Getting Jozy In El Infierno

The history of futbol in the USA is one of few distinctions. The U.S. went decades without even qualifying for the World Cup until 1990. There was the surprising run to the quarterfinals in 2002, but overall, success has not come easy to the U.S. However there is a new generation of players that hope to change that. One name, Freddy Adu, is recognizable by many sports fans in this country. But there is another player, Jozy Altidore, who is starting to make a name for himself on the international futbol scene, and lucky for us, Jozy plays in Spain.

Outside of a brief stint by keeper Casey Keller at Rayo Vallecano, Jozy Altidore is the first ever American to play in La Liga. He spent the first half of this season at Villarreal, and even recorded the first ever American goal in Spanish Primera play. In an attempt to keep their investment fine-tuned and sharp, Villarreal made the decision to loan the young striker from Boca Raton, FL out to Segunda Divison's Xerez. Lucky for Jozy, he will be playing for a side that sits atop the Segunda and will be playing in some very intense and competitive games the rest of the season. This move makes sense for all parties. Young Jozy gets more playing time, helps Xerez "sube" to the Primera Division and gains more experience with the Spanish game. Needless to say, U.S. futbol fans will be keeping a closer eye on the Spanish Second Division.

For me personally, I love seeing an American finally elect to play in Spain. All too often, American players look to play in England. Granted the quality of play is quite good, but I can't help but think that the lack of a language barrier also has something to do with it. It's refreshing to see Jozy play in a country where he'll need to learn the language to communicate with his teammates. This will take a great effort on his part but he could reap major dividends in the end. He's playing in a league with alot of young quality players (La Segunda Division in Spain could rival many first division leagues in Europe) and that's an experience that could never be had back in his home country.

The other big news in El Infierno this week was that Castellon was searching for a new coach with the departure Abel Resino who was selected to take the reins of floundering Atletico Madrid in the Primera Division. Castellon replaced Resino with Paco Herrera who has ties all over Spain as a player, coach and sporting director, plus helped out Rafa Benitez at Liverpool for a brief spell. It will be interesting to see how this affects Castellon's play the rest of the season.

Resultados - Jornada 22
Zaragoza - Levante 2-1
Hércules - Córdoba 1-0
Alavés - Salamanca 1-1
Eibar - Elche 1-2
Las Palmas - R.Sociedad 0-1
Castellón - Huesca 1-1
Gimnástic - Tenerife 0-1
Murcia - Rayo 0-1
Xerez - Alicante 2-0
Girona - Celta 2-2
Sevilla At. - Albacete 1-1

Clasificacion:
1. Xerez - 40
2. Tenerife - 37
3. Hércules - 36
4. Zaragoza - 36
5. R.Sociedad - 35
6. Castellón - 34
7. Salamanca - 34
8. Rayo - 34
9. Celta - 32
10. Girona - 32
11. Levante - 32
12. Gimnástic - 30
13. Huesca - 30
14. Elche - 29
15. Albacete - 28
16. Murcia - 28
17. Las Palmas - 27
18. Alavés - 24
19. Córdoba - 21
20. Eibar - 21
21. Alicante - 15
22. Sevilla At. - 10