Bienvenido Puebla! (FM10)

[Balldog]

I bought FM10 about a year ago, right when the World Cup was heating up and I got into for about a month before realizing how in depth it was. At that point I got somewhat intimidated by its depth. Recently I've began playing again, trying to learn as much as possible before starting a career and getting in deep.

A couple weeks ago I spent 5 days in Puebla, Mexico for work and the gentleman I was working with was a former player for the Puebla F.C. so I decided when I got home and was ready to start a career they would be my team. I'm hoping by writing this on here it will help me keep track of my players and everything that is going on, as well as maybe get some advice from some fellow players because I still have a lot to learn.

So it begins...



Puebla Chairman Francisco Bernat welcomes me to my office within Estadio Cuauhtemoc and we finalize my contract, it is a 2-year deal worth $300,000 per year. The club has good training facilities and adequate youth setup. They haven't experienced much success since the 1980s, where they won's Mexico's top division twice ('82 and '89) and finished second twice.

We are expected to challenge for the Top Division's title immediately, so the pressure is on from the start. We do have a $2m budget for transfers that could come in handy.

My first order of business was reviewing the match schedule with Bernat and we've agreed to cancel a friendly match with Correcaminos, a Promotion League team. While we could surely use the tuneup but it was schedule on Monday 7/13 the day we return from the Friendly Cup in Amsterdam, it would've been our 3rd game in 3 days and too taxing on our players bodies in my opinion.

[Balldog]

Up next I need to take some time to meet my coaching staff and players.

I start with the coaching staff...

Ricardo Campos Ortega, Assistant Coach
Ricardo, 48, is from Mexico and is a pretty good assistant with excellent knowledge of Mexico. He also knows our players very well, so I will rely on him the first few weeks to catch me up to speed.

Eduardo Fentanes, Assistant Coach
Eduardo, 31, is also from Mexico. While he is young he has a knack for judging player's ability and motivating the team. Also interesting to note that the media hates him.

Paul Moreno, GK Coach
Paul, 44, is from Mexico as well and he's nothing really special but the players like him and he can develop youngsters.

Anselmo Romero, GK Coach
Anselmo, 39, is from Mexico and he is one of our best assistants specializing in goal keeping and developing youth.

Guillermo Cossio, Scout
Guillermo, 52, is also from Mexico and he is adequate for the job and we'll keep him busy.

On to the players I've combined our Reserves with our Primary club and we'll start with the Strikers...

Carlos Ruiz, 29, Striker from Guatemala
Ruiz is our highest paid player at $950K per year and rightfully so. This is his first year with club after spending several years in the MLS. He's not as fast as I'd like but he is definitely a starter for us.

Luis Enrique Munoz, 25, Striker from Mexico
Munoz is real talented and will likely end up on the reserve squad, he is fast but that is about all he has to offer.

Alvaro Gonzalez, 35, Striker from Uruguay
Gonzalez isn't too far off from Ruiz and really has no weakness, just a few seasons ago he scored 41 goals in 44 appearances.

Nicolas Olivera, 31, Attacking Midfielder Center from Uruguay
Olivera is right up there with Ruiz at $950K per year, the only knock on him is his mental toughness and inability in the air.

Sergio Rosas, 25, Attacking Midfielder Left from Mexico
Rosas is a highly skilled player, but he also has a lack of mental toughness.

Juan Carlos Garcia, 24, Attacking Midfielder Right from Mexico
Garcia is likely to end up at a reserve, he is quick and physical but lacks skill.

Hercules Gomez, 27, Attacking Midfielder Right from USA
Gomez is a versatile player with great speed, he can also fill in as a Striker if needed.

Isidro Sanchez, 22, Attacking Midfielder Right from Mexico
Sanchez has a bright future and he has a lot of skill, however he does lack speed.

Hiber Ruiz, 29, Attacking Midfielder Right from Mexico
Ruiz is on the fence but will likely end up on the Reserve squad, but he's got a lot of value so we may list him for transfer since we have plenty of options at AMR.

Rafael Puente, 30, Attacking Midfielder Right from Mexico
Puente is a very good passer and he has a balanced game, he will likely get some time off the bench for us.

Gilberto Mora, 33, Attacking Midfielder Right or Center from Mexico
Mora has great athleticism and we'll definitely look to get him on the field as much as possible.

Marco Antonio Capetillo, 33, Attacking Midfielder Right from Mexico
Capetillo is extremely fast but he's not very good in the air. He has a lot of experience in the league.

Gerardo Gonzalez, 27, Midfielder Center from Mexico
Gonzalez will likely end up on the reserve squad, he is fast but has nothing else to offer.

Rodrigo Salinas, 21, Midfielder Left from Mexico
Salinas is an upcomer that should get plenty of time this year, he is one of our most valuable players at $1.5M estimated.

Felipe Ayala, 31, Midfielder Right from Mexico
Ayala is probably one of our best players if not our best, he is an all around good player but does get lazy at times.

Pablo Aja, 23, Midfielder Right or Center from Mexico
He's got a bright future and should give us some quality minutes this year. His technique is his strength.

Luis Miguel Noriega, 24, Defensive Midfielder from Mexico
Noriega is an elite player that we hope to keep around for a long time, he has no real weakness.

Gustavo Anzaldo, 20, Defensive Midfielder from Mexico
Anzaldo is a solid player whom still has some room to develop, he's a little slow though.

Marcelo Palau, 23, Defensive Midfielder from Uruguay
Palau is on loan from Wanderers (Uruguay), he's a very good player with no real weakness.

Orlando Rincon, 23, Wing Back Left from Mexico
Rincon is decent, he'll get some time but he's a borderline starter at this point.

Hugo Ruiz, 32, Defender from Mexico
Ruiz is another good player, he struggles with set pieces but we'll live with that.

Roberto Juarez, 24, Defender from Mexico
Juarez is tall so naturally his strength is in the air but he isn't bad at anything, nor is he great.

Joaquin Velazquez, 37, Defender from Mexico
Velazquez has seen better days, this will be his 15th year with the club so its hard to complain about him. He's still decent and hopefully he can mentor some of the younger guys.

Nazario Flores, 22, Defender from Mexico
Flores has the potential to on the primary team some day but he'll likely be a reserve unless we have a lot of injuries.

Alejandro Acosta, 28, Defender from Uruguay
Acosta is another good player we have from Uruguay, he's very solid in all aspects with his strength being in the air.

Alvaro Ortiz, 31, Defender from Mexico
Ortiz has some value for us, he's estimated at $1.5M. He's not great, but he has good technique which helps him a lot.

Manuel Lopez Mondragon, 26, Defender from Mexico
Mondragon is probably our best defender, he's very quick...but not so intelligent.

Jorge Villalpando, 24, Goalkeeper from Mexico
Villalpando is a solid keeper and he will battle for the starting job, he doesn't get a lot of distance on his goal kicks though.

Oscar Dautt, 33, Goalkeeper from Mexico
Dautt is another solid keeper in a crowded group, he's got the most value so we may shop him around.

Alexandro Alvarez, 32, Goalkeeper from Mexico
Alvarez is our 3rd and final keeper, he's just as good as the other two. All 3 will get a shot to win the starting job before league play begins.

[Young Drachma]

After a few months off from FM10, I'm back into it again. Love FM dynasties, so good luck at Puebla.

[Balldog]

Looking through our depth chart we don't have anyone with experience as a Defender on the right side so we quickly get scouting to find a transfer. We find a few guys we are interested in but unfortunately the board isn't let us take on any salary at this point so we are working a few of our guys to be ready to play on the right side.

July 5, 2009
Friendly @ Xochitepec
We are heavily favored to win on a beautiful 80 degree day. They are playing a 5-4-1 against our 4-4-2.

GK - Dautt
D - Mondragon, Acota, Juarez, Ortiz
M - Rosas, Noriego, Palau, Ayala
F - Ruiz, Olivera

2m - Olivera gets a nice pass from Palau and gets behind the defense for the opening goal
14m - Olivera puts up a well placed shot from outside the box and connects!
18m - Rosas gets Olivera the ball in open space and Olivera gets the hat trick!
90m - Salinas closes the game with sweet header off a nice cross from Capetillo

We simply dominated with 29 shots to their 1, we completed 85% of our passes as they were simply over matched.

[Balldog]

We name Dautt to captain and Mondragin to vice-captian. We also learn we will be playing in Group B of the SuperLiga. In our group is Charleston (MLS), Monterrey (Mex), and New England (MLS). With this news we had to backout of the Friendly Cup and a friendly with Rayados A.

July 8, 2009
Friendly @ Tigres B
We are 11-5 favorites and its 60 degrees and dry today.

GK - Dautt
D - Mondragon, Acota, Juarez, Ortiz
M - Rosas, Noriego, Palau, Ayala
F - Ruiz, Olivera

0:14 - Ruiz gets behind their defense quickly and makes them pay, his first goal of the year.
26:38 - Mondragin finds Noriega cutting down through the middle and he gets a clear shot and makes them pay giving us the 2-0 lead.
29:50 - Palau hits Ruiz perfectly and he gets a wide open look giving us a 3-0 lead.
42:09 - Palau finds Ruiz again and makes a sweet move then banks one in off the post for the hat trick! We lead 4-0.
47:02 - Ayala offers a corner kick and Acosta heads it in, giving us a 5-0 lead.
54:29 - Munoz puts up a prayer and he bangs it in off the post, we are pounding them 6-0!
70:53 - H. Ruiz crosses it and their defender puts it in their own net, a miserable showing for Tigres B.

We dominate again, shooting 21 shots to their 3. We are still shooting to many long shots for my liking. Now the competition will start getting tougher, we have a few days off before we start SuperLiga play.

[Balldog]

SuperLiga Play
vs. Monterrey (Mex)

We catch a little break here as they have 3 of their first team players out with injuries: Davino (Concussion), Nigris (Knee), Zavala (Head). Still Monterrey are 5:4 favorites. Their is a strong wind today, and its 62 out. The game will be played at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Our lineup stays the same:
GK - Dautt
D - Mondragon, Acota, Juarez, Ortiz
M - Rosas, Noriego, Palau, Ayala
F - Ruiz, Olivera

First Half
11:12 - A. Ortiz lines one up but misses the net wide left!
15:56 - Olivera gets a nice look from point blank but their goalie, O. Ortiz punches it out of play!
25:17 - Acosta went up a little rough going for a header and gets a yellow card.
29:30 - They get a nice header off a corner kick but its just high of the net.
34:06 - Monterrey's Perez gets a wide open goal after Dautt deflects their first shot and they take a 1-0 lead.
39:53 - Noriega feeds Olivera with a beautiful pass but Olivera is unable to score again.
42:40 - Monterrey gets another goal, this time from Ayovi - they lead 2-0.
46:59 - Just before the half Monterrey finds the net again, giving them a 3-0 lead at the half.
Monterrey 3, Puebla 0

2nd Half
45:37 - Noriega goes in hard for a tackle and gets a yellow card.
78:36 - C. Ruiz gets a yellow card after tripping a player.

Final: Monterrey 3, Puebla 0

We couldn't get anything going in the 2nd half either, a frustrating loss because we out played them the first 30 minutes and we unable to get anything out of it. Monterrey dominated from there on out, this was an ugly physical game. Both teams combined for 36 fouls and 6 yellow cards.

[Balldog]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

After a few months off from FM10, I'm back into it again. Love FM dynasties, so good luck at Puebla.

Thanks I'll need it!

[Balldog]

Puebla (0-1-0) at Charleston (0-0-1)
SuperLiga Group B
Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, SC
53 and Windy

Noriega and Olivera are a little fatigued from yesterday's contest against Monterrey so they will rest today. We are also going to start Velazquez over Ortiz at DR.

Worldsoccer.com's Prediction: Puebla have enough quality to see off Charleston and I'm expecting them to record a comfortable victory.

Before the game I wish the team luck and tell Dautt that I expect a performance from him tonight!

