Free Kicks with Joe

The City of Monterrey In The Tribe's Offseason Plans??

    Now that the nightmare that was the Apertura 2009 season for CF Indios is over, it is time to start looking forward to next season.  The Clausura 2010 season will start in the middle of January and now more than ever the Tribe has to do whatever it takes to avoid relegation and obtain continued existence in Mexico's Premier Soccer Division.  This objective begins with the front office who has announced the team's preseason schedule from now right up to the start of the season.      

    The Tribe will begin its quest for continued existence on November 26th.  The team, along with its new acquisitions, will report to the YVASA complex (this is the Indios headquarters) on this day according to Gambino Amparan, Director of Sporting Affairs for the Indios.  The team will train in the Borderland for approximately 2 weeks, then they will head to Monterrey for another couple of weeks to continue their preseason training.  They will then enjoy the holiday's here in the Borderland before returning to work during the final stretch right up to Week 1 of the 2010 season.  The Indios front office also announced that two preseason games will be held in Chihuahua City and in Cuactemoc, Chihuahua.

    I have to say that I do have a problem with one of these steps. Or at least a thorough thought.  Why is the Tribe going to Monterrey for 1-2 weeks???  For a front office that claims to not have a lot of money and therefore has difficulty hiring any big names to incorporate into the squad, they are sure going to open up the the check book for this getaway.  I'm sure there is other regional locations that would serve as good preseason camps for the Tribe.  Prior to the season that just ended, there was rumors that the Indios were considering holding there preseason camp in Ruidoso, New Mexico.  Instead they opted for Cancun, Quintana Roo.  While I'm sure that Monterrey is not going to be as expensive as Cancun, I'm sure its still going to run the franchise a pretty dollar.  After all, Hotel nh Monterrey in Monterrey's most affluent community of San Pedro has more than four stars to its resume. 

    Hell, the way the team performed this season they don't deserve to go any further than the Samalayuca Sand Dunes just south of Juarez.  That's where they spent their very first preseason in first division and the teams' physical condition did not evaporate as it did this season.  As for now I hope the players are enjoying their vacation time.  While some say they don't deserve it, I say they do.  If anything, so they can clear their head.  Until next time, VAMOS Indios!!! 

A Sophmore Slump For The Ages...

    Well, at least its over.  The nightmare, the Apertura 2009 season, one and the same are over.  CF Indios finished this hellish season with a 1-1 tie versus the UNAM Pumas in Mexico City on the campus of the National University of Mexico.  The Indios took a 1-0 lead with a beautiful header from Hector Gimenez in the 38th minute of the first half.  The joy lived by all Indios fans was all too brief when just 4 minutes later Pumas tied the game off of a corner kick.  The gol was scored by Marco Antonio Palacios.  The second half of the game was bogged down in midfield and was uneventful as both teams appeared to settle for the tie.

    With this result Indios made history, one that is rather dubious.  They made the fewest points, obviously resulting in the worst season in the history of Mexican Soccer since soccer seasons went to 17 weeks.  The team from the Borderland accumulated only 6 points in the entire season.  Adding insult to injury the Indios are now in last place in the relegation standings.  Queretaro won last night by a score of 4-0 over San Luis. 

    In other news, the Tribe announced that midfielder Juan Pablo Rodriguez was let go by the team.  Rodriguez was suspended by the team approximately 3 weeks ago and final decision was pending.  Well now its official, the fan favorite is a member of the Tribe no more.  Surely this action will only add gas to the fire with regards to the fans that eagerly await what course of action that the front office will take to turn this thing around and save the team from being demoted. 

    At this time I would like to take the time to thank the guys from Radio NET 1490 AM for inviting me to join them for the second half of the game during their broadcast to chime in with my commentary.  I appreciate the opportunity, it was lots of fun and I hope to do it again soon.  Until next time, VAMOS Indios!!!  

3 Games In 8 Days, And It All Starts With Puebla...

    Hello all, just like the headline reads this upcoming week for CF Indios will be a big one.  The Tribe will play 3 games in 8 days starting with Puebla tomorrow night at Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium.  After that, on Wednesday evening in Guadalajara, Jalisco against the most popular team in all of Mexican soccer, Chivas.  Then a week from tomorrow the Tribe will play its final home game and next to last game of the Apertura 2009 season when they play against Jaguares de Chiapas.

    Each of these games present their special set of problems and/or circumstances that will make each individual game difficult for the team from the borderland.  Puebla comes into the Borderland tomorrow night with 20 points on the season and is in need of all the points it can acquire in hopes of locking down one of the the two wild card spots in the playoffs.  On Wednesday, the Chivas can clinch a playoff spot if they win this weekend and defeat Indios on Wednesday.  Then a week from tomorrow, Jaguares will come into the Borderland with the best away record in the Mexican soccer league, as they are looking to be a legitimate contender during the playoffs.

