Atlante Downs Tecos 2-1 in InterLiga 2010

(Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography, Copyright 2010 All Right Reserved)

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2010 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 2, 2010) Houston’s Robertson Stadium was the site of the first doubleheader of InterLiga 2010, with Atlante facing Estudiantes Tecos in the first game of the evening.

In the first game, Atlante downed Estudiantes Tecos 2-1 off of goals by outside defender Daniel Arreola in the 10th minute and forward Guillermo Rojas in the 47th minute.

Atlante had 9 shots on goal, while Tecos managed 15 attempts, with Tecos goalkeeper Mario Rodriguez having 3 saves and Atlante goalkeeper Federico Vilar having 4 stops.

Atlante had to play the entire 2nd half a man down after defender Jose Daniel Guevara was sent off in the 45th minute for a violent tackle of Tecos midfielder Rubens Oscar Sambueza.

Atlante came out hard in the 2nd half, despite being a man down and held off Tecos after Rojas’ goal.

Tecos had numerous changes to even the score in the second half, but excellent defense and goalkeeping by Atlante kept Tecos at bay.

Both teams were even with five corner kicks each. Atlante lead the game with seven fouls to six for Tecos, and also had more offside calls, 4-1.

InterLiga 2010 Referee Pool Announced

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (December 22, 2009) The referees, assistants and fourth officials participating in the seventh edition of InterLiga, the tournament that determines two Mexican berths to the prestigious Copa Libertadores, were announced today. The tournament will begin on Saturday, January 2, 2009 at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas with Group A action.

Each match’s official referee designations will be announced 24 hours before each match on the tournament’s official website, www.InterLiga.com.

The U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) oversees the designation, evaluation and training of all the officials in the United States, and will assign the teams of four to officiate each match of the tournament. USSF, currently in partnership with the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), will also assign referees from the CSA to participate in these matches. The referee pool follows below:

REFEREE POOL

Mark Geiger

Baldomero Toledo

Jair Marrufo

Ricardo Salazar

Jorge Gonzalez

Silviu Petrescu

Alex Prus

Kevin Stott

Terry Vaughn

Paul Ward

ASSISTANT REFEREE POOL

Adam Garner

Adam Wienckowski

Anthony Vasoli

Brian Poeschel

Chris Strickland

Corey Rockwell

Daniel Belleau

Eric Boria

Fabio Tovar

Frank Anderson

Greg Barkey

Hector Vergara

Jason Cullum

Jeff Hosking

Joe Fletcher

Kermit Quisenberry

Peter Balciunas

Peter Manikowski

Steven Taylor

Thomas Supple

FOURTH OFFICIAL POOL

Alex Prus

Baldomero Toledo

Jair Marrufo

Jasen Anno

Kevin Stott

Paul Ward

Ramon Hernandez

Ricardo Salazar

Terry Vaughn

Yader Reyes

All the matches will be broadcast in the United States on Fox Sports en Español and ESPN Deportes Radio. For more information, visit the official tournament website, www.InterLiga.com.

Tigres and Atlas Play to 0-0 Tie In InterLiga Action

By Robert H. Kelly

Copyright 2009 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 3, 2008) Goalkeepers Pedro Hernandez (Atlas) and Oscar Perez (Tigres) each had three saves and the teams played to a 0-0 tie in the third game of InterLiga 2009.

The two teams started action in Group B play at Robertson Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston in Houston, Texas.

Both teams are 0-0-1, with one point in the team standings.

Atlas outshot Tigres 7-2 in the first half. Atlas' best chance to score came in the 52nd minute when Bruno Marioni's free kick from just right of the semicircle was stopped by a diving Perez.

InterLiga 2009 is made up of eight teams from the Mexican Primera Division. The top two advance to The Copa Libertadores, South America's club championships.

Play continues in the second game of the night as Chivas faces Club America.

InterLiga 2009 Returns to Houston, Dallas

NEW YORK, NEW YORK & MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (Janaury 2, 2009) The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF), together with Soccer United Marketing (SUM), have announced the teams, groups, schedules and venues for InterLiga 2009.

