Superclasico rivals battle to draw

HOUSTON -- Fans were expecting another great match from Club America and Chivas de Guadalajara at Robertson Stadium on Saturday night, as the Superclasico rivals battled in the fourth match of InterLiga.

The fans got what they wanted.

America, the 2008 Interliga champion, scored first in the 37th minute, but Chivas earned an own goal in the 56th minute as the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in front of 30,729 fans. The match was each team's first in Group B play.

Both teams are 0-0-1 with a point and in a four-way tie with Tigres and Atlas in the group.

America scored in the 37th minute when one of their newest signings, Jean Beausejour, got a pass in the upper left box and drilled a shot just inside the lower pole. Angel Reyna sent a delayed pass to Beausejour, who gathered it and drilled it for the goal.

Chivas scored the equalizer in the 56th minute when Sergio Amaury Ponce chased down a free kick and appeared to send a header into the net. After further review, the header went off of America's Alejandro Arguello for an own goal.

"We played a hard game. Both teams didn't want to lose," said America forward Robert De Pinho. "We played hard. I think it was a fair ending to the game. Both teams came out wanting to win."

Salvador Cabanas tried to give America the early lead in the 16th minute, but his shot from the left went high. In the 26th minute, Chivas got a shot by Carlos Ochoa after Fernando Ortiz couldn't clear. Guillermo Ochoa, however, saved Carlos Ochoa's shot, and the score remained knotted at zero.

In the 33rd minute, America nearly took the lead on a shot by Enrique Vera from 18 yards out, but Chivas goalkeeper Luis Ernesto Michel made a great save to deny it. In the 41st minute Carlos Ochoa headed Ramon Morales' pass from the right, but Guillermo Ochoa was there for the stop.

Morales nearly tied the score late in the first half when he tried to surprise America on a free kick from near midfield on the left, but his shot went over the goal.

"This was a very tense game, and we fought very hard," said Carlos Ochoa. "We had a good game, and I'm glad the fans had a good game to watch. We played good. At the end, we had a lot of opportunities to score. I'm glad to see us playing well as a team. I look forward to the next game."

America started the second half with a header by Robert De Pinho that was saved by Michel in the 48th minute. In the 51st minute, De Pinho came back with a shot from 22 yards out on the right that Michel easily gathered.

Beausejour was looking for his second goal of the night in the 64th minute, but his trip through the box and shot from the left from 15 yards out went wide right. Carlos Ochoa tried giving Guadalajara the lead in the 66th minute as he fired one from just right of the semi-circle that went just left of the upper pole.

De Pinho tried to regain the lead for Club America in the 67th minute, but Michel easily gathered up his free kick from 27 yards out in the middle. Chivas defender Hector Reynoso got a loose ball off a corner kick in the 71st minute, but his bullet from above the semi-circle went high.

Xavier Baez tried to give Chivas the lead in the 79th minute, but his bullet from 30 yards out left of midfield went high. Morales nearly scored in the 81st minute as he dribbled up the left sideline and gathered for a bullet that Guillermo Ochoa had to dive to his left to make the save on.

Club America fought back in the 85th minute as second-half substitute Enrique Esqueda headed a pass from the middle of the box that Michel made a diving save to stop. Arguello's corner kick from the left side in the 87th minute was batted out by Michel.

Beausejour tried to give America the lead in the 90th minute, but his shot from the left box went wide right.

"I felt we should have won the game," Reynoso said. "Even though we didn't play well in the first half, we played well in the second half, and we should have won it."

Guillermo finished with four saves for America, while Michel had two.

"Our team needs more offense, and I think the return Pavel Pardo will help the team be more ordered," said America defender Edgar Castillo. "We have to get more ball in the midfield."

Both teams will continue Interliga play on Tuesday at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX, as America battle Tigres at 7 p.m. CT and Chivas face Atlas at 9:30 p.m. CT.

Atlas, Tigres open Group B with draw

HOUSTON -- In a prelude to the Chivas de Guadelara-America clasico, Atlas and Tigres UANL played to a scoreless draw in the third game of InterLiga 2009 and first in Group B Saturday night at Robertson Stadium.

Atlas dominated play in the first half, out-shooting Tigres, 7-2, but Tigres controlled the action in the second half and just missed coming out with a win.

