Some Tidbits…

By: mirna | September 21st, 2007

There is so much going on this week in the Mexican League. Some coaches are suffering from some bad migraines, some teams just want to win and others are looking forward to the Jornada 9 with anticipation of some great matches. Here are a few headlines from this week:

* Mexico will face Nigeria on October 14th - Ciudad Juarez will welcome El Tri and Nigeria on Oct. 14th. El Tri will face another tough test against a Nigerian team that can be very dangerous. The African teams of the last few years, have shown how talented they are and how much they want to win. I am glad that the FMF decided to give El Tri the opportunity to play against a team that will give them a run for their money. And I say opportunity because the FMF will have to pay the close to $200K that costs to bring Nigeria in for a game. When el Tri plays in the US, SUM (the marketing arm of MLS) pays for some of the costs but in Mexico, the FMF has all the financial responsibility. I have read in several places that SUM was not at all happy with Hugo bringing the young ones to face Colombia in Denver. They (SUM) must want the A team so they can make the most money out of ticket and merchandise sales. Interesting…that world of marketing! By the way, Oct. 17th in LA, Mexico will play Guatemala. I am sure to a sold out Coliseum.

* Ruben Romano to leave Atlas - Romano’s decision to leave Atlas is a done deal. According to ESPN Deportes, Romano said in an interview with a Mexican radio station that his decision was made and it didn’t matter if Atlas won against Chiapas this weekend, he was gone. Too bad for Romano, I like him a lot and I think he’s a good coach but his time at Atlas has not been the best. So it is time to move on. Who will be Atlas’ next coach? I’ll keep you posted.

* Luis Fernando Tena keeps suffering -I wouldn’t want to be Luis Fernando Tena these days. I have never seen him so depressed before. In every picture he looks like he is just ready to give up. America has not shined much these days which leads to many questioning how long will Tena be around. In situations like these, I always wonder if it is the right things just to get rid of the coach. What if the players are just not good and he has not much to work with…I’ve seen that before. But they again, the coach needs to teach and inspire. The problem with America is being America. They have to win…there is no other choice. This tourney, they’ve had 3 wins, 2 lossed and 3 ties. Not that bad really but America needs to always win or else. I would give Tena a chance. I hope America does too.

* The Clasico Regio - It will take place this weekend between Monterrey and Tigres. It does sound like a fun game to watch as those two teams have always played this Clasico with so much heart. My money is on Monterrey but Tigres might wake up from the nightmare they’ve been in. We’ll see. If Tigres loses, Gallego might be out the door too. Tigres has 1 win, 5 losses and 2 ties. Ouch…that’s painful.