Locos por 'El Loco'

Every sport has its share of journeymen. These are players who, for whatever reason, cannot seem to stick with a team. Futbol has a tendency to have more of its share of journeymen. This has to do with the fact that there are so many clubs spread out throughout the world. Some players bounce around their home country playing for different teams in a certain league. Some may even venture beyond borders and play in a different country or two. Then you have journeymen like Sebastian 'El Loco" Abreau whose career has spanned six different countries and three continents (if you count Israel as part of Asia which I will).

The 32 year old Uruguayan striker has now played for a total of 15 clubs, including his current club, Real Sociedad. His professional career started at age 20 so in 12 years of playing professional futbol, El Loco is averaging under a year with each team. The club career is as follows (deep breath): Defensor, San Lorenzo, Deportivo de La Coruna, Gremio, Tecos, San Lorenz (again), Nacional Montevideo, Cruz Azul, Club America, Nacional Montevideo (again), Dorados Sinaloa, CF Monterrey, San Luis, UANL Tigres, River Plate, Beitar Jersusalem, River Plate (again) and Real Sociedad. *whew!*

In regards to his playing time in Spain, El Loco's playing rights were owned by Deportivo from 1998-2004. In that span of time he was loaned out six different times to Brazilian, Uruguayan and Mexican sides including a stint with Gremio of the Brazilian league where he shared the pitch with a very young player by the name of Ronaldinho. It's quite a shame that El Loco managed to see time in only 15 matches with the Galician club in those six years as he missed out on those wonderful Super Depor teams that won a la Liga title, a Copa del Rey title and an appearance in the 2004 Champions League semifinals.

To his credit, El Loco remains humble and good natured about his nomadic professional career. He's jovial in the clubhouse and continues to wear jersey #13 for luck wherever he plays. El Loco should also be lauded for his relationship with the press where he has said that if someone is going to take the time to ask him a question, he will provide a thoughtful response as opposed to cliches. Good for him.

So why are we talking about El Loco? Well, in the eight games he has played with Real Sociedad after taking the place of the injured Diaz de Cerio, all he has done is score six goals. This included a hat trick last weekend against El Infierno leaders Xerez at the Andalusian's home grounds of Estadio Chapin. It was Xerez's first defeat since December and all of the sudden tightened up the standings in La Segunda Division. It has also extended a lifeline to fans of the Donostia club who thought their hopes of promotion evaporated with De Cerio's injury. That has now changed with the exploits of El Loco. Real Sociedad find themselves just 7 points behind the final promotion spot with plenty of futbol to play and El Loco leading the charge.


A couple other news and notes. No sign of Jozy Altidore in uniform in that Xerez-Real Sociedad game last weekend. Hope he enjoyed watching El Loco.
Also, Murcia is welcoming back Francisco Gallardo to the mix. The midfielder from Sevilla has already spent one tour of duty in Murcia playing for the side in 2006-2007 where his play garnered the respect and affection of Murcia fans. Unfortunately for Gallardo, he will always be known for a very unfortunate and lewd goal celebration in 2001 when he was with Sevilla. After a Sevilla goal, Gallardo took it upon himself to congratulate his teammate's strike by nibbling on the teammate's penis. Yowza. That charade earned him a fine and suspension by FEF and rightly so! Let's hope Francisco keeps any goal celebrations this year to above the waist.

Resultados - Jornada 28

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

Clasificacion

1. Xerez - 51
2. Hércules - 49
3. Tenerife - 49
4. Rayo - 46
5. Zaragoza - 45
6. Castellón - 44
7. Salamanca - 44
8. R. Sociedad - 42
9. Huesca - 40
10. Levante - 40
11. Gimnástic - 38
12. Girona - 38
13. Albacete - 36
14. Murcia - 35
15. Elche - 35
16. Celta - 34
17. Las Palmas - 32
18. Córdoba - 32
19. Alavés - 31
20. Eibar - 27
21. Alicante - 23
22. Sevilla At - 11

Andalucian Desperation

Matches like the one that took place at El Arcangel last weekend in Cordoba is what helps make futbol so special. Promotion and relegation within a futbol division is the most logical method to ensure integrity within the sport. I compare that to what happens in the NFL, NBA or MLB. Teams who are in the lower rungs of their conference or division have no incentive to try. They know they are not making the playoffs, so why bother giving a full effort? Thankfully, futbol does not follow the same guidelines. Last week's Cordoba-Castellon match was a clear reason why promotion and relegation works so well.