    For now the Indios need to focus on tomorrow night's game versus Puebla.  This is a team that the Indios have beat both times that it has faced off against it in the previous two seasons.  Both times the games have been well contested and narrow.  Puebla visits Indios free of any relegation problems as this team has made a very respectable Apertura 2009 campaign.  Puebla is a team that runs hard for all 90 of the game and will not let down.  Puebla's beloved but controversial coach Jose Luis Sanchez-Sola has already made declarations earlier in the week that coming into the Borderland and leaving with a victory would be a fairly simple task.  I hope that Indios head coach, Jose Trevino, uses that a chalkboard material.

    The things that I look for tomorrow night other than obviously an Indios victory is for the defense to hold a shutout.  I will closely be following the playof Arturo Echaverria who I was highly critical of early in the week in this blog. Hopefully, he can shutdown the section of the field that he is responsible for.  Ricardo Esqueda  will be another player that I will keep an eye on as he will most likely replace Juan Pablo Rodriguez who was suspended earlier in the week in the left midfield sector.

    In closing, I just want this team to win.  Whether they play beautiful and dominate Puebla, or the team plays ugly gets lucky and wins I don't care anymore.  The point is that this team is in need of a victory that all that are involved with the team from the fans to the front office deserve.  This game will be televised live on 2 networks across the United States (Azteca America and ESPN Deportes at 7 pm El Paso Time) and its time for the Indios to show everybody that they are so much better than their record indicates.  Until next time, VAMOS Indios!!!

NOTE: I will be on the radio tomorrow on Crunchtime hosted by Mando "The Monster" Medina  from 11:30am-1:00pm on Newsradio AM600 KROD. TUNE IN!!! 

    

Juan Pablo Rodriguez Suspended Indefinitely...

    Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for CF Indios, they do.  During yesterday's morning practice tempers flarred between team captain Juan De La Barrera and Juan Pablo "Juanpi" Rodriguez.  The argument was cut short by fellow teammates just before the argument became physical.  New Indios head coach, Jose Trevino then called out Indios owner and team president Francisco Ibarra to the field to speak with the team.  He just so happened to be present at that moment.  Shortly there after Rodriguez left the practice.  Today it was announced that he is off the team, suspended indefinitely.  The Tribe's front office and coaching staff will analyze and discuss the situation prior to making a final decision on the matter.

    How do I see this???  Look, Juanpi has come to love the Jersey in a VERY short period of time.  He is an individual that wears his emotions on his sleeve.  This is evident on the field of play and in any interviews that he gives.  Him along with Edwin Santibanez and Tomas Campos are three of the players that give 110% and leave it all on the field without any doubt.  If Rodriguez stays with the team, I wish that this is the Juanpi that stays.  However, with this situation surfacing it has been leaked to several fellow members in the media that Rodriguez was a bit of a "distraction" within the team, and that several teammates agree with Rodriguez temporary exit from the Tribe. 

    If this is truly the case, then his exit might be a blessing in disguise.  No man is bigger than the team.  This is a club that needs all of its focus in the right places.  Team distractions are the last thing they need.  There is still 12 points up for grabs in the season and the Indios have to acquire as many as possible.  Hopefully this will be resolved as soon as possible and the team can move forward.

    On a more positive note.  Yesterday I attended the release party for a documentary DVD on the story of CF Indios and the road they traveled to being promoted into Mexico's Premier Soccer Division (The name of the DVD is "La Historia De Un Ascenso").  It was directed by Ivan Garcia Escasan.  The DVD is great, and has over 3 hours of video footage.  It is a real intimate look at the team and how they got here.  I'll have more information on it soon as I have an interview with the filmmaker pending.  The DVD will be on sale here in El Paso.  Until next time, VAMOS Indios!!!

The Nightmare Continues...

    CF Indios lost its ninth game of the 2009 Apertura Season to Pachuca by a score of 1-0 Saturday night in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico.  The Tribe is stuck at 4 points on the season a continues to desperately look for its first victory of the soccer year.  The defeat came off, once again, a questionable play that affected the outcome of the game, which of course went against Indios.  In the stoppage time of the first half on a play that started outside of the Indios goalie box by Damian Alvarez who smoked Arturo Echaverria, for what seemed to be the tenth time in the first half, centered the ball a little behind Pachuca forward Ullises Mendivil were he then proceeded to kick the ball past the Indios goalie. 

    The problem was that Mendivil was offsides on the play but the line judge was about 3-5 yards behind the play and out of position to make the call.  What can be said, more bad luck for the team from the Borderland?  In a game in which the Indios looked better as an overall team and showed once again promises of positive things to come, in the end the Tribe came back to the Borderland without anything to show for their efforts.  The Indios played better than the opposition in the closing 45 minutes of the game.  The substitution and the adjustments that were made by Jose Trevino in the second half of the game were dead on and seemed to allow for an improved team performance.  This was not the case in last weeks game.