Both teams sit at 0-0-1 with a point in Group B play.

"This game was very boring due to it this being our preseason," said Tigres midfielder Lucas Lobos. "We still don't have all of the understanding of how everyone plays the game, so we are still a little new with each other."

Atlas came out quick as Eduardo Rergis fired one from outside the 18-yard box in the first 30 seconds of the match, but his shot went wide right. Cesar Ibanez got a feed to the top of the box in the eighth minute, but his low line drive went wide to the left.

Sandwiched between the Atlas attempts, Tigres' Julio Aguilar headed a free kick from the middle of the box in the fifth minute, but the ball sailed just over the cross bar. In the 18th minute, Atlas' Jorge Archucarro got a feed in the upper right corner of the box from Bruno Marioni, but Archucarro sent his shot 10 rows into the stands.

Two minutes later, Marioni nearly put Atlas on the board after getting a pass back on the left side of the box and letting a bullet go that hit the left side of the net. Ibanez got another shot off in the 34th minute, but the rocket from just beyond the right corner of the box went high.

In the 40th minute, Atlas had another chance to take the lead when Botinelli faked out two Tigres defenders on the right side of the box and passed off to defender Nestor Vidrio, who let a shot fly high. Three minutes later, Rergis got control of a loose ball on the left side and one-timed it just outside the left side of the net.

"It was a difficult game because they played well defensively," Botinelli said. "We weren't able to take advantage of the chances we had. We have a good attitude, and we know we have to have better offense if we are going to win."

Tigres finally got another shot off in the first half stoppage time as Jesus Molina got a short pass at the top of the semi-circle and fired a one-timer over the crossbar.

"I thought we needed to have more communication between our players," said Tigres midfielder Francisco Fonseca. "During the season we will have that communication, but we were working with a couple new players tonight, so we had to try to integrate them."

Tigres got its first shot on goal in the 49th minute with a free kick by midfielder Lucas Lobos, but Atlas' goalkeeper Pedro Hernandez was easily able to save it to keep it scoreless.

Atlas came right back in the 52nd minute with a Marioni free kick from just right of the semi-circle that blistered by the wall, and forced Tigres 'keeper Oscar Perez to make a diving save to his right to stop. In the 65th minute, Marioni took an open, right-footed shot in the middle of the box, but his weak shot missed to the left of the net.

Tigres' Ariel Bogado received a feed at the upper left corner of the box in the 69th minute, but he missed the shot left of the net. Atlas came right back as Marioni got a shot in the middle of the box, but Perez came off his line and made a foot save to deny the scoring opportunity.

Vidrio got a header off in the 82nd minute, but it went high. Tigres quickly got the ball up the field, and Lobos fired a bullet from the left box, which Hernandez saved nicely to keep the match scoreless.

Jesus Duenos got a touch in the 85th minute, but his shot from the upper right box went to the left of the net. Tigres came right back as second half substitute Francisco Fonseco tried to go one-on-one against Hernandez on the right side of the box, but Hernandez was able to stop Fonseco's shot.

Hernandez and Perez each finished with three saves in the match.

Both teams return to InterLiga play Tuesday night at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas with Tigres playing America at 7 p.m. CT and Atlas facing Chivas at 9:30 p.m. CT.

"Every game is an important game right now," Marioni said about having to play Chivas and America still. "We have to win as many as we can. We knew they were going to stay back and defend well and make us beat them. We couldn't convert the chances we got."

Looking back at 2008

Boil it all down, and the year in soccer on our part of the globe finished like this: Columbus is on top of the MLS world, the United States is back on top of the women's soccer world and the U.S. men are coiled for their shot at joining the rest of the world at South Africa 2010.

In Major League Soccer, Sigi Schmid's third year of a three-year rebuild in Columbus proved to be everything the loyal Crew fans could desire. Schmid's hold at Crew Stadium, in all honesty, seemed a bit tenuous as the year began, for two previous seasons in Ohio had netted zero playoff appearances.

But as MLS fans watched perennial contenders Houston and New England struggle at times during 2008, Columbus was trotting along steadily, getting it done. By the time Schmid's men hammered New England in an emphatic statement game in August (a 4-0 result), they were clearly entrenched as title favorites. Sure enough, guided by MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall and a roster full of stable parts, they went on to claim the Supporters' Shield and then the MLS Cup.

