Tennis US Open - Amazing Calleri

It was definitely a perfect day for the Albiceleste as all representative progress further without much trouble. Among the most outstanding performers of the day were Juan Martin DEL POTRO and Agustin CALLERI.

CALLERI was outstanding in his match against Lleyton HEWITT despite going down in the first set 4-6. he bounced back to outplay HEWITT in the following three set 6-4, 6-4 & 6-2 to set an All-Albiceleste match in the third round against Juan MONACO. MONACO defeated Dudi SELA from Israel 6-4, 6-0, 6-7 & 6-4.

DEL POTRO on the other hand dispatch 31st seed Jurgen MELZER from Austria 6-3, 6-1 & 6-4. while the former warrior David NALBANDIAN did not see much obstacle in his encounter against Belgium's Xavier MALISSE 6-4, 6-4 & 6-2.

Here is the full list of result on the Albiceleste Army.

Agustin CALLERI def Lleyton HEWITT (AUS) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 & 6-2

Juan MONACO def Dudi SELA (ISR) 6-4, 6-0, 6-7 & 6-4

Juan Martin DEL POTRO def Jurgen MELZER (AUT) 6-3, 6-1 & 6-4

Juan Ignacio CHELA def Wayne ODESNIK (USA) 6-3, 6-1 & 7-5

David NALBANDIAN def Xavier MALISSE (BEL) 6-4, 6-4 & 6-2

The draw for the third round will once again see plenty of mouth watering clash, apart from the Albiceleste derby that I've mentioned earlier. DEL POTRO will have a tough assignment ahead of him when he plays against Serbians 3rd seed Novak DJOKOVIC. CHELA will face 12th seed Ivan LJUBICIC from Croatia while NALBANDIAN will be up against 15th Spaniard David FERRER.

Good luck to the racquet's kings.

Tennis US Open - Bad Day For Albiceleste

Not a good day it was for our Albiceleste Army in the first day of the second round fixture. It was a further Jose ACASUSO. Playing against birthday boy and local favourite Andy RODDICK, El Chucho had the better start when he took the first set 6-4. However A-Rod took the next two sets 6-1 , 6-2 but at the end of the third set, ACASUSO retired from the game with a left knee injury.

But the bad news did not just end there. Guillerme CANAS, probably our best player at the moment suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Korean LEE Hyung-Taik 5-7, 5-7 & 3-6.

The rest of the second round fixtures will be played today. The one that to look forward without a doubt will be Agustin CALLERI against Lleyton HEWITT.

2007 FIBA Americas - No Shame In Defeat

Despite playing against the best team in the tournament with virtually a B Team, the Tall Albiceleste could go to the semis with their heads held high. The United States sealed the top seed in the Semifinal Round of the FIBA Americas Championship with a 91-76 victory over Argentina in the final game of the day on Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The 15-point win for the U.S. was its' smallest margin of victory in this tournament.

As expected the US raced out to a 28-13 lead after the first quarter, relying on the hot hand of Kobe BRYANT, who netted 15 of the team's points in the opening stanza. BRYANT, who led all scorers with 27 points, connected on 10-of-15 shots from the field in just under 23 minutes of play. After leading by as many as 25 points earlier in the contest, the U.S. took a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter. Argentina outscored the U.S. by six and held the Americans to five rebounds in the final quarter.

Luis SCOLA was our best performer of the night with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist & 1 block shot. Not a good game for the rest but I'm sure Sergio HERNANDEZ would want to keep them fresh for probably the most important match of all in the semis.

So once again, standing between our way and the Olympics in non-other than Brazil. In the first meeting we were given a real hard time before BARBOSA and Co. shot themselves in the foot. So what's its going to be this time. My heart is really nervous to say anything. Argentina please not this time, not when we're this close.

Under-17 World Cup 2007 - Swinging Sauro

Argentina put in a solid display to defeat Costa Rica 2-0 on 30 August in Goyang City, and now take their place in the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Korea 2007. Both PIBITOS goals came from the head of Gaston SAURO, supplied by pinpoint crosses from Santiago FERNANDEZ.
Argentina, coached by Miguel Angel TOJO, started the match the stronger, though neither side was able to find their rhythm in a disjointed opening period. As is so often the case on these tense occasions, it took a set piece to break the stalemate. On the 25-minute mark, FERNANDEZ whipped a corner over to the far post, where SAURO arrived to plant a firm header into the net.

TOJO said "I'd like to congratulate Costa Rica because they gave us a very tough game. We won because we were effective from set-piece situations, always a useful weapon in close-fought matches like this, but we didn't put in a particularly sparkling performance during the game itself. This team may not be overflowing with individual talent, but it's packed with typical Argentinian qualities like grit, hard work and intelligence, which is what saw us through."

Their second came 16 minutes later, in an almost identical passage of play, SAURO using his head to finish another sumptuous FERNANDEZ delivery. Costa Rica coach Manuel URENA changed things around after the break, unleashing forwards Josue MARTINEZ and Marcos URENA from the bench. However, despite the latter's best efforts, the Argentinian defence held strong throughout and ensured their team's place in the last eight.

SAURO said "I'm very happy to have scored two goals, especially because they sent us through to the quarter-finals. It was a difficult game, but we were able to use set pieces to good effect - those situations can often prove decisive. Next up are Nigeria, who are very difficult opponents with extremely strong players. We'll stay faithful to our style, however, and I fully believe that we can win the match."

2007 FIBA Americas – A Lesson Could Come Handy

Losing to Brazil can be very hard to digest for any Albiceleste supporter like you and me. And today I almost had to believe that we had received another biting from them only this time in a totally different manner. After wining six consecutive matches in a row, finally now I’m beginning to realize just how much we are missing GINOBILI and the rest our main figures in the basketball team.

Despite having a positive start in the early stages, bad passing and repeated turnovers caused us badly in the first two quarters. At one point Argentina were trailing by 17 points. But a spirited Tall Albiceleste rallied back to beat our great rival in overtime with a 86-79 score.

Brazil struggle much of the third and fourth quarter after Leandro BARBOSA and Tiago SPLITTER were struggling with foul troubles. Half way in the fourth, SPLITTER was fouled out of the game and that became the turning point of the night.

Luis SCOLA was only on 7 points and rebounds in the first three, would go on to finish a game high 23 points, 12 rebounds & 1 assist. Much of the damage came after SPLITTER was shown the exit as SCOLA was struggling in every one on one situation with his former Tau Ceramica colleague.

Paolo QUINTEROS and Carlos DELFINO were the other star performers of the night. QUINTEROS posted 19 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist & 2 steals. DELFINO posted 17 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist & a game high 5 steals.

Now this is how the situation is going to be. With this victory it is confirm that irrespective of tomorrow’s results against the USA, Argentina will still finish in 2nd place and play in the semi-finals against the team that finishes 3rd. In consequence Argentina will avoid playing USA in the semis. However the tricky part is, there is high possibility that we could end up playing Brazil again in that stage. For now I’m just going to be happy with this result and leave the rest to everyone’s imagination.

Under-17 World Cup 2007 – Argentina vs. Costa Rica (Match Preview)

Argentina will take on the Ticos in their second round encounter for a place in the quarter-finals. Despite having a dreadful start to their campaign after a draw against Syria, Los Pibitos went on to score a convincing 4-1 victory over Honduras before almost piping Spain for the top spot in Group C.

Miguel TOJO young boys will need to improve further in this stage against unpredictable Costa Ricans. This will be fourth meeting between these two sides at this level. I’m happy at least history is our side because in all meeting we have won further positive note to this is the fact that we have yet to concede a goal in all those meetings.

The only setback for TOJO towards the build up to this game is that he will have to do without Alexis MACHUCA, who is serving a one-match suspension. His replacement for the match will be Gaston SAURO.

The match will be played at the Goyang Stadium on the 30th of August, 17:00 (local time)

VAMOS PIBITOS!!!

Albiceleste At The US Open - Day 2

There were plenty of smile in the Albiceleste camp on Day 2 of the tournament. Our entire representative for the day made in through the next round with the exception of Diego HARTFIELD, Carlos BERLOCQ and Martin Vassallo ARQUELLO.

HARTFIELD suffered at the hands of Austrian Jurgen MELZER in straight set, 4-6, 5-7 & 5-7. On the other hand BERLOCQ, despite giving a tough fight, fell to Radek “Mr.HINGIS” STEPANEK from the Czech Republic 6-7, 7-6, 4-6 & 2-6. However in ARQUELLLO case it was a bit strange as he was up against fellow Argentine Jose ACASUSO and the latter won the All-Albiceleste encounter 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 & 6-4.

Our seeded players, David NALBANDIAN and Juan MONACO had quite a bit of trouble in their respective encounter. NALBANDIAN won his tie against Spaniard Ivan Navarro PASTOR, 7-5, 7-6 & 7-6 while MONACO dispatch Edouard Roger VASSELIN from France, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 & 7-5.

