An Idol Rekindled: Barcelona SC Campeon de Ecuador

Photo credit: EFE

It has been 14 years since Barcelona Sporting Club, the marquee team from Guayaquil, Ecuador, last won the league. Fourteen years of struggle, bad coaching, political in-fighting, and fan disappointment. But it all ended yesterday when they were crowned champions of Ecuador, unleashing celebrations all over the country.

Barcelona had come to be dominated in recent years by the other big clubs in the country, such as LDU Quito and arch-rivals Emelec. Since 2011, however, the ownership by businessman Antonio Noboa and management by Zubielda, who built the team, and Gustavo Costas, who brought out the best in players like new-comer Narciso Mina, forged a unique understanding with the players that transcended to results on the pitch. 

Let's not forget that Barcelona SC is quite a popular club even though it has seen an extensive trophy-less stretch. They average 25,000 fans for home games and 15,000 for away games. No easy feat in any country. The "Toreros," as they are called, have seen their share of scrutiny and, at times, downright dislike by the national soccer media and the upper echelons of Ecuador soccer officials. There is a certain "Quito tilt" to soccer coverage in the country and the club has been able to break that barrier with this win.

As a child, I grew up watching this team week in and week out since most of my family were big fans of the squad. I, however, preferred certain other teams, for which I was often scolded. The derby matches I attended, the great "Clasico del Astillero," always fulfilled in its display of passion on and off the field. As fate would have it, my team almost always won, but I was happy to attend the Estadio Monumental in all its glory and watch the waves of yellow run up and down the general attendance stands. I admit that, deep down, I still hurt from Barcelona's win over Emelec in the 1989 Libertadores. So every time my team wins it is simply another attempt to make up for that loss--until they meet again in continental play.

In the end, I am happy for friends and family that have seen their dream come true, have cried with goals of glory, taken to the streets to celebrate, painted 9 de Octubre yellow and shown the country once and for all who really is the idol: Barcelona.

I dedicate this post to the great Mauro Velasquez Villacis and Javier Velasquez Villacis. I would like to thank the latter for his guidance in writing this piece and the former for inspiration in being a soccer fan.

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.

More Liga magic: en route to Sudamericana crown

As if last week's heroics versus River Plate of Uruguay wasn't enough, yesterday's demolishing of Fluminense of Brazil further cemented the Quito team as one of the top club teams in the world, let alone of South America. What can we expect from the final next week? A great showing and maybe a win versus Fluminense in Rio would be nice... else, if there's a loss, nice fireworks at the end of the game for the crowning will be another star for Ecuador club football.

Enjoy the goals by Mendez (hat trick), "el Mago" Salas, and former Ecuador legend Ulises de la Cruz:

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:

Barcelona Sporting Club falls from grace

For those of you unfamiliar with South American soccer, there is another Barcelona soccer team. It's not Spain's FC Barcelona, it's Barcelona Sporting Club of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The "Idolo del Astillero" also happens to be the most popular team in the country and one with the most fame (until Liga won the Libertadores last year). It's the Manchester United, Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, etc of Ecuador. So if the team is relegated to a lower division it has to be a big deal.

Indeed, Barcelona are very close to being mathematically and officially relegated to Ecuador's Serie B. I must admit I haven't been following the game in my birth country as much due to other things in life getting in the way. I can only watch so much soccer and usually I reserve my Ecuador time to the national squad and my club Emelec.

A little background info: The team was founded in 1925. Contrary to what one may think, the team is not modeled or based on FC Barcelona, but instead it is an homage to Spanish support for the founding of a multidisciplinary club and the city of Guayaquil. The team is currently tied with Club Deportivo El Nacional as the most successful team in the country in terms of national championships (13 titles). They were the first Ecuadorian team to make it to the Copa Libertadores finals, having done so twice in 1990 & 1998. Notable players include Ruben Insua, Manuel Uquillas, Agustin Delgado, Pablo Palacios, Jimmy Izquierdo, Ivan Kaviedes, Eduardo Hurtado, Marcelo Trobbiani, Jimmy Montanero, Byron Tenorio, Edwin Tenorio, Mario Saralegui, Ivan Hurtado.

Today things look ever-grimmer for this iconic club team. They could, with a mix of results, sneak back into safety. This predicament is not unlike what happened nine years ago, when the team had to go to Ambato in search of a positive result to avoid relegation. The team delivered and the relegated squad was Liga de Quito. That's right, the reigning champions and the 2008 Libertadores and 2009 Recopa champions. It took seven years after falling to the Serie B for Liga to bounce back and storm into the international scene.