Castellon made the quick trip over to the former Arabic capital of the Iberian Peninsula to play in a match that had huge consequences for both teams. Cordoba was hovering in 19th place, the final spot in the relegation zone, and desperate for the three points. Meanwhile Castellon was a mere two points behind the promotion zone with thoughts of dates next year in the Nou Camp and Santiago Bernabeu dancing in their heads. What this gives us is a match where both teams are desperately seeking a win. And this is what provides some of the best futbol and drama. The fans at El Arcangel were not disappointed.

Several minutes prior to halftime, Castellon's Mario Rosas gave the visitors a 0-1 lead, and for the moment, a spot in the promotion zone. After halftime, Cordoba's veteran leaders, the Italian Pierini and Spainard Yordi took charge and led the Cordoba comeback. The former Fiorentina player equalised in the 65th. Cordoba maintained the pressure in the second half, but as the minutes ticked down, it looked as the 'empate' was sure to happen. It was then in the 93rd that Yordi took in a long ball only to be pushed down in the penalty area. The former Zaragoza player, who earned two Copa del Rey titles with the Aragon side when it was in La Primera, coolly slotted home the PK. Cordoba keeper Raul Navas was also a hero barely knocking away a Castellon chance in the dying seconds to ensure the three points. With the win, Cordoba stayed 1 point above the drop zone while Castellon dropped another point further from Hercules in the fight for the third promotion spot.

This is the type of game that begs the question: Who is the more desperate team? The one fighting for promotion to one of the greatest leagues in the world? Or the one that is trying to survive and avoid futbol obscurity. Such is life in El Infierno where every week dreams and desperation are juxtaposed on a patch of grass.

For those keeping track, Jozy Altidore once again sat our Xerez's last game. The "Free Jozy" campaign is reaching a fever pitch!

Resultados - Jornada 27
Albacete - Eibar 2-0
Celta - Huesca 0-1
Rayo - Girona 1-1
R. Sociedad - Sevilla At. 1-0
Salamanca - Gimnastic 4-0
Zaragoza - Hercules 2-2
Las Palmas - Alaves 2-1
Levante - Xerez 2-2
Elche - Murcia 1-1
Córdoba - Castellon 2-1
Alicante - Tenenrife 2-2

Clasificacion
1. Xerez - 51
2. Tenerife - 48
3. Hércules - 46
4. Rayo - 45
5. Zaragoza - 44
6. Castellón - 43
7. Salamanca - 41
8. Huesca - 40
9. R. Sociedad - 39
10. Levante - 39
11. Gimnástic - 37
12. Girona - 37
13. Albacete - 35
14. Murcia - 35
15. Elche - 34
16. Celta - 33
17. Las Palmas - 31
18. Córdoba - 31
19. Alavés - 30
20. Eibar - 27
21. Alicante - 20
22. Sevilla At - 10

Hop On The Celta Rollercoaster!

These can be trying times for futbol teams playing in El Infierno. The February-March time period is usually when the dreams of promotion start to die. At the midway point in January, it was worth noting that eleven teams were within six points of the three promotion spots. A scant six weeks water, that has all changed. Now only six teams are viable contenders for those three precious spots to play the 2009-2010 season in La Primera. A tip of the hat should be given to teams like Zaragoza and Castellon, who are still fighting for promotion. A pat on the back to Real Sociedad, Huesca, Girona and Salamanca. Good effort boys, but it just wasn't meant to be. Then you have a team like Celta which barely even deserves a shaking of the head. Como pudo ser?

It wasn't that long ago where I, along with the futbol dailys on the Iberian Peninsula, were singing the praises of the work of Pepe Murcia and Celta de Vigo. After an atrocious start, the team skyrocketed up the table and sat on the doorstep to promotion. Strikers like Dinei and David Rodriguez were taking it to teams from the onset of the first or second half whistle and scoring goals early putting teams on their heels. It was a brilliant strategy and it worked to perfection. A 2-0 win over 'colista' Sevilla Atletico back on January 17 put Celta in a position to be in a promotion spot. An away victory over celler dweller Murcia was seen as a '2' in that week's Quiniela... Ah, but that's why they play the game.

Murcia ended up winning 1-0 which jump started their revival. A week later 'lider' Xerex slapped around the vigueses 2-0. After that, it was all downhill and it still keeps going. In Celta's last seven games, out of a possible 21 points, the Galicians have earned a mere two. That's all. Two freakin' points. So now that those dreams of promotion have ended, Pepe Murcia, should he still have a job by the time you read this, needs to make sure the team doesn't get relegated. That's the thing about El Infierno. A rise to the top is hard work and difficult, but a fall from grace is quite easy.