Here are the results involving all our players from Day 2

David NALBANDIAN beat Ivan Navarro PASTOR (ESP) 7-5, 7-6 & 7-6

Carlos BERLOCQ lost. Radek STEPANEK (CZE) 6-7, 7-6, 4-6 & 2-6

Juan Ignacio CHELA beat Michael McCLUNE (USA) 6-2, 6-1 & 7-6

Diego HARTFIELD lost Jurgen MELZER (AUT) 4-6, 5-7 & 5-7

Jose ACASUSO beat Martin Vassallo ARQUELLO 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 & 6-4

Juan MONACO beat Edouard Roger VASSELIN (FRA) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 & 7-5

Juan Martin DEL POTRO beat Nicolas MAHUT (FRA) 6-0, 6-4 & 6-2

Agustin CALLERI Vs. Andreas SEPPI (ITA) 6-4, 6-4, 3-6 & 7-5

So what can we expect from the Round Two. Well looking at the draw, there is not one but two matches that stands out among the rest.

The first will Jose ACASUSO facing non other than Andy RODDICK. Without a doubt a huge task for El Chucho not the only with the home crowd against him but also it will be interesting to see how he takes on those fast serves and forehands from A-ROD. The head to head to record between them is at 3-1 in favour of RODDICK with ACASUSO last victory coming at Roland Garros in 2005.

The other mouth-watering clash will once again resume the rivalry between Australia’s Lleyton HEWITT and Argentina. This time it will be Agustin “El Gordo” CALLERI turn and once again the record of head to head to meeting does favour us as HEWITT has won both previous encounter between them.

Here is the list of all the second round fixtures involving the Albiceleste Army

Jose ACASUSO vs. Andy RODDICK (USA)

Guillermo CANAS vs. LEE Hyung Taik (KOR)

Agustin CALLERI vs. Lleyton HEWITT (AUS)

Juan MONACO vs. Dudi SELA (ISR)

Juan Martin DEL POTRO vs. Jurgen MELZER (AUT)

Juan Ignacio CHELA vs. Wayne ODESNIK (USA)

David NALBANDIAN vs. Xavier MALISSE (BEL)

2007 FIBA Americas – No Problem Against Canadians

It wasn’t that long ago that the Canadians defeated us in a pre-Las Vegas mini tournament in Puerto Rico and playing against them yesterday sure was scary as hell. After all the Mexicans did gave the USA some fight worth remembering and Brazil fell to Puerto Rico and results like that suggests that surprises are possible at the FIBA Americas.

But yesterday game was a different story altogether. By half time Argentina dominated from power to strength to command a 46-16 lead. But the maple leaf outfit did show some character in the next two quarter but in the end the damage was already done as Argentina won by 85-70 and kept their winning streak to 5-0.

Tonight Luis SCOLA was once again giving some hint to his future employees at Houston on what they can expect from him as he was best man in the court for us with a 23 points, 6 rebounds & 1 block shot performance.

Carlos DELFINO inflicted further damage on the Cannucks with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists & 1 steal. Pablo PRIGIONI is also having the time of his life and proving that he every penny worth as Pepe SANCHEZ with a game high 11 assists.

With this result we can safely say that the Tall Albiceleste have at least secured the minimum requirement, which is a place in the semi-finals or at least qualification for the wild card tournament next year. But the toughest part as yet to come and whatever that is I’m not too clear what to expect at the moment. Will keep you posted soon.

COCO Names Squad For Down Under Trip

The news has just came in that Coco BASILE has named the 21 player that will travel to Melbourne, Australia for next month friendly international against the Socceroos. COCO has picked a near full strength squad but before we highlight some of the important notes from this team, lets looks at the team first.

Goalkeepers

Roberto ABBONDANZIERI (Getafe)

Oscar USTARI (Getafe)

Sergio ROMERO (AZ Alkmaar)

Defenders

Gabriel HEINZE (Real Madrid)

Daniel DIAZ (Getafe)

Gabriel MILITO (Barcelona)

Fabricio COLOCCINI (Deportivo La Coruna)

Nicolas BURDISSO (Inter Milan)

Javier ZANETTI (Inter Milan)

Midfielders

Fernando GAGO (Real Madrid)

Martin DEMICHELIS (Bayern Munich)

Jonas GUTIERREZ (Mallorca)

Javier MASCHERANO (Liverpool)

Federico INSUA (America, Mexico)

Cristian LEDESMA (Olympiakos)

Maxi RODRIGUEZ (Atletico Madrid)

Forwards

Sergio AGUERO (Atletico Madrid)

Javier SAVIOLA (Real Madrid)

Hernan CRESPO (Inter Milan)

Carlos TEVEZ (Manchester United)

Lionel MESSI (Barcelona)

There are a few things that I would like to highlight about COCO's latest selection.

Among the most notable returnees are PATO, CRESPO, TEVEZ and HEINZE but the one that caught me by surprise was Martin DEMICHELIS. After all when was the last time he played and after losing his place in Bayern last season, I doubt we will ever see him in an Albiceleste jersey. This season he has found himself back into the Bayern's first team and being the given the recall will be great reward for him.

As for PATO, this could probably suggest that COCO will want to stick to experience (perhaps for time being I supposed) rather than youngsters to guard the post.

Another important issue which will once again take center stage in our discussion is the absence of either RIQUELME or AIMAR. So once again, INSUA will be given the play making duty.

However sincerely what I would like to know, is what do you guys think?

Albiceleste At The US Open – Day 1

Whenever there is a Grand Slam only two things come to mind, Roger FEDERER and Rafael NADAL. And it could be the most likely scenario at the 2007 US Open but the fact is there is plenty of class and talent among those flying the Argentina flag to dispatch either of them.

In the Men’s Single event, only Guillermo CANAS (14th seed) came out with a win after defeating Ruben Ramirez HIDALGO from Spain 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 & 6-3. While two other Argentines Juan Pablo GUZMAN and Sergio ROITMAN were both eliminated by Jonas BJORKMAN and Richard GASQUET respectively.

In the Women’s Single, it all came to end for Gisela DULKO after she crashing in straight set to Alona BONDARENKO from Ukraine 4-6 & 3-6. This must be a bitter disappointment for her after freshly wining The Forest Hills Women’s Tennis Classic recently.

Here are the results involving from Day 1

Men’s Single – First Round

Juan-Pablo GUZMAN lost Jonas BJORKMAN (SWE) 3-6, 6-7 & 2-6

Guillermo CANAS def Ruben Ramirez HIDALGO (ESP) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 & 6-3

Sergio ROITMAN lost Richard GASQUET (FRA) 5-7, 1-6 & 2-6

Women’s Single – First Round

Gisela DULKO lost Alona BONDARENKO (UKR) 4-6 & 3-6

Jorgelina CRAVERO lost Aravane REZAI (FRA) 3-6 & 5-7

Day 2 will promise to have more action, as two other Albiceleste hopeful will begam their campaign. 24th seed David NALBANDIAN will face Spaniard Ivan Navarro PASTOR while fast rising 23rd seed Juan MONACO will take on Edouard Roger-VASSELLIN from France. There will also be an All-Albiceleste clash between Jose ACASUSO and Martin Vassallo ARQUELLO.

The following is the list of fixtures involving our players from Day 2

David NALBANDIAN vs. Ivan Navarro PASTOR (ESP)

Carlos BERLOCQ vs. Radek STEPANEK (CZE)

Juan Ignacio CHELA vs. Michael McCLUNE (USA)

Diego HARTFIELD vs. Jurgen MELZER (AUT)

Jose ACASUSO vs. Martin Vassallo ARQUELLO

Juan MONACO vs. Edouard Roger-VASSELLIN (FRA)

Juan Martin DEL POTRO vs. Nicolas MAHUT (FRA)

Agustin CALLERI Vs. Andreas SEPPI (ITA)

Good luck to all of them!!!

2007 FIBA Americas – Business As Usual

Argentina continues from where it left off from the first stage by defeating Venezuela 98-63 in their first match in the second stage. Despite being forced to play in overtime a day earlier by Panama, the Tall Albiceleste showed no sign of fatigue and were dominating throughout the match.

It was another sensational performance from Roman GONZALEZ as he was the best performer with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block shot. With some of the big names being absent, GONZALEZ whom also plays under Sergio HERNANDEZ at his club Penarol, has been one of the revelation in this tournament.

Carlos DELFINO is also relishing this moment as he capped another superb performance by notching 19 points, game high 11 rebounds and 3 assists.

Tomorrow, Argentina will take on Canada and the Cannucks should not be taken lightly having already push Brazil until the very end. Could possible be a nerve wrecking encounter.

2007 FIBA Americas – Tall Albiceleste Survive Panama Scare

Game 4 - Highlights

Not recognizing its' apparent underdog status, Panama almost looked poised to knock Argentina’s from completing its 4-0 perfection in the first stage. In a back-and-forth battle which needed overtime to decide it, Argentina ultimately retained its' unblemished record, tallying a 109-92 triumph.

Trailing by as many as 14 points early in the game, Panama fought back to take a 63-59 lead heading to the fourth quarter. When Jamar WARREN connected on a three-pointer with just over four minutes remaining to give Panama a 77-68 lead, it looked as if the biggest upset of the first round was about to occur.

Argentina, however, would not go away, storming back to tie it at 79 apiece with just under two minutes to play. Carlos DELFINO's steal and breakaway dunk then gave Argentina an 81-79 lead with 1:30 remaining. Back-and-forth it went as Jaime LLOREDA's lay-up just 15 seconds later tied it again.

