By FRANCO PANIZO
Club America are Liga MX champions once again, and an uncapped, undecided dual national played a key part in making that happen.
Mexican-American centerback Ventura Alvarado was handed a start in the biggest game of his blossoming professional career on Sunday, and all he did was help Club America pitch a shutout over Tigres UANL in the second leg of the Apertura Liguilla finals. The 22-year-old defender played 84 minutes in a wild 3-0 win at the famed Estadio Azteca, allowing America to bounce back from the opening leg defeat and capture their 12th league title. America and Alvarado won the series, 3-1.
Alejandro Bedoya and Rubio Rubin did not celebrate winning championships this weekend, but they did find ways to make significant impacts for their clubs. A week after scoring a stunning goal, Bedoya delivered an assist to help Nantes knock off Bordeaux, 2-1. Rubin, meanwhile, netted his second of the season, scoring FC Utrecht’s lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Eredivisie powerhouse Ajax.
Another pair of U.S. Men’s National Team players were not as fortunate. Jozy Altidore and Brad Guzan both had nightmare moments on Saturday, with Altidore missing a golden look in front of goal and Guzan committing a costly error. Altidore’s failed attempt at breaking his scoring drought at the club level came in a start in Sunderland’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United, and Guzan’s game-changing mishap forced Aston Villa to suffer a 1-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
Here is how the Americans Abroad performed this weekend:
ENGLAND
Premiership
- Tim Howard and Everton play Queens Park Rangers on Monday.
- Jozy Altidore started and played 62 minutes in Sunderland’s 1-1 draw vs. West Ham United on Saturday.
- Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made four saves in Aston Villa’s 1-0 loss vs. West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
- Brad Friedel did not dress in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 win vs. Swansea City on Sunday.
- Geoff Cameron started and played 90 minutes in Stoke City’s 1-1 draw vs. Crystal Palace on Saturday.
- Cody Cropper did not dress in Southampton’s 1-0 loss vs. Burnley on Saturday.
Championship
- Brek Shea did not dress in Birmingham City’s 6-1 win vs. Reading on Saturday.
- Jonathan Spector did not dress for Birmingham City. He is recovering from a thigh injury.
- Tim Ream started, played 90 minutes and was issued a yellow card in Bolton Wanderers’ 0-0 draw vs. Ipswich Town on Saturday.
- Eric Lichaj started and played 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 0-0 draw vs. Rotherham United on Saturday.
- Danny Williams started and played 80 minutes in Reading’s 6-1 loss vs. Birmingham City on Saturday.
- Emerson Hyndman started and played 90 minutes in Fulham’s 1-0 win vs. Leeds United on Saturday.
- Zak Whitbread did not dress in Derby County’s 2-0 loss vs. Middlesborough on Saturday.
- Oguchi Onyewu dressed but did not play in Charlton Athletic’s 2-2 draw vs. Blackpool on Saturday.
League One
- Will Packwood did not dress in Colchester United’s 4-1 loss vs. Rochdale on Saturday. He was suspended due to the red card he received last game.
GERMANY
Bundesliga
- Fabian Johnson did not dress in Borussia Moenchengladbach’s 1-1 draw vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
- John Brooks started, played 90 minutes and was issued a yellow card in Hertha Berlin’s 1-0 win vs. Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
- Timmy Chandler started and played 90 minutes in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 3-2 loss vs. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Friday.
- David Yelldell did not dress in Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-1 draw vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday.
- Julian Green did not dress in Hamburg SV’s 0-0 draw vs. SC Freiburg on Saturday.
- Joe Gyau did not dress in Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 loss vs. Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
2. Bundesliga
- Alfredo Morales started and played 90 minutes in FC Ingolstadt 04’s 2-0 win vs. Kaiserslautern on Sunday.
- Terrence Boyd did not dress in RB Leipzig’s 1-0 win vs. SpVgg Greuther Furth on Friday.
- Bobby Wood did not dress in TSV 1860 Munich’s 3-2 loss vs. Karlsruhe on Saturday.
- Andrew Wooten started and played 75 minutes in SV Sandhausen’s 0-0 draw vs. VfL Bochum on Friday.