12' - Charleston gets us spread out and a well placed pass leads to a goal by Antoniuk.
20' - Charleston gets another goal, this time on a header by Fuller.
24' - We finally get our first quality shot off and its high.
34' - We bring in Capetillo for Ayala, he is gassed.
35' - Palau goes down with an injury, but it looks like he can play through it.
39' - Gonzalez gets a nice run but fails to get it past their goalie.
40' - Charleston just misses their 3rd goal as their header hits the crossbar.
45' - Gonzales smokes one but their goalie is able to get just enough of it to knock it off mark.
HT - Charleston leads 2-0. We bring Juarez up to the midfield to replace Palau to try to prevent further injury to his thigh. Ortiz replaced Juarez on the defensive line. I'd like to pull Dautt but we only have 1 substitution left. We are going with a more aggressive strategy for the 2nd half, lets hope it pays off. I let Lopez-Mondragin and Acosta know I am angry about their performance in the first half.
52' - Lopez-Mondragin puts a long pass right on the money just to the left of the goal but Capetillo isn't able to handle it and they get a goal kick.
65' - Charleston's Armstrong is given a Yellow Card for being a little to rough on a tackle.
66' - Juarez gets a nice look but it gets deflected before it reaches the goal.
68' - They get another quality header but its too high.
74' - Rosas goes down hard in the box but no penalty is called, he's not happy with the lack of call!
76' - Bermudez for Charleston gets a yellow card for a hard tackle.
79' - We bring in Gomez for C. Ruiz who is gassed.
83' - The substitution pays off as Gomez gets a goal from a nice pass by Gonzalez.
91' - H. Ruiz hits Gonzalez with a perfect pass in front of the net and he puts it home to tie it!!!
FT - Charleston 2, Puebla 2

So we get out of there with a draw, which we are happy with considering the first half of play. Lopez-Mondragin responded well after a 5.8 in the 1st half he ended up with a 7.0 f/t rating. Alvaro Gonzalez is named Man of the Match, he was outstanding in the 2nd half with a Goal and an Assist. He finished the game with a f/t rating of 8.3. We had 11 shots with 5 of them being on target and 4 being blocked. The only stat that really stands out was we won 75% of our tackles to their 61%.

It looks like Palau will miss 11-13 days with a severe gash in his thigh. Raul Gonzalez Triana (Cuba's head coach) was spotted in the crowd, rumor has it he has his eyes on Charleston's Yeniel Bermudez. Toluca's head coach compliments Alvaro Gonzalez for his performance. Our fans voice their displeasure with Acosta (6.3), H. Ruiz (6.5), and Rosas (6.0) after the game. The lack of penalty in the 74th minute is the talk of the media after the game, that and Gonzalez's performance. I get warned by the FA for commenting on the lack of penalty after the game.

In the other SuperLiga Group B game Monterrey cruised past New England 4-0. In Group A Indios beat Salt Lake 5-1.

[Balldog]

Finding a Right Defender

We are still looking to add a quality Right Defender, we've got the coaches scouting a couple different guys. Including Miguel Almazan, he currently plays for Toluca, they've accept our transfer offer now we've got to try and sign him. We offer him a 3-year deal worth $220K per year. There are 4 other clubs expected to make offers to him.

We really like Diego Ramirez, he is from Mexico and currently does not have a team. The other guy we are really interested in is Gabriel Palmeros, he currently does not have a team. We offer him a 2-week trial.

We agree to a deal with Diego Ramirez, but he won't be available until July 20.

More SuperLiga Action
In Group A play, Chicago beats Indios 5-1 and Salt Lake ties Estudiantes Tecos 1-1.

Group A Standings
1) Estudiantes Tecos (1-1-0, 4 pts)
2) Chicago (1-0-1, 3 pts)
3) Indios (1-0-1, 3 pts)
4) Salt Lake (0-1-1, 1 pt)

Group B Standings
1) Monterrey (2-0-0, 6 pts) Qualified
2) Charleston (0-2-0, 2 pts)
3) Puebla (0-1-1, 1 pt)
4) New England (0-1-1, 1 pt)

Basically we need to beat New England to advance.

Before our game with New England we have a Friendly against Petroleros. We are going to try to give some guys a breather today.

July 19, 2009 Friendly @ Petroleros

G - Villalpando
D - Rincon / Flores / Juarez / Velazquez
M - Salinas / G. Gonzalez / Anzaldo / Sanchez
S - Garcia / Munoz

Petroleros 3 - 3 Puebla

As fans left Estadio Seccion 24 they will no doubt have agreed that neither team deserved to lose this game. In an enthralling match which saw both teams throw caution to the wind, it was soccer which was ultimately the winner.

The match started tentatively for Puebla with Joaquin Velazquez nearly handing the opposition the lead in the 19th minute. Striker Alfonso Centeno gave Petroleros the lead with a powerful effort in the 22nd minute. When Velazquez gave away a penalty, Cuadros confidently stepped up to score the opportunity.

Winger Juan Carlos Garcia then managed to pull one back for Puebla after 53 minutes with a placed shot. Enthusiastic winger Rodrigo Salinas then equalized for Puebla in the 75th minute with a placed shot. An error from Robert Juarez allowed forward Rafael Marin to score a placed shot for Petroleros.

With time rapidly running out however, striker Luis Enrique Munoz scored a placed shot to equalize for Puebla. Better late than never for Puebla and the fans were clearly delighted with Munoz's impact.

Garcia and Anzaldo complain to the media after the game because I singled them out at halftime, when we were trailing 2-0. Isidro Sanchez hurt his toe during the match and we'll give him some injections to get him through our next game in SuperLiga play against New England.

Ramirez Joins the Club

Diego Ramirez joins the club and he'll be expected to make an immediate impact for us.

Injury Update

Palau (leg) is close to a return and should be availabe for our upcoming match against New England.

Sanchez (toe) looks like he may have an infection, this may cost him a couple weeks.

Almazan set to sign for Atlante

Almazan signs with Atlante for much less than what we offered but he didn't like us bringing in Diego Ramirez.

Pre-Game Coaches Meeting

The coaching staff meets and the guys would like to run a 4-4-2 with a slow tempo and narrow width. They have also noted that New England has struggled with similar teams to ours. They want to mark Marko Perovic tightly and Edgaras Jankauskas tightly as well.

Before our game Monterrey beats Charleston 2-1, so if we are able to beat New England we will advance.

We also get an update on Gabriel Palmeros, he has agreed to our trial offer but will not be available until later in the week.

[Balldog]

New England (0-1-1) v. Puebla (0-1-1)
SuperLiga Group B
Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
77 and Windy

Both Sanchez and Palau will be out for this one, Sanchez could go but we are going to let him rest that toe. We are slight favorites in this one, before the game I tell the players to win this one for our fans.

G - Dautt
D - Lopez Mondragin / Juarez / Acosta / Ramirez
M - Salinas / Noriega / Olivera / Ayala
F - Ruiz / Gonzalez

8' - Ayala gets a nice look on a feed from Gonzalez but their GK deflects it past the net.
10' - Ayala gets another nice feed this time from Olivera and he makes them pay but he was offsides!
14' - Acosta gets a penalty and they score on the penalty kick, frustrating since we've dominated the first ten minutes of action.
16' - C. Ruiz gets a nice look but misses wide of the goal.
18' - Gonzalez connects with Ruiz for the goal, but again its waved off due to offsides!
24' - C. Ruiz gets past the last defender but misses wide of the goal again.
26' - Gonzalez makes a great move to break free but he misses with of the goal!
37' - New England's Kehli Dube gets a yellow card.
38' - Olivera hits Noriega with a beautiful pass and he scores!!
HT - Puebla 1 : 1 New England

We have no complaints after that first half, obviously the offsides hurt us but we've dominated. They've closed the gap in possession to 57-43 but we have 9 shots to their 1. Salinas is gassed and we will replace him with Angel Ortiz. For the most part everyone has been solid, Diego Ramirez has had a great impact. The only guy struggling is Acosta with a 5.3 at the half, mostly due to the penalty. I continue with the do it for the fans motivation and hope its enough to push us through the 2nd half.

52' - We get it in deep to C. Ruiz but he doesn't have enough room to make a move and he turns it over.
55' - We catch a break after a great cross their header attempts sails over the goal.
62' - Gonzalez gets subbed out for Gomez, we need some energy out there as fatigue is starting to set in for both teams.
67' - C. Ruiz gets another good look but misses high.
70' - Gomez gets it in deep but can't handle it.
72' - They get it in deep but we deflect it wide of the net.
77' - With a tie not doing us any good we change to an attacking approach.
78' - They get a nice opportunity off a corner but Dautt grabs it.
83' - Gomez gets a lane and fires but misses high of the goal.
84' - They get a nice run and Dautt gambles but misses, but Rodriguez is there to clean it up!
86' - New England's Shalrie Joseph gets a yellow card and Capetillo comes in for Ayala.
FT - New England 1 : 1 Puebla

I really can't complain much because we played very well, we just didn't capitalize. We won nearly ever stat category there is, including shots 13 to 5. Diego Ramirez finished with a 7.2 rating in his debut. Olivera was Man of the Match, he had a 7.6 and Noriega had a 7.3 After the game I let the guys know that I am pleased with their performance and let them know they can have tomorrow off to rest.

We get a boost in confidence from the board after the game, which is nice. Ghana boss Milovan Rajevac was seen at the game, he is believed to be scouting New England's Emmanuel Osei. Also in attendance was Guatemala head coach Manuel Keosseian, he is believed to be scouting Carlos Ruiz. The fans were pleased with our performance but disappointed that we were not able to advance in SuperLiga play.

At the post game press conference the questions revolved around the disallowed goals, it appears they were more controversial than it appeared to me. Also the media is picking on Acosta for his costly penalty and I stick up for him.

July 25, 2009 Friendly @ Pumas Naucalpan

In our last friendly match before our First Division games begin we roll on Pumas Naucalpan.

Puebla 4 : 0 Pumas Naucalpan

Ratings of note: Rafael Puente (9.2), Marco Antonio Capetillo (8.0), Diego Ramirez (7.8), Gabriel Palmeros (7.1)

51' - Goal by Puente
55' - Missed Penatly Kick by Aja
59' - Goal by Capetillo
65' - Goal by Puente
91' - Goal by Gomez

[Balldog]

Misc.

6/28 - We sign Alberto Guerra to Youth Coach.
6/28 - Monterrey beats Chicago is SuperLiga 2-1
6/29 - We offer Gabriel Palmeros a full-time contract, for $205K per year through Jun 2011.
6/29 - Charleston beats Estudiantes Tecos in SuperLiga 1-0
6/29 - Pabla Aja is sent to Veracruz on a 10-month loan.

Pre-Match Meeting for America (Mex)

• We are much slower than America
• We have better dribblers than America
• Santiago Fernandez should be met with hard tackling.
• Juan Carlos Valenzuela should be met with hard tackling.

[Balldog]

Mexican First Division Primer -

Teams - Sorted by Media Prediction (last championship Opening Stage or Closing Stage)
1) Pumas - 2008
2) Pachuca - 2006
3) America (Mex) - 2004
4) Toluca - 2008
5) Guadalajara - 2006
6) Puebla - 1989
7) Monterrey - 2002
8) Tigres - 1981
9) Jaguares - Never
10) Estudiantes Tecos - 1993
11) Morelia - 2000
12) Indios - Never
13) Cruz Azul - 1997
14) Atlas - 1950
15) Santos Laguna - 2007
16) Atlante - 2007
17) San Luis - Never
18) Queretaro - Never

Rules of Note:
Points for Win - 3
Points for Draw - 1
Number of Matches - 17
Match Rules - There must be at least 1 under-21 player in the first 11.

America (Mex) (0-0-0) @ Puebla (0-0-0)
Mexican First Division Opening Stage
Estadio Cuauhtemoc, Puebla
Dry 66 F
Odds: Puebla 7-4, Draw 11-5, America 5-4 (Fav)

We are completely healthy heading into the league opening match, while Club America has their starting GK Alberto Becerra out due to strained knee ligaments. Unfortunately I've been asleep at the wheel and didn't pay attention to the Under-21 rule and of course we don't have anyone other than guys on our U19 team. So I have to bring up Damian Jimenez, he's considered our best prospect and he will start at MR for Ayala. So our first 11 looks like this:

GK - Dautt
D - Lopez Mondragin / Juarez / Acosta / Ramirez
M - Salinas / Noriega / Palau / Jimenez
F - Ruiz / Gonzalez

7' - Rather than risk a goal their keeper swats the ball out of bounds, Ruiz was applying heavy pressure.
14' - We allow a clear corner pass to Sandoval just inside to box and he drills it home giving them the 1-0 lead.
21' - Dautt gets a free kick and launches is it giving Ruiz a header opportunity but they deflect it and we settle for a corner.
28' - Gonzalez gets called for a questionable offsides.
30' - They a nice cross that gets them right in front of the net but Lopez Mondragin clears it.
33' - Another quality opportunity for them but Dautt stops it and Jimenez clears it.
37' - Salinas gets free but their speed advantage is evident and a nice tackle prevents him from getting a shot on goal.
43' - They get a shot from point blank range that gets past Dautt but hits the post!
HT - America (Mex) 1 : 0 Puebla
Overall at the half we are pretty happy with our position, they've had more opportunities and have out shot us 10-2 but we've just got to complete our plays. We switch to a 4-4-2 Diamond and bring in Olivera for Jimenez. Jimenez was solid with a 6.6 in the first half. I let the team know I have confidence in them and I think we can win.

