⺠America and Atlas Are In The Quarterfinals of Copa
Libertadores
⺠Mexico to play Belize in Houston For World Cup Qualifiers
⺠European Update
America Is Back In The Copa Libertadores
America has not lost with new coach Juan Antonio Luna. The team has not allowed a goal either and has shown an almost perfect play on defense. With no pressure on the line, they defeated Monterrey in the last game of the Mexican League regular season 1-0, to end what was a six game losing streak. Then a miracle happened in the Copa Libertadores, America had to beat Brazil’s Flamengo by three goals in Brazil to advance to the quarterfinals, and did with a great game by Salvador Cabañas where he scored two goals, winning 3-0.
The first leg of the quarterfinals was Thursday, May 15 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico against Brazil’s Santos. America won with two goals by Salvador Cabañas in the 24th and 61st minutes. Cabañas along with Cruzeiro of Brazil’s Marcelo Martins Moreno have the most goals in the Copa Libertadores with eight. The second leg of the Copa Libertadores will be played Thursday, May 22 in Brazil, with the odds clearly favoring America, as Santos needs to win by at least two goals to advance.
The other Mexican team still playing in the Copa Libertadores is Atlas, who tied with Argentina’s Boca Juniors 2-2 in the first leg, played in Argentina. The result puts the defending champion Boca Juniors needing a win in Jalisco or a tie with at least three goals per team on Wednesday, May 21.
Mexico Will Face Belize In Qualifiers
Finally, the World Cup Qualifiers have begun for Mexico. The first leg match will be against Belize in Houston, Texas on Sunday, June 15. The second leg will be played on Saturday, June 21 in Monterrey. The United States will play Barbados on the same dates.
The Commission on National Teams by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) said Jesus Ramirez will be manager for the tune-up matches against Argentina in San Diego on Wednesday, June 4 and Peru on Sunday, June 8 in Chicago as well as this round of qualifiers. As to who will we be the next coach of the Mexican National team, we know it will not be Javier Aguirre, as he has said that he will finish out his contract with Spain’s Atletico de Madrid.
European Update
As the seasons wind down in Europe and the Euro Cup is set to begin Saturday, June 7, here are the teams that have won the championships. In England Manchester United won the championship over Chelsea by two points. The two teams will meet in Moscow for the UEFA Champions League title.
In Spain, Real Madrid was champion with 85 points, Villarreal second with 77, FC Barcelona third with 67 and Javier’s Aguirre’s Atletico de Madrid fourth with 65. Sevilla also had 64 points but lost the tiebreaker. In Italy, Inter de Milan won the championship with 85 points. Last year’s UEFA Champions League Champion AC Milan will not play in next year’s Champions League after finishing a disappointing fifth with 64 points.
In Germany, Stuttgart with Pavel Pardo and Ricardo Osorio could not defend their championship this season and finished sixth. Bayern Munich won the German league this season. The only Mexican national who had success this season was Carlos Salcido as his PSV Eindhoven team won the championship of the Netherlands.
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