Some other news and notes out of El Infierno. Our friends at Rayo Vallecano, who sold tickets for 1 Euro, ended up having 12,000 fans or so when they hosted Sevilla Atletico. The home fans were awarded with a 1-0 victory. Unfortunately, a couple days later, Rayo player Carlos de la Vega was found to be involved in a drug scandal where he was one of eleven men who hid 600 kilos of cocaine in a windmill. Yowza! I believe as of this morning, Carlos was on his way to jail. Bad news there for the Rayistas.

Can someone please explain to me why exactly Jozy Altidore hasn't seen the pitch at Xerez? I can understand why Xerex coach Esteban Vigo doesn't want to disrupt the rhythmn that his players have gained in their surge to the top of the table. But leaving a quality striker like Jozy on the bench and not even being substituted in for the last 10-15 minutes is a head-scratching move. Here's a guy that could sub in for the latter parts of the game and use his size and speed to overwhelm opponents and score some late goals. That what Pelligrini was doing at Villarreal. And don't even tell me that getting minutes for Villarreal but none at Xerez makes any sense. It doesn't. If this keeps going, we may need to start a "Free Jozy" campaign.

Big kudos to Alicante for earning as many points in 2009 as they got in the last four months of 2008. They went on the road and beat Eibar over the weekend. That's your team of the week!

Resultados - Jornada 26

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

Clasificacion
1. Xerez - 50
2. Tenerife - 47
3. Hércules - 45
4. Rayo - 44
5. Zaragoza - 43
6. Castellón - 43
7. Salamanca - 38
8. Levante - 38
9. Huesca - 37
10. Gimnástic - 37
11. R. Sociedad - 36
12. Girona - 36
13. Murcia - 34
14. Elche - 33
15. Celta - 33
16. Albacete - 32
17. Alavés - 30
18. Las Palmas - 28
19. Córdoba - 28
20. Eibar - 27
21. Alicante - 19
22. Sevilla At - 10

Donde Esta La Aficion?

It doesn't take a genius to know that the economy isn't doing very well. And it's not limited to just the United States. Unless you've been living in a cave (Osama Bin Laden?) or are completely checked out from reality, you know that the world economy is hemorrhaging. One of the countries that has been hardest hit is Spain. After years of a booming economy after the dormant Franco years, Spain has fallen down the slippery slope into a recession. Now there is a glut of housing, millions of restless immigrants who are being bribed by the Spanish government to go back to their home countries and an unemployment rate that hovers around 15%. Not even the city of Detroit is at 15%, yet here's an entire country that is at that level.

Not surprisingly, this has had an adverse effect for futbol teams and especially our beloved teams in El Infierno. Simply put, no one is coming to the games. Why spend 20 euros on a ticket to watch Hercules-Alicante when that money could be better served at the market to help cover meals for a couple days? Makes sense to me. To better help explain, let's look at the slot of last week's games and each one's attendance compared to the stadium's capacity.

Tenerife-Elche : 20,300 (24,000)
Zaragoza-Las Palmas : 17,302 (34,596)
Hercules-Alicante : 7,000 (30,000)
Alaves-Rayo : 7,738 (19,200)
Eibar-Huesca : 2,052 (5250)
Castellon-Alicante : 6,348 (18,000)
Gimnastic-Celta : 4,500 (14,500)
Murcia-Real Sociedad : 14,156 (33,045)
Xerez-Salamanca : 10,500 (22,000)
Girona-Albacete : 2,000 (5,000)
Sevilla Atletico-Cordoba : 1,000 (7,000)

So out of all eleven games last week, only the islanders in Tenerife registered a crowd that had more than 50% capacity filled in the stadium. Some of these stadiums were only a third or fourth full. Alot of these away teams last week are having the same problems filling their stadium. So what's a club to do? I submit to you the example of Rayo Vallecano. Two weeks ago they hosted Hercules and the club offered a promotion where season ticket holder had the opportunity to buy another ticket for a mere 3 euros. the result? Another 2,500 spectators showed up to the Estadio Teresa Rivero and helped the home side to a 1-0 victory. Now with Rayo seeking their fifth consecutive win, the club is running a similar promotion this weekend in the game against 'colista' Sevilla Atletico. However this time, prices can be had for just ONE euro. At this rate, the stadium will either be full or close to full. The fans enjoy themselves and concession sales will have helped recover some of the loss in revenue.

This is how you win the trust of not just futbol fans, but sporting fans everywhere. Rayo Vallecano is saying hey, we know times are tough. Maybe you want to escape from your troubles. Spend a couple euros, come down and for two hours you'll be able to take your kids to watch some top-rate futbol. In a world lacking of it, it's nice to see some common sense in business. Bien hecho Rayo.

