hop around to each island and take in island futbol. Not only do the Canary Islands have two teams, Las Palmas and Tenerife, that have spent many seasons in La Liga, but there is also a 3rd Division Group that is specifically for teams in the Canaries. A British friend of mine who holidays there has adopted UD Marino as his team. Unfortunately, Marino was relegated out of the 3rd Division to the Division Regionales and they'll never be heard from again. Las Palmas has a much better history of futbol including finishing in the runner-up spot in La Liga in the 1968-69 season and a Copa del Rey final appearance in 1978. They are a candidate that could put together a good season and make it back up to La Liga. Las Palmas is sitting smack dab in the middle of the table at 3 points.

Jornada 3:
Celta - Gimnástic
Huesca - Eibar
Córdoba - Sevilla At
Alicante - Castellón
R.Sociedad - Murcia
Las Palmas - Zaragoza
Rayo - Alavés
Elche - Tenerife
Salamanca - Xerez
Levante - Hércules
Albacete - Girona

Week 2 Results

MURCIA 1 LEVANTE 2
XEREZ 2 ALBACETE 1
ALAVÉS 1 CORDOBA 0
SEVILLA AT 1 SALAMANCA 1
GIMNÁSTIC 1 HUESCA 1
LAS PALMAS 2 ELCHE 0
GIRONA 3 ALICANTE 0
CASTELLÓN 2 CELTA 0
EIBAR 3 TENERIFE 2
ZARAGOZA 2 REAL SOCIEDAD 2
HÉRCULES 1 RAYO VALLECANO 1

Week Two of La Segunda Division was played amidst all of the World Cup qualifiers going on around the world. Luckily, most teams in La Segunda Division are unaffected by these games so they can play with their rosters fully in tact.

One game of particular note was the Murcia-Levante game. These are two teams who faced off last year in the Primera Division. At the beginning of the season last year, Murcia had the look of a team that might actually stay up. Unfortunately a very poor 'vuelta' did them in and they were destined for El Infierno.

Levante, on the other hand, finished dead last. But you would be hard pressed to find another last place team which carried themselves with such honor. You see, for the bulk of the season, the Levante players didn't even get paid. The club was experiencing severe financial problems. Week after week, this team would trot out onto the pitch never knowing if they would get another paycheck. Sure, at a Madrid or Barcelona, they are so well paid that you never feel sorry for any of the players. Not so at Levante. Soon enough, these guys were having to live off of credit, move into the homes of family or girlfriends just to stay afloat. It was a tough situation indeed. But still, through it all, they kept their heads high and made a game of it when they faced the 'gigantes'. When they hosted Real Madrid, Los Blancos were lucky to escape with a 0-2 win with Van Nistlerooy's game-winner not arriving until the 71st. Similarly, they had Barcelona on their heels in the Nou Camp for a good 40 minutes until Barca pulled away in the second half.

There was talk that since Levante had such financial hardship, that they might have to be relegated all the way down to Segunda B. That didn't happen and the majority of the players that were there last year have moved on to stable paying jobs and rightfully so. For a club that has had great futbolistas like Johan Cruyff and Peja Mijatovic wear its colors, it was an embarassing situation. Levante's financial situation has been corrected with help from La Liga officials and now they sit in of the promotion spots early in the season. They are one to keep an eye on during the season and perhaps a return to La Liga may be in store. Good for them.

La Clasificacion:

1. Girona - 6
2. Eibar - 6
3. Levante - 6
4. Xerez - 6
5. Hercules - 4
6. Castellon - 4
7. Real Sociedad - 4
8. Rayo Vallecano - 4
9. Alaves - 4
10. Las Palmas - 3
11. Tenerife - 3
12. Albacete - 3
13. Huesca - 2
14. Salamanca - 2
15. Gimnastic de Tarragona - 1
16. Zaragoza - 1
17. Sevilla At. - 1
18. Murcia - 0
19. Celta - 0
20. Elche - 0
21. Alicante - 0
22. Cordoba - 0

Vaya Sorpresa!

