Liga: South American Royalty

Yesterday, Liga de Quito proved why it belongs with the top teams in South America. They went to the mythical Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro and they won the Copa Sudamericana. It was Edison Mendez, Ulises de la Cruz, Neicer Reasco against an experienced and dangerous Brazilian team--Fluminense. If it sounds familiar it's because Liga topped the same team in June of 2008 in the Copa Libertadores. It is another high point in Ecuador futbol.

Club allegiances aside (I favor Emelec of Guayaquil), we must note the incredible progress that Ecuadorian soccer has made in the past two decades. Before, Ecuadorians were happy with a 0-0 tie against Brazil in the Copa America. Nowadays, making it to the second round of the World Cup is what they expect... not making it at all to the tournament is a failure. Club teams were the same. For years, Barcelona of Guayaquil and Emelec were content with making it to the semifinals or the final of the Libertadores only to lose to a Brazilian, Paraguayan, or Argentinian team. This is no longer the case.

Liga's success is reflected in Ecuador soccer because Liga has to fight other teams within the country to get through to play international games... and they often lose to Emelec, Nacional, Deportivo Cuenca. We also acknowledge their resilience, their ability to hold the ball, their Casa Blanca, and their fans. At home they are invincible (like Ecuador in the 2006 qualifiers)... and they win with authority. The first leg of the final produced a 5-1 win, whilst the home leg of the semifinal was a resounding 7-0 victory over River Plate of Uruguay.

Liga pulls it off. They win the games they have to win. They get the results away from home that they need to get. A bit of luck is always present in sports royalty... but we can't deny them their place at the top. Three consecutive international titles is no fluke. Players like Claudio Bieler, Espindola and Franklin Salas are world class. Their repatriation of Ecuador legionnaires Mendez (PSV Eindhoven), Reasco (Sao Paulo), de la Cruz (Aston Villa) is a credit to their management. Yes, they are a world class team, and they belong at the top.

Liga de Quito: The new Ecuador Idol

El idolo del Ecuador. That was Barcelona of Guayaquil. Might it still be? With me being away from my home country for 19 years, it's hard to say. With recent events, however, it's tough to argue with the fact that Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito is the best club team Ecuador has ever produced. We measure this not just in the domestic league (9 titles, behind Nacional, Barcelona, Emelec), but on an international level. Liga won the Copa Libertadores last year, was a finalist in the Club World Cup against Manchester United, and won the Recopa (match between Libertadores and Sudamericana winners).

Today was another high point for the Quito team. They won with an amazing score of 7-0 against Uruguay's River Plate in the 2009 Sudamericana semifinal. This means they advance to yet another international final against Fluminense of Brazil (curiously, the same team they faced in last year's Libertadores final). That's four finals over the course of two years. Truly a noteworthy accomplishment.

As much as it may pain me as a native of Guayaquil and a hardcore fan of Emelec, I must admit to this: Why shouldn't Liga be the new idol? The little kids in the country without a team of their own need only watch television to assert their allegiance. This is a team that boasts former Ecuador internationals De la Cruz, Reasco and Edison Mendez. What young Ecuadorian footballer doesn't want to play alongside them?

Enjoy the highlights of this record-breaking game:

Mexico's Conmebol woes: What it means to the USSF and MLS

I think we have all pretty much heard the news. Mexico gets the swine flu. Other countries close their doors and quarantine people that have been in Mexico or are Mexican. Competitions and other activities within Mexico shut down due to the outbreak, and delays occur for international fixtures for both Conmebol and Concacaf competitions. It started with delaying Chivas and San Luis's matches with Sao Paulo and Ncaional of Uruguay. No one wanted to play on Mexican soil. Colombia denied permission to have Mexican home fixtures on their territory. The matches were reinstated and were scheduled again for the Mexican teams.... And the Conmebol teams refused to play on Mexico.

What followed was both sad and understandable at the same time. Mexico pulled out of the Libertadores and subsequently of all Conmebol competitions. This includes the Sudamericana and Copa America. It is a sad fact that the competitiveness and financial considerations of Mexican presence in these tournaments will be lost. But Mexican teams and fans have long squabbled with South American dignitaries about the lack of sportsmanship, match fixing and general discontent of Conmebol teams against Mexican teams. Such was the case with "el Bofo" Bautista in a Boca Juniors incident as well as not allowing Mexican referees until this season.