The Crew's 3-1 win against the New York Red Bulls on a sunny southern California day was a victory lap of sorts for playmaker extraordinaire Guillermo Barros Schelotto. He followed a league MVP campaign with three assists that day, punctuating the trio with the cleverest of passes to Frankie Hejduk for the back-breaker insurance goal.

Columbus' time to shine was surely the story of 2008 in MLS. But quite a few sidebars deserved big mention, too.

Start with Columbus' opponent that day at The Home Depot Center. Manager Juan Carlos Osorio and his mystical playoff ways finally helped direct a wandering New York side into the league final. Major League Soccer's most high-profile club had never landed there before. But Dane Richards' blazing efforts down the right side helped steer the Red Bulls past Houston in perhaps the biggest upset to date in MLS playoff history. Then, in a memorable conference championship, Real Salt Lake pounded the posts (Three times? Are you kidding me?) but couldn't put one past young goalkeeper Danny Cepero, who was outstanding in replacement duty for Jon Conway.

The MLS All-Stars had been similarly outstanding back in August, as a packed house at appreciative BMO Field in Toronto watched Cuauhtemoc Blanco score a dandy for himself and set up one more. Then they saw hometown hero Dwayne De Rosario bang in a late penalty kick winner in the 3-2 victory against England's West Ham United.

Real Salt Lake finally broke the postseason seal, then maneuvered past Chivas USA in the first playoff round. But that was only half the tale of soccer success in Utah for 2008, for Dave Checketts' club christened beautiful Rio Tinto Stadium, which opened in October to rave reviews. Rio Tinto rose as the seventh stadium developed specifically for an MLS team. Also along the important stadium development front, officials in New York broke ground on Red Bull Arena, with a completion date set for late 2009.

Not all of the tales of MLS 2008 ended so swell, of course. San Jose's brave playoff push in its expansion season ultimately fell short. Darren Huckerby's midseason addition helped mold San Jose into one of the league's better sides over the campaign's last 10 weeks. But the early deficit was too much to overcome for Frank Yallop's smartly assembled group, which looks like a side to be taken seriously going forward.

And down the coast in Los Angeles, Ruud Gullit wasn't the managerial fit needed for the Galaxy. Despite his impressive playing resume internationally, Gullit never seemed to mesh with the side, guided ably by David Beckham and Landon Donovan. The results weren't pretty, as the Galaxy's potent offense could never quite mitigate a flimsy defense. Gullit resigned in August, nine months after accepting the post, as the team slogged through a seven-game winless slide.

It would soon become Bruce Arena's mess to clean up. The former U.S. boss couldn't do enough in the remaining time, however. Donovan claimed the league's Golden Boot with his breakout campaign of 20 goals, but the Galaxy were left behind as eight teams claimed playoff spots.

The year's end sees Bob Bradley's national team right where it needed to be: crouched and poised for a final dash toward World Cup 2010. A 1-0 win in Guatemala in a black-and-blue bruiser of a game -- just ask Eddie Lewis -- early in second-round qualifying drove the effort. From there, a steady series of hardy results kept the USA ahead of the pack, allowing them to advance into final-round qualifying with room to spare.

Along the way, Tim Howard gave fans reasons to believe he can be the next link in a chain of outstanding guards in the U.S. goal. (Howard's unshakable performance in a scoreless draw against Argentina was surely one of the U.S. Soccer highlights of 2008, even if it was only a friendly.)

Ahead of him, Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra rewarded Bradley's faith by establishing themselves as the region's preeminent central defensive pairing. Heath Pearce finally brought some stability to a left back spot that's been a trouble-maker for some time. Michael Bradley's midfield performance for club and country didn't go unnoticed. His gift for scoring and general outlay for Heerenveen in the Dutch Eredivisie earned the national team coach's son a late-summer transfer to Bundesliga side Borussia Mцnchengladbach.

Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu continued to demonstrate their fabulous potential, if only in small bursts. Altidore's summer move from Red Bull New York to Spain's Villarreal fetched an MLS record transfer price. Meanwhile, Clint Dempsey and Donovan provided the bulk of the U.S. scoring as the Americans prepped for a hectic 2009. This year's schedule includes not only the important "hexagonal," the region's final round of World Cup qualifying, but also a stop in South Africa for the Confederations Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup back home.

Around the world, we witnessed the usual whirlwind of high-profile transfers and near-transfers. Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid? Wait for it ... wait for it ... uh, well, I guess it's not going to happen.

Indeed, the Portuguese dynamo stayed under Sir Alex Ferguson's watch at Manchester United after wrapping up his amazing 2007-2008 season at Old Trafford in May. Meanwhile, headlines danced over one very significant managerial "transfer" as well. Jose Mourinho, unemployed for a spell after leaving Chelsea, took the post at Inter Milan amid significant hullabaloo.

Speaking of high-profile managerial appointments (and proving once again that when you think you've seen it all, you'd better think again), Diego Maradona was named in the fall to guide Argentina's embarrassment of soccer riches. Where that one will land is anybody's guess.

During the summer, Spain finally shook that bothersome underachiever's label, prevailing in Euro 2008 with elegant, attacking soccer. Fernando Torres provided the goal as Spain, outclassing Germany, claimed its first title in 44 years in the 1-0 result in the tournament co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland. Holland's talented assembly also played with class but was undone in elimination play by a bold Russian effort.

Youngsters Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi guided Argentina to Olympic gold, but not until FIFA and a bunch of lawyers could untangle the messy politics of player availability. It was club vs. country as European heavyweights asserted their displeasure over losing important players to the Olympic tournament for a few weeks to begin the season. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled for the clubs, although some relented just the same, blessing their talent's visit to China.

That settled, Aguero scored twice within six minutes as Argentina danced past long-time rival Brazil in the semifinals in Beijing. Four days later, the Argentineans found a way past stubborn Nigeria to claim their second gold in four years.

No such off-field drama roiled the women's Olympic tournament. With a new direction and philosophy under manager Pia Sundhage, the U.S. rallied past Abby Wambach's absence due to injury to capture gold in Beijing. It was a splash of redemption after matters had unraveled so spectacularly a year earlier for a proud program during the 2007 Women's World Cup. (And it was also a bit surprising after a 2-0 loss to Norway to open the Olympic tournament had set off immediate alarm bells around the U.S. camp.)

But in the end, Hope Solo was big and brave in goal, and Carli Lloyd's extra time strike was enough to have the U.S. women lifting gold.

As for the U.S. men in the Olympics, a team with so much promise can only wonder what may have been but for a few minutes of wandering focus in a first-round match against the Dutch. Peter Nowak's team opened the tourney with a deserving 1-0 win over Japan, then had the talented Netherlands nearly beaten, standing on a late 2-1 lead. Alas, an ill-advised foul and a wall that needed to be better gave the young Dutchmen the slim little chance they needed.

That 2-2 tie arranged a dramatic first-round closer against potent Nigeria. When Charlie Davies' late header clanged off the cross bar, the stunned Americans were left holding a 2-1 loss, out of the running for elimination play.

What's ahead in 2009? A 15th side joins MLS as Qwest Field gets set to rock the Seattle Sounders FC way. With nearly half the field getting squeezed out of the playoff picture this time (eight teams in, seven teams out), the race for post-season soccer will be more ferocious than ever.

On the international front, Mexico comes calling in February as that final round of World Cup qualifying commences with a biggie in Ohio. By this time next year, we'll be discussing which team prevailed in the 14th MLS Cup, and we'll all be chattering about which countries negotiated their way into South Africa 2010.

US roster has distinct MLS flavor

U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley has called in a squad made up largely of Major League Soccer players for a training camp to prepare for a Jan. 24 friendly against Sweden at The Home Depot Center.

The group, which features 20 MLS players, will assemble in Carson, Calif. on Jan. 4.

"This is the beginning of a big year for the national team, and it is important that we get started off heading in the right direction," Bradley said in a statement. "This is another great opportunity to reinforce the principles of how this team operates both on and off the field, as well as getting players ready for the match against Sweden and the first World Cup qualifier this year against Mexico in February."