In looking at the results of last week's games in La Segunda Division, there were the usual cases of surprises and ho-hummers. There was also one that stood out among the rest:
Girona 1 Celta 0

Ay por Dios... Como pudo ser? Let's put this game in perspective. Just a couple years ago, Girona was floundering in the Spanish Third Division. This is two levels below La Segunda Division. And, the Spanish Third Division consists of 16 groups of 20 teams. So essentially, only a select number of teams survive the playoff process to gain promotion to the Segunda B which is the level below La Segunda. Clear as mud, right?
So back to my point, here's a team that just a couple years ago was mixing it up in the Third Division and now they are in La Segunda Division knocking out teams that were recently hosting the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona in their stadium. To rub even more salt in the Celta wound, the game was in Vigo at Balaidos. You think there were some 'silbados' from the Celta 'socios'?

Let's go back and preview some of the other teams in El Infierno.

Eibar - A perennial Segunda Division team. When you think mid-table Segunda Division, think Eibar. This squad resides in the Basque Country in the region of Guipuizcoa, one of those quirky Basque names that I'll never be able to pronounce. They play in one of the smaller stadiums in La Segunda Division, which has a total capacity of 5,250. Their home colors are red and blue stripes and very similar to the Catalan giants of FC Barcelona. However, don't ever mistake the two. Eibar have never played in la Primera and never made much noise in the Copa del Rey. Ironically, two of its most famous 'alums' both play in the EPL. Xabi Alonso of Liverpool and Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia who was the keeper for Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final (after Jens Lehman was red-carded) against... Barcelona and their red and blue striped uniforms. Ah, the circle of futbol.

Elche - Another Segunda Division stalwart. One of the many teams located in the Comunidad de Valencia. However Elche does have Primera Division glory in its past and even made it to the final of the 1969 Copa del Rey. Elche is a lovely city situated right to the south of Valencia. It's no wonder that they have had an abundance of South American players in their team history including World Cup winner Mazinho of Brazil.

Gimnastic de Tarragona - Way back when (ok, maybe a couple years), when you could only take the Renfe train from Madrid to Barcelona, your seven hour train trip took you through cities like Zaragoza, Lleida and other rough and rocky terrain. Slowly but surely the train would wind its way towards Catalunya until it reached the seaside town of Tarragona. When you got to Tarragona, you saw the Mediterranean and the beautiful scenery and both would accompany you up the coast until you arrived in Barcelona. Tarragona is also the home to Gimnastic de Tarragona, or commonly, 'Nastic'. Their footballing history is modest with a couple notable exceptions. One was that they were just in the Primera Division in the 2006-2007 season before being relegated. In total they have spent four seasons in La Liga. The first year being 1948. However, Nastic can lay claim to one thing that no other club in the history of Spanish futbol has done. They beat Real Madrid in the Bernabeu in their first visit. No other club has that distinction. In all the teams in all of Spain who played their first game in the Bernabeu, only Nastic can say that they came away with three points.

Girona - The aforementioned Girona plays in the smallest stadium of all the Segunda Division teams. Capacity is 5,000. Maybe their shocking win over Celta will set the tone for this city that is located to the north of Barcelona. I spent a day there back in 1996 and fell in love with the place. It is rich in history and very worth a stop if you ever decide to venture north of Barcelona. In fact, I suggest combining a trip to Girona and then Figueres to go see the Dali museum. Girona once had a flourishing Jewish community and its impact is still felt today even though the Christians did their best to rid any reminder of it. Do yourself a favor and spend a day in this city and then catch Girona CF at night!


On to the results.
Last week:
R.Sociedad - Las Palmas 1-0
Levante - Zaragoza 2-1
Rayo - Murcia 1-0
Córdoba - Hércules 0-3
Salamanca - Alavés 0-0
Albacete - Sevilla At 2-1
Alicante - Xerez 0-1
Celta - Girona 0-1
Huesca - Castellón 2-2
Tenerife - Gimnástic 3-2
Elche - Eibar 0-1

This week!

JORNADA 2
Las Palmas - Elche
Zaragoza - R.Sociedad
Murcia - Levante
Hércules - Rayo
Alavés - Córdoba
Sevilla At - Salamanca
Xerez - Albacete
Girona - Alicante
Castellón - Celta
Gimnástic - Huesca
Eibar - Tenerife

Empezamos!

It is an exciting day as we are on the cusp of the start of the Spanish futbol season. La Segunda Division starts its play tomorrow with Rayo Vallecano-Zaragoza and Levante-Murcia. So in order to get prepared, let's start meeting some of the teams.

