Mexico's Clausura season is losing some of its edge with many of
the league's top players leaving their clubs to train with the
national team.
Chivas Guadalajara, the top team all season, played without
five of its regulars and was drubbed 3-0 by Morelia. Among the
missing was Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who announced last week
he is set to join Manchester United next season.
Guadalajara has 31 points, the same as defending champion
Monterrey which drew 1-1 on Saturday with San Luis. Both clubs are
sure of making the playoffs.
Morelia, Pumas and Santos have the next best point totals
with 24.
Santos lost 1-0 to Pumas on Sunday with veteran striker
Francisco Palencea scoring from a 79th-minute penalty.
Pumas was playing without three key players away with the
national team - Pablo Barrera, Israel Castro and Efrain Juarez.
The Mexico squad will play four friendlies in May before
traveling to Europe to pick its Europe-based players.
The World Cup is also cutting into the Copa Libertadores,
Latin America's top club tournament and an equivalent of Europe's
Champions League.
The tournament will take a break after the quarterfinals and
resume when the World Cup ends on July 11. This kind of scheduling
would be unthinkable for the Champions League.
In Brazil, the state tournaments in Rio de Janeiro and Sao
Paulo are nearing an end.
Vagner Love scored a goal in each half Sunday to help
Flamengo defeat Vasco da Gama 2-1 in the semifinals of the Rio Cup,
the second stage of the Rio de Janeiro state championship.
Flamengo will play Botafogo, which beat Fluminense 3-2 in
Saturday's semifinal. Botafogo won the first stage, the Guanabara
Cup, and can automatically secure the overall state title if it
beats Flamengo in the Rio Cup next Sunday.
In Sao Paulo, defender Durval scored a 90th-minute winner to
give Santos a 3-2 win over Sao Paulo in the first leg of the Sao
Paulo state tournament semifinals. Santo Andre defeated Gremio
Prudente 2-1 in the other semifinal.
In Argentina, league leaders Independiente stumbled to a 1-0
loss to San Lorenzo after Nelson Benitez scored the winner with a
powerful early header.
Independiente stayed on 27 points after 14 matches and still
leads the Argentine Clausura tournament. But the loss opened the
door for Godoy Cruz and Argentinos Juniors - both with 25 points -
to move into first place with victories on Monday.
Godoy Cruz faces Tigre and Argentinos Juniors play Colon in
the 14th round.
Sunday was a dud in Argentina. There were three matches and
not a goal in any of them. The results: Lanus 0, Rosario Central 0;
Velez Sarsfield 0, Banfield 0; Atletico Tucuman 0, River Plate. 0.
In a highly anticipated match, Boca Juniors - 19th in the
20-team league - face Arsenal on Monday with new coach Roberto
Pompei in charge. Pompei took after Abel Alves resigned. Alves, the
third Boca coach to resign in 10 months, stepped down following a
3-0 loss to Colon on Thursday.