48' - They are really attacking well and get a quality shot on goal but Dautt deflects it and forces a corner kick.
55' - We get a quality opportunity but they deflect the shot and on the ensuing scramble we are foul but just outside the box.
64' - We bring in Puente to replace Palau whom has struggled today and is tired at this point.
75' - Olivera offers a nice corner and Acosta heads it but its off the cross bar!
76' - We bring in Ortiz to replace a tired Salinas, hoping he can give a spark.
87' - Ruiz hits Puente with a perfect pass and he gets it past their goalie to tie it!! We go all defensive to try and hold the draw.
90+1' - We get an opportunity but Gonzalez miss plays it and turns it over in their box.
90+2' - Juarez fouls them just outside the box, on the penalty kick they get a power shot that hits the post and deflects out for the goal kick.

America (Mex) 1 : 1 Puebla

And we hold on for the draw. I can't help but feel relieved after this one, we were over matched talent wise but got a solid point. I let the team know that I am pleased with their performance. They out shot us 18 to 7, we only had 2 shots on target. Our top performers were Rafael Puente (7.3), Roberto Juarez (7.0), and Diego Ramirez (6.9). Our fans leave the stadium very pleased according to supporter spokesperson Alfonso Madrigal.

[Balldog]

Some Notes before our next match:

• D Gabriel Palmeros has completed his trial and has left the squad, we previously made an offer but he never responded. We are going to make another offer to see if we can get him to stay around.
• The squad gets a $50K bonus for participating in the SuperLiga.
• Hugo Ruiz has failed to impress during training.

Puebla (0-1-0) @ Tigres (1-0-0)
Mexican First Division Opening Stage
August 5, 2009, 7:00PM
75 F and Breezy

Tigres will have 3 players that are unavailable due to injury, along with Luis Rolando Ramirez who is doubtful with a sprained ankle. Everyone is healthy and well rested for us so we will stick to the same lineup as our last match. This game is listed as a Pick 'Em.

GK - Dautt
D - Lopez Mondragin / Juarez / Acosta / Ramirez
M - Salinas / Noriega / Palau / Jimenez
F - Ruiz / Gonzalez


7' - They get it in deep but Dautt is able to handle a weak header attempt.
11' - We get a quality shot from Jimenez but they deflect it.
17' - Salinas receives a yellow card for a hard tackle.
30' - They get a nice header off a corner kick but it goes high of the goal.
31' - Another quality opportunity for Tigres, but Dautt turns it away.
33' - Gonzalez gets fouled just outside the box, then Palau drills the penalty kick through the defense for the goal!!
40' - They get another quality opportunity but it hits the post and we clear it.
42' - Palau gets injured on a sloppy tackle but he can play through it.
45' - Ruiz gets it in deep but their keeper knocks it wide.
HT - Puebla 1 : 0 Tigres

We've played pretty well in the first half as all the stats are pretty equal. Jimenez is looking a little lost today in his first road match, so we'll pull him in favor of Capetillo. And to close halftime I ask the team not to get complacent.

45' - I guess my halftime speech was not very inspiring, they get a goal in the opening minute of the 2nd half.
48' - Their next trip into our area they launch a long shot and it gets past Dautt and they take the lead!
52' - Palau gets a yellow card for a hard tackle.
53' - Unbelievable, they get behind our defense again and get another goal. This one looks like it should've been offsides but its not called. At this point we pull Palau and bring in Olivera because we'll need some offense now.
64' - Dautt makes a nice diving save and Juarez clears it.
70' - Capetillo moves up to ST and we bring Ruiz out in favor of Puente who takes over at MR.
75' - Salinas gets one in close but he hesitates and they are able to deflect his shot.
83' - Puente gets a good look but their GK denies him.
86' - They blast a shot from just outside the box and Dautt does a nice job of turning it away.

Tigres 3 : 1 Puebla

Not exactly the 2nd half we were looking for, how the heck do we let up 3 goals in the first ten minutes of the 2nd half!?!? Capetillo was horrible with a 6.0, Lopez Mondragin was bad as well with a 6.2 but I bite my tongue and sympathize with the team. Last time I try the lets not get complacent approach. They ended up out shooting us 16-7 for the game. Our fans are disappointed with the result, especially calling out Lopez Mondragin, Jimenez and Ruiz.

Some Notes before our Next Match:

• Olivera is left off the Uruguay National Team.
• Carlos Ruiz is called up for Guatemala's National Team, we give them the freedom to play him as much as they need.
• Rumors are swirling that Palmeros is close to signing with Correcaminos, not wanting to be left in the cold we increase our offer.

[Balldog]

Santos Laguna (0-2-0, 10th) at Puebla (0-1-1, 13th)

Mexican First Division Opening Stage

August 8, 2009, 3:00PM
73 F and Dry

During our Pre-Match meeting the staff lets me know that we have a height advantage, but disadvantages at speed, dribbling, and fitness. They also recommend we mark Fernando Acre and Daniel Luduena tightly, both are very high level midfielders. It looks like everyone is expecting a small turnout for this one, ~20K fans are expected. We are favorites to win, with 5-4 odds.

Just before the match Gustavo Anzaldo apologizes to me through the media for saying he was treated unfairly during a friendly last month.

We are healthy and surprisingly in good condition with such a short period between matches. In an effort to get more speed into the match we switch to 4-4-2 Diamond and we start Alvaro Ortiz in place of Alejandro Acosta and Luis Migual Noriega will support defensively. Olivera also comes in for Palau. They have Pity Altamirano whom we heavily pursued in July but couldn't free up the money to get him.

GK - Dautt
D - Lopez Mondragin / Juarez / Ortiz / Ramirez
DM - Noriega
WM - Salinas / Jimenez
AM - Olivera
F - Gonzalez / Ruiz

1' - We clear a threat with a long outlet and Jimenez gets it to Ruiz who beats his man and puts it in for the goal, ending a scoring draught for him of over 420 minutes!
7' - Their striker Vuoso leaves the game with what appears to be an arm injury.
9' - Again we defend a corner poorly and they get it in good position with control but Dautt deflects the shot, however Santiago is there for Santos Laguna and he scores it.
12' - Gonzalez gets a nice feed from Olivera and he finds the back of the net with a well placed shot!
16' - Noriega hits Ruiz with a perfect pass and he's behind the defense but Gonzalez is called for offside.
21' - Olivera makes a nice move to get by the defense but he is denied by the keeper.
23' - They get away with an offside and get a clear path at Dautt but he denies them with a risky play, they get the rebound with a wide open net but miss the attempt wide!
26' - A long pass to Gonzalez gives him an opportunity but he isn't able to handle it and they clear it.
27' - We continue to bother Acre, he finally gets some space and forces a shot from just outside the box and he missed high of the net.
30' - Gonzalez receives a pass and forwards it nicely to Olivera who has a lane and capitalizes with a goal!
33' - Lacerda for Santos Laguna gets a yellow card for tripping.
35' - A nice cross gives them an opportunity but Juarez heads it clear.
41' - Olivera puts up a shot from the top of the box and he is denied.
43' - A great play by Salinas give Jimenez an opportunity for a header but he is denied by their keeper.
HT - Puebla 3 : 1 Santos Laguna

Things were pretty lively in the first 45 minutes with a lot of quality opportunities for both sides, we had 4 clear cut chances and they had 2. We've completed 83% of our passes, while they've completed 70%. Our forwards are playing great and Jimenez is having his best performance by far, allowing us the confidence to keep him in for now. We don't change much in terms of tactics other than instruct Ramirez and Lopez Mondragon to play more defensive.

46' - Olivera makes a nice run down the middle before passing it out wide to Jimenez who makes a beautiful pass to Ruiz who connects for his 2nd goal of the day!
48' - Santiago for Santos Laguna gets a yellow card for roughing up Gonzalez.
55' - Luduena finally gets a good look but he misses the net wide, our defenders have done a nice job on him so far.
55' - H. Ruiz comes in for Salinas, Ruiz will play Defender and we move Ortiz to WM.
56' - They place a great cross that leads to a header goal.
60' - H. Ruiz waste no time and he gets a yellow card for holding.
65' - Olivera gets hurt while clearing a ball out of play to end a threat, it looks like an arm injury. With the injury we switch to a 4-4-2 and go defensive. Anzaldo comes in for Olivera.
74' - Capetillo replaces Jimenez, who played great today.
87' - They get a run deep but Dautt does well to deflect and we are able to clear.
88' - They get another deep one and Dautt deflects it again but they get the goal off the rebound.
89' - Baloy for Santos Laguna gets a yellow card, and 4 minutes of injury time is added.
90+1' - Ramirez gets a yellow card for a hard tackle.
90+2' - Ramirez's penalty allowed them to set and Arce gets free but he is offside!
90+4' - They launch a long shot that Dautt deflects and it hits off the cross bar and we are able to clear!

Puebla 4 : 3 Santos Laguna

Obviously the last few minutes were tense and little to close for comfort, but we played great for the first 88 minutes. Our Forwards were dominant - Olivera (8.6), C. Ruiz (8.8), and Gonzalez (9.0) each had scores and they combined for 2 assists. Jimenez was solid as well, he had a 7.8 rating with 2 assists. Interesting that they had 17 fouls to our 6 and they only completed 4% of their crosses.

After the game I let the team know they have done well in the win and I am pleased. Luis Miguel Noriega made his 100th league appearance for the club. We also get disappointing news on the injury front as we learn that Olivera has broke his arm and will be out 6 to 7 weeks, in his 8 appearances this year he has scored 4 goals and added 3 assists. Gonzalez is getting all kinds of attention from the media, fans, and coaches around the league.

[Balldog]

Some notes before our next match:

• We add Emmanuel Lara, as a Scout. He is assigned to upcoming opponents.
• We add Francisco Villa, as a Scout. He is assigned to scouting Promotion League games.
• C. Ruiz is traveling for International Play, while he is there we ask if he can recommend any teammates from his International team.
• Gabriel Palmeros signs as a FA.
• Manuel Lopez Mondragon sustains a strained wrist during a weight training session, he will be out 10 to 12 days.
• Backup GK Alexandro Alvarez strains a groin and will be out around 3 weeks. Jorge Villalpando will be brought up from Reserves to fill his spot.

In our Pre-Match meeting for our upcoming match at Tecos the staff lets me know that we have a height and passing advantage, but a fitness disadvantage. They also suggest closing down on Damian Zamogilny and marking Bruno Marioni tightly.

[Balldog]

Puebla (1-1-1, 9th) @ Tecos (1-0-1, 12th)
Mexican First Division Opening Stage
August 16, 2009, 7:00 PM
62 F / Drizzle
Odds: Tecos 5-4, Draw 11-5, Puebla 7-4

We will be playing short handed today without first team players Lopez Mondragon and Nicolas Olivera, so we switch back to a traditional 4-4-2 and Marcelo Palau will start at MF, while Alvaro Ortiz will start at DL. Nearly everyone is at 100% condition for the start of this one. This will be Robert Juarez's 50th career league appearance. I wish the team luck and we head out.