Luis SCOLA made two free throws to give Argentina the lead again at 83-81, but those would be his final points of the evening. Gary FORBES drove the length of the floor and made a lay-up while also drawing contact from SCOLA, marking his fifth and final foul. FORBES made the free throw and gave Panama an 84-83 lead.

On Argentina's next possession, Paolo QUINTEROS missed a three-point try and when Pablo PRIGIONI was whistled for going over the back in his failed attempt to secure the offensive rebound, Joel MUNOZ would step to the line for Panama. MUNOZ hit one-of-two foul shots and Panama led 85-83.

Diego LO GRIPPO got free on the following trip down the floor, dunking home the tying basket with 25 seconds to play. Panama worked the shot clock down and missed a jumper from the top of the key near the end of regulation.

A half-court heave by Argentina at the buzzer was no good, and the game headed to overtime.

It was all Argentina in the extra session, as 17 points outscored Panama in just five-minute overtime. QUINTEROS would score seven points in the final session and was Argentina’s best performer with 22 points led Argentina.

With this final round from the first stage being completed, Argentina alongside Uruguay, Puerto Rico & Mexico will qualify for next stage from Group A. Meanwhile from Group B, as expected USA and Brazil qualified alongside Canada and Venezuela.

First up, Venezuela on the 27th August.

2007 FIBA Americas - Another Win For Tall Albiceleste

Its three wins out of three for the Tall Albiceleste as they defeated Mexico by 104-83. Tied at 23 apiece after one quarter of play, Argentina began to distance itself in the second, thanks to a hot-shooting Paolo QUINTEROS.

The 6'1'' QUINTEROS tallied 14 points in the period on five-of-seven shooting, helping Argentina build a 51 - 41 lead by halftime. Argentina's lead ballooned to 83-59 at the end of the third, and Mexico didn't get much closer in the final stanza. QUINTEROS finished off the game with 18 points, 3 rebounds & 2 assists.

The best performer of the game was once again Carlos DELFINO who posted 20 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists & 3 steals. While Boca Juniors ace Leonardo GUTIERREZ who recovered from his injury had his best in the tournament with 14 points, 2 rebounds & 1 block shot.

Now the only thing that is standing between us from finishing on top of our group with a perfect 4-0 record is Panama. That match will be played on the 26th of August.

U-17 World Cup 2007 - Little Argentina Settle For draw

It was impossible to separate Spain and Argentina in their final Group C match at Soccer Only Field in Gwangyang on Saturday. A 1-1 stalemate means both teams go through, with the Europeans qualifying as section winners.
Already assured of a place in the Round of 16 and with one eye on that game, Spain kicked off the encounter with their first-choice performers on the bench. That philosophy contrasted sharply with Argentina's fierce desire to win at all costs, an attitude rewarded after 32 minutes when neat passing between Pablo ROLON, Eduardo SALVIO and Carlos BENITEZ led to the latter spinning and firing home from the edge of the area. Iago came close to equalising in first-half stoppage-time, but his excellent free-kick cannoned off an upright.
Spain were more ambitious after the interval and twice looked destined to score early on, only for Daniel AQUINO to fluff his finishing touch. All hope was not lost, however, and with 68 minutes gone it proved to be a case of third time lucky as 'Dani' powered a header in at the near post from Isma LOPEZ's right-wing cross. The Argentinians responded by looking for the winner that would win them the group, but could do no better than substitute Santiago FERNANDEZ's thunderous drive, which struck the woodwork.

2007 FIBA Americas - Argentina vs. Uruguay

2007 FIBA Americas - It's Two Out Of Two

Game 1 - Highlights

When Uruguay were pushed all the way into over time in their over Panama, it was clear indication that surprise may just happen.

After being given a rest in the first day, Argentina has finally tipped off its FIBA Americas campaign when they took on the Uruguayans in Day 2 of the tournament. Despite all the uncertainties that took place within the Tall Albiceleste squad during the build up to Las Vegas, Argentina cruised through a 90-69 win in their first match.

This is definitely the kind of news that I’m waiting to hear after going through a very tough week. Not just in terms of my job but also that fact that some of the bad news that I got from our beloved Albiceleste in various front.

Not to my surprise, it was the Tau Ceramica formula that dominated this game with Luis SCOLA and Pablo PRIGIONI being the two best performer of the day. PRIGIONI posted a game high 20 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds & 3 steals while SCOLA was very close behind with 16 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds & 2 steals. Another TAU connection, Carlos Matias SANDES posted a game high 10 rebound including 7 points, 1 assist & 2 steals. Other top performer of the game was Roman GONZALEZ (15 points) and Antonio PORTA (14 points).

Game 2 - Highlights

Certainly that victory against Uruguay, HERNANDEZ and his team can surely built their confidence as the tournaments goes by and tomorrow could be another acid test when they take on Puerto Rico.

Arguably the most toughest match that Tall Albiceleste could expect in their first round matches, another impressive performance as they notched a 87-75 win.

This time it was the NBA connection that became the heroes of the night. Luis SCOLA powered Argentina by posting 22 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists & 1 steal. Carlos DELFINO had his best game in Las Vegas so far with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists & 2 steals.

Next up, is against Mexico and from the looks of it we just can't go wrong. At least in the first stage that is. Till then......

VAMOS TALL ALBICELESTE!!!!

FIBA Americas Preview - Part III (USA & The Rest)

In part-I I did mentioned that we have manage to avoid some of the stronger opponents in our group but that doesn’t mean that we have avoided them altogether at all.

From what I’ve learnt, the format for this competition is done in such a way that we would still end up playing teams, who occupy the top four positions from the other group in the second stage. I might be a little bit confusing here but I’m sure as the tournament goes by we’ll have better understanding

In this part we will do a brief analyst or info on all the other team that will compete in this qualifier based on the team that we have for Vegas.

USA

Call them the Dream Team or not, everybody loves to watch them play and I have to admit that. Once again coach Mike KRZYZEWSKI will bring on some of the best and biggest names into the court with a mission of restoring pride of the once upon time untouchables. From LE BRON to ANTHONY the name says it all. On paper they do look as good as tournament winners but isn’t that what they always say. A sure bet for the automatic birth. Or would it be third time victory for us? I rather not say anything at the moment.

Brazil

At present when writing, it seems that Coach Lula has managed to assemble all his big names for this competition, with exception of VAREJAO and AROUJO (both have contract issues with their club). And very much so, confidence will be looming high after they have won the gold medal at the Pan Am Games and most certainly from the way it looks, this could probably be our biggest threat (apart from USA) for us in the competition. I would not want to be too confidence on this but on paper and I still believe there is a 50-50 chance between them and us.

Puerto Rico

If anyone knows their basketball well, they will tell you not to take this team lightly. Incase you’ve forgotten, Puerto Rico was one of the team to beat the USA at the Athens Olympics Games. At last year World Championship, they only lost to them only just by an 11-point deficit. In fact we’ve also lost to them in the recent Pan Am Games. In Carlos ARROYO they do have a formidable point guard to call the shots while other names worth mentioning are Peter John RAMOS and Daniel SANTIAGO. With a slight advantage in some aspect, we should be able to beat team.

Venezuela

Traditionally a baseball powerhouse, they could be the dark horse of the competition and based on their recent improvement, another team not be taken lightly. Former Houston ROCKETS & Golden State WARRIOR, Oscar TORRES remains the only star and will probably pose the biggest threat to any opponent. Overall we do have more option to win this one. For the record, we did beat them at last year’s World Championship 96-54.

Mexico

Another team not to be underestimated as there is plenty of potential in the Mexicans to stir some upsets. Much also depends on whether their forward, Denver NUGGET’s Eduardo NAJERA is going to be part of team but there is still equally good players such as Omar QUINTERO, Horacio LLAMAS & Lorenzo MATA to be aware off. However I have confidence that the Mexicans could not do much damage towards us, so I’m pretty sure we could win this one.

Uruguay

Another team that will come to Vegas with confidence in full throttle, especially after their history win against us at the Pan Am Games. Yes, our make shift team (in the absence of DELFINO, SCOLA etc.) were defeated by the Uruguayans in the bronze meal match. It’s hard for me to imagine that it might repeat again but it is good to beware of their two-danger man, Fernando MARTINEZ and Atlanta HAWKS Esteban BATISTA.

Canada

For years, the Canadians have relied heavily on the brilliances and inspiration of Steve NASH. There is still no clue yet whether he will make a comeback but there is new star in the maple leaf camp, his name is Samuel DALEMBERT. Born in Haiti, DALEMBERT who plays for the Philadelphia 76ERS, has just receive his citizenship just in time and will be crucial for the Canadians in Vegas. We could face tough resistance in some aspect but overall strength will see us winning this game. That is if, we should play against them.

Panama

Another team that has the potential to be the dark horse of the tournament, after all they did finish a creditable sixth place at the recent Pan Am Games. Just for the info, we did loose to them in the last FIBA Americas back in 2005. It will be unwise to underestimate them but I’m confident we will get it right. Among the potential danger man, Michael HICKS

US Virgin Island

Though they were born on the island, Tim DUNCAN is not eligible to play for them (having already represented US on the International stage) and I’m not too sure whether Raja BELL of Phoenix SUNS will answer the call. Probably the team with least amount of quantity in terms name and reputation. They could be just happy to be in Vegas but you’ll never know what’s up in their sleeves.

