Written by Ramón Luis Vázquez de Noticiasillescanos.com
Monday, 01 March 2010
Los arbitros deciden (Photo Ramon Luis Vazquez)
Coamo, PR: 1 de marzo de 2010. Nos informa Edgardo José Jockman que los Mayiyos de Coamo en el Baseball Clase A, firmaron al jardinero Manuel Morales. Este fue jugador de los Mayiyos en la Temporada del 2007. Viene procedente de los desaparecidos, Padres de Ponce. En la pasada campaña bateó para .589, con (4) cuatro Cuadrangulares y (29) veintinueve carreras empujadas y fue Colíder Nacional en ese departamento.
Además de Morales, se une nuevamente a los Mayiyos el Guardabosque central Luis Rivas que jugó con los Ganduleros de Villalba en la Temporada del 2008. Ahora los Mayiyos de Coamo presentarán una excelente trilogía de Jardineros con Ángel (Coco) Mateo en el izquierdo, Luis Rivas en el central y Manuel Morales en el bosque derecho.
Algunos miembros de los Mayiyos de Coamo (Photo por Luis Vazquez )
De esta manera los Mayiyos siguen fortaleciéndose con miras de alcanzar el Campeonato Nacional del Baseball Clase A. Dicho torneo comenzará a finales de abril. Le recordamos que pueden visitar nuestra página electrónica WWW.NOTICIASILLESCANOS.COM para más información o videos de este torneo y otros temas.
Individual tickets to both the March 20th and March 27th matches are on sale now
SECAUCUS, NJ (February 25, 2010): The New York Red Bulls and Santos F.C. confirmed today that Santos forward Robinho will travel with the club to participate in the March 20th Red Bull Arena Grand Opening match between the two clubs. Also confirmed to travel with the team are Neymar, Giovani and Fabio Costa and 14 other senior roster players.
“We are excited that Robinho, one of the world’s top players, will travel to New York to face the Red Bulls for our Grand Opening match,” said Red Bull New York Sporting Director and General Manager Erik Soler. “Santos is an outstanding club and we look forward to great competition as we open our new stadium.”
“Santos Football Club continues to follow their pattern of being part of stadiums Grand Opening events throughout the world,” said Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro president of the Santos F.C. “We are very thankful for the invitation made by the Red Bulls, for it is a great honor to our Club. We are very happy in being able to show the talent of our athletes, including Robinho, in the United Sates, a place where other Santos athletes have also shined.”
After Red Bull Arena’s Grand Opening against legendary Brazilian club, Santos, on March 20, the Red Bulls kick off their 2010 MLS Regular Season at Red Bull Arena on March 27, when they host the Chicago Fire at 7:00 PM ET (TV: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes). Full Season Ticket Plans for the New York Red Bulls’ first season at Red Bull Arena, in Harrison, NJ, are on sale now. Individual tickets for the Santos F.C. and Chicago Fire on March 20 and March 27 are also available.
USA Soccer Team Displayed Thier Logo In Pride after the Win over El Salvador.
Tampa, FL – Just when it appeared the United States were heading to their own funeral in front of 21,737 with a 1-1 tie against El Salvador, Sacha Kljestan saved the U.S. from further embarrassment with his go-ahead goal in the second minute of stoppage time. For at least one night, there was ecstasy at the Raymond James Stadium because a football team not named the Tampa Bay Bucs won at the stadium.
In a game where the U.S. outshot El Salvador 18-3, dominated them defensively and was aggressively able to push the ball at will, a tie would have been not been sufficient. The U.S. has yet to earn the pass to lose in friendly matches like Brazil, Italy, and Spain have. Let’s be honest, a loss in a friendly match is just as bad as a loss in the World Cup because the consequences are the same. Anytime the U.S. loses, more soccer fans lose interest in American Soccer and Major League Soccer..