GK - Dautt
D - Ortiz / Juarez / Acosta / Ramirez
MF - Salinas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F - Gonzalez / Ruiz

18' - They get a great cross from Marioni that is perfectly placed but they fail to get the header on net and we get a goal kick.
19' - Gonzalez returns the favor with his own well placed cross and Jimenez is unable to head it in but we get a corner out of it.
24' - A hard tackle by Tecos leads to Diego Ramirez being injured, it appears to be a foot injury but he'll play through it.
26' - We work it into the box and Palau has a good look but is hesitant to shoot it, instead he passes out to Noriega and his shot is deflected before it ever gets to the goal.
30' - Ortiz places a beautiful long pass from midfield off a penalty kick giving Salinas a header opportunity right in front of the net all alone but he misses high of the goal.
43' - Palau goes up for a header and gets roughed up, he appears to have injured his thigh but can play through it.

HT - Puebla 0 : Tecos 0
We are dinged up at the half but we've played really well, I pull Palau due to his injury and replace him with Anzaldo. Ramirez unfortunately has to play through his injury because we don't have an adequate sub as of yet since we are still waiting for Palermos to join the team. I encourage the team and we head out for the 2nd half.

51' - Anzaldo gets a yellow card for holding, a little frustrating since the they've been given two warnings today but no cards.
57' - Marioni is able to fire one towards the goal but we do well to deflect it before it reaches target.
58' - A well placed pass gives them a deep run but we are able to force a corner.
61' - After a hard tackle, they get yet another warning.
69' - They fire a shot from just inside the box that hits off the post, on the rebound they get another shot but Dautt deflects it and Ortiz clears it allowing for a corner.
72' - Jimenez turns it over near midfield and Marioni gets a breakaway but his shot is wide of the goal! After that turnover, we pull Jimenez in favor of Rafael Puente.
79' - Ramirez places a nice cross in front of the net giving Ruiz a header chance but he misses high of the goal.
80' - We bring in Rosas for Salinas hoping his fresh legs can give us some quality attacking.
82' - A great pass leads to Ruiz having another opportunity at the top of the box and he fires high again!
87' - Marioni commits a hard foul, but again they get off with a warning.
90+2' - Gonzalez gets hurt battling for a header, it appears to be a groin injury. We have to play a man short because we've already used our 3 subs.

They are on the attack but run out of time and we hold on for the Draw.

Puebla 0 : 0 Tecos
We are pleased to leave this one with a point, we played well but they seemed in control most of the game despite the stats being dead even. Seven of their eleven shots were off target which certainly helped, we had 9 shots and none of them were on target. Roberto Juarez was Man of the Match with his 7.6 rating, he won 20 of 21 header opportunities and added 7 interceptions. Diego Ramirez played very well also with a 7.4 rating.

It doesn't look good for Gonzalez, he has severe hip injury and early estimates are he needs to see a specialist and will likely miss at least 2 months. We are likely to have to look at our reserve roster as our forwards have dwindled down to only Ruiz. It looks like Hercules Gomez will need to be brought up from Reserves. Our fans are happy with the performance though.

[Balldog]

Pumas (2-0-2, 6th) at Puebla (1-2-1, 10th)
Mexican First Division Opening Stage
August 19, 2009, 7:30PM
64 F / Dry
Odds: Puebla 13-8, Draw 2-1, Pumas 6-4

We are obviously short-handed with 3 starters out, our overall condition is just OK with the short rest between matches. Pumas is without starter Defender Efrain Velarde. Hugo Ruiz gets the start for Alejandro Acosta as we try to get more speed on the field to support their speedy Forwards.

GK - Dautt
D - Ortiz / Juarez / H. Ruiz / Ramirez
MF - Salinas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F - Gomez / C. Ruiz

This will be Hugo Ruiz's 75th career league appearance and Luis Miguel Noriega's 125th career league appearance.

4' - Poor corner defense on our part leads to a good opportunity for them but Dautt saves us. We've got to figure this thing out.
8' - Noriega gets a nice opening at the top of the box but fires it high of the goal.
17' - Our counter pays off as Gomez hits C. Ruiz with an amazing 40 yards pass and Ruiz makes them pay with a beautiful goal as he got by 3 defenders!
19' - Salinas places a perfect cross to C. Ruiz and he heads it in for his 2nd goal of the match!

The rest of the half was very quiet as neither team managed a shot in the remaining 21 minutes.
Puebla 2 : 0 Pumas

Carlos Ruiz has been brilliant with 2 goals and a 8.7 h/t rating. We've dominated possession 57% to 43%. In the second half we will hopefully continue to limit what they can do and get out of here with a big win. We switch to the contain strategy and look to slow this thing way down.

50' - They get a header for a goal off a corner kick and cut the lead to 2-1.
51' - They get the ball in deep and right in front of Dautt but they are called for a foul in a battle for possession and we clear with penalty kick. We switch from contain back to counter hoping with all the pressure they are putting on us we can get an easy one behind them.
56' - They get a break away opportunity but Dautt stonewalls them! Man they are putting some intense pressure on us at this point and its seem like just a matter of time before this is tied.
61' - Capetillo comes in to replace an exhausted C. Ruiz and Anzaldo comes into replace Noriega.
81' - Gomez gets a breakaway but he is headed off by their defender he backs out and lofts a cross to Capetillo who heads it home!!
84' - Jimenez gets a yellow card for shoving one of their guys to the grass.

Puebla 3 : 1 Pumas

A mild upset and a big win for us! C. Ruiz was the clear Man of the Match with his 2 goals and a 8.8 F/T rating. Gomez filled in admirably for Gonzalez, he had 2 assists and a 7.2 F/T rating, I let him know I am delighted with his performance. He and I are not currently on good terms, he has openly criticized me for being too tough on the team so I'm hoping to mend that fence. With their heavy pressure in the 2nd half they ended up shooting 15 shots to our 10, but only 4 of their shots were on target.

[Balldog]

Puebla (2-2-1, 7th) at Atlante (3-0-2, 4th)
Mexican First Division Opening Stage
August 22, 2009, 3:00PM
84 F / Breezy
Odds: Atlante 5-4, Draw 11-5, Puebla 7-4

Atlante is down a striker (injury) and a defender (suspension) for this one, we are still missing Alvarez, Gonzalez, and Olivera. We gave the guys a day off after our last match so we are in decent condition coming into this one. Atlante is as good as anyone in the league but they are beatable, and our staff believes if we can get as much speed on the midfield as possible we can get a win today. For the most part our starting midfielders are our fastest, but we will definitely look to sub in some fresh legs later to hopefully get at them.

GK - Dautt
D - Ortiz / Juarez / H. Ruiz / Ramirez
MF - Salinas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F - Gomez / C. Ruiz

15' - Not much action to this point, but interesting to note that there have been 8 penalties called already. The ref is really taking the flow out of this one.
27' - Finally an opportunity for somebody, Atlante gets its in the right side of the box via the pass but the shot is wide of the net.
28' - Gomez gets a breakaway off a turnover but they foul him just before he gets to the box! Atlante defender Serafin is issued a Yellow Card but we are not going to get a Penalty Kick.
34' - C. Ruiz makes a great move to get by the defender and gets it in deep but they steal it from him and clear it before he can get the shot off.
40' - H. Ruiz goes in hard for a tackle and receives a yellow card just outside the box, it was a good foul because they had numbers.
45' - Jimenez places a free kick perfectly in front of the goal but H. Ruiz's header is way too high.

HT - Puebla 0 : 0 Atlante
This game has no flow to it, there has been 18 penalties in the first half. Early on it was all Atlante but they weren't getting many quality looks, but the last 15 minutes or so were dominated by us. We only managed to get 1 shot on target though. We bring Puente in to replace Jimenez.

47' - A great pass gets them deep left in the box but Ramirez makes a great tackle and clears it!
50' - C. Ruiz makes a great play then plays a perfect cross, but Puente isn't able to make them pay with his weak header.
53' - C. Ruiz gets free and their GK challenges him and denies him!
59' - Capetillo comes in to replace Gomez at Forward.
63' - A great pass by C. Ruiz to Salinas leads to a quality shot on goal but he is denied by their GK.
78' - Anzaldo comes in for Palau who was nicked up a little.
84' - Ortiz misses a tackle giving them an open run at Dautt, but he plays it perfectly and deflects it giving them a corner.
86' - C. Ruiz gets a wide open net off a corner but they deflect it and its off the post!

Puebla 0 : 0 Atlante

We did well today to get a draw but we've got to be a little disappointed that we didn't capitalize on at least 1 of our opportunities. Deservedly so their goalie Federico Villa gets Man of the Match. For us Ramirez played great with a 7.5 f/t rating and Jaurez defended very well also with a 7.4 f/t rating.

[Balldog]

Queretaro (2-0-4, 13th) at Puebla (2-3-1, 7th)
Mexican First Division Opening Stage
August 29, 2009, 3:00PM
71F / Dry
Odds: Puebla 1-2, Draw 13-5, Queretaro 9-2

We are heavy favorites, certainly helps that Queretaro will be without 3 of their top players. Lopez Mondragon is back to 100% but he isn't going to dress today, Ortiz has taken control of the left defender role. We are near max condition thanks to the week off, we have another two week break after this match. Queretaro has only allowed 6 goals this season but they struggle to score.

GK - Dautt
D - Ortiz / Juarez / H. Ruiz / Ramirez
MF - Salinas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F - Gomez / C. Ruiz

10' - Queretaro gets a beautiful goal from Ochoa from the left side of the box to the right side of the net with a major bend to it.
17' - We cycle the ball around and around working to get them out of position, after nearly two minutes straight of possession C. Ruiz finally gets the ball at the top of the box and beats his man before sending it in for the tying goal!
24' - Jimenez takes a free kick from just outside the box, he drills it but its just wide of the goal.
45+2' - After a painful 21 minutes we finally get in position for a good look but Gomez doesn't get a quality shot off and its easily stopped.

HT: Puebla 1 : 1 Queretaro
We've dominated possession but they've done well to keep our quality shots under check, defensively we've held them to one shot - their goal. Carlos Ruiz is the only player playing well for us right now, he's got a 7.4 h/t rating. Salinas is really struggling, a 5.9 h/t rating, so we will pull him in favor of Rosas. Jimenez is struggling too but we'll give him another 15 minutes to see what he can do.

53' - Gomez takes a quality shot but misses wide of the net!
58' - Capetillo is brought in to replace Jimenez who continues to struggle.
60' - They get a breakaway but H. Ruiz makes a great effort then follows up with a great tackle to stop them from even getting a shot off.
64' - A well run play gets C. Ruiz in the box past his defender and he misses wide!!
72' - Capetillo fails to get the header home after a nice cross by Rosas.
74' - A nice pass sets them up but Dautt challenges it and gains control.
75' - Puente comes in for C. Ruiz, Puente goes to MFR and Capetillo moves to Forward.
80' - Noriega plays a perfect pass to Puente who gets a opportunity all alone with the keeper and he hits the post!
90+1' - Gomez places a 25-yard pass perfectly but Capetillo isn't able to control what would have certainly led to a goal.

Puebla 1 : 1 Queretaro
Not a good performance at all, actually it was probably our worst performance of the Opening Stage. We had 15 shots to their 3 but were only able to get 4 on target, just an ugly effort. Carlos Ruiz's performance was our best, he had a 7.5 f/t rating. Diego Ramirez had a 7.2 f/t rating and Alvaro Lopez had a 7.0 f/t rating. Surprisingly the fans are happy with the result. I had to answer a lot of questions about the players being over confident since we have an unbeaten streak of 5 games right now.

League Table
1) Tigres (5-1-1, 16 pts)
2) Pachuca (5-1-1, 16 pts)
3) Toluca (5-1-1, 16 pts)
4) Santos Laguna (4-2-1, 14 pts)
5) America (4-2-1, 14 pts)
6) Atlante (4-1-2, 13 pts)
7) Morelia (3-1-3, 10 pts)
8) Puebla (2-4-1, 10 pts)
9) Cruz Azul (2-3-2, 9 pts)
10) Monterrey (2-3-2, 9 pts)
11) Pumas (3-0-4, 9 pts)
12) San Luis (2-2-3, 8 pts)
13) Tecos (2-2-3, 8 pts)
14) Queretaro (2-1-4, 7 pts)
15) Indios (1-2-4, 5 pts)
16) Jaguares (1-1-5, 4 pts)
17) Chivas (1-1-5, 4 pts)
18) Atlas (1-0-6, 3 pts)

Some Notes before our next match:

• Our next match isn't until 9/12/2009 against Chivas.
• Colorado (MLS) is pursuing Rosas.
• We make an offer to a defender from Jamaica and he accepts it. His name is Shavar Thomas, he plays for the Jamaican National Team. He is a good one.
• Thomas and Palmeros will join the club on 12/20/2009.
• Alexander Alvarez is healthy again.
• Pumas, Toluca, Pachuca, and Cruz Azul all advance to North American Champions League Group Play.
• We offer Astral (Brazil) a transfer for their high level striker, Lima. And they accept, so we offer Lima $190K per year for 5 years which should be enough to bring him in for the end of the year. With this signing we'll need to unload some money via transfers.

