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.