There you have it, Mundo Albiceleste three-part preview on the 2007 FIBA Americas. The first match will be against Uruguay on the 23rd August.

VAMOS ARGENTINA!!!

Information avalanche

After 8 months of hard work, I'm leaving Brazil. I'll be flying all day on Wednesday and I don't know when my last post is going to be.

But I'm willing to sleep a little bit less in order to give you the latest relevant info about the Albicelestes around the World.

Here are some headlines and brief info on the main activities and news involving Argentine teams and players:

Argentina with confirmed lineup to face Norway

USTARI

ZANETTI (captain), Ezequiel GARAY, Nicolás BURDISSO and Gabriel MILITO (moving to left back for this match).

Javier MASCHERANO, Maxi RODRIGUEZ (left), Lucho GONZALEZ (right) and Lionel MESSI (as play-maker).

Up front? Ezequiel LAVEZZI and Diego MILITO (rumoured to be on the verge to a move to Real Madrid, which will see him playing in Gabriel MILITO's arch-rivals, just like back in the days when Diego played for Racing and Gabriel for Independiente in Argentina).

Also...

Coco BASILE have announced his decision of not training with the players that still compete in the local league because he doesn't have the support he needs from the Argentine clubs and that they always blame the National Team of the injuries the players suffer.


Los Pibitos face Honduras with a win as the only option
Argentina will play their second match in the U17 World Cup Korea 2007. Our rivals will be Honduras (lost 4-2 against Spain in their first game). Anything but a win will be a horrible result for our little boys as they will be up against Spain in the third match and they would risk an early exit if they arrive to that fixture without a win in their bag. The match will be played at the Ulsan Complex Stadium on Wednesday at 8 AM (Buenos Aires), 8 PM local time.

Gabriel HEINZE is a new Real Madrid player
After a troublesome period between the end of the Copa America and the beginning of the European season, Gabriel HEINZE saw his intention of moving to Liverpool soundly crashing. But, when everything looked set for him to be left out of Sir Alex FERGUSON's plans at Old Trafford for this season, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel and it is a bright white light: Real Madrid. El Gringo will join the White Empire in exchange of 12 million euros. He becomes the fourth Argentine in the current Real Madrid squad, joining Fernando GAGO, Gonzalo HIGUAIN and Javier SAVIOLA. They could soon be followed by Diego MILITO (as mentioned above).

Gabriel PALETTA joins Boca on loan from Liverpool
From Banfield (a small team from the Southern area of the Great Buenos Aires -a huge region surrounding the City of Buenos Aires and gathering more than 10 million people-) to Liverpool. It was a hell of a leap for Gabriel PALETTA to make. And it proved very difficult for him to earn a spot as a regular in Rafa BENITEZ's team. In fact he only played a couple of Premiership matches last season when Liverpool had nothing to play for there and had to face AC Milan for the Champions League final.
Now he moves back to the Argentine league and will surely earn a lot of experience and playing time.

Basketball: FIBA Americas starts with a day of rest for Argentina
Not that we needed it or we wanted it, but we have it. The FIBA Americas Tournament in Las Vegas, will start on Wednesday and Argentina won't be playing. But from Thursday, day of our debut against Uruguay until the end of the first round, we'll play 8 matches in consecutive days. The FIBA Americas Tournament qualifies the two first teams to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Those are the more relevant news as of now. I'll be back posting and commenting as soon as I can. Would love to see some updates from you, of course!

Sunday recap, so far...all bad news!

BASKETBALL:
Let's start with what happened late last night in Puerto Rico, where Argentina defeated the home team in the basketball friendly cup Tuto Marchand. Argentina ends up the tournament with 2 wins (against Brazil and Puerto Rico) and one loss (Canada). Brazil defeated Canada by 13 points and took home the cup. You can read more about the FIBA Americas preview if you scroll down this page and check what John wrote.

U17 WORLD CUP KOREA 2007:
Argentina started off wiht a disappointing 0-0 draw against Syria. I didn't watch the game but you can check out the goals at FIFA.com. Next match for Los Pibitos will be Honduras (a team that lost 4-2 against Spain in their first match).

Carlos TEVEZ:
Played 90 minutes in United 1-0 loss against a brave Manchester City team. The Red Devils were the better team during the first half hour, but Portuguese youngster, NANI, showed a lot of skill but very little brains, often misjudging and making wrong decisions. In the 31st minute, City had their first shot on goal and it went in (Geovanni). After that, it was all confussion for United and Micah RICHARDS, now playing as a central defender, was immense. Carlitos slightlly deflected a cross from the left and the ball went out kissing the right post. Then in the 90th minute, he couldn't connect properly with his head and again, the ball went just a couple of inches wide.

JAVIER MASCHERANO:
Stayed in the bench for Liverpool as they drew 1-1 against Chelsea (TORRES and LAMPARD the scorers).

PARAPAN-AMERICAN GAMES:
Argentina lost against Brazil (for a change!!!!) in the 5-a-side football tournament final (for blind athletes). It was 1-0 and a silver medal for us.

FIBA Americas Preview - Part II (The Team)

The following are the profiles of the 12 players that have been selected for the Las Vegas trip, by Sergio HERNANDEZ: -

Player Profile

Name : Antonio PORTA
Position : Point Guard
Club : Spartak St. Petersburg (RUS)

Name : Roman Javier GONZALEZ
Position : Center
Club : Penarol (ARG)

Name : Leonardo GUTIERREZ
Position : Power Forward
Club : Boca Juniors (ARG)

Name : Luis SCOLA
Position : Power Forward/Center
Club : Houston Rockets (NBA)

Name : Juan GUTIERREZ
Position : Center/Power Forward
Club : CB Granada (ESP)

Name : Paolo QUINTEROS
Position : Shooting Guard
Club : CAI Zaragoza (ESP)

Name : Carlos DELFINO
Position : Shooting Guard
Club : Toronto Raptors (NBA)

Name : Guillermo Federico KAMMERICHS
Position : Small Forward
Club : Polaris World Murcia (ESP)

Name : Diego LO GRIPPO
Position : Power Forward
Club : Autocid Ford Burgos (ESP)

Name : Pablo PRIGIONI
Position : Point Guard
Club : Tau Ceramica (ESP)

Name : Carlos Matias SANDES
Position : Shooting Guard/Power Forward
Club : Tau Ceramica (ESP)

Name : Martin LEIVA
Position : Forward/Center
Club : Autocid Ford Burgos (ESP)

Overview

For most critics, the vacant place left by our big names means there is huge hole that is need to be filled. Yes at some point but not really if you look at it from a different dimension. There are plenty of strong characters in this team that is good enough to take up the responsibility. The key figure behind this team, without a doubt will be Pablo PRIGIONI, Luis SCOLA and Carlos DELFINO.

For the point guard role, PRIGIONI is likely to be given the nod ahead of Antonio PORTA. Last season, he was regarded as one of the best for his position, both in the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB) and Euroleague as well.

His soon to be ex-club teammate Luis SCOLA, will most certainly be on top of HERNANDEZ list in the starting five. He could use in either as a power forward or in center position. SCOLA, who is bound for the NBA next season, was in the form of his life for Tau Ceramica last season. He was also rewarded as the Regular season MVP at the ACB.

Another important element in this team is that both PRIGIONI and SCOLA are pick and roll partners at club level, a formula which HERNENDEZ is most likely to tapped in as it has brought plenty of success for their club last season. A further point to be noted is that PRIGIONI has the second highest assist at last season Euroleague while SCOLA is now the all-time Euroleague point scorer.

Carlos DELFINO, the only NBA based player in the team (SCOLA will only join the Houston ROCKETS next season), presents could be crucial and HERNANDEZ may give him with the shooting guard role. Unlike most oh his compatriot who made the transition from Europe to NBA; he never enjoyed the amount a time play during the last three years in Detroit. Having just completed his move to the Toronto RAPTORS, he will be eager to reproduce the type of form he had during his pre-NBA days. Las Vegas will be the perfect platform for him to do so.

Another player with NBA connection is Federico KAMMERICHS who was drafted by the Portland TRAIL BLAZERS in 2002. After being out of picture during the last couple of years, his return couldn’t come at a much better time. With his ability to drive to the basket and around the rim plus with the added value to his excellent leaping and block shots, he is perfectly enough to fill in for Walter HERRMANN.

Leonardo GUTIERREZ is another important figure in the team as he was sensational in helping Boca Juniors to win the Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (LNB) championship, averaging 15.5 points per game and subsequantly was also voted as the MVP for the play-offs final. He is another best option for the power forward position.

Motivation is also another reason why I believe this team is capable of achieveing its objetive. DELFINO insists the team “ will have more energy and hunger for glory than the one that won the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens”.

SCOLA played down the effect the absences would have, vowing the team will secure one of the two automatic qualifications. The 27-year-old said: "Too much importance is being given to a theme which does not deserve it. The ones that didn't come have the right to rest and we are here because we want to be here. Argentina will go to Las Vegas with a competitive squad and our possibilities of qualification are intact."

In Part III, we’ll be briefly analyzing on all the other contesting teams that will take part in Las Vegas

U17 World Cup - Lineup confirmed to face Syria

Hours before Argentina's debut in the Under 17 World Cup Korea 2007, our manager, Miguel Angel TOJO, have confirmed the starting lineup to face Syria in the Ulsan Complex Stadium.

