Top Stories

Castillo and Corona score in Club Tijuana Libertadores rout

 

U.S. Men’s National Team defender Edgar Castillo and midfielder Joe Corona both scored goals to help Club Tijuana record a 4-0 thrashing of Bolivian side San Jose in Copa Libertadores action on Tuesday night in Mexico.

Edgar Castillo opened the scoring for the Xolos, while Corona added the team’s third goal just three minutes into the second half to help Club Tijuana secure first place in their Copa Libertadores group after two matches.

Here are the match highlights:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTdYqBAh_q0]

Club Tijuana returns to Libertadores action on March 6th when they take on defending Copa Libertadores (and Club World Cup) champions Corinthians in Mexico. A win in that match would open a significant lead for Club Tijuana with three matches remaining in group play.

What did you think of Club Tijuana’s performance? Surprised by how well they have done? See Club Tijuana being a serious challenger for the Copa Libertadores title?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. glad to see Xolos continue winning. i can’t wait until MLS teams start getting invited to these South American tournys.

    i’m in agreement with people that Castillo and Johnson should be starting together on that left hand side. probably with Johnson pushed up to mid. we need that width and until Shea or Donovan is back, Castillo or Johnson are our best bets. i still think Beasley should be a part of the mix, but he is likely more of a bench option at the moment. and of course Corona needs to start being included in our senior team. maybe something like this:

    Howard

    Chandler, Cameron, Omar, Castillo

    Jones

    Bradley, Johnson

    Corona

    Dempsey, Altidore

    simple 4-4-2 with Bradley pinching in a bit more and Johnson playing a more typical winger role. i guess we could even do a 4-3-3 and see how Johnson fits in that:

    Howard

    Chandler, Cameron, Omar, Castillo

    Bradley, Jones, Corona

    Dempsey, Altidore, Johnson

    i think Jones still starts over Edu in that #6 role. and since Boca still can’t get playing time, i’m leaving Omar in. but i doubt Klinsmann will leave Boca on the bench again. anyway, i think this could be a good lineup for the US to try. it gives us width and gives us two mids (Bradley and Corona) who can get forward and create while Jones can sit back and clean up. and Bradley of course would be going box to box to help Jones out on defense.

    Reply
  2. love the progress these guys are making in mexico. Unfortunately, all our best latin players are playing in mexico, outside of Gonzo. if we get these guys to stay home in the MLS it would be a huge boost to our league. Combine that with the continuation of bringing in more quality coaches that try to play the modern style of football we see out of SKC and Seattle and our leagues quality should increase.

    on the national team front, here is my preferred 11

    ———Gomez/Jozy——–

    Shea—–Demps———LD

    ——Jones—–Bradley—-

    FJ—Gonzo—Cam—Dolo

    ———–Howard————-

    Jones and Bradley can sure up the youth thats playing in the middle behind them. If Dolo is healthy and playing well then I still prefer him over TC for the moment. I know that how Castillo is playing is exciting, but fact is that 3 out of these 4 guys will be starting in our backline at the WC. Shea, Demps, LD give us a fast, gritty, creative midfield with either a workhorse in Herc up top or the physical presence of jozy. Either way both those guys up top require lots of a defenses attention whether they are effective in a particular game or not. This should open up space for the three midfielders to take outside shots early and drag out defenses to then open up space for our striker.

    Reply
    • @FCA (Is that for FC Augsburg?): I like that line-up a lot and I do think the 4-2-3-1 is the preferred formation. I prefer Herc to Jozy. And I would give just about anything to see some chemistry between Jones and MB. Those guys never seem to fit well together in the midfield. Could be psychological and that is something maybe some of the USMNT leaders could work on, convincing to let the past be past and let’s move forward. The one question mark I have is Cameron at CB. He has not played the position at all at Stoke and I wonder whether he can be expected to play it solidly for the USMNT. Boca, Besler?

      Reply
  3. Castillo is making it hard for Klinnsman NOT to call him in AND start. Remember, Fabian Johnson was put into the LB position because the USMNT and Hoffenheim were depleted. Prior to this he was in the midfield. Fabian can play the through ball, dribble past people, and anticipates the play off the ball very well. Fabian is better than some of the central midfielders we have already. Klinnsman already said midfield is his best position. Fabian Johnson said it is where he prefers to play. I have never seen Castillo play so confident before. It would not surprise me if some clubs in Spain or other european countries are not after him already.