    One thing that I must say that wounded the Indios for the entire 90 minutes of the game was the play of one Arturo Echavarria.  His performance could not be classified as sub par, but down right terrible.  This youngster for the Tribe who was brought in at the beginning of the calender year by former Indios coach Hector Hugo Eugui has not even come close to proving that he can be an asset to this team despite being given several opportunities during his tenure with the club.  I hope that Saturday night's performance was the last of it, the straw that broke the camel's back and that this youngster will no longer see any more action for the rest of the season.  Then at the end of the season he is the first name on the available transfer list for the team.

      Enough with that.  I have never been so critical of the organization or anyone that represents it.  I just thought that this needed to be said.  I hope you all agree with me, and if you don't please tell me why.  I challenge you. 

    This coming Saturday night the Indios will play their next to last home game of the season against Puebla.  Will the third game be the charm for new Indios Head Coach Jose Trevino???  I hope so.  Everyone involved with the team deserves it, starting with the fans.  They have showed unconditional support for 7 home games thus far this season selling out the stadium despite the lack of positive results.  I do have to give kudos to the Indios front office for making adjustments with ticket prices and running special promotions to make tickets more "accessible" to fans especially since the team is not doing so well.

    It is time for the Indios to wake up and start producing positive results. The Tribe is only 0.0556 ahead of Queretaro in the relegation standings.  There is NO more breathing room.  Indios plays Puebla a team that has 20 points on the season, while Queretaro plays league leaders Toluca that has 26 points on the season.  Puebla is a much more beatable team than is Toluca and I just dont say this because the difference in points that these two teams have accumululated on the season.  Toluca is just a more well rounded team.  Yet Queretaro seems to have all the damn luck on its side winning three games in a row that it clearly did not deserve to win.  Its going to be a long week till Saturday night, so stay tuned.  Until next time.  VAMOS Indios!!! 

Can Week 13 Be Lucky 13 For CF Indios???

    Hello all, I know that it has been a while since I have posted any commentary so lets get right to it.  Later today CF Indios will play against Pachuca in the state of Hidalgo.  The Indios will return to the stadium in which they won their last game 5 months ago to the day by a score of 3-2 over Pachuca in the semi-finals in the Clausura 2008 season.  Can the Indios do what they have failed to do in the first twelve weeks of the season and come back to the borderland with their first win of the 2009 Apertura season and 3 valuable points in the bag???  I think it is a very real possibility.

    What I look for in this game is for the Tribe to continue and play in the new found style that new head coach Jose Trevino has implemented since his arrival almost two weeks ago.  Last week in their 2-0 loss to Atlante the Indios looked to be a lot more offensively oriented than under the command of former coach Hector Hugo Eugui.  Still the improvements I would like to see from the Indios comes from individual performances. 

    One is the performance of new Indio team captain Juan De La Barrera.  Now that Javier Malegueno is going to be out for the next few months due to injury De La Barrera needs to step it up in the Tribe's center defense.  The Indios team captain performances, in my opinion, have always been sub par when Malagueno in not in the lineup.  It is almost as if Malagueno serves as his comfort blanket.

    Attacking midfielder Alain Nkong needs to stop being such a individualistic player (what I really wanna say is ball hog) and take the rest of the team into consideration when he is on the attack.  He can not do it all alone.  I acknowledge that he generates a lot of scoring opportunities, but he just needs to pass the ball off more often.  He can be one the greatest assets that this team has but he just needs to allow the rest of the team to help him.

    These are the kind of improvements that I am looking for from the Tribe a couple of hours from now when they face off in the state of Hidalgo.  Hopefully the 13th week of the soccer season can be lucky 13 for the team from the Borderland.  Tune in.  The game will be televised live on Telefutura at 6 pm.  Check in sometime tomorrow as I will bring you my analysis of today's game.  Until next time, VAMOS Indios!!!

     

CF Indios Hit Rock Bottom In More Ways Than One.........

    After losing to the worst team (Queretaro) in Mexican Soccer on Saturday afternoon by a score of 3-1 it is time to tell it like it is ladies and gentlemen, the Indios world is coming down on them.  Adding insult to injury, actually the other way around, Indios starting center defender Javier Hernan Malagueno broke his right arm during saturday's game and will be out 4-6 months.  Indios now find themselves in last place in their group, and in the general/overall team standing with only 4 points out of a possible 33 that have been disputed in the 2009 Apertura Season.