The sixth edition of InterLiga will be played from January 2-11, 2009 in Dallas and Houston, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. The eight participating clubs in their respective groups for InterLiga 2009 are:

Group A - Toluca, UAG, Morelia, Pachuca
Group B - Tigres UANL, CD Guadalajara, Atlas, América

InterLiga 2009 will determine two Mexican club berths for Copa Libertadores known as "Mexico 2" and "Mexico 3". The other spot known as "Mexico 1" has been awarded to San Luis de Potosi due to the club's finish as SuperLider of the Mexican Torneo de Apertura 2008, or the regular season champions of the current Mexican season.

Following the draw for the 2009 Copa Libertadores, it was revealed that Mexico 2 will be part of Group 6 with Lanús (Argentina), Everton (Chile) and Caracas (Venezuela). Mexico 3 will play a two-leg play in series against la Universidad de Chile. If victorious, Mexico 3 would be placed in Group 3 with Aurora (Bolivia), Boyaca Chico (Colombia) and a team to be determined from Brazil.

The new qualification system for InterLiga 2009, announced in March of 2008 by the FMF, to accommodate the CONCACAF Champions League, is as follows: the eight best teams in the general standings at the end of the current Apertura season of the Mexican domestic league move on to InterLiga, except for the club that finishes first in the regular season standings, which will qualify directly to Copa Libertadores as "Mexico 1," per FMF regulations. Due to their participation in the 2008-2009 CONCACAF Champions League, Atlante, Cruz Azul, Pumas and Santos will not participate in InterLiga regardless of their place in the Apertura standings.

Calendar

The sixth edition of InterLiga will begin on Friday, January 2 in Frisco, Texas with a doubleheader featuring Group A matches Toluca vs. Morelia and Tecos vs. Pachuca, beginning at 7:00 pm local. The tournament then moves to Houston, Texas for doubleheaders on January 3 and 4. After another doubleheader on Monday, January 5 in Frisco, the tournament will arrive at its final location in Los Angeles where it will feature the final group phase games on January 8 and 9. The InterLiga 2009 finals will take place on Sunday, January 12 at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, beginning at 4:00 pm local. This will mark the fifth InterLiga finals in the Southern California stadium.

An exclusive pre-sale to all Visa card holders will begin on December 8. Tickets will go on sale to the general public shortly following the Visa pre-sale. The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol invites you to use your Visa card.

For further information on the tournament and its history, visit www.InterLiga.com.


INTERLIGA™ 2009 SCHEDULE (all times local)
All matches to be broadcast live in the United States by Fox Sports en Español.
Friday, January 2 - Pizza Hut Park (Dallas, Texas)
Game 1 - Group A -Toluca vs. Morelia- 19:00
Game 2 - Group A -UAG vs. Pachuca- 21:30

Saturday, January 3 - Robertson Stadium (Houston, Texas)
Game 3 - Group B -Tigres UANL vs. Atlas- 19:00
Game 4 - Group B -CD Guadalajara vs. América- 21:30

Monday, January, 5 - Robertson Stadium (Houston, Texas)
Game 5 - Group A -UAG vs. Morelia- 19:00
Game 6 - Group A -Toluca vs. Pachuca- 21:30

Tuesday, January 6 - Pizza Hut Park (Dallas, Texas)
Game 7 - Group B -Tigres UANL vs. América- 19:00
Game 8 - Group B -CD Guadalajara vs. Atlas- 21:30

Thursday, January 8 - Home Depot Center (Carson, CA)
Game 9 - Group A -Morelia vs. Pachuca- 18:00
Game 10- Group A -Toluca vs. UAG- 20:30

Friday, January 9 - Home Depot Center (Carson, CA)
Game 11 - Group B -Atlas vs. América- 18:30
Game 12 - Group B -Tigres UANL vs. CD Guadalajara- 21:00

Sunday, January 11 - Home Depot Center (Carson, CA)
Final 1 - 16:00
Final 2 - 18:30

Club America, Atlas Notch Wins in Interliga Action

By Chris Price

FRISCO, TEXAS (January 7, 2008) Richard Nunez scored in the 75th minute to lead Club America to a 2-1 victory over Toluca on Sunday in the InterLiga tournament in Frisco.