September Board Confidence Update:

• The board is satisfied with my coaching.
• Their biggest disappointment is our performance in SuperLiga.
• The club recorded a $741K loss in August

[gi]

I too had to travel to Puebla for work a couple years ago and found interest in the team once I returned. Good Luck! I will be following.

[Balldog]

Puebla (2-4-1, 9th) at Chivas (1-2-5, 16th)

Mexican First Division Opening Stage

September 12, 2009, 3:00PM

82 F / Dry

Odds: Chivas 6-4, Draw 2-1, Puebla 13-8

We are surprised to be underdogs, but there is a lot of concern from the media about the 2 weeks between matches. I thought long and hard about scheduling a friendly during that time but chose not to risk injury, knowing we had Chivas coming up on the schedule. Rodrigo Salinas has been playing poorly as of late, with a steady decline in performance so we pull him from the lineup in favor of Sergio Rosas. We get some good news before the match; Nicolas Olivera has returned to training and should be available for our next match.

GK – Dautt
D – Ortiz / Juarez / H. Ruiz / Ramirez
MF – Rosas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F – Gomez / C. Ruiz

22’ – After 22 minutes of play there have been zero shots by either team but Chivas has been dominating possession and been on the attack for most of the match to this point. However a turnover leads to a C. Ruiz breakaway but their goalie denies him! After the denial Chivas goes on an attack and a great cross leads to a header from point blank range but it is off the post! After we clear it they turn it over again and we counter, Palau leads Gomez with a great pass that leads to the match’s first goal!
44’ – Another great cross leads to a good header opportunity but this time the header is high of the goal.

HT – Puebla 1 : 0 Chivas
We are certainly lucky to be leading 1-0 after that first half, they dominated possession but we did a great job of keeping them away from the goal. Individually everyone is playing well except Carlos Ruiz, he has a 5.8 h/t rating. Everyone else has at least a 6.7 h/t rating. That said we are still going to bring in Felipe Ayala for Damian Jimenez.

52’ – A corner kick by Chivas leads to another header, but again they miss high of the net.
57’ – Chivas forward Davila places a wonderful shot from just out front of the box but a brilliant save by Dautt denies him!
58’ – Palau gets a yellow card for shoving his opponent going for a header.
65’ – We pull Carlos Ruiz in favor of Marco Capetillo, Ruiz is tired and struggling with a 5.5 rating so far.
73’ – Hugo Ruiz commits a foul in the box and they are granted a penalty kick, Noriega is livid with the call. Magallon drills it home for Chivas to tie it up.
76’ – Ayala gets it forward to Capetillo for an opportunity to make a run at the net but they do well to keep him off point and he isn’t able to even get a shot off before turning it over within 5 feet of the goalie.
81’ – They fire a shot from just inside the box and it hits the cross bar, Magallon gathers the long carom and forces it in deep before shooting. His shot is deflected and Davila hammers it home for Chivas!
85’ – We pull Rosas in favor of Salinas, Rosas has had a bad performance today.

Chivas 2 : 1 Puebla
We commit 2 mistakes the entire game and they both cost us, Hugo Ruiz’s foul in the box was controversial and Diego Ramirez misjudged the carom that ended up allowing the go ahead goal. That one play caused Ramirez to end up with a 4.7 f/t rating. We ended up being out shot in the 2^nd half 8 to 1. Chivas seems to be a lot better than their record indicated, looking back through some of their reports it looks like they had a lot of injuries early on and have played a lot better recently.

Some Notes before the Next Match:

• We lose out on a Lima, a striker from Brazil. To make matters worse he signs with San Luis so we will have to face him some day.
• Nicolas Olivera has returned to practice and is ready to play in our next match, that will put us back in the 4-4-2 Diamond.

[Balldog]

Puebla (2-4-2, 11^th) at Monterrey (3-4-2, 7^th)

Mexican First Division Opening Stage

September 19, 2009, 3:00PM

57 F / Dry

Odds: Monterrey 5-4 (fav), Draw 2-1, Puebla 3-1

Monterrey blitzed us during SuperLiga Group play 3-0. I would like to think we are a better team today than we were 2 months ago but we haven’t played like it recently. We come into this match in very good condition with almost everyone completely rested, the exception is Olivera who is coming off his injury.

GK – Dautt
D – Lopez Mondragon / Juarez / H. Ruiz / Ramirez
M – Rosas / Noriega / Jimenez
F – Gomez / Olivera / C. Ruiz

9’ – Monterrey gets a header towards the goal but Dautt is able to bat it down, with Juarez coming into clean it up.
18’ – Dautt stops a flurry of shots from Monterrey has they are on a full attack, but he is able to withstand the rally and we clear it.
20’ – Monterrey’s Carreno gets a yellow card for a hard sliding tackle.
29’ – A well placed cross by Monterrey leads to a great header, Dautt miss plays it but it hits the cross bar and goes out of play for the goal kick!
30’ – Olivera gets a yellow card for a hard collision.
33’ – Another great cross by Monterrey leads to a great header but again it is too high!
35’ – C. Ruiz makes several great moves to advance the ball ¾ length of the field but he isn’t able to get a shot on net. Monterrey counters with a great effort and another great cross but again the header is off the mark.
37’ – Olivera gets drilled while in the air going for a header, he has a head injury and we remove him from the game to protect him from further damage. Capetillo will take his spot.
40’ – Lopez Mondragon makes a great run before passing it perfectly to Jimenez but he fails to get a shot off in time before their defense collapses on him. He is just too gun shy, that was a great opportunity missed!

HT – Puebla 0 : 0 Monterrey
We have been very fortunate to remain square through the first half, they have dominated most of the match to this point. They have 12 shots to our 3, with 4 of their shots being on target but Dautt has played very well for us. They are dominating the headers at 74%. We will switch back to a traditional 4-4-2 and slide Capetillo over to take Jimenez’s spot and bring in Anzaldo to midfield center.

48’ – Monterrey’s Recio gets a yellow card for pulling C. Ruiz’s shirt.
53’ – Monterrey’s Del Real gets a yellow card for tripping Noriega.
57’ – C. Ruiz gets a breakaway on a counter attack after making a great move to get free but he gets denied by their goalie!!
64’ – Monterrey comes in from the right wing with a great effort but Dautt makes the diving save, off the rebound they misfire and we get a goal kick.
69’ – Monterrey’s Cervantes gets a yellow card for going hard on C. Ruiz just outside the penalty area according to the ref. It sure looked like he was inside the area to me. It doesn’t matter as Rosas blasts an amazing shot home for the goal!!!
73’ – A long lead pass by Ramirez sets up C. Ruiz on another break away opportunity but again he gets denied! A huge choke job by Ruiz there with a chance to put this one away.
76’ – Monterrey’s Suazo gets a yellow card for an aggressive tackle on Noriega.
77’ – A great pass by Noriega gives Gomez a shot at the goal but he misses it high of the goal.
82’ – After playing corners perfectly all game we lose track of Zavala and he drills one home to tie it up at 1-1.
90+2’ – Anzaldo gets destroyed and goes down on an injury with no penalty called, naturally they sprint down the field and get the go ahead goal! We bring Acosta in for Anzaldo.

Puebla 1 : 2 Monterrey
A devastating loss as we were in position to win and then at least thought we would escape with a draw until a controversial call costs us the game. I let the team know I am pleased despite the result. They ended up with 20 shots to our 9, we ended up dominating possession thanks to a good 2^nd half – we led possession 57% to 43%. To make matters worse we had 3 players get injured during this one and we hope for the best.

We learn after the game that Anzaldo suffered a twisted ankle, he will be out roughly 4 weeks. Olivera has suffered a bruise to the head, which luckily will have him out only a few days. Colorado (MLS) coach Gary Smith was spotted at the match, it is rumored that he was there to see Sergio Rosas. In the post match press conference I rip into the ref for the lack of penalty that cost us the game and unfortunately that leads to a one match suspension for myself. This has made the board furious with me so I will have to be careful for a while.

[Balldog]

Jaguares (1-3-6, 18^th) at Puebla (2-5-3, 12^th)

Mexican First Division Opening Stage

September 26, 2009, 3:00 PM

71 F / Wet

Odds: Puebla Pick ‘Em, Draw 11-5, Jaguares 11-5

We enter this one with high hopes of ending our mini-skid, that long break seems to be haunting us at this point. Noriega could play be we opt to sit him out since he is still suffering from the head injury. That leads us into going with the 4-4-2 and Hugo Ruiz moves to midfield and Acosta will start as a defender. We also decide to give Villalpando the start at goalkeeper today.

GK – Villalpando
D – Lopez Mondragon / Juarez / Acosta / Ramirez
MF – Rosas / H. Ruiz / Noriega / Jimenez
F – Gomez / C. Ruiz

I have to serve my one game suspension on this one and we get upset by Jaguares 3-1 and it seems we are reeling at this point. Our loan goal came from a penalty kick by Lopez Mondragon. What a disappointing month of September as we go 0-0-3.

September Update

The board is surprisingly very pleased with my overall leadership and they consider my performance so far in First Division play to be a success. Unfortunately we have lost another $604K

Puebla (2-4-4, 13^th) at Toluca (7-1-3, 4^th)

Mexican First Division Opening Stage

October 3, 2009, 3:00 PM

71 F / Gusty

Odds: Toluca 1-2 (fav), Draw 13-5, Puebla 9-2

Toluca is coming of an impressive 4-0 win over New York (MLS) in NA Champion’s League play. Both teams are missing quite a bit of players due to injuries but condition wise we are in good shape. Our morale is in pretty bad shape and this isn’t the type of opponent that will likely let us feel better about ourselves but we will do our best to at least get a draw today.

GK – Dautt
D – Lopez Mondragon / Juarez / H. Ruiz / Ramirez
M – Rosas / Noriega / Jimenez
F – Gomez / Olivera / C. Ruiz

10’ – We let them work the ball deep into our penalty area and they make us pay with an easy goal to take the lead 1-0.
34’ – Noriega gets a yellow card for a hard tackle that leads to a free kick, they place the free kick beautifully but the header is just off the post and we get the goal kick.
41’ – Juarez takes a shot off a free kick that gets deflected and we settle for a corner. Off the corner Olivera finds Gomez with a nice pass but Gomez gets denied!
44’ – Toluca’s Calderon gets a yellow card for an aggressive tackle.

HT – Toluca 1 : 0 Puebla
It took us a while to get going but we’ve certainly taken over the control of this one, we just need to get some better offensive flow now. Toluca has 6 shots to our 1. Noriega has been our best player so far with a 6.9 h/t rating.

49’ – For some reason they get away with an obvious offsides that leads to a breakaway but Dautt makes a great save to keep us within reach.
58’ – We sub in Ortiz for Jimenez and switch to a 4-2-3-1.
59’ – They get a shot from point blank range but Dautt blocks it and falls on it!
67’ – We sub in Puente for C. Ruiz.
74’ – The run a nice set and get free in our penalty area but Dautt sniffs it out and denies them!
75’ – We respond with a nice play from Noriega to Gomez but Gomez misses wide of the net.
79’ – Gomez finds Puente with a run at the goalie but he is denied!
80’ – We sub in Capetillo for Olivera who is gassed.
83’ – They get away with another obvious offside and this time we pay the price as they get a goal to put this one away. Our players are going nuts over the non-call!
84’ – Less than a minute later they get another goal as our guys have obviously just given up on this one.

Toluca 3 : 0 Puebla

I go off on the team after the game for giving up, we were obviously outmanned but several guys didn’t show up at all. Our fans are absolutely furious with our performance and rightfully so. What once seemed like a promising start to the season is spiraling out of control.