Luis OJEDA in goal, with Mateo MUSACCHIO, Alexis MACHUCA, Fernando MEZA (captain) and Maximiliano OLIVA in front of him. Guido PIZARRO DEMESTRI, Fernando GODOY, Pablo ROLÓN and Santiago FERNÁNDEZ will play in midfield while Eduardo SALVIO and Gustavo FERNÁNDEZ will form our striking partnership.

It was decided that Argentina will wear the tradicional Albiceleste shirt with black shorts and white socks, while Syria will be entirely dressed in red.

Fernando MEZA, the captain for this debut, said to FIFA.com: "There are a lot of guys in our team that could be wearing the captain's armband. I was the chosen one and it is a great honour that comes with a huge responsibility. I'm proud of being the captain but I would never think I'm more special because of that."

"It's great to be the captain of the team, but it'll be even greater to start our campaign with a win over Syria".

This will be the first time Argentina will face Syria at any level.

The match will kick-off at 7 AM (Buenos Aires).

VAMOS PIBITOS!

LAVEZZI thrills the San Paolo with a hat-trick

A lot of people don't know who Ezequiel LAVEZZI is. There were a lot of questions regarding whether Coco BASILE was right or wrong in calling him for Argentina's friendly match against Norway (August 22nd in Oslo).

Well...he's just arrive to Napoli after winning the Clausura tournament with San Lorenzo last season and on Saturday, he couldn't have had a better presentation in front of the San Paolo crowd!

For the Italian Cup second round, Napoli hosted Pisa and within 20 minutes they were down 1-0, due to a KUTUZOV strike.

After half-time, Ezequiel LAVEZZI was sent to the field and he only took 5 minutes to find the back of the net with a great personal effort that saw him finishing with a lovely strike. 1-1.

But both teams failed to score again and the match went to extra-time. And LAVEZZI saved the best for the final moments.

He scored two more goals to record his first hat-trick in his new club, send them to the next round -when they will face Livorno- and to start conquering the crowd that had the privilege to watch the best player of all time at his best.

Late reaction, not enough for Pumas in Wales

It has to be considered a positive test match for Los Pumas. With less than a month to go before their debut against France in the Rugby World Cup (September 7), Argentina visited Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and the result was a 27-20 defeat that saw the Southamericans fight back but fell short in the end.

After an initial try by Ignacio CORLETTO, Wales scored 24 unanswered points and made life very complicated for Argentina.

Another CORLETTO's try and 10 points from Federico TODESCHINI's right boot gave Los Pumas some hope but substitute Martín DURAND failed to control the ball in the dying seconds and committed a knock-on that cost his team the chance to get a draw.

That particular play in which DURAND couldn't score a try, left Argentina manager Marcelo LOFFREDA fuming against the referee Chris WHITE.

According to the BBC, LOFFREDA accused WHITE of "coaching Wales instead of refereeing" (here's the full article http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/6953344.stm and you can read a match report here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/welsh/6951094.stm)

Los Pumas will face Belgium XV next Saturday in what will be their last friendly match before the "real thing" begins.

2007 FIBA Americas Preview - Part 1 (Introduction)

It’s hard to believe that it was three years ago that arguably one of the biggest landmarks in Argentina’s sporting history took place. Yes, winning the gold medal in football was something, but to do it in basketball was a bigger achievement all by itself. Never in my life I thought I will see the day when the mighty Dream Team USA will be brought down to earth, and the fact that the Tall Albicelestes have done it in more than one occasion really means something special.

Although I grew up in an era where the likes of JORDAN, MALONE, PIPPEN, and BARKLEY ruled the world, it wasn’t until I saw Manu GINOBILI & Co. that I fell in love with the game even more. Very much so, that I would put it second in my favourite's list. (The first is football obviously).

Come August 22nd, Las Vegas, Nevada will be the host for the 2007 FIBA Americas. The venue will be the 18,000 capacity Thomas & Mark Center. Part of the importance of the tournament is because the top-two teams will qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics automatically and those who finished from third to fifth will take part in a qualifying tournament sometime next year.

Regardless of their of their lack of credibility and success by their own standard in recent times, Team USA will always be the side to watch and the most certain to book a place in Beijing next year. The likes of LeBron JAMES, Kobe BRYANT, Carmelo ANTHONY and the rest will be there. Once again, at least on paper, it is unlikely that they will ever miss out the trip to Beijing next year. So which is the most likely team to follow them?
If someone was to ask me this question a year ago, without a doubt Argentina will definitely be the one to do so. But all that has changed during the last few months, as coach Sergio HERNANDEZ has been rocked by the news of the withdrawals of superstar Manu GINOBILI, Fabricio OBERTO, Andres NOCIONI, Walter HERRMANN, Pepe SANCHEZ & Ruben WOLKOWISKY due to the their physical conditions and club contract issues. Apart from USA, Brazil and Puerto Rico will also bring their biggest names; as a result of this the competition is there for anyone’s taking.

So now the quest to defend the gold that we won in Athens will begin right away in Sin City, as coach HERNANDEZ will need to bring the best out of the ones at his disposal to ensure that we will book one of the two automatic spot for Beijing 2008. This means that HERNANDEZ will need to make sure that every moment and decisions that he makes can be crucial if we were to get the right result.
For a start, the draw for the first round group stage has been favourable for us, as we are placed in Group A alongside Panama, Uruguay, Mexico and Puerto Rico. As such we have manage to avoid continental powerhouse such as USA, Brazil and Venezuela, so I do expect our tall heroes to topped the group and build plenty of confidence before we progress smoothly towards the next stage.

In Part II, we’ll take a closer look at the names and faces plus an overview on the whole team that HERNANDEZ has entrusted to participate in this difficult but not impossible mission.

KUN and MAXI help Atletico in European return

It's been seven years since Atlético de Madrid played their last match in a European Competition.

Today, in a sold-out Vicente Calderón Stadium, the Spanish side defeated Vojvodina (Serbia) 3-0 in a UEFA Cup Qualification match and two of those goals were scored by Argentine players, while Leo FRANCO kept a clean sheet. Mariano PERNÍA, born in Argentina but representing Spain at international level, was also in the starting eleven.

Maxi RODRIGUEZ drew first blood after a piledriver by Kun AGÜERO in the 37th minute.

Former Independiente (Argentina), Manchester United and Villarreal striker, Diego FORLAN, scored the second for Atlético after a MANICHE shot took a deflection in one defender with 61 minutes gone.

And with 20 minutes to go, the Uruguayan sent a cross to AGÜERO for him to score a great goal.

Six minutes later, Kun received a standing ovation while Luis GARCIA replaced him, and with eight minutes to go, Maxi RODRIGUEZ gave Leo FRANCO the captain's arm-band as he was replaced by JURADO.

MESSI's cousin helps Flamengo beat Fluminense

It is one of the most attractive derby matches in the world. One that in the past, knew how to attract crowds of 160.000 people at the Maracana Stadium. It's one of Rio de Janeiro's top spoting events. It's Flamengo - Fluminense. Or Fla-Flu as the locals call it.

These two teams are not enjoying a great campaign in the Brazilian league. After Flamengo won the state championship earlier in 2007 and Fluminense won the Brazilian Cup (reaching the Copa Libertadores for the first time in a loooooooooooong time), they are very far from league-leaders São Paulo.

'Mengo', the most popular team with 35 million supporters only in Brazil, is in the relegation zone. Granted they have 3 games in hand and they depend on themselves. While 'Nense' is sitting in mid-table after a promising start.

When they faced each other tonight, though, it was all about Argentina!

How come?

Well...Flamengo's number 10 is a guy from Rosario that goes by the name of Maximiliano BIANCUCCHI. And he happens to be Lionel MESSI's cousin!

He's one of Flamengo's new signings and he scored the only goal to help the red and black hooped team to beat one of their most important rivals (the other being Vasco da Gama).

Maxi scored his first goal for Flamengo in his first start and I'm sure Lionel will be proud of his cousin being in the cover of every major newspaper in Brazil tomorrow.

Not bad for Maxi! 35 million people are a little happier tonight, and only because of him!

KUN and MAXI help Atletico in European return

It's been seven years since Atlético de Madrid played their last match in a European Competition.

Today, in a sold-out Vicente Calderón Stadium, the Spanish side defeated Vojvodina (Serbia) 3-0 in a UEFA Cup Qualification match and two of those goals were scored by Argentine players, while Leo FRANCO kept a clean sheet. Mariano PERNÍA, born in Argentina but representing Spain at international level, was also in the starting eleven.

Maxi RODRIGUEZ drew first blood after a piledriver by Kun AGÜERO in the 37th minute.

Former Independiente (Argentina), Manchester United and Villarreal striker, Diego FORLAN, scored the second for Atlético after a MANICHE shot took a deflection in one defender with 61 minutes gone.

And with 20 minutes to go, the Uruguayan sent a cross to AGÜERO for him to score a great goal.

Six minutes later, Kun received a standing ovation while Luis GARCIA replaced him, and with eight minutes to go, Maxi RODRIGUEZ gave Leo FRANCO the captain's arm-band as he was replaced by JURADO.

Argentines in action today

As I write, the match between Liverpool and Toulouse have just started and we've got a couple of Argentine players in action.