But what is the general context of this ordeal for the US? I think it's a great opportunity to jump into competition with South America that so many fans and commentators have clamored for. let MLS teams play the Libertadores and Sudamericana. Can this happen? Will this happen? Why not? There will be a vacuum there for the time being and US teams could take it up on a temporary basis until ties are reinstated between Mexico and Conmebol. After that maybe MLS will continue in the competition. I think USSF and MLS officials should jump into this conversation and take advantage of an unfortunate event. My condolences to the Mexican Federation and I hope they can reconcile with South America soon. This is a ridiculous turn of events that some epidemiologists I've spoken with have scoffed at.

Liga still has it

In a world torn between school and a timely dinner, one would not expect to find time to watch Copa Libertadores. Yet some like myself still manage. I was able to watch about 60% of today's game between reigning Libertadores champions Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito vs Palmeiras of Brazil as well as pieces of the Boca Juniors - Deportivo Cuenca (also from Ecuador). I got help from my DVR while at home and a little website called justin.tv that has streaming video, including sport from almost anywhere in the world. That's right, next time you feel left out because you're at work or school and only have access to a PC, never fear. No matter what system you're running (Linux, PC, Mac), it should work fine.

This quick post is an homage to Ecuador futbol, which although still ailing from a bad start to qualifying when Luis Fernando Suarez was at the helm, still has club football to represent. It was Liga's turn to defend its crown in this season's Copa Libertadores. They opened their campaign against an established Brazilian side.... Palmeiras. To start, one can never count out an Argentinean or Brazilian team at any point in international club competition. That being said, however, Liga still thoroughly outclassed the Brazilian side. Don't get me wrong, Palmeiras looked good in the attack and scored two goals. But it was Liga's persistence through the play of Urrutia, Manso, Reasco and Bieler that time and time again got through the brazilian defense. The result was an exhilarating 3-2 match won by the Quito team.

Sure, Joffre Guerron and Luis Bolanos may be gone but Calderon and Araujo make up for the losses, as does the return of the great Neicer Reasco after an unsuccessful stint at Sao Paulo. Liga's spine remains: Urrutia, Bieler, Manso, Calle, Campos, Ambrossi, and Pepe Pancho Cevallos.

And what about the team that only wants the Libertadores? Boca Juniors of Argentina, that is. I heard on the radio that club officials put the continental competition as a higher priority than the domestic league. Well, when put against Ecuador's modest Deportivo Cuenca things didn't quite look right. Aside from Palacio, Riquelme never found his rhythm and Palermo was out of touch. Cuenca looked a bit lost, I must admit, but they only just lost the game by 1-0. It's still early, ladies and gents, but there's still room for the Liga faithful to dream.

LIGA GRANDE

It seemed a dream not too long ago.... an Ecuador club playing for the ultimate crown in world football. And yet if we throw aside the veil of football normalcy we come across a sight seldom seen, none at all predicted, and yet very much a reality. Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, also known as "Liga" will face off against Manchester United in FIFA's Club World Cup.This contest, to some, is little less than a nuisance for European giants like Barcelona, AC Milan and Manchester United and commentators such as the lively Tommy Smyth caution about the Reds performance in the EPL when they've been thrust into this competition. True, the EPL will not see a respite this coming holiday season as leagues in Spain and Germany, not to mention the whole of Latin America are but at its heart the Club Championship still designates the world champion in terms of club competitions. I find it shortsighted to regard the Uefa Champions League as the ultimate club trophy. Does it give you the right to be named world champs? No, it doesn't. In the Americas you also have an older and much more traditional competition in the Copa Libertadores. Concacaf has its own competition as well, as do CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia), and OFC (Oceania). I agree that it is a bit convoluted to bring all these champions to a short two-week torunament in which the South Americans and Europeans get a bye on the first round while skipping out on countless teams swelling with tradition and tallent. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what the World Cup is about. Clubs are important, yes. Everyone has a favorite and emotions run high nonetheless. Pele once said that the future of football would be the clubs and not the countries and that we should concentrate on clubs. Seems odd coming from the man that made the "verdeamarela" so synonimous with soccer worldwide.
But back to the point. Liga beat Pachuca (Mexico champs, Concacaf) by the score of 2-0 in the semifinals in a game that Pachuca deserved better luck in (as well as more help from the ref). Manso's goal in the starting minutes was probably offsides but Luis Bolanos' free kick was a golazo worthy of Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho and Hristo Stoichkov. Bauza's trick with the double wall (Liga players shielded the ball from the Pachuca players before the kick) was a stroke of genius. Excellent defense and some none-calls finished off a wonderful night (morning, thanks to DVR). Liga's cinderella story continues all the way up to facing probably the best team in the world... Manchester United. United beat Gamba Osaka of Japan (AFC champions) by the score of 5-3 today. Liga has seen the likes of San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors, Fluminense, Estudiantes this past year but Rooney, Van der Saar, C. Ronaldo, Giggs, Vidic, Tevez, Ferdinand, Berbatov, Scholes, Andersson, Nani and Co. are another level still. This club final is probably the most (technically) lop-sided match the tournament has seen yet. Previously it had mainly been Conmebol giants like Boca Juniors that faced off against teams like AC Milan. And yet surprises still abound. In 2006 it was modest Internacional de Porto Alegre (Brazil) that beat the FC Barcelona of Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto'o. Anything can happen. That's sports. That's soccer. That's futbol.
Game will be on Fox Soccer Channel at 5:30AM Sunday