Could we see a major turnaround from Barcelona? Why not. It happened with Liga. True, it's the governing body that is to blame for their errant ways for the past decade or so, as alluded to by important members of the Ecuador press. The great Mauro Velasquez has mentioned to me the weaknesses and ambivalence that the club management has continuously shown. I would welcome a stronger Barcelona team to give Emelec better competition and elevate the status of the game in the country due to the team's considerable following.


Am I happy that Emelec is much higher in the table and competing internationally? Of course. Am I happy to see Barcelona falter like this? Not really. I like competition (especially if Emelec always wins) and right now there just aren't any more teams in the city of Guayaquil. This is the clasico. This is the city derby. There can be no yin without the yang. Some of my earliest soccer memories are those of "el Clasico del Astillero," including those in the 1990 Libertadores. I've been to five of the games already and I can't wait to go to the next. So, good luck, Barcelona. Emelec is waiting for you to break your heart again.

Ecuador: A few observations from a soccer nation

Ecuador, the place of my birth and the reason soccer runs so deeply in my veins. I'm giddy when Ecuador wins, pathetically upset when they lose but at the same time I remind myself that we were always the underdogs. Behind Bolivia and Peru and only superior to Venezuela. Now I cheer for the USA with just as much candor. It is my home and has been so for much longer than Ecuador ever was. When it comes to clubs, however, Emelec is my favorite team. And this is much to the dismay of both the Velasquez and the Mera families (fans of Barcelona SC de Guayaquil).

Added to all of the above, I am also related (nephew) to the great Mauro Velasquez Villacis, author, commentator, friend of Pele and Alberto Spencer. I spent a few precious minutes with him in his majestic soccer vault, where he stowed away detailed statistics on all the major games of the world, descriptions of every goal Pele scored, news and notes and biographies of countless soccer personalities. Today's posting is not so much about him but more on what people there think of the US game, important recent events and past stars. I spoke with uncle Mauro as well as other fans of the beautiful game. The questions are generic and the answers are the general feel from all the interviewees. Here are a few words from them . . .

What do you think of the US national team?
Very solid. Great faith in their game and extremely focused. They stick to the game plan.

And what about the future of the US in soccer?
They can only get better from here. They have the seeds and the infrastructure.

Is Cristiano Ronaldo really worth the millions Real Madrid spent on him?
Yes. There is no one else like him.

What about Argentina? Maradona?
Maradona's appointment was just a stunt. He can't coach. He wasted away his brain cells through years of drug abuse. Argentina won't go far with him as coach.

What do you think of the current Ecuador national team?
Felipe Caicedo is not working well for the team. He's too erratic and not dangerous enough and does not compliment Benitez.

And Liga de Quito's triumph in the 2008 Libertadores?
There is a difference between club and country. Most answered they did not care for Liga's success since it's a club and does not represent them (most were Barcelona or Emelec fans). I feel otherwise. It was a triumph for Ecuador soccer, one that added to the national team's success in 2006. I wrote more about this on another blog entry.

That's all for now. I was enlightened by my soccer talks during my brief stay in Quito and Guayaquil. I will have a couple of posts dedicated to Mauro Velasquez Villacis. Stay tuned.

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

What happened to Kaviedes?

Arguably one of the most notable soccer players in Ecuador's history, Jaime Ivan "El Nine" Kaviedes has always been on the controversial side of the game, both on and off the pitch. While no Dennis Rodman or Ray Lewis or Diego Maradona, Kaviedes has had his share of interesting moments. He is by far, however,
my favorite Ecuador player.



First, a bit of history for those not familiar with the star:
Born on October 24 1977. He has appeared internationally for Ecuador on 53 occasions, scoring 16 times (most recently against Peru in 2007 in an inspired 5-1 win for the 2010 qualifiers). One of his goals came against Uruguay in 2001 sealing a 1-1 draw with a beautiful header that sent Ecuador to its first appearance in a World Cup at KoreaJapan 2002. Of note is also his partnership with Agustin Delgado during the 2002 campaign but being relegated to the bench thereafter with the development of Carlos Tenorio, Felipe Caicedo and Christian Benitez. Kaviedes is also well known for his antics at the 2006 World Cup in which he wore the number 10 jersey and came on as a supersub in every game. He scored against Costa Rica in what surely must have been one of his dreams. After the goal, he slipped out a yellow Spider-Man mask in reference to and memory of striker Otilino Tenorio (died in a car crash in 2005).