Javier MASCHERANO is in the starting lineup for the visitors, that despite having 4 Argies in their squad (Emiliano INSUA, Gabriel PALETTA and Sebastián LETO being the other three), none of them is in the bench.

For the French side, Mauro CETTO will have the difficult task of marking Peter CROUCH and the Ukrainian Andriy VORONIN.

Later Today, the much expected debut of Carlitos TEVEZ playing for Manchester United against Portsmouth.

And Lionel MESSI may see some action against Bayern Munich in a friendly match. The German side might use José SOSA and Martin DEMICHELIS at some stage.

Updating on a situation from earlier this week, Sergio AGÜERO seem to be poised to start for Atletico de Madrid when they face Vojvodina (Serbia) in a UEFA Cup match. Atletico's manager, Javier AGUIRRE, said he will use Kun because his showing a good standard of performances.

Now...I'm able to watch this Liverpool v Toulouse match, but I'll have to leave for work right when FC Barcelona v Bayern Munich kicks-off. And I'll miss Carlitos' debut for Manchester United. But, I might be able to go online and therefore, if you are watching and can keep me posted here, I'll appreciate it!

NFL Preview : Introducing Martin AUTOMATICA

If there is one state in America that has a sentimental connection with the Albiceleste it has to be the State of Texas, and they do go a long way back.

A friend of ours by the name of Jonathan Cohen, who is a passionate Albiceleste supporter like all of us here, lives there. Mentioned the name Manu GINOBILI and Fabricio OBERTO to anyone who hails from San Antonio, and you will probably see a smile on their face. Now the city of Houston is eagerly anticipating the arrival of another superstar of ours, Luis SCOLA for the new NBA season. Our beloved football team played one match in Dallas, at the Cotton Bowl Arena during our unsung campaign in USA ‘94, which was against Bulgaria. Forget about the result but I’m sure many Texans would have seduced and captivated by the beauty of our team regardless what the result may be.

And now there is another name that is ready to paint it all in blue and white and just whom am I referring to. He goes by the name Martin GRAMATICA, who plays as a place kicker for the one of the most celebrated franchise in National Football League (NFL) history, the Dallas COWBOYS.

So just who is this Martin GRAMATICA? Some of you may have heard of him and some may not, well then here is brief but quite lengthy information about him.

He was born on the 27th November 1975 in Buenos Aires like most Argentine he grew up playing football (soccer that is in case you’re confuse) before he started playing Gridiron football. It was only when he attended LaBelle High School in Florida that he started playing the game and continue to do so when he went on to attend Kansas State University. During his time there he made a record of notching 54 out of 70 field goal and 187-192 Points After Touchdown (PAT), in which subsequently he earned the nickname “Automatica”.

For the record, the GRAMATICAS are a family made of gridiron place kickers and most certainly Argentina’s ambassador to American football. Brother Bill, once famous for a freak injury he suffered while celebrating after converting a field goal now plays for the Tampa Bay STORM in the Arena Football League (AFL). His other brother Santiago was also once a college place kicker for the South Florida BULLS.

In 1998 he received the Lou Groza Award for being the top kicker in college football. In May 1999, he graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in social science. The very same year, the Tampa Bay BUCCANEERS selected him as their third round NFL draft pick and he on went to play for them for the next five years.It was during those five years in Tampa Bay that turns out to the most glorious time in Martin’s NFL career. Through his consistency and accuracy in converting field goals, he became one of the most respected place kickers and often regarded as one of the best in the game.

The 2002 season was to be the highlight and the best thus far for Martin when the Bucs made history by winning their first ever Super Bowl at Super Bowl XXXVII, after defeating the Oakland RAIDERS by 48-21 (the Half Time Show included a great performance by Sting with No Doubt backing him on the Police classic “Message In A Bottle”). Martin followed up on that to become the first ever Argentine (so far the only) to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Some of his important contribution in the game was converting a field goal from 31 yard to the tie the score at 3-3 and later on he struck his second field goal from 43 yard to give the Bucs a 6-3 lead. He was also the best performer in field goal made (32 field goals) for that season.

Since then his performance was going downhill and subsequently in 2004 the BUCCANEERS released him. Despite playing briefly with the Indianapolis COLT, Martin’s career was often plagued with injury and in 2005 he was out of action altogether. He did returned in 2006 to play for the New England PATRIOTS as a replacement for Adam VINATIERI but was briefly later replaced by rookie Stephen GOSTKOWSKI. And this point of time, the question on whether Martin will make a return to the NFL was remaining to be seen.

Good news arrived on the 27th November 2006, when Martin was signed by the Dallas COWBOYS after the controversial departure on Mike VANDERJAGT. Six days latter he was the hero after scoring the game winning field goal against the New York GIANTS. Due to his successful comeback, the COWBOYS have recently extended his contract for another two years.

With new NFL season is just around the corner, we’ll take a closer look on Automatica progress, with a hope that he & the COWBOY will go on to become the first franchise in NFL history to win the Super Bowl for a record six times.

Be sure to catch it all on Mundo Albiceleste.

I would also like to this opportunity on behalf of Seba (a former wide receiver, place kicker & defensive end himself for the now defunct Asociacion Argentina de Football Americano team, EL TREN) and myself to welcome all the great people from gridironfans.com to give us their comments and opinions in our blog, as we follow Martin and his fellow COWBOYS throughout the coming season. At the same time I would certainly encourage all our loyal readers here, to check out their forum as well, as it not only covers American football but also all other sports as well. Very interesting site indeed.

VAMOS AUTOMATICA!!!
VAMOS COWBOYS!!!

Carlitos to make his Man Utd debut on Wednesday

With Wayne ROONEY out for two months, and even if Alex FERGUSON wanted him to make his debut in the derby match against Manchester City during the weekend, Carlos TEVEZ will start on Wednesday at Fratton Park against Portsmouth.

From BBC.co.uk:

"Carlos will start on Wednesday against Portsmouth," said Ferguson.

"I would have preferred to wait for the Manchester City - that would have given him a few more days' training."

He added: " "But for the forthcoming few weeks, he will fill the position Wayne would have occupied."

What do you think will be the outcome of the game and most importantly, Carlitos' performance?

TEVEZ and BIELSA in the news

The end of the most boring transfer saga finally came today. Carlos TEVEZ is officially a new Manchester United player. He is clear to make his debut on Sunday against Reading, but there are doubts on whether he is match-fit or not.

So it is the last chance for romance for those who want to join our Premier League fantasy football tournament: http://fantasy.premierleague.com and after you have registered your team, enter the following code so you can join our league: 179672-39315

In other news, Marcelo BIELSA, our manager for the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup, will make a comeback and will become the manager of the Chilean national team. His contract will run until the end of the 2010 World Cup and his main mission will be to take Chile to the biggest football competition after they last made it in France 1998.

October 13th is already marked in BIELSA's calendar as he will make his official debut against none-other than Argentina!

Countdown to Beijing 2008

One year to go to defend our gold medal from Athens 2004, when a mercurial Carlitos TEVEZ led a team that didn't conceed a single goal, to that unique triumph.

Everyone is prepare to live what promise to be the most exciting, monumental, breath-taking, spectacular Olympic Games of our time.

And I thought we could play a little game between all of us and start thinking of the possible candidates to form our squad of 19 U23 players and 3 over-23 stars.

Of course there is a name that stands out as he is in a league of his own: Lionel MESSI. Not only he will (should) be the main star of our Olympic team, he is also among those U23! No reasons for him to be left out of that squad.

But what about the rest?

Are the recently crowned U20 champions in the drivers' seat? What about those who were too old to go to Canada 2007 but are still elegible to go to Beijing (those aged 21-22)?

And who should be called to provide the experience? Who should, in your opinion, be the over-aged players?

I'll get the ball rolling and I'll pick my team.

For that, I'll go back to what an old man said to me (he was a Racing Club and Argentina player in the 50's and 60's and his name is Pedro DELLACHA)

"Remember this number '1259'".

I asked him, "why is that number so relevant?"

He replied: "It is the back-bone of any team that is bound to succeed. 1 - the goalkeeper; 2 - the first center back; 5 - the central midfielder; 9 - the striker. If your team has a solid back-bone, with a stud in every one of those positions, then it will succeed".

And I think these group of players provides us with a good '1259', even though I have decided not to use all my over-aged players to cover those specific positions, because I think our U23 are strong enough to do so.

Goalkeepers:

Oscar USTARI (aged 21)
Sergio ROMERO (20) -that makes 2 U20 World Champions, USTARI in 2005, ROMERO in 2007-
Fabián ASSMANN (21) - Briefly relegated USTARI to the bench after Oscar came back from injury last season at Independiente. Now he is the first choice goalkeeper in one of the 5 biggest teams in Argentina. And he showed great skills-

Defenders:

CB - Federico FAZIO (20) -U20 World Champion in 2007-
CB - Matias CAHAIS (19) -U20 World Champion in 2007-
CB - Ezequiel GARAY (20) -U20 World Champion in 2005-
CB - Gustavo CABRAL (22) -U20 World Champion in 2005-
RB - Javier ZANETTI (33) -I think it could be a great way to close his international career. After winning silver in Atlanta 96, he could have a great chance to go for gold in Beijing and he could really help the group with his experience-
RB - Gabriel MERCADO (20) -U20 World Champion in 2007-
LB - Emiliano INSUA (18) -U20 World Champion in 2007-

Note: I choose to take 7 defenders, sacrifizing the chance of taking a substitute for each position -there is only one LB in my list-. But if needed, Javier ZANETTI could cover the LB position.

