Gerardo Martino has Newell's leading the Argentine Primera. In Brazil, Fluminense's lead has been solidified, thanks to a 0-0 draw by their two biggest rivals over the weekend.
The weekend that was in football across the Americas didn't produce too many surprises. There were no serious road upsets and no great teams got pummeled, but the weekend was more than just a little disappointing for Boca Juniors, Universidad de Chile and Club Tijuana. In Brazil, what should have been an exciting marquee matchup between two of the league's best teams ended in a 0-0 draw.
There's a new leader in Mexico
Who finishes first or second in Mexico isn't relevant -- the top two seeds both get the same tiebreak advantage throughout the Liguilla playoffs -- but it's still nice to sit top of the table in any league. Toluca reclaimed the top place in Liga MX over the weekend with a 1-0 victory over Atlante. Luis Tejada scored the game's only goal in the 84th minute.
Tijuana are level with Toluca on points, but trail them on goal differential. The Xolos put in a disappointing performance at home on Saturday, drawing 1-1 with a very average Atlas side who has mastered the art of grabbing draws against superior opposition. They now have seven draws from nine matches, and their ridiculous strategy is probably going to keep them in the top flight.
Club America and Cruz Azul played to a predictable result, drawing 1-1 at Estadio Azul to keep them both in Liguilla places. Chivas Guadalajara drew Pumas 0-0 at home and sits outside of Liguilla places. They have just two wins on the season.
Fluminense bounces back from shock loss to go top
Last week, Fluminense played a weakend team against last-placed Atletico Goianiense and paid the price, losing a 2-1 shocker at home. Whether they learned their lesson or it was just the starters' turn to come back for a league match, they were better, but still not great in a 2-1 victory this weekend that moved them to first in Brazil. Fred assisted Leandro Euzebio on the opener following a corner kick, then scored his league-leading 12th goal of the season just before halftime.
Kim fired Nautico back into the match with an 82nd minute goal, and the ending was a wild one. Nautico nearly equalized on an incredible free kick sequence that featured multiple saves and blocks, but couldn't find the net as Flu held on for victory.
On Sunday, second and third placed sides Atletico Mineiro and Gremio faced off and played to a 0-0 draw. Neither side has won in their last two matches, allowing Fluminense to extend their lead at the top of the Brasileirao.
Gerardo Martino, miracle worker
Before Gerardo Martino quit his post as Paraguay manager and joined Newell's Old Boys, the club was in shambles. He did a brilliant job just to turn them into a respectable team last season, and they've continued their rapid progression to become a title contender this season. They defeated a solid Colon team 2-1 on the road to go top of the Primera.
It was a rough weekend for the biggest two teams in Buenos Aires, as both Boca Juniors and River Plate lost. Boca were top to start the weekend, but were very poor against Lanus in a 2-0 loss. River put in an encouraging performance on the road against Racing, but couldn't finish their chances. Racing only had four shots, but Matias Cahais scored on one of them, turning in a free kick in the 69th minute to give his side a 1-0 win.
The best match of the weekend in Argentina happened elsewhere in Buenos Aires, where San Lorenzo took on Velez Sarsfield. Facundo Ferreyra put Velez up early, but Denis Stracqualursi scored an equalizer 25 mintues in. The first half was even, but Velez was the stronger side in the second half and found a winner through Ferreyra. The victory moved Velez up to second in the table.
Teo! Teo! Teo!
This website is unabashedly pro-Teofilo Gutierrez. The Colombian star scored the opener for Junior in their 3-1 victory over Real Cartagena. Junior had failed to win all of their previous league road matches before Sunday. League leaders Millionarios also won on the weekend, defeating Santa Fe 2-1 on the road, and they hold a one-point lead over Junior.
La U no longer top
Universidad de Chile are no longer top of the table in Chile after they surprisingly drew a poor Santiago Wanderers side 2-2. They're level with Rangers and Deportes Iquique, but trail Iquique on wins and Rangers on goal differential. Colo Colo turned in the most impressive performance of the weekend, crushing Union Española 3-0 to record their fourth consecutive league win.
What's happening everywhere else
In Uruguay, both Nacional and Defensor Sporting won to stay tied on top of the table with 10 points apiece. They drew 2-2 on the first day of the season and won't be meeting again for a while. LDU Quito pulled off a big win over table-toppers Macara in Ecuador, pulling them within one point of the top spot. Emelec won as well, and is also one point behind Macara. Sporting Cristal continued their domination of Peru with a 2-0 win over Jose Galvez. Guarani play on Monday, and will extend their lead in Paraguay to six points if they beat Sol de America at home. Deportivo Anzoategui and The Strongest were both victorious over the weekend, and remain top of the league in Venezuela and Bolivia, respectably.
Looking for soccer from 'Murrica or Europe, not the Americas?
Check out all of the happenings from this weekend in our MLS Week 27 Storystream
Across The Atlantic: PSG And Porto Roll; Terek Grozny Are No Longer Magic
There are 0 Comments. Add Yours.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.