Liga de Quito Campeón de la Libertadores de América

Amazing. Maybe Ecuador won't make it to 2010 but Liga de Quito's incredible run in the Copa Libertadores (move aside, Champions League) will serve as the last stepping point for Ecuador futbol in the world stage. No longer a cinderella, no longer a push-over, exporting stars like Edison Mendez, Antonio Valencia, Joffre Guerron, and co., and going to two straight world cups undoubtedly prove the quality of play in this diminutive South American country. They did it beating one of the South American giants, a brazilian team, no less. Fluminense proved its home advantage at the Maracana of Rio was a formidable obstacle. Still, a 3-1 was not enough and penalties came. Enter Jose Francisco "Pepe Pancho" Cevallos and 3 amazing saves worthy of Buffon, Goycochea, Ravelli, Zoff, Casillas. Pepe Pancho Cevallos was the amazing goalie missing from 2006 and the start of qualifying for 2010. We must not forget that it was through this 'keeper's hands that Ecuador arrived at KoreaJapan 2002. What now? Celebrate, of course. Even though Liga may not be my team they still make me proud. Liga wins, critics are silenced (my uncle included, of course) and the people rejoice. Quality, speed, savvy play, amazing passes, sublime plays, incredible atmosphere, Guerron and Urrutia and Manzo and Salas and Delgado and Cevallos and Bieler and Campos and Bolanos and everyone in between. Well done, Liga. Well done, Ecuador. Party on, Quito.

Vamos Liga!!!

Finalists in the CONMEBOL's Copa Libertadores de America (much older than the Champions League). Liga beat Fluminense of Rio, Brazil by the score of 4-2 tonight at a sold out Casa Blanca in Quito. You can catch the second leg on Fox Sports en Espanol or various other outlets online. Game's next Wednesday at Rio's famed Maracana stadium. These are the games for the future stars of the Champions League.

But who's Liga? For those not familiar with South America's teams, that's Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito. In short, Quito's university league team. Founded in 1930, it is one of the traditional Ecuador club teams. They've won the league title in 1969, 1974, 1975, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2003, Apertura 2005 and 2007. This is their first time in history at a continent-wide event and only Barcelona de Guayaquil has been to the final before (1990, 1998) but only managed 3 losses and 1 tie. Liga's already making history and also turning more than one head to the equator-bound side.

Truth be told, Liga's not really my team. I'm an Emelec fan and will always be but I still enjoy seeing my fellow Ecuadoreans perform well at the international level. Currently, Liga boasts players such as Jairo Campos, Agustin Delgado, Claudio Bieler, Joffre Guerron, Jose Fransisco Cevallos, among others. Delgado is the legendary goleador that scored in most of the historical wins for the national side. Others that have come up through Liga's ranks include Neicer Reasco (Sao Paulo), Giovani "La sombra" Espinoza (Cruzeiro), Ulises de la Cruz (Hibernian/Aston Villa/Reading), Joffre Guerron (recently acquired by Getafe of Spain), "Pepe Pancho" Cevallos (Barcelona SC, Once Caldas).

The fight will be difficult next week and I would have liked to see the score remain at 4-1 as it was at the half. Fluminense will need to score 3 to secure the title. No easy feat, but they are Brazilian and jogo bonito is what they do. For now, and unless you're a Flu fan let's enjoy the result and leave history to decide which team is the greatest on this side of the hemisphere. .... Now if only Ecuador could perform like this. I leave you with some highlights.