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

Halfway Home!

Please forgive my tardiness and lack of a post last week. These things happen when you are stuck in bed the whole time and sick as a dog. Thankfully I am now recuperated and ready to blog about our friends in El Infierno. So we are now officially halfway done with the season! Jornada 21 has come and gone which marked the midway point of the season. We have certainly seen our share of suprises and shocking results so let's recap.

The biggest thing that stands out is the tremendous parity in La Segunda Division. It's crowded at the top! A mere six points separates 1st from 11th. So basically any team that can get hot and win three or even four games in a row has an excellent chance at putting themselves in position to win promotion. In addition, the dropoff from 12th to 17th is just a difference of three points. It's really only when you get to 18th and the relegation zones where you see the big gaps in points.

We were all but writing Murcia's obituary just over a month ago and now a recent string of wins has put them at 28 points and just five points out of a promotion spot. Their bright young coach, Jose Miguel Campos is spearheading this revival after the disastrous reign of Javier Clemente. Things can change very quickly. Just ask Celta. The Vigo side was rolling and rocketing up the standings and poised to take over the lead. Yet, they fell in games to Murcia and Xerez and are now back in the middle of the pack.

Of the three teams that were relegated down from the Primera to La Segunda: Zaragoza, Levante and Murcia, the Aragoneses and the Valencianos have the best shot to gain promotion back to La Primera. Murcia, as mentioned above, is glad to be safe of not being relegated a second straight year so they'll be happy with a mid-table finish.

Looking at the four teams that were promoted from Segunda B: Rayo Vallecano, Alicante, Huesca and Girona, I have to say that I'm impressed with three of the four. Rayo and Girona each have 31 points while Huesca sits in 12th with 29 points. Not shabby for their first years back in El Infierno. Alicante, on the other hand, is a complete disaster. As noted last month, they are already on their fourth coach and have pretty much secured their relegation back to Segunda B. They are next to last with a dismal 15 points.

One of the biggest questions is whether this year's surprise leader, Xerez, can hold their form and earn their first ever promotion to La Primera. I've been doubting them all season, yet there they stand at the top of the table with 37 points, three clear of 2nd place Tenerife. Do I think they can continue? In the end, my prediction is no. Tenerife has the look of a team starved to get back to futbol in La Primera and I think they will end up at the top. I like the way hercules has been going about their business the whole season and they will claim the second promotion spot. The third promotion spot will be a grueling race that will most likely go down to the final minutes of the season. Salamanca, Real Sociedad, Xerez and Zaragoza will battle until the end, only to see Zaragoza lay claim to the last promotion spot with a heart-stopping victory against Ray in Vallecas.

As for relegation, Sevilla Atletico and Alicante are definitely headed down to Segunda B. Cordoba and Eibar are the other sides currently in the relegation zone. Unfortunately I think long-time Infierno side Eibar will see their day of reckoning and drop. Cordoba, on the other hand, will rally and please their supporters by staying up. Albacete gets my nod for the final relegation spot.

One last thing, keep Elche forward Miguel Angle Lopez (above photo) in your thoughts and prayers. He returned last week to the pitch after two months away from the game after the death of his infant son. I could not imagine a more painful experience for any parent than for that to happen. Here's hoping Miguel and his family stay strong during this difficult time. Elche is our Team of the Week for that reason.

Jornada 21
Zaragoza - Rayo 2-3
Hércules - Salamanca 2-2
Sevilla At - Alicante 2-3
Xerez - Celta 2-0
Castellón - Tenerife 2-2
Murcia - Cordoba 1-0
Alavés - Albacete 0-2
Girona - Huesca 2-0
Las Palmas - Levante 1-2
R.Sociedad - Elche 0-0
Gimnástic - Eibar - Postponed (weather)

Clasificacion

1. Xerez - 37
2. Tenerife - 34
3. Hércules - 33
4. Zaragoza - 33
5. Castellón - 33
6. Salamanca - 33
7. R.Sociedad - 32
8. Levante - 32
9. Rayo - 31
10. Celta - 31
11. Girona - 31
12. Huesca - 29
13. Murcia - 28
14. Gimnástic* - 27
15. Las Palmas - 27
16. Albacete - 27
17. Elche - 26
18. Alavés - 23
19. Córdoba - 21
20. Eibar* - 21
21. Alicante - 15
22. Sevilla At - 9

Grande Castellon!

In the thick of Winter, all the leagues in Europe, with the main exception being the English Premier League, take a respite from competition. The Mediterranean leagues of Spain, France and Italy take a rational break of 2 weeks more or less. Understandably, the German Bundesliga closes its doors a little while longer simply because, well, it's pretty freakin cold in Germany the first two weeks in January. So alot of what the German sides and other northern European teams like to do is venture south for a little sun and mix in training to prepare for the second half of their league season.