[Balldog]

Some notes before our next match:

• I call out Carlos Ruiz in the media for his poor performance lately and he agrees with me.
• We agree to terms for Cesareo Victorino an attacking midfielder who will be one of our better players when he arrives.
• In an effort to get rid of some payroll we offer several players for transfer, only Gilberto Mora gets any bids but he got 7 of them. Including New York (MLS), Chicago (MLS), and Pumas. We will receive $160K if they are able to reach a deal.
• We reset our lineup in hopes that we can straighten things out quickly. Palau and Acosta are back in the starting lineup, I now think we have the best possible lineup at this moment.

[Balldog]

Puebla (2-4-5, 14^th) at San Luis (3-3-6, 13^th)

Mexican First Division Opening Stage

October 7, 2009, 7:00 PM

73 F / Dry

Odds: Puebla 13-8, Draw 2-1, San Luis 6-4 (fav)

We are well rested headed into this one but still trying to overcome poor morale across the squad. Some of the milestones that are identified prior to the match – C. Ruiz has a scoring drought of 373 minutes and if we fail to win it will be a club record 7 games without winning.

GK – Dautt
D – Lopez Mondragon / Juarez / Acosta / Ramirez
MF – Salinas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F – Olivera / C. Ruiz

1’ – Starting Palau pays off instantly with a beautifully placed free kick that leads to a header goal by Acosta!
12’ – Acosta gets injured on the wrong end of a challenge but it looks like he will be able to remain in the game for now.
21’ – Olivera and C. Ruiz work the ball into the box giving C. Ruiz an opportunity but he is challenged before firing and they force a corner kick. Ruiz really missed a golden opportunity there.
33’ – Noriega steals a pass as they try to clear the zone and passes it ahead to Jimenez on the right side of the penalty area, Jimenez plays a perfect pass to C. Ruiz and Ruiz finally finishes! We now lead 2-0!

HT – Puebla 2 : 0 San Luis
We could not ask for a better 1^st half of play, our guys responded very well. Everyone has a 6.8 or greater h/t rating. We bring Ayala in for Jimenez to get some more experience on the field and we look to build upon our 2 goal lead in the 2^nd half.

58’ – We pull Olivera in favor of Gomez to get a fresh pair of legs up front.
68’ – Palau makes a nice steal just outside the top of the penalty area and he blasts one but their goalies makes a diving save.
78’ – Palau receives a yellow card for tripping.
79’ – We allow them to get a couple long passes and next thing you know they are behind us and make us pay with a goal to cut the lead to 2-1.
81’ – San Luis’s Maya receives a yellow card for shoving Ramirez to the grass. We bring in Ortiz to replace Salinas to give us another defensive minded player.
90+3’ – The ref blows the whistle ending the match just as San Luis was pushing forward with a 2-on-1 advantage and we dodge a bullet!

Puebla 2 : 1 San Luis
A much needed win to give us a boost into the final 5 games of the opening stage. Interesting to note that San Luis’s Diego de la Torre was named Man of the Match despite the turnover that cost his team Ruiz’s goal. On our side Alejandro Acosta scored a 7.7 f/t rating, followed by Diego Ramirez and Roberto Juarez at 7.2 each. We dominated the stat sheet with 15 shots to their 3, we won possession 54 to 46% and won 64% of headers. What a difference a win makes, now the press and fans are raving about my coaching after the win.

Before the match we offered a friendly to Zacatepec to keep our guys fresh during our next break, so we’ve got them coming up a in a few days. We are hoping this friendly will help with keeping us fresh and gives us a much needed boost in confidence.

Interesting to note the Cruz Azel (Mex) is 4-0 in North American Champions League Group Play, they have outscored their opponents by a score of 19 to 1. Noriega suffers a concussion in practice, he will miss the upcoming friendly match against Zacatepec. Carlos Ruiz (traveling with Mexico) will also miss the friendly.

Goal glut for Puebla in Friendly Demolition
Puebla 4 : 0 Zacatepec
Puebla turned their possession into goals with a 4-0 win over Zacatepec. Two goals from Marcelo Palau helped Puebla to victory. Experienced midfielder Nicolas Olivera got Puebla off to a flying start by scoring a placed shot in the 8^th minute. Midfielder Palau doubled Puebla’s lead with a placed shot in the 16^th minute. Palau added his 2^nd goal of the game with a powerful effort from the edge of the area in the 40^th minute. Experienced winger Felipe Ayala completed the rout with a placed shot in the 48^th minute.

[Balldog]

League Table as of October 18, 2009

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		América (MEX)		14	9	3	2	25	10	+15	30
2nd		Tigres		14	7	6	1	26	11	+15	27
3rd		Monterrey		14	7	5	2	20	12	+8	26
4th		Santos Laguna		13	7	4	2	25	11	+14	25
5th		Toluca		13	8	1	4	21	12	+9	25
6th		Atlante		14	6	4	4	16	14	+2	22
7th		Pachuca		12	6	3	3	16	9	+7	21
8th		Estudiantes Tecos		14	6	3	5	13	15	-2	21
9th		Morelia		13	6	2	5	17	16	+1	20
10th		Cruz Azul		12	5	4	3	15	10	+5	19
11th		Chivas		14	3	5	6	8	15	-7	14
12th		Puebla		12	3	4	5	15	20	-5	13
13th		Pumas		13	4	1	8	13	20	-7	13
14th		San Luis		14	3	4	7	13	24	-11	13
15th		Indios		14	3	3	8	16	21	-5	12
16th		Jaguares		14	2	5	7	10	14	-4	11
17th		Atlas		13	3	2	8	9	23	-14	11
18th		Querétaro		13	2	1	10	8	29	-21	7

[Balldog]

More importantly here is the Opening Stage Groups, the top 2 from each group qualify for the playoffs with the best 2 teams in 3rd position also qualifying. So right now we are 8 points out of the playoffs, trailing Pachuca in our group and Tecos for the wild card, with 5 games to go.

Group 1

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Monterrey		14	7	5	2	20	12	+8	26
2nd		Pachuca		12	6	3	3	16	9	+7	21
3rd		Puebla		12	3	4	5	15	20	-5	13
4th		Pumas		13	4	1	8	13	20	-7	13
5th		Indios		14	3	3	8	16	21	-5	12
6th		Querétaro		13	2	1	10	8	29	-21	7

Group 2

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Tigres		14	7	6	1	26	11	+15	27
2nd		Toluca		13	8	1	4	21	12	+9	25
3rd		Estudiantes Tecos		14	6	3	5	13	15	-2	21
4th		Cruz Azul		12	5	4	3	15	10	+5	19
5th		San Luis		14	3	4	7	13	24	-11	13
6th		Jaguares		14	2	5	7	10	14	-4	11

Group 3

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		América (MEX)		14	9	3	2	25	10	+15	30
2nd		Santos Laguna		13	7	4	2	25	11	+14	25
3rd		Atlante		14	6	4	4	16	14	+2	22
4th		Morelia		13	6	2	5	17	16	+1	20
5th		Chivas		14	3	5	6	8	15	-7	14
6th		Atlas		13	3	2	8	9	23	-14	11

[Balldog]

Puebla (3-4-5, 12^th) at Pachuca (6-3-3, 7^th)

Mexican First Division Opening Stage

October 18, 2009, 7:00 PM

71 F / Dry

Odds: Pachuca 4-7 (fav), Draw 5-2, Puebla 4-1

We are in position where we pretty much have to win our final 5 games in order to get into the playoffs and Pachuca will be our biggest test the rest of the way. We are in good condition entering this one, with the exception of Noriega, so we will continue with our standard lineup. Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero has been outstanding with 6 shutouts in his 9 contests. I think he has benefited from their defense as a whole though.

GK – Dautt
D – Lopez Mondragon / Juarez / Acosta / Ramirez
MF – Salinas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F – Olivera / C. Ruiz

2’ – Pachuca comes out on the attack and wastes no time getting first blood with a header goal of a corner kick.
16’ – Palau blasts a shot from about 40 yards out and Calera barely gets a piece of it to avoid the goal.
24’ – Pachuca catches us out of position defensively and they end up getting another goal to take a 2-0 lead.
36’ – They beat us with some nice passing that leads to a quality shot but Dautt denies them from point blank range!
37’ – We pull Noriega who is out of gas and bring in Hector Gomez, while switching to a 4-4-2 Diamond. They have been really outnumbering our forwards so hopefully the extra support can lead to something.
44’ – Pachuca’s Marco Ivan Perez gets a yellow card for pushing Gomez to the grass.

HT – Pachuca 2 : 0 Puebla
Not the first half we were hoping for and we have to make up a big lead to the league’s best defensive team. We have only gotten 5 shots so far with all 5 being long shots and only 1 being on target so we will have to attack more in the 2^nd half to have a chance. Nobody is having a good game for us, we are clearly over matched at this point. I try to rally the squad as we head out for the second half.

51’ – Pachuca all but puts this one away as they catch us on the attack and Cvitanich gets his 2^nd goal of the match.
63’ – We get some more fresh legs in for the attack with Rosas and Ayala coming in for Salinas and Jimenez.
67’ – A corner from Olivera leads to a great opportunity for Juarez but the header goes over the net!
75’ – Pachuca adds salt to our wound with another well placed pass that leads to a goal and we are getting blown out 4-0.
76’ – We finally get some nice work going with the pass and Ayala finds Olivera at the top of the penalty area and he hammers it home.

Pachuca 4 : 1 Puebla
A painful loss as we get embarrassed by Pachuca, they dominated every aspect of this one. Even with the all out attack and pressure we tried to apply on them offensively in the 2^nd half we only managed 3 shots for a total of 8 for the match. Our top performer was Felipe Ayala with a 6.9 f/t rating and our worst performer was Manuel Lopez Mondragon with a 4.8 f/t rating. The loss all but eliminates us from the playoff so we will be playing for pride for the next few weeks.

After the game we learn that Gilberto Mora has agreed to terms with Chivas and we accept his transfer, effective December 20, 2009. This transfer will bring us $160K.

Alvaro Gonzalez is finally back to full training, the time off really took a toll on his game but we will welcome him back into for our next match.

[Balldog]

Puebla (3-5-6, 13^th) at Indios (3-4-8, 15^th)

Mexican First Division Opening Stage

October 24, 2009, 7:00 PM

86 F / Dry

Odds: Indios 6-4 (fav), Draw 2-1, Puebla 13-8

Indios has a decently team but they have flaws that can be exposed. They aren’t terribly quick defensively so we will look to press the issue and hopefully get some opportunities. For the most part we are in good condition but still lacking good morale.

GK – Dautt
D – Lopez Mondragon / Acosta / Juarez / Ramirez
MF – Salinas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F – Olivera / C. Ruiz

10’ – Ramirez picks up a loose ball and catches Indios out of position but he misses wide of the net!
17’ – Olivera gets a great opportunity at the top of the penalty area but he struggles to get a much on it and its easily deflected by their goalkeeper.
29’ – Salinas gets injured after a collision going for a header, but he will be able to play through it.
30’ – Ramirez forces a turnover and delivers a long pass to Palau just outside the top of the penalty area and Palau hammers one home for the goal!!!
40’ – Indios finally gets a quality opportunity but Dautt blocks it and Ramirez concedes the corner.

HT – Puebla 1 : 0 Indios
A nice first half of play for the team as everyone played well except for Olivera, I encourage him to hopefully help him get going. If he doesn’t we will pull him soon. We have had 3 shots with 2 of the on target while Indios has had 5 shots with 1 being on target. They are dominating tackles at 83% but for the most part everything else is even.

50’ – Juarez is given a yellow card for holding in the penalty area and that leads to a penalty kick. And they blast the penalty kick right past Dautt to tie it up at 1-1.
54’ – Noriega gets a shot from in close but he is denied!
61’ – We pull Acosta and Olivera in favor of Ortiz and Gomez due to performance.
68’ – They get away with what looked to be an offside and get a shot deep in our penalty area but Dautt denies them!
72’ – Diego Ramirez gets injured on a hard tackle by Indios but he will play through it.
81’ – Indios gets a deep pass then plays it ahead perfectly for a well timed goal to take a 2-1 lead.
86’ – Ortiz gets a yellow card for pretty much body slamming a Indios player.
87’ – Dautt miss plays a deep ball by Indios and they basically get an empty net goal to seal it.