Jornada 24 - Resultados
Tenerife-Elche 3-2
Zaragoza-Las Palmas 2-0
Hercules-Alicante 4-2
Alaves-Rayo 0-2
Eibar-Huesca 2-0
Castellon-Alicante 2-0
Gimnastic-Celta 1-1
Murcia-Real Sociedad 2-0
Xerez-Salamanca 2-1
Girona-Albacete 3-3
Sevilla Atletico-Cordoba 0-2

Clasificacion
1. Xerez - 46
2. Tenerife - 43
3. Zaragoza - 40
4. Castellón - 40
5. Rayo - 40
6. Hércules - 39
7. Salamanca - 37
8. R. Sociedad - 36
9. Levante - 35
10. Girona - 34
11. Huesca - 33
12. Celta - 33
13. Gimnástic - 31
14. Murcia - 31
15. Elche - 30
16. Albacete - 29
17. Las Palmas - 28
18. Córdoba - 27
19. Eibar - 24
20. Alavés - 24
21. Alicante - 16
22. Sevilla At - 10

Hoy Te Favorecen, Mañana Te Perjudican

Being a futbol referee isn't easy. In fact, it has to be considered one of the most thankless tasks in all of sport. There are not many sports in this world of ours where a newspaper will grade out not only the players after a game, but also the referees. Spanish Daily Marca takes it upon themselves to grade out players on a scale of 10 as to their performance during a game. Many times a Messi or Villa or Robben can grade out 9/10 or even 10/10. Referees? An 8/10 is all but unheard of. The norm usually settles in the neighborhood of 4/10 to 6/10. Consequently, the ire of fans in La Liga and La Segunda Division who see their teams as having games 'stolen' from them are directed towards the lonely 'arbitros.' One in particular is the quirky Mejuto Gonzalez who immortalized himself back in 1996 during a Zaragoza-Barcelona game when he was heard on camera chatting with his linesman during a controversial red card and penalty call. Mejuto was heard to ask his linesman, "Vaya Rafa, no me jodas! Expulsion de quien?" Which roughly translates to, "C'mon Rafa! Don't f*** with me. Expulsion of whom?" Since then, Mejuto has always been viewed in a different light by fans and media.

This obsession with referees brings us to this week's topic. Apparently, Real Sociedad believes that they have had 13 points stolen from them due to poor refereeing. This was blown up over the course of this week in the aftermath of the last minute tie gained by Zaragoza against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta. The San Sebastian side claims a PK was wrongly called in favor of zaragoza which was converted and the Realistas were left to ponder the disappearance of another two points. Well, someone wasn't gonna take anymore of this and that person was Real Sociedad President Jokin Aperriba who appealed to the Comité Técnico de Arbitros (CTA) to end disgraceful trend of referee mistakes directed towards his club. More importantly, the Basque side has reiterated that these 13 points have clearly cost them 1st place in La Segunda Division and an all but assured promotion back to La Primera.

Tap the brakes there. Granted, it's true that Real Sociedad has been on the wrong end of a couple late PK calls which have resulted in the loss of points. But don't think for a minute some of their opponents have thought the same thoughts after a defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad. My point is that in sports like futbol, basketball, baseball and American Football, I find it utterly pointless to complain about the referees. In the end, the play speaks for themselves and the number of calls going for and against normally end up 50/50. My advice to Real Sociedad, to quote Su Majestad El Rey Don Juan Carlos II, "Por que no te callas?" Get on the field, play well and score enough goals to ensure that a referee error does not greatly impact the game.

In a sign of solidarity, this week's Team of the Week is the RFEF, Real Federacion Espanola de Futbol, the organization who backs the Spanish Referees.

Jornada 23- Resultados
Albacete - Xerez 0-2
Celta - Castellón 1-2
Rayo - Hércules 1-0
R. Sociedad - Zaragoza 1-1
Salamanca - Sevilla At 6-0
Tenerife - Eibar 2-0
Levante - Murcia 2-1
Huesca - Gimnástic 3-2
Elche - Las Palmas 1-1
Córdoba - Alavés 3-0
Alicante - Girona 1-1

Clasificacion

1. Xerez - 43
2. Tenerife - 40
3. Zaragoza - 37
4. Salamanca - 37
5. Castellón - 37
6. Rayo - 37
7. Hércules - 36
8. R. Sociedad - 36
9. Levante - 35
10. Huesca - 33
11. Girona - 33
12. Celta - 32
13. Gimnástic - 30
14. Elche - 30
15. Las Palmas - 28
16. Albacete - 28
17. Murcia - 28
18. Córdoba - 24
19. Alavés - 24
20. Eibar - 21
21. Alicante - 16
22. Sevilla At. - 10

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