Kaviedes started his career with my favorite club, Emelec, in 1998 scoring 43 goals in the process and earning him an international award. I was witness to two goals scored against arch-rival Barcelona SC of Guayaquil at the Capwell stadium. His prolific goal-scoring led him to Italian Serie A side Perugia. He scored 4 goals with them and was transfered the following year to Celta de Vigo of Spain. Six games with that team were not convincing enough so he was sent to Mexican side Puebla, scoring 5 goals in 17 games. Next came stints at Valladolid (Spain), FC Porto (Portugal), and an eventual return to Ecuador to play for Barcelona SC. There he rekindled his scoring and led Bracelona to the quarter finals of the 2004 Libertadores. Along the way he also played for Deportivo Quito, briefly for Crystal Palace (Barclay's Premier League), Argentinos Jrs, Bracelona again, then El Nacional of Quito in another inspired season (15 goals). His last club was LDU Quito for the present year. A tumultuous relationship with the LDUQ owners and stakeholders meant a permanent absence from any sort of soccer action.
So what's happened to him? Along the way, he was continuously pursued by Ecuador media as their prodigy son and questioned for his methods, absences, extravagances, and personal life. He admitted to suffering from depression on more than one occasion, featuring in Revista Estadio magazine's cover story "Mi Verdad" [My Truth]. I too am partially on the blamers side since my comments were referred to on Ecuador's "Tiro Libre" sports show when I had emailed a note saying the man was being immature (can't quite remember why but I think it had to do with his lack of discipline towards his institution). Clearly the man is guilty of certain things (family problems and neglect, unexplained absences from team practices are some of the allegations against him) but the rest is purely personal. This only adds to his certain mystique and continues to fascinate people such as myself. The man has overflowing talent but is frustrated by his personality, which he lets get the better of him at times. Ultimately, however, his days as a star may be waning. Moves to Lebanon or English League One teams will allow him some playing time but, sadly, not to a return to the national team. I hope to get to see him in action again some day soon. I hope, as many other fans do, that he returns to Emelec to finish his career there and maybe have the team succeed internationally like it hasn't done since the late 90s. Cheers to you, Nine. I hope you're doing well.

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.

Disillusioned : Ecuador world cup qualifying

After what was almost a miracle Sunday night in Buenos Aires and a disappointing tie by Argentina in the last second, today's match at the Atahualpa in Quito against Colombia was nothing more than another letdown akin to the Ecuador of old in the 1980s and 1990s that almost made it to the world cup. What's to blame? Not Sixto, not yet. Perhaps it was a mistake to take out "el Pato" Urrutia at halftime (that fault would lie with Sixto), but perhaps it was just an offense that's lacking a killer instinct--someone to partner up with Benitez. Caicedo may have worked but was brought in too late in the match. We were missing Jairo Campos, Ulises de la Cruz and Edison Mendez, but that should not be a defining factor, not when Ecuador now boasts Valencia (Wigan Athletic), Guerron (Getafe), Castillo (Red Star Belgrade) and even Caicedo (Man City). But then again Colombia also had its own legion of players abroad.
It's a miracle that we didn't lose, for the Colombians were just as close to opening the score as we were, especially considering the penalty not sanctioned by the game official. True, maybe Mendez could have made a difference given his track record at the Atahualpa and perhaps having Kaviedes in the game could have added that missing spice to the game. Perhaps it's the Liga de Quito hangover from some of the players and perhaps that team's tying record (all ties in the last 4 games to take them to the Libertadores final).
Let's play the numbers game. At this point in the last two qualifiers (2002 and 2006) the team had accrued 7 points out of 6 games. Mentioned here are the home games. For the 2002 qualifiers Ecuador won the home opener against Venezuela, beat Peru and then was tied at home by Colombia. For the 2006 tournament Ecuador beat Venezuela, tied Peru at home and then beat Colombia. Note that I have not mentioned the away games to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina (the toughest matches). All those games were lost, albeit not by the punishing scores in the present round of qualifiers (0-5 to Brazil and 1-5 to Paraguay). Back to the numbers. So far this time around Ecuador has one tie, one loss and one win at home. That's 4 points out of a possible 9 at home. Thankfully the Ecuador of old showed up Sunday night and almost won the game in Argentina... so that's another point. So far we have 5 points in 6 games, 2 points behind what we've had in the past. So what's at stake? Well, I seriously doubt the team can make it to South Africa. It's time to pass on the 1.5 spots to other teams since Paraguay plus the eternal South Americans (Brazil and Argentina) are all but assured of the top 3 spots. I'd like to see Venezuela in it for once and finally make it to the biggest date in all of soccer. Chile would be my other pick but I may be picking with my heart here. Still, the road to South Africa is long and there are still 12 more games in the calendar. Winning the remainder of the home games (18 points) and rescuing a couple of ties and maybe a win away could bring about another miracle. We hope and pray and this time it may not be enough, but in soccer there are no absolutes and it's possible that one or two new stars may make the difference.