This was a game that the U.S. should have scored at least 3 goals missed opportunities was what hindered the U.S. If the U.S. wants to be taken seriously, they have to capitalize on their opportunities more effectively. In a game where El Salvador played horrendously, the U.S. shouldn’t have allowed El Salvador to take the lead after Rudis Corrales scored a magnificent goal in the 59th minute.
After being humiliated by Honduras 3-1 in January, I was pleased that the U.S. came out fighting and demonstrated passion. I was also impressed by Coach Bob Bradley’s strategy of playing man to man which would transition to a double team once El Salvador would enter U.S. territory. By playing aggressively, the U.S. was able to create turnovers in there favor and advance the ball so they could have an opportunity to attack El Salvador’s goalkeeper, Miguel Montes. This eventually proved to be effective when Brian Ching tied the game in the 75th minute and Sacha Kljestan scored the game winner.
The U.S. will next travel to Amsterdam where they will take on the third-ranked Netherlands at Amsterdam Arena on March 3 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The match will be televised live on ESPN2 and Galavision.
Match: U.S. vs. El Salvador Date: Feb. 24, 2010 Competition: International Friendly Venue: Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla. Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET Attendance: 21,737 Weather: 56 degrees, rain
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA 0 2 2 SLV 0 1 1
SLV – Rudis Corrales 59th minute USA – Brian Ching (Heath Pearce) 75 USA – Sacha Kljestan (Brian Ching) 90+2
Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for Latino Sports (www.latinosports.com). Send Cesar a question or comment for potential use in a future column at
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Leading multicultural firm to receive exclusive commercial rights to two-time World Cup Champion Argentina through 2014
CHICAGO (February 22, 2010) – Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN), one of the nation’s leading multicultural sports marketing and entertainment companies, announced that it has entered into a multi-year partnership with the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (Argentine Football Association, AFA). The agreement marks the first-ever strategic partnership by AFA in the U.S. and includes the organization of international matches featuring two-time FIFA World Cup Champion Argentina through June 2014.
Under terms of the agreement, CMN will manage the exclusive commercial rights, including broadcast, marketing and sponsorship rights of the Argentinean National Team in the U.S. The new alliance will also allow CMN to organize matches in select European countries including Spain, Italy and Germany. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The first match in the U.S. is scheduled to take place later this year, following the team’s participation at the FIFA World Cup, to be held in South Africa from June 11 to July 11. Details of that match will be announced in the near future.
The partnership was successfully completed through FIFA’s international agent, Guillermo Tofoni, who also oversees Argentina’s games worldwide.
“The Argentine Football Association is without a doubt one of the most recognized and accomplished footballorganizations in the world,” said Henry Cardenas, Chief Executive Officer of CMN. “With the World Cup nearing and a great depth of promising young players led by Lionel Messi, arguably the best player in the world, this is an exciting time for Argentina.
“We look forward to expanding AFA’s illustrious brand in the U.S. and showcasing Argentina’s roster of world classplayers to soccer fans across the nation.”
No stranger to ‘the beautiful game,’ Cardenas has been producing soccer matches in the U.S. since the early 1990s, including exhibitions featuring Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay, as well as a series of matches between Mexico and Argentina from 1999 to 2002. He has also produced friendlies featuring top clubs from North and South America including Club America (Mexico), Boca Juniors (Argentina), River Plate (Argentina), Santos (Brazil), and Nacional (Uruguay), among others.
Most recently, CMN, a 100% privately owned company, has spearheaded sports marketing campaigns forcompanies such as Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and Anheuser-Busch.
“It is encouraging to know that Argentina will have a bigger presence in the U.S., where soccer continues to grow and where South Americans have played an important role,” said Julio Grondona, President of AFA and Vice President of FIFA. “We hope that this influence will continue to develop and complement the great efforts, both on the field and off, that are already in place in today’s fastest growing soccer market.”