    Reply
  4. Castillo is really coming on. As is corona to a lesser extent.

    A left side of Castillo and Johnson is strong. I don’t care which one plays left back it mid. They’re both prone to defensive lapses so Johnson’s speed and physicality may make him more suited to the left back spot.

    Reply
  5. I went to last nights Xolos game vs San Jose and the Xolos completely dominated. Last week I watched San Jose de Bolivia hang in there in a 1-1 tie vs Corinthians (the World Club Champions).

    They looked bad last night, really bad and the Xolos passed around their defenders as if they were traffic cones. I’m really excited to see next week vs. Corinthians here in TJ.

    If Castillo is in an “inferior” league, I’d like to know how many US guys are in better ones.

    Reply
  6. I think this shows that MX League is a step above South America. If they beat Corinthians that will say a lot about the growth of North American soccer

    Reply
    • wow..

      To your defense I believe MX league is on par with the Argentinian, Braziliand and Chilean league but a win against a Bolivian team playing in Mexico doesn’t really mean the MX league is above any South American league.

      This also speaks about the growth of Mexican soccer, in order to be seen as the growth of North American soccer then MLS teams will have to start competing and getting results in Libertadores and/or Copa Sudamericana. Hopefully one day they’ll get invited. LA Galaxy against Sao Paolo at the Morumbi would be a dream.

      Reply
      • We have to start winning more in Mexico before we ever try playing away in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, etc. Plus, money would be a big hassle. Travel too. Imagine Vancouver having to fly all the way down to Brazil midweek and all the way back for a Saturday game against LA. Multiple time zones, thousand dollar tickets, immigration, etc.

  7. I was pretty down on Castillo early in his career but he has really impressed me lately. I would love to get a look at him in the Costa Rica game, seems like he is a good fit against CONCACAF competition. I would also like to see Beasley get some more chances, he still has plenty to offer and adds a lot of speed on the outside. Ever since he has moved to Mexico he has been in great form and would add some veteran leadership in a game that I feel has to be looked at as a must win. Obviously we’re still alive with a draw but it puts us in a deep hole and the Honduras game has put us in position where we don’t have time to mess around with young players without WCQ experience.

    Reply
    • It would be a really beautiful thing to see both Beasley and Donovan on the field together playing in some of the WC qualifiers. Speed, leadership, experience and personal chemistry between those two might be quite a shot in the arm for this moribund bunch of underperformers Klinsman has collected.

      Reply
      • I think that is 2002 nostalgia speaking there. For years people were calling for us to drop Beasley because of his tentative play. The guy would never go at anyone or drive forward on the wing. It was always going backwards. His leadership, work rate and defensive qualities are still there though. Maybe he could form a good partnership with Johnson’s overlapping runs, but its impossible to say without seeing them together. Basically what I’m getting at is don’t be too excited by his 2 goal game a couple weeks ago. I’m sure he is still a serviceable player, but don’t expect him to come bombing down the wing for us. Hopefully I’m wrong, because I do miss seeing the Beasley/Donovan energy out there.

  8. Agree, CCJC. that Edgar Castillo has improved significantly. But I absolutely do not want to see him backing up Fabian Johnson at left back against Costa Rica and Mexico in the WCQ games in late March———–I want to see Castillo starting with Fabian on the bench backing up Castillo.

    Folks, Castillo is now in much better form than Johnson, plus he is playing in the sort of game situations at the club level that the USMNT will face in WCQs. The only negative for him getting a chance at starting is that he was not born in Germany.

    I am certain we will see Joe Corona called up in March with a chance of starting–along with Herc Gomez, Jose Torres and Demarcus Beasley either starting or backing Brek Shea. I think Klinsmann will have felt the heat and is smart enough to realize that if he trots our three or four d-mids as starters and we lose against both Costa Rica and Mexico, then there is a chance that he also will lose–his job.