With the win, Club America clinched a spot in one of the tournament's final two matches, which will be played Saturday.

Nunez took a pass from Enrique Esqueda and kicked a shot over the head of Toluca goalkeeper Hernan Cristante.

Alejandro Arguello, who scored the only goal in Club America's 1-0 victory against Morelia on Thursday, had a goal to tie the game in the 64th minute.

In the nightcap, Argentinean forward Bruno Marioni scored twice as Atlas moved a step closer to the InterLiga final four, beating Moralia 2-0.

Marioni took advantage of an wide Morelia kickoff in the 14th minute to convert against goalie Moises Munoz.

In the 68th minute, Marioni received a pass from Jorge Acucharro, turned and shot against Munoz.

Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

San Luis Downs Pumas 2-0 in InterLiga Action

By Robert H. Kelly

San Luis took another step towards the finals of the Interliga 2008 by beating Pumas 2-0 at Robertson Stadium in Hosuton.

With goals from Colombian Tressor Moreno in the 8th minute and Argentine Alfredo Moreno in the 35th minute, San Luis moved a bit closer to their berth in the continental tournament.

With this result, Raul Arias’ team stands alone on top of Group B with six points, while Pumas have three, as Cruz Azul, their rival in the next matchday. In the other match of this group, Monterrey, with no points, was eliminated by Cruz Azul.

Action contines Sunday with Group A games at Pizza Hut Park in Dallas.

Cruz Azul Downs Monterrey 1-0 in InetrLiga Group B Action

By Robert H. Kelly

HOUSTON, TEXAS, (January 5, 2008) With two teams hoping to get a second win and two others hoping to notch a victory, Interliga 2008 continued at Robertson Stadium in Houston on Saturday night.

Playing under better condition than the previous four games, with temperatures in the mid- 60s, fans were looking for fantastic soccer as Cruz Azul taking on Monterrey and San Luis facing Pumas in the nightcap.

In the first game of the doubleheader, Cruz Azul defeated Monterrey 1-0 to gain 3 points and stay alive in Group B action.

Azul took early control of the game when midfielder Edgar Andrade took a pass 15 yards out and booted it past goalkeeper Christian Martinez in the 18th minute.

Spirited play bolstered by substitutions in the second period kept both teams aiming for the goal, but the solid defense and excellent goalkeeping of Azul would not allow Monterrey to penetrate its goal.

Azul was 0-1 after Wednesday games in Dallas, while Monterrey, also 0-1 will now have to hope for a win against San Luis on Tuesday at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Azul showed a solid offense against Monterrey after losing to San Luis 1-0 in Dallas on Wednesday. They will now face Pumas in the nightcap game on January 8 in Carson.

As a result of his goal, Andrade was selected as the AT&T Man of the Match.

Club America Wins, Toluca-Atlas Tie in InterLiga Action

By Robert H. Kelly

HOUSTON, TEXAS, (January 3, 2008) On a very cold Thursday evening in Houston where temperatures neared freezing, Group A of InterLiga 2008 kicked off with Toluca facing Atlas and Morelia playing Club America in the nightcap.

These games were marred before the tournament by criticism from players and coaches concerning the staging of the InterLiga. However, none of that showed as the Toluca and Atlas battled to a 0-0 tie.

The games was a struggle as both teams played heartily in an attempt to fight off the cold, but neither team was able to gain an advantage

The cold did not seem to bother either team; however, it definitely did make a difference in the quality of play. Players seemed rushed as the approached the ball and neither team had the offensive punch to take control of the game.

Atlas' Mario Rodriguez and Toluca's Hernan Cristante each had four saves as both teams earned a single point in the Group A standings. Toluca totaled seven shots on goal while Atlas had nine.

Toluca had the best scoring opportunity ion the second half, when Santiago Fernandez entered the game in the 69th minute and got clear 3 meters from the goal. He sent in a low shot which Rodrguez blocked with his head.

Atlas came back in extra time when defender Omar Flores headed a free kick past midfielder Eduardo Rergis that was deflected off the cross bar.