Led by Argentine soccer legend and four-time World Cup star Diego Armando Maradona, the Albicelestes (Sky Blue and Whites) earned their 15th World Cup berth on October 14, 2009 with a 1-0 win over Uruguay in Montevideo. Argentina finished fourth in South American qualifying with an 8-4-9 record and 28 points. Currently ranked eighth in the world by FIFA, Argentina is set to kick off World Cup play against Group B opponent Nigeria on June 12, followed by matches against Korea Republic and Greece on June 17 and June 22, respectively. As part of its preparations for South Africa, the team will face three-time World Cup champion Germany March 3 in Munich.
Argentina’s heralded roster includes a host of young talent led by 22-year-old phenomenon and FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi. Currently La Liga’s top scorer with 16 goals, last season Messi helped the Spanish powerhouse to their historic six titles (UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish and European Super Cups and FIFA Club World Cup), an effort that earned the Rosario native 2009 FIFA Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year honors – the first time ever for an Argentine player. The team also boasts midfielder and captain Javier Mascherano (Liverpool) and forwards Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid) and Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid). Both Messi and Higuain are solid contenders for Spain’s Pichichi Trophy, awarded to La Liga’s top scorer.
Argentina captured its first World Cup Championship on June 25, 1978 in Buenos Aires, defeating the Netherlands 3-1 in stoppage time to become the fifth team in FIFA history to claim the title as the tournament’s host nation. The team would go down in history again on June 29, 1986 at the FIFA World Cup Final in Mexico, as Jorge Burruchaga’s dramatic tally in the final minutes of play catapulted Argentina to a 3-2 victory over then-West Germany and its second World Cup title before 114,000 fans at Azteca Stadium.
If you think you have game, Puerto Rico might be your place. (Photo PRSL)
NYC: On March 10th – 11th , the Puerto Rico Islanders FC will hold open tryouts for the 2010 season. The tryouts will be held at the Sylvan Lake Park in Orlando, Florida. If you wish to play professional soccer and have an appreciation for the Puerto Rican culture, then this is the team for you.
Not only will you have the opportunity to play in front of a strong home crowd at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon, PR, you will have the opportunity to be part of the first Puerto Rican soccer team to win a North American Soccer Championship.
Founded in 2003, the Puerto Islanders is a professional soccer franchise that competes in the United Soccer Leagues (USL). Owned by a group of local investors and individual, the purpose for the Islanders was to create a soccer atmosphere in a baseball & boxing dominated country. Initially, the Islanders weren’t considered contenders but all of that changed on May 22, 2007 when the team appointed Colin Clarke as the Islanders Coach.
Recognized by the media and fans as “El General”, Coach Clarke’s “no-nonsense” approach and fierce discipline has made the Islanders into championship contenders and has restored pride in their orange & white jerseys.
Once recognized as a laughing stock, Coach Clarke and his coaching staff has turned the Islanders into a fierce and competitive team. Their most successful season was in 2008, when the Islanders earned the USL Commissioner’s Cup for having the best regular season record.
Fans at Juan Loubriel Stadium coming out for a sport that is slowly catching on in Borinquen. (Photo PRSL)
Along with the Commissioner’s Cup, the Islanders won the Organization of the Year. Addionally, the Islanders also swept the USL individual awards as they won Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Defender of the Year and Most Valuable Player.
Falling short of the championship, the Islanders lost 2-1 to the Vancouver White Caps in the USL Championship Match. Along with the team's marvelous 2008 and 2009 campaigns, the Islanders have put on back to back solid performances in the CONCACAF Champions League. Teams from Major League Soccer, the Mexican and Honduran Leagues are now aware of the “Orange Fury” tenacity the Islanders compete.
In addition to coaching the Islanders, Coach Clarke is also head coach of the Puerto Rico National Team. Early in his campaign, the National Team earned two wins against Bermuda and a draw versus Caribbean powerhouse, Trinidad & Tobago.
As a result, Coach Clarke won over the Puerto Rican people and instilled their faith in both the National Team and the Islanders. Based on the Islanders and National Team success, soccer in Puerto Rico is very much alive and you can be part of it!
Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for Latino Sports (www.latinosports.com). Send Cesar a question or comment for potential use in a future column at
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