Indios 3 : 1 Puebla
We drop another opportunity to get some points after letting up 3 goals in the 2^nd half. Palau was the only one to play really well today, he finished with a 7.7 f/t rating. We will be excited to get Gonzalez back into the lineup so he can hopefully inject some life into our offense. We only had 7 shots today with 4 being on target. For the most part this game was even but we made some key mistakes that allowed them to get the win.

After the game we learn that Diego Ramirez’s injury was more serious than we thought and he will be out roughly 2 weeks.

Rumors are swirling that Colorado (MLS) is keeping tabs on Sergio Rosas but they have yet to make an offer.

[Balldog]

Puebla (3-4-7, 14^th) at Atlas (3-2-9, 17^th)

Mexican First Division Opening Stage

October 31, 2009, 3:00 PM

57 F / Dry

Odds: Atlas 4-5 (fav), Draw 2-1, Puebla 3-1

This is a game we should win and I’m going to press the team to do so, I’ve been pampering them lately and it hasn’t worked so it is time to hold them accountable. We have to get creative with our formation since Diego Ramirez is out so we do so and it is interesting. We will see how this one works out, I’d consider it a 5-2-3.

GK – Dautt
D – Lopez Mondragon / Juarez / Acosta / Noriega / Anzaldo
MF – Palau / Jimenez
F – Gomez / Olivera / Ruiz

36’ – Juarez commits a foul just outside the top of the penalty area that allows them a free kick and they make us pay as we defend it poorly and allow the goal. 1-0 Atlas.
37’ – Palau responds with a long goal from the left side far outside the penalty area!!
39’ – Atlas’s Edgar Ivan Pacheco is issued a yellow card for pushing Noriega to the grass.
41’ – We dodge a bullet as a perfect cross is delivered and Dautt miss plays the angle allowing for an open net but the header misses high of the goal!
42’ – Lopez Mondragon plays a beautiful long pass and hits Gomez right in stride but he isn’t able to control it, if he had it would be hard to believe he wouldn’t have scored.
HT – Puebla 1 : 1 Atlas
We have done well to be tied at the half as Atlas has dominated for the most part but we’ve kept them from real quality opportunities. Acosta, Olivera, and Gomez are all struggling with <6.0 h/t ratings. We try to change their responsibilities to try and spark them, if not we will have to pull them. Atlas has 9 shots to our 3, but they only have 1 shot on target.

52’ – Atlas’s Omar Trujillo gets a yellow card for holding Olivera.
55’ – Juarez goes down with an injury but we are trying to treat him and keep him in the game.
57’ – We bring Ayala in for Jimenez hoping his experience will pay off.
66’ – Gomez is still struggling so we pull him and his 5.4 rating for Munoz.
72’ – Munoz places a perfect cross but Noriega isn’t able to make good contact and their goalkeeper is able to stop it.
78’ – Olivera has an opportunity he just needs to beat his man and he gets taken down with no call!!
90+1’ – Palau places a perfect free kick and Acosta heads it… but it hits the side of the net!
90+3’ – Atlas has a great corner that leads to a header but it is off the cross bar and time runs out!

Puebla 1 : 1 Atlas
Obviously we were wanting to win this one but we were unable to really get anything going on offense. We ended up with only 5 shots and only 1 of them being on target. Atlas had 16 shots but only 2 of them were on target. It was one of the more boring games we have had this year. Palau is named Man of the Match with his 7.8 f/t rating, he has been playing great lately.

Toronto (MLS) seems to be really interested in Palau, but we are not going to part with him during his time here. His transfer is up 6/30/2010.

Unfortunately we recorded another loss in October, this month it is $667K. Another negative month will run us near zero cash which is not a good scenario.

The board is basically suggesting we let Herculez Gomez go, and I agree so we are going to work on terminating his contract. This will help us out in a couple areas because we face a roster dilemma next month when Thomas joins the team. Getting rid of Gomez gets us back under the allowable amount of foreign players. In offering a mutual termination to Gomez I get emails from 9 players expressing their anger, not good but it is not like they can play any worse. Gomez is not interested so we offer him to other clubs for $100K.

[Balldog]

Cruz Azul (7-4-4, 8^th) at Puebla (3-5-7, 15^th)
Mexican First Division Opening Stage
November 4, 2009, 7:30 PM
62 F / Strong Wind
Odds: Puebla 3-1, Draw 2-1, Cruz Azul 4-5 (fav)

Cruz Azul plays a very tight defense that will surely give us fits so it will be key for us to lock things down on our end. Luckily they have five players missing in action for this one due to various reasons. Hugo Ruiz will get the start for Diego Ramirez who is still out with his leg injury, Ruiz will play DC and Acosta will shift to DR. Overall we are in good shape but morale is still low.

GK – Dautt
D – Lopez Mondragon / Juarez / H. Ruiz / Acosta
MF – Rosas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F – Gonzalez / C. Ruiz

9’ – Palau takes a shot to the head while attempting a header and he is injured but will remain in the game for now.
15’ – Palau gets a yellow card for a hard tackle.
19’ – C. Ruiz plays a great pass across the middle to an eager Palau who blasts one on goal but he is denied!
21’ – A penalty by Palau leads to a free kick about 25 yards away from the goal to the left, Cruz Azul’s Lopez blasts the free kick into the far side net to take the lead!
37’ – We pull Jimenez in favor of Ayala after a few poor passes by Jimenez give them an advantage.
44’ – Noriega sets up C. Ruiz with a good opportunity but he misses high of the goal.
HT – Cruz Azul 1 : 0 Puebla
We have got to pleased with the way we controlled the game in the first half but somehow we still find ourselves down by a goal. We have dominated possession 61% to 39%, but both teams have 4 shots with 2 on goal. In the second half we will have to try and push the tempo a bit to take advantage of our possession advantage. Alvaro Gonzalez is really tired and we will give him the rest of the game off by replacing him with Olivera.
63’ – C. Ruiz is taken down in the penalty area but doesn’t get a call, he is furious with the official.
65’ – They are attacking more frequently this half and get a nice shot at Dautt but he is able to save it easily.
67’ – We decide it is time to give Palau a break and bring in Anzaldo to replace him.
70’ – Cruz Azul’s Huiqui gets a yellow card for holding onto Olivera’s jersey preventing him from a one on one with the goalie.
72’ – Dautt’s goal kick leads to a penalty deep in Cruz Azul territory but just outside the penalty area and Olivera’s free kick just misses the net.
80’ – A miscue by our defense leads to a point blank shot but somehow Dautt deflects it and Juarez is there for the clear! They are really attacking, even with the lead!
86’ – Ayala gets a yellow card for a hard tackle.
89’ – A Cruz Azel turn over leads to a 2 on 1 opportunity but on Ayala’s past to C. Ruiz they manage to steal it.
90’ – H. Ruiz plows over an unexpecting opponent and receives a yellow card.

Cruz Azul 1 : 0 Puebla
A tough loss but they were the better team in the 2^nd half and we couldn’t mount any sort of attack. They finished with 14 shots to our 7 and closed the possession gap to 53% (us) to 47%. Lopez Mondragon was the only player for us to break 7.0 f/t rating, they had 5 guys score better than 7.0 and their best player Christian Gimenez didn’t even play.

A record low attendance is expected for our Opening Stage finale with Morelia.

[Balldog]

Morelia (8-3-5, 6^th) at Puebla (3-5-8, 15^th)
Mexican First Division Opening Stage
November 7, 2009, 3:00 PM
75 F / Breezy
Odds: Puebla 11-5, Draw 11-5, Morelia (Pick Em)

We are going to go with a 5-4-1 formation in this one. We are leaning in the direction for the future, the 4-4-2 isn’t really working for us at this point anyway. Condition wise we aren’t as fresh as we would like but we will get through this one since it is the end of the season. Surprisingly The Mexican Soccer Chronicle is picking us to win this one and I tell the team I expect them to win.

GK – Dautt
D – Lopez Mondragon / H. Ruiz / Juarez / Acosta / Ramirez
MF – Salinas / Palau / Noriega / Jimenez
F – Gonzalez

6’ – Off a Morelia corner Palau gets called for a questionable foul and Morelia gets a penalty kick. Their forward Sabah nails it home as Dautt continues to struggle in these situations.
13’ – A superb cross by Ramirez and a great header by Gonzalez is offset by a great save!
27’ – We pull Jimenez in favor of Ayala.
31’ – Palau misjudges a ball and it leads to another Morelia goal. Palau is quickly going from a fan favorite to getting pushed out of town.
36’ – Noriega places a nice pass to Ayala but he gets beat off the ball and they clear for the corner.
43’ – Palau goes down with another injury and we will take that opportunity to give him the rest of the afternoon off.
HT – Morelia 2 : 0 Puebla
That was a rough first half, Morelia dominated every aspect. They had 8 shots to our 2. Palau ended up laving with a brutal 3.4 h/t rating but he isn’t alone, no one has a rating better than 6.6 I continue to press the team for a better performance but I don’t expect much to change in the second half.

46’ – Just a minute into the 2^nd half and Morelia is on the board again with a great goal from just outside our penalty area.
53’ – Another long shot for Morelia, this time Dautt barely gets a piece of it and we dodge a bullet.
56’ – Morelia gets another opportunity, this time off a corner but the header goes wide of the net.
59’ – Again Morelia on the attack, another header but it is too high!
74’ – Morelia gets another goal but wait this one is waved off due to offsides, finally we catch a break.

Morelia 3 : 0 Puebla
Our offensive struggles continue as we get dominated by Morelia, as impossible as it seemed they dominated the 2^nd half more than the first. Morelia ended up with 18 shots to our 3, with 6 on target. They simply dominated every aspect of this one. Our fans are devastated by the performance and I can’t blame them. After the game we learn that Palau is out 3 to 4 weeks with a hamstring injury, but that just means he will be back into for the Closing Stage. Slowly but surely players are coming out supporting me and how I treated Gomez early in the month.

[Balldog]

Mexican First Division Opening Stage - Final Table

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Pl	Tigres		17	9	7	1	33	15	+18	34
2nd	Pl	América (MEX)		17	10	4	3	28	13	+15	34
3rd	Pl	Morelia		17	9	3	5	23	17	+6	30
4th	Pl	Pachuca		17	8	5	4	24	14	+10	29
5th	Pl	Cruz Azul		17	8	5	4	22	14	+8	29
6th	Pl	Toluca		17	9	2	6	23	17	+6	29
7th	Pl	Santos Laguna		17	8	4	5	30	17	+13	28
8th		Estudiantes Tecos		17	8	4	5	17	16	+1	28
9th	Pl	Monterrey		17	7	5	5	21	17	+4	26
10th		Atlante		17	7	5	5	21	19	+2	26
11th		Pumas		17	6	3	8	16	20	-4	21
12th		Indios		17	5	3	9	22	26	-4	18
13th		Chivas		17	4	6	7	12	19	-7	18
14th		San Luis		17	4	5	8	19	30	-11	17
15th		Jaguares		17	3	6	8	11	16	-5	15
16th		Puebla		17	3	5	9	18	32	-14	14
17th		Querétaro		17	4	1	12	14	35	-21	13
18th		Atlas		17	3	3	11	10	27	-17	12

[Balldog]

November Update
GK Alexandro Alvarez vents his frustration with lack of first team work, he is not much better than Dautt but we just felt more comfortable with Dautt.

Cruz Azul, America (Mex), Monterrey, and Toluca advance to the Opening Stage semi-finals.

Puente, Palau, Rincon, C. Ortiz, and Olivera are all injured. All of them injured during some intense training, except Palau.

Toluca and America (Mex) advance in the playoffs and will play in the Finals.
· America (Mex) wins the first game, 2-1.
· Toluca wins the second game, 1-0.
· America (Mex) wins the Penalty Shootout to win the Opening Stage.

We propose a couple friendly matches with Pumas, Jaguares Tuxtla, and Cesifut.

Board Update:
We lost another $725K in November.
The board is OK with Club Stature, Salaries, and Squard Harmony. I am surprised to see they are still happy with our performance in matches. Our fans are not as positive, they are not happy with our players or our match play. Overall though my job status is listed as Very Secure.

December Update

Friendly vs. Pumas
Ayala and C. Ruiz will have to sit this one out due to injuries.
· 24’ - Bravos (Pumas) scores on a goal from just outside the top of the penalty area.
Pumas wins 1-0, we blew several opportunities to at least get the draw.