Bundesliga side Schalke04, no stranger to European success, settled into the cozy confines of the Valencian coast. To keep their form at match level, a friendly, or 'amistoso' as its called in Spain, was set up between Schalke and Castellon, one of our beloved sides from El Infierno. Schalke is a team that reached the quarterfinals of last year's Champions League so it is a side of quality. The seven-time Bundesliga Champs also have a UEFA Cup in their trophy case (1997) and a recent runner-up Bundesliga finish in 2007. Now for the delicious part. In their friendly against Castellon, the locals, playing with a side of mostly reserves, claimed a spirited 1-0 victory. It was a young chap by the name of Ferran Giner who scored the gamewinner in the second half. Ferran is the son of a former Valencian player, Fernando Giner, and has risen through the ranks of the Castellon 'cantera'. With players like these in the mix knocking off a habitual European top side club like Schalke, there is no wonder why Castellon stands at 29 points and a game away from reaching promotion to La Primera Division. Keep an eye on them.

As for our Showdown at La Romareda last weekend. The game was a tense affair in the first half and finally Zaragoza was able to break through with a goal in the last 15 minutes of the game and held on for the 1-0 win. There's no reason why Zaragoza can't maintain its home form on the road but somehow, it continues to be an issue. if they right that, the Aragon side should be at the top the table of El Infierno by the end of Week 42.

Players to watch for are David Rodriguez and Dinei at Celta. Both are good goal scorers and have Celta back in the hunt. More on them in another week's post!

1. Xerez - 33
2. Zaragoza - 33
3. Salamanca - 32
4. Tenerife - 30
5. Hércules - 29
6. Castellón - 29
7. Levante - 29
8. Huesca - 28
9. R.Sociedad - 28
10. Celta* - 28
11. Girona - 28
12. Gimnástic - 27
13. Rayo - 27
14. Las Palmas - 26
15. Albacete - 24
16. Elche - 22
17. Eibar - 21
18. Alavés - 20
19. Murcia* - 19
20. Córdoba - 18
21. Alicante - 12
22. Sevilla At. - 9

JORNADA 19
Castellón - Gimnástic 2-1
Girona - Eibar 2-0
Xerez - Tenerife 2-0
Sevilla At. - Huesca 1-1
Alavés - Celta 1-2
Hércules - Alicante 1-2
Murcia - Albacete 1-0
Zaragoza - Salamanca 1-0
Las Palmas - Córdoba 0-0
R.Sociedad - Rayo 1-1
Elche - Levante 0-2

Showdown at La Romareda

It doesn't really matter the country or even the division where the futbol is played, any time there is a game between the first and second place teams, it gets everyone's attention and will certainly have ours this weekend. First place Salamanca, with 32 points, visits second place Zaragoza, with 30 points, in this weekend's marquee matchup in El Infierno.

We've already had a chance to talk a little about both sides and referenced some of their past glories and star power. The same can be said for both teams this year and look no further than the quality of side that Zaragoza possesses. Looking up and down their roster, the names stand out: Ewerthon, Pavon, Ayala and Oliveira. Both Oliveira and Ewerthon have made national team appearances for Brazil. In fact, Oliveira would have made Brazil's 2006 World Cup team if he hadn't torn up his knee the previous Fall. Pavon is a player who made his name rising through the ranks of the Real Madrid system. It was Pavon who was cited by many who were critical of Real Madrid's yearly signing of 'galacticos' saying the team should be focusing its efforts on producing 'Mas Pavones' instead of throwing money at high priced stars. Pavon eventually fizzled out at Real but has since become a mainstay with the Aragon side.

Roberto Ayala, commonly known as 'El Raton' is a grizzled veteran of Spanish futbol spending many years playing at the Mestalla for Valencia. He was an integral part of those wonderful Valencia teams that captured two La Liga titles and back to back appearances in the final of the UEFA Champions League. But the Argentine defender is known best as simply 'El Capitan.' No one has captained more matches for the Argentina National Team than Robero Ayala. If you consider the long history of Argentine futbol, it's an impressive distinction. His appearances date back to the silver medal winning team at the 1996 Olympics all the way to the runner-up performance at the 2007 Copa Amerixa where sadly, Ayala contributed to Brazil's 3-0 win by scoring an own goal in the waning moments of the first half and giving Brazil an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Roberto is living out his futbol days in La Romareda for Zaragoza but remains a key component for the side. He's a sentimental favorite here and that's why I'm picking Zaragoza to squeeze out a 2-1 victory.

Jornada 18 - Resultados:

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

Clasificacion:
1. Salamanca - 32
2. Zaragoza - 30
3. Xerez - 30
4. Tenerife - 30
5. Hércules - 29
6. Gimnástic - 27
7. Huesca - 27
8. R.Sociedad - 27
9. Castellón - 26
10. Rayo - 26
11. Levante - 26
12. Las Palmas - 25
13. Celta* - 25
14. Girona - 25
15. Albacete - 24
16. Elche - 22
17. Eibar - 21
18. Alavés - 20
19. Córdoba - 17
20. Murcia* - 16
21. Alicante - 9
22. Sevilla At - 8

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