- Jann George did not dress in SpVgg Greuther Furth’s 1-0 loss vs. RB Leipzig on Friday.
FRANCE
- Alejandro Bedoya started, played 90 minutes and had an ASSIST in FC Nantes’ 2-1 win vs. Bordeaux on Saturday.
NETHERLANDS
- Aron Johannsson started and played 90 minutes in AZ Alkmaar’s 2-2 draw vs. Feyenoord Rotterdam on Sunday.
- Rubio Rubin started, played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL in FC Utrecht’s 3-1 loss vs. Ajax Amsterdam on Sunday.
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BELGIUM
- Sacha Kljestan dressed but did not play in RSC Anderlecht’s 3-0 win vs. KV Oostende on Sunday.
AUSTRIA
- Conor O’Brien started and played 90 minutes in FC Magna Wiener Neustadt’s 6-0 loss vs. SV Josko Ried on Saturday.
MEXICO
- Jose Torres started and played 63 minutes in Tigres UANL’s 3-0 loss vs. Club America in the second leg of the Liguilla finals on Sunday. Tigres UANL lost the series via a 3-1 aggregate score.
- Herculez Gomez dress but did not play for Tigres UANL.
- Ventura Alvarado started and played 84 minutes in Club America’s 3-0 win vs. Tigres UANL in the second leg of the Liguilla finals on Sunday. Club America won the series via a 3-1 aggregate score.
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What do you think of these performances? How impressed were you by Alvarado’s showing in the decisive leg?
Share your thoughts below.
Nice finish by Rubin.. will have to search for a clip that starts a few seconds before this.
Are the Steven Gerard rumors real about him coming to red bull or galaxy?
However, If I was galaxy I would renegotiate Omar Gonzalez DP salary in order to have 2 DP spots open and then bring Gerard, and if possible bring the mexican sensation Giovanni do santos.
Giovani do santos would love Los Angeles and he money talks.
Yes lets bring Gerard, Cole and everyone else who has openly bashed the league.
What’s wrong with bashing the league? Those guys are way too good for the MLS which is a pretty terrible league. I’d bash the hell out of them if I was a Liverpool legend who would never want to go to the MLS.
Only players that come to the MLS are shallow and do it for money. Any player that comes here and says it’s “an amazing opportunity to grow soccer in America” is getting paid/begged to say that. Wake up people
Fabian Johnson wasn’t in the 18 because he had the flu.
The Two biggest clubs in their respective league, as in MLS and ligaMX won their league but I wonder how much money club America really pays their players and also tigres.
America and tigres are some of the teams in ligaMX that spend money on players like real big soccer teams.
Then you if look at MLS cup, galaxy vs revolution was a rich team vs a stingy rich team. Very funny stuff for MLS parity.
I’m willing to bet anything that nobody in America or Tigres makes as much as Donovan or Keane. There may be one or two that make as much as Omar Gonzalez. I’m sure that LA spends more on player salaries than any of those teams. The problem in MLS is not so much the money but the distribution of it. Mexican teams dont pay anybody six times their worth in order to sell shirts or tickets.
Oh trust me, they do pay Donovan and keane money like nothing in ligaMX, specially club America and tigres.
I’m not sure but I believe ligaMX teams pay the least a player around $100,000 and it won’t go down 70,000 a year.
There’s about 8 to 10 teams in ligaMX that spend like galaxy.
No, they don’t. Suazo is the highest paid player at 2.5 million. Nowhere close to Donovan, Keane, Bradley etc…..,
I think you are wrong MX pays way more than we do. There is a reason why Burstein remains in MX even when he doesn’t see the field…Money.
Rubio looking impressive. Getting worried about Fabian Johnson’s lack of playing time. Just don’t know what do say about Altidore anymore. Really lacking confidence right now.
FJ had the flu. His club came out with a statement.
Jozy’s confidence is just shattered. He needs to go someplace else to find it. There are no more excuses left for him in England.
It was a bit hard to follow with all the explusions, but I’m pretty sure Torres came out in the 63rd minute.
i’m just going to pretend you meant to type ‘explosions’.