    The bad situation doesn't end there. The Indios front office has yet to name a new head coach.  In the middle part of last week the two candidates that were rumored to be the top prospects for the job took themselves out of the running (Carlos Bracamontes and Ruben Omar Roman).  Now its anybody's guess who is up for the job.  As of this afternoon, yours truly has not heard any names of possible head coaches being considered for the job.  With club soccer taking next weekend off due to World Cup qualifiers worldwide, this gives Indios two weeks to name a new coach and start to turn this thing around.

    The only positive thing going for the Tribe, and it is a big one, is the fact that this team is still not at the bottom of the relegation table.  Queretaro still has that distinction.  Let us also not forget about the fact that this Queretaro team has not shown a lot on the field of play.  Not making excuses, but the gols that they scored were of off enormous mistakes from the Indios defense that loafed and lolligaged at the wrong moments of the game and ended up paying the ultimate price for it, three times.

    Looking at the replay of the game and the way that Queretaro scored on Indios was flat out embarrassing.  You see the Indios defense going at half speed and not committing one way or the other when it came to taking a player during the gol scoring plays.  As for interim head coach, Gabino Amparan, he spoke out strongly yesterday during the teams arrival to the Borderland.

    Amparan spoke about how the front office will consider to take some sort of disciplinary action against certain team members that they may feel are not putting forth their full effort.  The front office may even look at releasing some players at the end of the season.  I really hope that the front office does no such thing.  Something like this would, in my opinion, be suicide for the organization.  In-house fighting has never worked.  Why in the world would you want to alienate your players???  

    This is the toughest time in the short history of the franchise to be an Indios fan.  Casual Indios fans are jumping off the bandwagon like rats off a sinking boat or UTEP Miner football fans after only 4 games of any given season.  Still, the base of support for this team is still intact and strong.  More importantly these fans are still hopeful.  Hopefully the same can be said for the team.  Until next time, VAMOS Indios!!! 

Indios star suffers gruesome, season-ending injury

Guest post by Jay Koester: It was bad enough that the Juárez Indios continued on a downhill slide Saturday by losing to previously winless Querétaro, 3-1.

But even worse was the loss of star player Javier Hernán Malagueño. Malagueño suffered a nasty arm fracture late in the game. The injury ends his season. You can read about it here.

But for those with strong stomachs, the following video shows the fracture ... many times, from various angles, in painful slow-mo. You've been warned.

Coaching Change At The Worst Possible Time???

    With the departure of former Indios Head Coach, Hector Hugo Eugui I feel that the Tribe is left in complete disarray only 4 days prior to what has come the most important game in this Apertura 2009 season against Queretaro.  With the terrible season that the Indios have had thus far this upcoming game against the newly promoted Queretaro has become a very meaningful game because the two worst teams this season in both the general standings and in the relegation standings are going to go head to head.

    Queretaro has only 3 points on the season in 10 games giving them a .3 points per game average while the Tribe has a 1.045 points per game average courtesy of 46 points in 44 games.  On Saturday afternoon at 4 pm local time my theory that this season for the Tribe has been the epitome of bad luck and nothing more will be put to the test as Indios will face with out a doubt the team with the least talent in Mexico's Premier Soccer Division.

    Both of these team's are coming into this matchup with a loss (Queretaro lost to Morelia Sunday afternoon 5-0, while Indios lost to Estudiantes 2-1) and both teams will come into Saturday's game full of hope to start to turn this season around.  As much as I hate to say it though I think that its going to be more difficult for the Tribe to get the win than for Queretaro.    

    Indios will be lead by interim head coach Gabino Amparan who to my understanding has no head coaching experience at the "major league" level.  Its just going to be interesting how he is gong to lineup the team come Saturday and how his strategy is going to play out.  I would like to see drastic changes in the Tribe's offensive scheme.  After all, everyone says that this ship is sinking, if it is then the Indios better go down swinging.  I feel that Indio fans would appreciate that, regardless of the outcome.

    Speaking of offensive aggressiveness, it is rumored that the strong candidate for the job is Ruben Omar Romano.  This a head coach who does not have a job right now.  What I like the most about him is that he comes from the Ricardo LaVolpe school of coaching which only means one thing, offensive aggressiveness.  This is something all Indio followers are hungry for, including yours truly.  Until next time, VAMOS Indios!!!

Head Coach Hector Hugo Eugui Is Out...

    Hello all.  I just got the media release moments ago and I wanted to let you know that the head coach for CF Indios, Hector Hugo Eugui is no longer the head coach for the Tribe.  This according to director of media relations, Ramon Morales.  According to Morales both Eugui and the Indios front office came to a mutual agreement that this course of action would be best for both the club and Eugui. Gambino Amparan, Sports Director for Indios will now serve as interim head coach until the Indios front office names a new coach which they are currently efforting.  More information will be posted as I get it.  VAMOS Indios!!!