Ten of the 15 MLS clubs are represented, including five players from the MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew -- goalkeeper William Hesmer, MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall and midfielders Eddie Gaven, Brian Carroll and Robbie Rogers.

Marshall is one of four players on Bradley's squad to earn major MLS postseason hardware. Bradley's roster also includes Chicago's Jon Busch, the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year; LA Galaxy defender Sean Franklin, the MLS Rookie of the Year; and FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper, the MLS Comeback Player of the Year.

Brian Ching, who scored all four of his national team goals in 2008 in World Cup qualifying matches, is the leading capwinner on the young squad with 32 appearances. The forward is one of four players selected from the Houston Dynamo, joining midfielders Geoff Cameron, Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden.

Midfielder Sacha Kljestan played in eight matches last year for the US -- the most of any player on this squad -- and is one of two Chivas USA players, joining defender Jonathan Bornstein. Fullback Chris Wingert, who enjoyed a stellar 2008 MLS season with Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC's Marvell Wynne and Cory Gibbs from the Colorado Rapids round out the MLS-based defenders.

Jack Jewsbury is the lone player from the Kansas City Wizards selected. He and Chicago's John Thorrington are the final two players in a midfield exclusively comprised of MLS talent.

Joining Cooper and Ching up front is Chicago's Chris Rolfe, one of three Fire players on the roster.

The four Scandinavian-based players, all currently on winter break, are goalkeeper Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF), defenders Clarence Goodson (IK Start) and Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland) and forward Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF). Goalkeeper Matt Pickens is out of contract.

After the friendly against Sweden, the U.S. will prepare for a showdown with rival Mexico on Feb. 11 at Columbus Crew Stadium in the opening game of the final hexagonal round of qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa.

A busy 2009 will also include the FIFA Confederations Cup in June, where the U.S. has been drawn into Group B with five-time World Cup winners Brazil, current World Champion Italy, and Egypt, as well as the CONCACAF Gold Cup and additional World Cup qualifying matches.

Shea likely to return by start of season

FRISCO, Texas -- Brek Shea experienced just about everything in his first season of professional soccer. He was an early draft pick by FC Dallas, worked his way through the reserves and played a number of different positions, made a couple of appearances with the first team -- and now is spending the offseason in rehabilitation after undergoing a pair of knee surgeries late in the year.

"It (my knee) is feeling good," Shea said. "Every morning, I'm meeting with our trainers here. Yeah, I usually never have injuries and now I've had two back-to-back. Hopefully now I'm done with them for a while, knock on wood."

FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman has no concern about Shea's most recent surgery being his second in a matter of just a few months.

"He had that meniscus tear and they sewed it up," Hyndman said. "He's been working like crazy. We were all excited and were going to send him to the (U.S. national) under-20 camp because the doctors were going to release him and then we took him into a few more tests out here and he felt a pop. So, the doctor looked at him again and they did a surgery on him ..."

"This time, they removed the part of the meniscus that did not heal. It didn't connect well, so they thought the best thing to do was to go ahead and remove it. This is going to be a quick recovery, three to four weeks. So, I'm not concerned about the number. I'm more concerned that the first time, it didn't take, so the second time we're going to make it better."

Shea's rookie season began in January when the 6-foot-3 native Texan was taken second overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by FCD. The rangy 18-year-old showed his versatility for the Hoops' reserves, making starts at forward, left midfield and finally at center back.

Shea also played in two contests with the FCD first team. He played the final four minutes of a 2-0 win at Chivas USA on April 20 and then the final 13 minutes of a 2-1 loss at Colorado on June 1.

For the FCD reserves, Shea made eight starts and performed solidly. He also earned call-ups from the full, under-20 and under-23 national teams.

"It was a good learning experience," Shea said. "I learned a lot of things and hopefully next year, I can do a lot more than what I did this year."

Shea credits one recently retired FCD veteran for helping ease his transition into MLS.

"Bobby Rhine, he helped a lot," he said. "When things were going bad or whatever, he would pull me aside and tell me stuff. I guess he thought that (to retire) was the best decision, so I support it."

In early December, Shea was one of a number of FCD players taking in the NCAA Men's College Cup at Pizza Hut Park. That experience brought mixed feelings for Shea -- who could have been a freshman competing for the national championship had things gone differently.