Midfielders:

CMF - Eber BANEGA (19) -U20 World Champion in 2007-
CMF - Claudio YACOB (20) -U20 World Champion in 2007-
RMF - Matías SANCHEZ (20) -U20 World Champion in 2007-
RMF - Lautaro ACOSTA (19) -U20 World Champion in 2007- After all...it was his header against Uruguay in the South American tournament that gave us the ticket to Beijing! SANCHEZ would be a more defensive option on the right, while ACOSTA is better to give a better offensive aspect to our midfield-
LMF - Damián ESCUDERO (20) -U20 World Champion in 2007-
LMF - Pablo PIATTI (18) -U20 World Champion in 2007-
AMF - Juan Roman RIQUELME (29) -If he is playing competitive football and he is motivated enough, then why not? Showing the level of performances and dictating the games as he did in Copa America -and even at some stages in the World Cup-, he is second to none when it comes to natural play-makers-
UTIL - Maximiliano MORALEZ (20) -Provided his performances don't take a huge blow by joining FC Moscow, he could provide the team with a good range of options. He can play the enganche role, can be a winger in midfield and can also join in on the attack-

Forwards:

WG - Lionel MESSI (20)-U20 World Champion in 2005-
ST - Diego MILITO (28)- He completes my over-aged group of players that I have decided to use one in each line. Why Diego MILITO? Yes, we still need to see how he does in this La Liga season and if he is back to his 2006-07 kind of scoring production. But I also think it could be an excellent opportunity to give our potential "Nro 9" of South Africa 2010 a chance to convince the demanding Argentina supporter. Yes, he'll be 31 in 2010, but I still rate him as our best scoring machine after Hernan CRESPO and the Inter striker won't be around in the next World Cup -with 35 years of age-. Mariano PAVONE can become our target man (he's 25) and I'm very curious of watching him play for Real Betis this season. Carlitos already won the Olympic Gold Medal and he doesn't need another chance to win the people's approval. Of course, I want to take the best players we can, and if Carlitos is in a better form than Diego MILITO, I'd take him instead of the Zaragoza striker. A tough "decision" to make one year in advance.
ST - Sergio AGÜERO (19)-U20 World Champion in 2005 and 2007-
FW - Angel DI MARIA (19)-U20 World Champion in 2007- I'm not taking Mauro ZARATE because I don't like a player that is so individualistic (or whatever you call a player that never pass the ball to a team-mate). Plus...he'll disappear in Qatar.

If I have to pick this team again tomorrow, I'll probably make it in a slightly different way and that's the beauty of it! There are a lot of sensational players to pick from!

What do you think about this squad?

Would you rather use other over-aged players?

Let me know what you think, we've got almost a year to agree!

The new list is out, and with it, some surprises

Couldn't be online as the list was announced because I was playing football myself! haha! 2 goals and 5 assists, not bad (it was 7-a-side).

But let's talk about the important issue here...

The list of 20 players that will travel to Oslo to face Norway on August 22nd for a friendly match.

First, the list, then my comments:

Goalkeepers:
Juan Pablo CARRIZO, Lazio, Italy
Oscar USTARI, Getafe, Spain
Sergio ROMERO, AZ Alkmaar, Holland

Defenders:
Gabriel MILITO, Barcelona, Spain
Fabricio COLOCCINI, Deportivo La Coruña, Spain
Nicolás BURDISSO, Inter, Italy
Ezequiel GARAY, Racing de Santander, Spain
Daniel DÍAZ, Getafe, Spain
Javier ZANETTI, Inter, Italy

Midfielders:
Luis GONZALEZ, Porto, Portugal
Maxi RODRIGUEZ, Atlético Madrid, Spain
José SOSA, Bayer München, Germany
Javier MASCHERANO, Liverpool, England
Fernando GAGO, Real Madrid, Spain
Cristian LEDESMA, Olympiakos, Greece
Federico INSUA, América, Mexico

Forwards:
Javier SAVIOLA, Real Madrid, Spain
Diego MILITO, Zaragoza, Spain
Lionel MESSI, Barcelona, Spain
Ezequiel LAVEZZI, Napoli, Italy

OK, first thing first, I got the goalkeepers and the forwards completely right! haha!

To be honest, I threw a lot of names to the table and that's why I mentioned those players that are in the list.

But COCO really fooled me with the defenders and midfielders.

Very happy to see SAVIOLA and MAXI back and it is also great to see GARAY, SOSA and LAVEZZI.

I can't believe COLOCCINI is back with the team. It really escapes me. He was slow four, five years ago, imagine now!

But let's talk about the famous players that were ignored...starting from the back.

Pato ABBONDANZIERI: It comes as no surprise. It is time to give our team a fresh option between the posts. Pato won't make it to the next World Cup and we've got three very very valid options in USTARI, CARRIZO and ROMERO. In my opinion, COCO is spot on with his decisions there.

Roberto AYALA: He said "That's it, I won't play international football again". That pretty much gives us no option to discuss the matter any further.

Gabriel HEINZE: I can see some of you are panicking with him being cut by COCO this time. But I believe it is more a matter of the manager being concerned about Gabriel's situation. He doesn't know where will he play club football this season. I don't think it'll be beneficial for both, HEINZE and Argentina, to have him travelling to Oslo. I'm sure he'll return in the future and play in the World Cup Qualifiers. Javier PINOLA, a natural replacement for HEINZE as left back, is injured and that's why he is not on the list. And fan favorite Juan Pablo SORIN, is out of favour with COCO and he didn't show a great form playing for Hamburg last season.

Esteban CAMBIASSO: COCO knows what Cuchu can give him. He'll probably be back in the team in the future. I believe BASILE wants to try someone else in this friendly and see what are his options for the future. We'll discuss the probable lineup and tactics further on.

Pablo AIMAR: No RIQUELME meant that El Payasito had another chance to prove himself as a playmaker for Argentina. But he was ignored and the only natural-born playmaker on this list is former Boca Juniors and Borussia Moenchengladbach, Federico INSUA (now at America of Mexico), who completely fooled me when I considered the possible squad yesterday! I thought only European-based players were being called!

Carlos TEVEZ: I see his case as something similar to HEINZE's. He's just joined Manchester United (he could make his debut in a friendly match on Wednesday! We'll stay tunned). I wouldn't be good for him to interrupt his first month at Old Trafford by going to Oslo for this friendly.

Hernán CRESPO: Hmmm...tricky one. Should this omission mean that he will no longer be considered? Will COCO start looking for a long-term replacement? I've got a lot of questions but very few answers!

NEW (AND NOT SO NEW) FACES

Sergio ROMERO will cap an excellent 2007 after clinching a move to Europe (from Racing Club to AZ Alkmaar) and winning the Youth World Cup in Canada. A breath of fresh air and hope for the future as our goalkeeper position seems to be in good hands (very appropriate!)

Ezequiel GARAY should be one to watch and could be on COCO's plans for the near future and also thinking way ahead. I'm really curious on whether he'll have a chance to start and what he can bring to our defense.

José SOSA is one of those classy, talented, modern midfielders who can do everything. I can barely wait to see him in action this season for Bayern München (I hope he becomes a starter) and I know he can give our midfield a lot of things we need. Don't want to jump the gun here, but I think COCO will use Lucho on the right and Maxi on the left, leaving SOSA sitting on the bench waiting for his moment.

Cristian LEDESMA will clearly be a back up for MASCHERANO and/or GAGO. Gives us depth in that position and a good option if we want to turn our midfield into a more defensive line.

Federico INSUA was already called up by COCO for those friendlies before the Copa America. He didn't show what he really can do and he is good option if we want to have a playmaker. Not playing as good as RIQUELME (different kind of game), but can be just as effective.

Ezequiel LAVEZZI should have no problems in seducing the San Paolo crowd that once had the pleasure to enjoy the best player in the history of football, performing at his best wearing the Napoli number 10 shirt. He's just arrived there and should not be a starter for Argentina in this friendly. But he has the ability to change a game at any stage and could become a great sub.

MY GENERAL THOUGHTS

I doubt we can consider this friendly as a re-foundation of our team as a whole. We can't jump into conclussions and start crucifying the manager because he left this or that player out of the list.

But at the same time, I think this list sends a clear message to some of the players and to the supporters in general.

The time for the new generation is slowly coming. The Old Guard is fading out and, despite there are exceptions like ZANETTI, a lot of key players of the past probably won't return to the Albiceleste (ABBONDANZIERI and AYALA, for example).

And the list is also a vote of confidence to many of the players that went to Venezuela and crashed in the final against Brazil, just after giving us some moments of brilliance and impressive attacking football.

I could very well be the case that we will see a team containing up to 8 starters of Venezuela 2007:

USTARI (new)
BURDISSO (right back), Daniel DIAZ and Gabriel MILITO (center backs) and Javier ZANETTI (left back)
MASCHERANO, Lucho GONZALEZ, Maxi RODRIGUEZ (new), Federico INSUA (new).
Lionel MESSI and Diego MILITO or Javier SAVIOLA (new)

It's very soon to start talking about the possible lineup, but my point is that COCO is not changing the foundations of our whole team, he wants to work with them and keep building for the future.