    Reply
    • ‘The only negative for him getting a chance at starting is that he was not born in Germany.’

      other negatives would be him playing in a weaker league, and him having played poorly for the usmnt (though not recently).

      not saying i disagree, just saying it’s not that cut-and-dry. and, even if castillo starts at LB, i still think fabian should be on the field at LM or RM

      Reply
      • ha-ha. ain’t it the truth. Against Costa Rica, I would love to see Klinsmann sit several of the starters who played so poorly and lazily against Honduras and bring in some fresh blood, guys who will play hungry and nasty and with heart for the win and who are aching to steal those precious starting slots and make them their own. Would be the smartest move Klinsmann could make. It is time to shake things up before it’s too late. Two losses against Costa Rica and Mexico would be disaster. Just because a player was born in Germany or plays in Europe does not make him the best choice for a starting slot. Look at this roster from Honduras, which humiliated Klinsmann:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honduras_national_football_team#Current_squad

      • new guys like Omar Gonzalez who played so hungry and nasty against Honduras right? I’m not blaming the game on Gonzo. No one played well. Just pointing out that just because they are young and “hungry” or whatever you called it does not mean they will come out flying. Often times it is quite the opposite. Don’t forget Fabian Johnson has been one of our best players of the last year or so. It isn’t time to make rash decisions and throw him, or anyone else, under the bus. I do agree that reports have been very positive for Castillo and Corona though and they should be included in some capacity. Its not time to blow up the lineup just yet though.

        On another note, the German bashing is just stupid.

      • i’m with you. the knee jerk reactions from US fans is ridiculous. Johnson is still the better player and played in the Bundesliga. Castillo is a good player and is very much in the mix, but this idea that Johnson only starts because he was born in Germany is absolutely insane.

        As for Corona, Klinsmann needs to get him integrated into our starting lineup. We need a player like him.

      • @the unmistakeable Ronaldinho: I am not bashing Germans–or I guess you mean German-Americans? I am a big fan of Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson and Terrence Boyd and happy to have them in the player pool. But I do think there have been instances under Klinsmann of preferential playing time for some German born players.

        As for Omar Gonzalez, I think he was unfairly singled out for criticism against Honduras. He parter on the right, Timmy Chandler, who was responsible for wrecking his knee and putting him out of action nine months, had a much worse game and was leaving the door wide open and forcing Gonzalez to try to cover his mistakes. And Tim Howard and Geoff Cameron certainly share a huge chunk of the blame for the Honduras go-ahead goal.

      • So if the argument is that any player playing in a weaker league shouldn’t start then what’s the point of calling MLS based players?

      • I think that’s a question the US has struggled with for years. Our team is unique in that our players come from three primary league areas with their own unique playing styles. Because our academy systems have been so weak (historically), our players’ style depends on their club team. As opposed to Brazil for instance, where no matter where the player plays, he knows how to play the Brazilian way. Klinis has spoken about the need for an identity and this is what he means. The Netherlands and Italy are other examples.

        To me, the US coach’s hardest task is getting all of them to play a single system. Traditionally, we have gone with the 4-4-2 counter because that is the easiest, most dumb downed formation and strategy. It’s what we’re taught as kids.

        Arguably, while Corona and Castillo play in a weaker league, they are the stronger players in the Hex because they are used to the crazy atmospheres. You could see every single German-based player struggle in the unique climate Central America offers. Klinsi has to help them play under those circumstances. We don’t have time to bed them in.

        To me, Corona is long over due to see real playing time. Castillo has to fight his way back because he has performed so poorly for us in the past. But Corona won’t see time until Klinsi is prepared to play more attacking soccer. That goes for Mix and Feilhaber.

        It’s anyone’s guess who Klinsi brings in or how he plays them. All I know is I am praying we attack.

      • guessing you only read half my comment. my point was not that castillo shouldn’t start (i even say that), but that the level of the league each player is playing in will also be taken into account.

      • I was talking about that idea you put forth, and expanded it to say that the leagues our players in affect how they play, not just how a player develops. And that’s the biggest hurdle the USMNT has to overcome.

  9. Castillo’s play has improved significantly since joining Xolos. I would feel more comfortable having him back-up Fabian at LB, as opposed to Parkhurst.

    Reply
      • A big statement… but probably true. And with their emphasis on winning the Copa Libertadores rather than Liga MX (done that already) they just might show that they are the best.

    • Agreed. Parkhurst has been consistent enough with the Nats recently, but Castillo’s club play has definitely earned him another look.

      It’s a shame that El Homie finally started to improve his USMNT play right around the time he stopped getting PT. He was one of the few bright spots against Canada (away) and played solidly against Mexico at Azteca (excepting an early mistake that led to a dangerous look on goal).

      Reply

Leave a Reply to kyle detwiler Cancel reply