"I had committed to Wake Forest and when I was watching (the College Cup), I thought that I could have been there (playing with them)," he said. "But I never really wanted to go to college. It was never my first option. That was more my parents' thing."

FCD is set to begin preseason in mid-January. But before then, Shea plans to head to his old stomping grounds for some training, where FCD teammate Anthony Wallace, who lives in the area, could join him.

"I'm going to head to Bradenton for the U-17 program, train there for two weeks," he said. "Then I will have a couple of U-20 camps before we start preseason. I think I'm going to Bradenton on the 7th of January. (Wallace) lives 40 minutes away and will probably come up and train with us but I haven't really talked to him about it since November."

Shea should be ready to train at the start of preseason and that means he could also be getting called in for camps with the U-20s.

"The first one that I know about is on the 18th (of January) when we go to Trinidad," he said. "Then, I think we're having a camp all of February. I have talked to them but haven't gotten an e-mail or anything. They just said that they're bringing me in but I don't know if it's official or anything."

Red Devils, Monarcas to kick off InterLiga

FRISCO, Texas -- The sixth edition of InterLiga kicks off on Friday when Toluca and Morelia meet at Pizza Hut Park. Between them, the two clubs have six InterLiga appearances.

Toluca enters 2009 just a few weeks removed from winning their ninth championship in team history. On December 14, Los Diablos Rojos won the Apertura title by defeating Cruz Azul on penalty kicks for their first piece of hardware since 2005.

Chilean-born striker Hector Mancilla, who came over from Veracruz in July 2008, had a big impact for his new side, leading the team with seven goals. Defender Diego De La Torre was second with three tallies.

There will also be a few new faces in this event for Toluca. Defender Jose Olvera, who scored a controversial game-tying goal in a 2007 SuperLiga match against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park, is on loan from Chivas de Guadalajara.

Also new is striker Sergio Santana, also formerly with Chivas. He will now don the shirt for Toluca, the same side he faced in May 2000 when he made his Mexican Primera Division debut with Pachuca FC. Santana has made seven appearances for the Mexican national team.

With these two entering the team, midfielder Sergio Ponce heads to Chivas. He had played for Toluca since 2001 and was front and center for three championship teams.

However, the star of the club's title run has been 39-year-old Argentine-born goalkeeper Hernan Cristante, who didn't allow a goal in a league-record 762 straight minutes. Cristante has more games than any other active foreign-born player in the Primera Division.

As for Morelia, they enter InterLiga 2009 after finishing sixth in the 2008 Apertura with a 4-5-3 record, but the club played in many close matches as Las Monarcas' goal differential was a solid +7.

Another important contributor was Peruvian-born newcomer Andres Mendoza, who led Apertura with 10 goals. "El Condor" was a transfer from Romanian club Steaua FC who also has made 36 appearances with the Peruvian national team.

This year marks Las Monarcas' fourth trip to InterLiga, an event that they have not fared well in thus far. Morelia's all-time record is just 1-7-1, with their lone win coming on January 10, 2007 when they handed Tecos a 3-1 defeat at Robertson Stadium in Houston.

Morelia has met Toluca twice in the event, in 2004 and in 2008 with both matches ending in defeat. On January 9, Los Diablos Rojos prevailed 3-1 at the Home Depot Center and on January 4, 2004, in the first-ever Interliga, Toluca won 1-0 in a match played in Stockton, California.

Las Monarcas have also struggled mightily at Pizza Hut Park, where they are 0-3-0 all-time and have been outscored by their opposition 6-1. Morelia's lone goal in Frisco came on January 8, 2006 when they fell 2-1 to CF Pachuca.

Toluca has also struggled in Frisco, losing their only match at PHP on January 6, 2008, when they fell 1-0 to Club America. Los Diablos Rojos have never won an InterLiga match played in Dallas as they are also 0-2-0 at the Cotton Bowl, losing 2-1 to Jaguares in 2005 and 2-1 to Santos in 2004.

In 2008, Los Diablos Rojos got two goals in InterLiga from Vicente Sanchez, who has since moved on to Germany. Christian Giminez, now with CF Pachuca, also found the back of the net for Toluca. However, Brazilian-born midfielder Zinha, who had a goal in Toluca's 3-1 win over Morelia last January, does return.