Alaves - This team from the Basque town of Vitoria once put one of the greatest charges into any European futbol final. Their epic UEFA Cup final with Liverpool in 2001 will go down as one of the greatest. Sadly, as the game went into extra time, Liverpool scored the now extinct 'golden goal' off of an own goal of all things. Alaves was an underdog going into this final and showed all of Europe their heart and courage. Since then, it's been rough times at the Mendizorroza. Perhaps this is the year they can recapture glory and make it back to the Primera.

Albacete - Its formal name is Albacete Balompie. Albacete is in the Castilla-La Mancha region of the country. They are mostly a 2nd division team that did make a couple cameos in the Primera in the last decade. Former national team-er Fernando Morientes started his career there before moving on to bigger and better things at Real Madrid, Liverpool and now in Valencia.

Alicante - This is a city better known as a tourist spot. Don't even think about trying to visit this part of Spain during the month of August. This seaside resort was thrilled to see their boys get promoted from the Segunda B so expectations are minimal this year. The fans would probably be happy to see Alicante stay up for another year.

Castellon - Yet another team, like Alicante, who plays in the Comunidad de Valencia. They are a mainstay in La Segunda but did have a brush with fame in 1973 when they made it all the way to the final of the Copa Del Rey. That team featured current Spanish National Team coach Vincente Del Bosque.

Celta de Vigo - Ah Celta.... One of my favorites. I've had the good fortune of not only being in Vigo several times in my life, but also catching a Celta game at the Balaidos. However my fondest memory of Celta is the Fall of 1998, watching them beat Real Madrid in the Bernabeu 1-2. Celta was in their Primera Division heyday with Revivo, Catanha, Mostovoi and Karpin. There was also a young Frenchman by the name of Makelele who roamed the field for the 'Vigueses'. Celta owned Madrid that night and I had a ball watching it with my Galician friends. Celta was relegated in 2006 and stumbled last year to a mid-table finish. This team made great strides less than a decade ago in European play. I hope they can get back there soon.

Cordoba - In a town best known for "La Mezquita" a relic of Andalucia's Muslim heritage, CF Cordoba has never given its fans much hope in prayer for a promotion to La Primera. This team has mainly bounced from La Segunda to Segunda B. As of late, they are constantly in danger of being relegated to Segunda B. I would not be surprised if that happens this year.

We'll talk about more of the teams next week. Here is the schedule for this week:

Jornada 1
Rayo - Murcia
Levante - Zaragoza
Celta - Girona
R.Sociedad - Las Palmas
Alicante - Xerez
Tenerife - Gimnástic
Salamanca - Alavés
Huesca - Castellón
Córdoba - Hércules
Albacete - Sevilla At
Elche - Eibar

Welcome!

To the ones and ones of you who may accidentally end up looking at this blog, I say welcome! I have started this blog to chronicle my quirky obsession with 2nd division (and beyond) Spanish futbol.

A quick background - In the Fall of 1996, I hopped on a plane and headed to Madrid, Spain to do a semester abroad in college. I had the benefit of living with a Spanish family. Fortunately my Spanish host father was a 'fanatico' of futbol so it was instilled in me from the start. I devoured copies of Spanish sports daily newspapers such as Marca, El Mundo Deportivo and As, mainly so I could help improve my Spanish but also equip myself with the knowledge to speak with the locals. It worked.

One thing that the Spanish sports media does not lack for is hype and drama in their print. This was evidenced by Marca referring to the Spanish 2nd Division as "El Infierno". In English, that bluntly means, "Hell". But why should the level just below the 1st division receive the scarlet letter of "Hell"? Maybe it's because teams who fall from the 1st division into the 2nd division sometimes never recuperate and they never make it back to La Primera. Oviedo, Compostela and Extremadura - I'm looking at you. And it's why teams who do gain that precious promotion from El Infierno into the 1st Division have over-the-top celebrations where the club president can be found drinking cidra/una rioja/jerez/cava etc... in the town's fountains or in its Plaza Mayor.

So here we are, a blog devoted entirely to El Infierno and its bastardly cousins in the lower divisions of Spanish. If anything, hopefully before you skip on to a more interesting blog, you might learn a little about Spanish culture, history, language y por supuesto, futbol.

I'll be back soon with a season preview...