COCO to give us a hint of the future, tomorrow

Quiet, very quiet here lately. The Apertura (Opening) tournament have started this weekend in Argentina (with a lovely 2-0 win for Racing!) and the main European competitions are about to get underway (with some of them, already started).

The U17 World Cup in Korea will see our boys playing in 12 days, the ladies will play the World Cup in September in China and let's not forget about the FIBA Americas tournament (Argentina will debut against Uruguay in 17 days!) and the Rugby World Cup (v France in the opening match -September 7th-). A really busy end of the year in every front.

But the most urgent thing in terms of news, surprisingly, might come from the most famous Albicelestes, the football team.

Why?

Because tomorrow could be a very important day for a lot of players. Alfio BASILE will announce the players that will go with him to Oslo to face Norway in a friendly match to be played on August 20th.

It is important because the Copa America, supposedly, meant the end of the international career for many of our players. COCO said he will only be able to use those who play in European clubs.

So...with AYALA already announcing he won't play for Argentina anymore and after another disappointment in a big competition, BASILE could introduce some new faces as he looks for the team that will start the World Cup Qualifiers in October.

Before that (September 11th) there will be another friendly match (v Australia in Melbourne). But it is too early to be worried about that.

Let's see...

I suspect that a lot of the names that we saw at the Copa America will be back with COCO in Oslo.

Just as an excercise, this is the list of our squad for the Copa America. I'll write my views and whether I think each player will be called or snubbed by COCO tomorrow:

Goalkeepers:

Roberto ABBONDANZIERI - NO. I think it could be the case of COCO opting to call up a long-term keeper.

Juan Pablo CARRIZO - Now at Lazio, he should be on the list.

Agustín ORIÓN - Still in San Lorenzo. Won't be called because COCO is forced to use European-based players. So USTARI should be on the list (now at Getafe).

Defenders:

Javier ZANETTI - Logic says "don't call him. He won't be around for 2010", but logic also says: "He is our best option at right back and he is still fit". Whatever happens, I'll understand COCO. Plus...this list doesn't mean these players are going to South Africa 2010. Does it?

Roberto AYALA - He announced he won't play for Argentina anymore. End of story.

Gabriel HEINZE - Having troubles to move to Liverpool. But he should be called. Maybe to play as a central defender -his natural position- and cover for AYALA.

Gabriel MILITO - The new FC Barcelona signing is a no-brainer for COCO. Will be on the list.

Daniel DÍAZ - He has more options now that AYALA won't be around and is elegible because he is a Getafe player now.

Hugo IBARRA - Still at Boca. Won't be on the list.

Nicolás BURDISSO - Very quiet, like George HARRISON, but he is always there and his presence is a key to our defense. Will be on the list.

Midfielders:
Luis GONZÁLEZ - Wanted by Valencia and Real Madrid in Spain. Wanted by Everton in England. COCO is lucky to have Lucho and he'll be on the list, no doubt.

Juan Román RIQUELME - He doesn't know where he will play. If he is still without a club by the time of this friendly, then why not? It'll depend on that.

Javier MASCHERANO - No chance to leave MASCHERADONA out.

Esteban CAMBIASSO - Should also be on the list.

Fernando GAGO - COCO has a soft spot for Pintita, so expect to see the Real Madrid midfielder on the list.

Juan Sebastián VERÓN - Back in Estudiantes (he scored in a 3-0 win over Banfield), he won't be around to face Norway.

Pablo AIMAR - If he is fit, he should be on the list. Especially if Roman doesn't make it.

Forwards:

Lionel MESSI - There are more chances that Argentina will play in red that to see MESSI out of the list.

Hernán CRESPO - What a huge question mark! Will COCO test with another striker? Will he still rely on Hernán? I don't know what to think. It is, somehow, a similar case to ZANETTI. I'll be fine whatever COCO decides.

Diego MILITO - He should be on the list. Whatever the decision on CRESPO is. At least as a back-up. In my opinion, he didn't have too many opportunities yet.

Carlos TEVEZ - We should ask this question to Sir Alex FERGUSON. It should be a FIFA date so the Scottish manager should not have a saying in this one. Carlitos will be on the list.

Rodrigo PALACIO - The Lightning will be terrorising defenders in the Argentine league. So don't expect to see his Jedi hair-cut in Norway.

So?

What about the new faces?

Here are some that I think will be called up and some that stand a chance...

Apart from USTARI (already mentioned when I wrote about the keepers), I'd say:

Goalkeepers:

Sergio ROMERO - Very very young and just arrived in Holland (AZ Alkmaar). But had an impressive Youth World Cup and could be called up as a third keeper to gain a little experience in sharing the dressing room with the big boys. If COCO snubs PATO, then he could call USTARI, CARRIZO and ROMERO.

Defenders:

Javier PINOLA - If COCO tries HEINZE as a central defender, he might use PINOLA as left-back. After all the marriage and last-minute desaffection before Copa America, PINOLA is due to have a chance. I would love to see him called up.

Ezequiel GARAY - I admit I've seen very little from him (couldn't watch a lot of La Liga last season). But the 21-year old seems to be one of the best prospects in a line (defensive) in which we had problems during the Copa America and will have problems in the future if we struggle to find new blood to cover for the old guard.

Federico FAZIO - OK, OK, could be early. But we are testing. This very very tall 19-year old, just crowned as Youth World Cup champion, could benefit a lot from a first glance at being with the big guns. I see him as a central defender with a body made to be able to deal with modern football. It's been a while since we had a central defender like him (in terms of physical presence). Will he become a starter for Sevilla this season?

Midfielders:

Maxi RODRIGUEZ - Enough! We want MAXI back! We want MAXI back! We want MAXI back! A starter any day of the week!

Andrés D'ALESSANDRO - I doubt it very very very much. But depending on the RIQUELME-AIMAR situation and knowing that COCO will use a play-maker, he could have an opening.

Sebastián LETO - I don't know if he'll be a starter at Liverpool. But he scored a goal in a friendly the other day and he's in Europe, he's young, versatile, why not COCO, why not?

Forwards:

Javier SAVIOLA - Now at Real Madrid, and with a shot at being a starter, El Conejito should be back with the Albiceleste. It was a mystery to me to see him out of the Copa squad. Now there are no excuses. He should be in Oslo.

Gonzalo HIGUAIN - In my opinion, he should be behind: CRESPO-MILITO-TEVEZ-SAVIOLA-AGÜERO-PALACIO-LAVEZZI and probably a couple of more players. I wouldn't want to see him called up. He can go and play for France for as much as I'm concerned. But he could be called up by COCO.

Sergio AGÜERO - Shone at the Youth World Cup (top-scorer and golden ball), will be the main striking force at Atletico Madrid this season (with TORRES moving to Anfield). Why not another chance for Kun with the big boys?

Ezequiel LAVEZZI - Tough times. Just arrived in newly-promoted Napoli, but a call-up could be in order as he could become a PALACIO-like option for COCO.

Lisandro LOPEZ - One of my favourites. Was crucial for Porto to win the league in the last two seasons (especially in the last one). He seems to be adapted to the European pace and he has a knack for scoring. He is a long shot, but could be worth it.

So you think I'm way out of the line?

So you think there are a lot of players I'm missing?

I think you can help out and send me your picks and your opinions on those I brought to the table.

Do you fantasy football?

Last season, as the English Premier League was starting, I've created a league for us to play this fantastic game that gives a little extra spice to football.

We were only 5 teams back then and three of us are already back for more. But we would love to have a bigger league and increase the competition.

It is absolutely free to play and you only have to go to:

http://fantasy.premierleague.com

Create your team and join our league by entering the following code:

179672-39315

Basically, you score points according to how well the players you've picked perform each week. You've got a limited budget when choosing your squad and points are deducted if you make more than one substitution per week.

Come on and join in!

Carlitos is officially a Red Devil

Thank you all for your patience during the last few days in which I was unable to post much stuff here.

Nothing better to stop that inactivity than announcing the end of the European summer's football soap opera. After a lot of articles and rumours were written, Carlos TEVEZ will officially play for Manchester United this season.

I don't understand much about how the deal went through and I haven't read a lot about the legal aspects of TEVEZ's move from Upton Park to Old Trafford, but I'm happy to discuss it with you and I think we can share our opinions on the impact Carlitos will have at Manchester United.

Will he be a starter?

Will he struggle to find his best form around stars such as Cristiano RONALDO and Wayne ROONEY?

What shirt number will he use? (if you hear or read something about it, please send us a comment here!)

My first thoughts are that I've been following Carlitos throghout all of his career and I've never seen him lossing a battle when it comes to be a starter or sit in the bench.

Yes, you might say he started on the bench in the last two Copa America he played, but then he became a starter as the competition progressed. Same thing in Germany 2006. At Corinthians and at Upton Park.

It may be the case again this season. He might start from the bench, but I trust him so much that I doubt Sir Alex FERGUSON will resist his work ethic and his sensational skills.

Carlitos will, sooner rather than later, have the Old Trafford crowd in his pockets.

And, even if I'm not a Man Utd fan -I'm not even close to be- I can't wait to see that.

I can't deny it is one of the biggest and most famous clubs in the World and because of this, I'm thrilled that Carlitos will now play for them.