As for Las Monarcas, they scored just one goal in last year's event and it came in that aforementioned 3-1 loss to Toluca. Morelia's lone tally came from forward Ever Guzman, who has been with the side since 2004.

Tecos meet Pachuca in InterLiga opener

FRISCO, Texas -- Throughout their respective histories in the Mexican Primera Division, Tecos de la UAG and CF Pachuca have met on numerous occasions. However, these two sides have never faced each other in InterLiga, something that will change on January 2 at Pizza Hut Park.

This will be each team's second InterLiga appearance. Tecos last played in the event in 2007 when they went 0-1-2. In their first InterLiga match, they played Club America to a 1-1 draw in Houston on January 4. Then, three days later, came a draw to Jaguares in Frisco. Tecos' run ended with a 3-1 loss to Morelia at the Home Depot Center on January 10, 2007.

It was a solid debut for Argentine midfielder Jorge Zamogilny in the recently-concluded Apertura, as he finished with five goals after an offseason transfer from Puebla. Vice-captain Joel "El Tiburon" Sanchez added three goals, while midfielder Rafael Medina had three goals and two assists for Tecos.

Chilean-born striker Rodrigo Ruiz, who returned to the team after a stint on loan at Veracruz, added four goals. Speaking of Medina, he is one player who could step up. During InterLiga 2007, he assisted on two goals and could again be a focal point of the Tecos' attack.

A big concern during the 2008 Apertura was UAG's porous defending. Tecos finished the season with 28 goals allowed, second-worst in the first division, clearly an issue that Pachuca will look to exploit in Frisco.

Despite their issues in the back, Tecos still managed to qualify for the Apertura playoffs. In the opening leg against the club that would later be crowned Apertura champs, UAG played Toluca to a scoreless draw at 3 De Marzo Stadium on November 23, 2008. However, the return leg played a week later at Nemesio Diaz Stadium belonged to Los Diablos Rojos as they prevailed 2-0 and advanced to the league semifinals, where they would face Santos Laguna.

On the other side of the equation sits the Tuzos, the two-time defending CONCACAF Champions League titleholders. They finished 5-6-6 with 25 points and were third in Group One during the 2008 Apertura. Christian Giminez's team-leading eight goals tied him for third among league goal scorers.

The Tuzos' only previous trip to InterLiga came in 2006 when they went 1-1-1. Ironically, Pachuca's match at PHP, on January 8, 2006 against Morelia, was their only win as the Tuzos prevailed 2-1 thanks to goals from Luis Angel Landin and Richard Nunez.

Other key contributors for Pachuca during the Apertura were Argentine midfielder Damian "La Chillindra" Alvarez, who had three assists and veteran goalkeeper Miguel "El Condor" Calero, who also wears the captain's armband.

A player of interest to American soccer fans is 21-year-old midfielder Jose Torres, who is a Texas native. Torres has been with the Tuzos since 2006 and hails from Longview, which is about 2.5 hours from the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. He made his US national team debut on October 11, 2008 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Cuba, and made his first international start four days later against Trinidad and Tobago.

Torres has appeared in Frisco twice with the Tuzos. On July 28, 2007, he was on the bench for Pachuca's 1-1 draw with FC Dallas in SuperLiga 2007 but did not play. However, last July in a SuperLiga 2008 match with Santos Laguna, he started for his side.

This will mark the third time that Pachuca have played in Frisco. On July 28, 2007, they played FC Dallas to a 1-1 draw in SuperLiga 2007, an event the Tuzos ended up winning. A penalty kick by Giminez in the 87th minute denied a win by the home side from MLS.

And on July 20, 2008, Pachuca and Santos Laguna played to a 1-1 draw in SuperLiga '08. A goal by Alvarez in the fourth minute gave them an early lead but a late equalizer by Santos forced them to settle for a tie, which still allowed them to advance.

During the 2008 Apertura, Tecos and Pachuca met just once. That came on November 5, 2008, when the sides met on the Tuzos' home grounds, Hidalgo Stadium, a match that finished in a 2-2 draw. Unlike Tecos, Pachuca failed to qualify for the Apertura playoffs.