Friendly at Jaguares Tuxtla
This is a money game for us, they are giving us some good dough to appear. Ayala and C. Ruiz are again out of this one.
· 57’ – Gomez (Puebla) scores off of a nice pass from Olivera.
We win an ugly on at Jaguares Tuxtla, we’ll take that cash though.

Joaquin Velazquez announces he will be retiring at the end of the season.

Oscar Dautt suffered a badly sprained ankle during training and he will miss 5 to 6 weeks.

Alvaro Gonzalez announces he will be retiring at the end of the season.

Friendly at Cesifut
This is another money game.
· 73’ – Olivera scores off a pass by Salinas.
Another ugly win offensively but we’ll take it for now.

Transfer Window Begins
In – D Gabriel Palmeros, SW Shavar Thomas, AM Cesareo Victorino.
Out – AM Marco Capetillo (Pumas), AM Gilberto Mora (Chivas)

[Balldog]

December 2009 Update
Now that we have a few more holes filled and we have settled on our roster for the Closing Stage I put Rosas and Puente out there for transfer. I quickly get offers from Pachuca, Queretaro, and Jaguares make bids for Rosas. Santos Laguna and New York (MLS) make bids for Puente. We accept all bids and if we are able to unload these guys we should get about $1.3M in transfer money.

I also scheduled 3 more Friendly Matches before Closing Stage starts on 1/10/10.

Isidro Sanchez has accepted a contract offer from Toluca and we agree to transfer him, this brings us $275K in addition to the potential money from Rosas and Puente.

Friendly @ C.A. Hidalgo
41' - Victorino finds H. Ruiz off a free kick and H. Ruiz drills it in!
65' - Noriega places a nice long pass to Salinas and he makes them pay!
A nice 2-0 win and we secured a nice appearance fee. Noriega, Salinas, and Ramirez were our top performers. Juarez injured his groin and will be out 3 weeks.

Rafael Puente has accepted a contract offer from New York (MLS) and we agree to transfer him. This brings us $400K in transfer money.

Sergio Rosas has accepted a contract offer from Pumas and we agree to transfer him. This transfer brings us $925K.

Friendly @ Vera Cruz
84' - Vera Cruz gets a nice goal after a cross gets them right in front of the net.
Even though Vera Cruz is a Promotion League team many expected them to win this one and they did 1-0.

Board Confidence Update

• The board considers our performance in the Opening Stage to be fantastic.
• The fans' are not happy with Marcelo Palau.
• The club recorded a $533K loss in December.

January Update

Friendly @ Jaguares Tuxtla
10' - C. Ruiz make a couple great moves and finds the net!
20' - We intercept a pass and C. Ruiz passes it ahead to Victorino for the goal!
72' - A great 45 foot cross from Lopez Mondragon leads to a header goal by Puente!
An easy 3-0 win to prep us for the Closing Stage.

Not a good start, less than a week prior to our opening Closing Stage match with America (Mex) Cesareo Victorino sustains a twisted ankle which will put him out for about 4 weeks.

[Balldog]

Quick Team Preview for Closing Stage
We are going to roll out a 5-4-1 Double Diamond formation. We are hoping this will solidify our defense while still managing to support our attack.

First Eleven

GK – Alexandro Alvarez, 32 yrs old, he has been with the team since June and has made 16 appearances. All of his appearances have been in Friendly matches. He has had 10 shutouts in those 16 appearances.

SW – Shavar Thomas, 28 yrs old, he has been with the team since December and has made 3 appearances. In his 3 friendly appearances he had an average f/t rating of 6.9

DR – Diego Ramirez, 28 yrs old, he has been with the team since July and played in 15 league matches with an average 6.63 rating with 1 assist.

DL – Manuel Lopez Mondragon, 26 yrs old, he has been with the team since June. He has appeared in 12 league matches with an average 6.31 rating. In the 12 matches he has notched 1 goal and 1 assist.

DC – Alejandro Acosta, 29 yrs old, he has been with the team since June. He has appeared in 11 league matches with an average 6.5 rating with 1 goal.

DC – Hugo Ruiz, 33 yrs old, he has been with the team since June 2006. He has appeared in 10 league matches with an average 6.41 rating.

DMC – Luis Miguel Noriega, 24 yrs old, he has been with the team since June 2005. He has appeared in all 17 league matches with an average 6.78 rating. In the Opening Stage he finished 3^rd in the league in Passing with an 83% completion rate.

MR – Damian Jimenez, 16 yrs old, he has been with the team since June. He has appeared in all 17 league matches with an average 6.61 rating with 3 assists. He fills our lineup requirement for under-21.

ML – Rodrigo Salinas, 21 yrs old, he has been with the team since June. He has appeared in 13 league matches with an average 6.57 rating with 1 assist.

AMC – Cesareo Victorino, 30 yrs old, he has been with the team since December. He has appeared in 3 friendly matches with an average 6.80 rating with 1 goal and 1 assist. He is currently undergoing treatment for a twisted ankle and is expected to miss 3 to 4 weeks.

ST – Carlos Ruiz, 30 yrs old, he has been with the team since June. He has appeared in 16 league matches with an average 6.68 rating with 6 goals and 3 assists.

Bench and Role

AMC/ST – Nicolas Olivera, 31 yrs old, he has been with the team since June. He has appeared in 12 league matches with an average 6.49 rating with 2 goals and 1 assist. He will start in place of Victorino until he is match ready again.

GK – Oscar Dautt, 33 yrs old, he has been with the team since June 2000. He has appeared in 16 league matches with an average 6.58 rating while allowing 29 goals and recording 2 shutouts. He is currently undergoing treatment for a sprained ankle and is expected to miss 1 more week.

DL/DMC/ML – Alvaro Ortiz, 31 yrs old, he has been with the team since June 2009. He has appeared in 10 league matches with an average 6.63 rating.

DR – Gabriel Palmeros, 32 yrs old, he has been with the team since December. He has appeared in 2 friendly matches with an average 6.75 rating.

DMC/MR – Marcelo Palau, 24 yrs old, he has been with the team on Loan from Wanderers since June. He has appeared in 13 league matches with an average 6.62 rating with 3 goals and 2 assists.

MR – Felipe Ayala, 32 yrs old, he has been with the team since December 2009. He has appeared in 6 league matches with an average 6.45 rating.

DMC – Gustavo Anzaldo, 21 yrs old, he has been with the team since June 2004. He has appeared in 7 league matches with an average 6.58 rating.

DMC/DC – Roberto Juarez, 25 yrs old, he has been with the team since June 2008. He has appeared in 17 league matches with an average 6.87 rating. He is currently undergoing treatment for a groin strain and is expected to miss 1 more week.

[Balldog]

Puebla at America (Mex)
Mexican First Division Closing Stage
January 11, 2010, 7:30 PM
64 F / Gusty
Past Meeting(s): 1-1 Draw on July 31, 2009
Odds: America 1-6 (fav), Draw 5-1, Puebla 10-1

We enter this one as big time underdogs! America is easily the favorites to win the Closing Stage now that they are healthy. They are on a roll as of late and have added AM Choi Tae-Wook from Korea.

8' - We have a breakdown defensively allowing one of their forwards to get in a seam and fire a shot on goal but its off the cross bar. We recovered well to make him rush the shot.

28' - Olivera misses an interception allowing America forward Rosinei to gain possession and he fires on the net from 20 yards out and he connects!

42' - Rosinei fires a bullet from about 35 yards out to the far corner of the net and Alvarez dives to make a great save and force the corner!

HT - At the half its 1-0 America and they have really controlled the match despite our large advantage in possession (59%). They have 11 shots and we have yet to attempt 1 shot. Six of their shots have been on target. They have 7 more fouls than us which is really keeping us from advancing the ball and when we do they are outnumbering us in our 1/3 of the field. In the second half we really need to focus on advancing the ball.

We bring in Palau to replace Jimenez who has had quite a few turnovers.

53' - Some fancy dribbling by their forward Montenegro gives him a quality chance but his shot is wide of the net. Thomas did a good job of forcing him to rush it.

56' - Ortiz is subbed in for Salinas who got dinged up earlier.

60' - Off a corner Noriega misses a header in their end and its crossed in front of the goal, Alvarez dives to grab it but misses leaving a wide open net for America's Sanchez!

70' - We get our first quality shot off a cross by Ortiz but Palau's header is high of the goal.

72' - We bring in Anzaldo to replace H. Ruiz who has a bad game so far.

79' - A great pass by Anzaldo leads to a nice look for Palau from the top of the penalty area but his shot is just high of the goal.

80' - A long clear and a long pass leads to a breakaway opportunity for America but Alvarez denies them!

90+1' - A wonderful pass by Ortiz gives a great opportunity to C. Ruiz but he gets denied from point blank range!

Final - America 2 : 0 Puebla

We played really well today, their only goals came off a short mental lapse and a freak play. Offensively we have a lot of room for improvement but we are going for a more defensive approach this stage. America had 22 shots in the match with 8 on target, compared to our 4 shots with 1 on target. Ramirez and Thomas were very good as they controlled much of the header battle.

After the match fans are criticizing my tactics and disappointed with our performance.

Rafael Puente finally heads to New York (MLS) and he tells the media he is relieved to be leaving.

We agree to a transfer for DL Federico Dominguez from Argentina, he will join the team next season and push Lopez Mondragon for playing time.

[Balldog]

January 16, 2010

First Division Match vs. Tigres (0-1-0)

Starting Eleven:
GK - A. Alvarez
SW - S. Thomas
DR - D. Ramirez
DL - M. Lopez Mondragon
DC - A. Acosta
DC - H. Ruiz
MR - D. Jimenez
ML - R. Salinas
MC - L. Noriega
AMC - N. Olivera
ST - C. Ruiz

Subs - J. Villalpando, A. Ortiz, G. Palmeros, M. Palau, F. Ayala, G. Anzaldo, R. Juarez

1st Half
21' - Tigres' Itamar scores a header off of a corner kick!
39' - Tigres' Itamar gets what looks to be his 2nd goal but it is waved off after it is ruled that he jumped unfairly into Alvarez.

Halftime
We go scoreless for yet another half and are lucky to be within one goal. Overall though we are playing well we just need to finish our opportunities. Olivera and H. Ruiz are both playing poorly so they are both pulled in favor of Palau and Anzaldo.

2nd Half
89' - A lot of time passes without a real quality shot from either side until Tigres gets one in close but they miss wide of the net!
90+1' - Noriega gets injured and has to leave the match, leaving us a man down for the final few minutes.

Final
We lose 1-0 in a poor match for the fans. We played with more aggressiveness but were unable to find the net for the 6 straight league match.

Man of the Match
Damian Jimenez scored a 8.3 f/t rating, the highest of his career. He caused all sorts of problems today, his running meant the opposition defense couldn't relax for one moment.

Palau Injury
Marcelo Palau damaged his elbow after landing hard and will miss 2 weeks.

Ruiz's Goal Drought
Carlos Ruiz has not scored a goal in over 9 hours of league play and he vows to end that drought our next match.

Juarez Back to Full Strength
Roberto Juarez is ready to return to match play, he played the final 30 minutes today and looked good to go. He will likely replace Hugo Ruiz who has been struggling.

[Balldog]

January 19, 2010

Our scout Guillermo Cossio recommends we take a look at 31-year old Santos Laguna striker Carlos Ochoa. He looks to be an upgrade to what we have today so we will get a report on him.

Oscar Dautt is back to 100% and available to play now, but he will remain as the backup GK to Alvarez.

DM Orlando Rincon is brought up from the reserve squad to fill the void left by Marcelo Palau's injury.

[Balldog]

January 20, 2010

Our scouts believe Carlos Ochoa is definitely an upgrade at striker so we will make an offer. They are asking for $325K and are in need of a Central Defender. So we are offering $160K and Hugo Ruiz for now.

[Balldog]

January 23, 2010

Atlas has fired their head coach Carlos Ischia and there is speculation by the media that I will be offered the job. Atlas certainly has a lot more money behind them, they are valued at over $30M compared to Puebla's $9.5M. They also have some of the best facilities in the country.

For now I release a statement that I am not interested, largely in part because I can't imagine they would offer me.

The board is delighted that I have declared that I am not interested.