With Club America and Morelia facing off in the second game, the cold did not seem to affect the quality of play. Club America came out with a spirited attack and took control early in the game.

Midfielder Alejandro Arguello found the goal in the 12th minute on a cross shot from 25 meters out to make the score 1-0 for America.

Morelia made a good attempt to tie the score in the 45th minute as midfielder Aldo Leao Ramirez took a shot directly at the goal from 8 meters. The shot was body-blocked by goalkeeper Moises Munoz.

In the second half, Morelia drew a penalty kick in the 55th minute which could have tied the score. Unfortunately for Morelia fans, it was blocked by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.

Pumas, San Luis Win in InterLiga Openers

By Chris Price

FRISCO, TEXAS (January 3, 2007) Pumas, fielding a team of reserves, defeated Monterrey 1-0 on Wednesday night at Pizza Hut Park to open the InterLiga tournament.

Pablo Bonells, recovered a cross pass from forward Gaston Caprari which deflected off the goal post for the score.

Monterrey controlled most of the first half, but was unable to find the goal in front of 8,504 freezing fans.

Ismael Iniguez's shot in the 10th minute was wide right against Monterrey goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco. Three minutes before the half, Morales took aim against Monterray, however defender Edgar Solona deflected his shot.

Monterrey's Jared Borgetti, the all-time leading scorer for the Mexican national team, left the game in the 61st minute. Borgetti had an opportunity to score in the 31st minute, but Pumas keeper Odin Patino stopped his header.

Cruz Azul and San Luis played in the second game at Pizza Hut Park. Sam Luis went on to win 1-0 on an Alfredo Moreno penalty kick in the 17th minute.

The tournament continues with Group A matches on Thursday evening in Houston. Toluca will play Atlas in the 7:00 PM game, with Morelia and Club America taking the field in the nightcap.

Its INTERLIGA Time Again

By Robert H. Kelly

HOUSTON, TX, (Janaury 1, 2008) If you are a hard core soccer fan and you’re near Dallas, Houston or Los Angeles, be sure to use these next two weeks to check out Interliga.

The Interliga is a competition used by Mexican clubs to decide which teams get the two automatic qualification berths for the South American club competition Copa Libertadores. All games are played in the United States and officiated by Major League Soceer referees.

The eight qualifying team are divided into two groups and play in round robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the two final matches, which are being played this year at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA on Saturday, January 12, 2008. Since Mexico gets two automatic qualification slots for the Copa Libertadores, winners of both games advance.

The teams competing this year are:
Group A:
Club America (Mexico City)
Atlas (Guadalajara)
Toluca (Toluca de Lerdo)
Morelia (Morelia)

Group B:
Cruz Azul (Mexico City)
Pumas (Mexico City)
Monterrey (Monterrey)
San Luis (San Luis Potosí)

The first set of games will be Wednesday and Thursday in Frisco and Houston.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008 – Pizza Hut Park (Frisco, Texas)
Group B Game 1: Monterrey vs. Pumas
Group B Game 2: Cruz Azul vs. San Luis

Thursday, January 3, 2008 - Roberston Stadium (Houston, Texas)
Group A Game 1: Toluca vs. Atlas
Group A Game 2: Morelia vs. América

TexSport Publications will be on hand in Houston to bring you all the action.

Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

TWO MEXICAN CLUBS TO PROGRESS TO 2008 COPA LIBERTADORES

The two Mexican clubs to join CD Guadalajara (Mexico) in the 2008 Copa Santander Libertadores will be determined by the InterLiga™ tournament that is taking place in three cities (Carson, California; Frisco & Houston, Texas) in the USA from 2-12 January.

The eight-team tournament has two groups of four with Atlas CF, Club América, CA Monarcas Morelia, and CD Toluca in Group A, while Group B has CD SC Cruz Azul, Pumas UNAM, CF Monterrey and San Luis.

The finals will take place on Saturday, 12 January in Carson and will consist of Group A winner taking on Group B runner-up, and then the Group B victor meeting the second-place finisher from Group A. The two winners of Saturday’s encounters will progress to the 2008 Copa Santander Libertadores.