Football Dispatch

Monday Football
07 July 2008
by Jerrad Peters

Boyaca Chico won their first Columbian title, Sunday, after defeating America de Cali on penalties in the 2008 Copa Mustang final. Miguel Caneo opened the scoring for Chico after 36 minutes – sending the 13,000 spectators inside Tunja’s La Independencia stadium into a frenzy.

While America carried the play for much of the first half, Luis Tejada and Adrian Ramos missed clear opportunities in front of goal. And just as in last week’s first leg, they were made to pay for their wastefulness. Caneo’s 12th goal of the competition came decidedly against the run of play. After placing the ball on the spot, he gently stroked it past an unfortunate Adrian Berbia.

The hosts protected the lead for nearly three-quarters of an hour until America, champions in 2000, 2001, and 2002, pulled level through Tejada in the 83rd minute. Both sides finished with ten men as Chico’s Juan Mahecha was dismissed and Pablo Armero was sent off for America.

Despite earning a late equalizer, America were unable to convert their momentum into success from the spot. Chico scored on each of their attempts – with Caneo, Oscar Diaz, Pino Morena, and Ever Palacios beating Berbia – while only Ramos and Paulo Arango made their penalties.

The victory is the first for Chico after just five years in the top flight. Founded in 2002, the club quickly won promotion from Primera B before becoming a contender in the first division.

Cristiano Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery in Amsterdam on Monday. The 23-year-old Manchester United winger will miss six weeks while recuperating and has targeted the UEFA Super Cup on August 29 as a possible return date. He is set to miss the club’s first two Premier League matches against Newcastle and Portsmouth as well as the Community Shield match against Pompey on August 9.

The Portuguese Federation and United officials agreed to have the surgery performed in the Dutch capital after bickering over a venue for more than a week. Ronaldo arrived in Amsterdam on Sunday and will return home to begin his rehabilitation on Tuesday afternoon. The United winger had played through the pain since suffering the injury in March and went on to record an impressive 42-goals in 48-matches for United while winning both the Premier League and Champions’ League. He was clearly bothered by the ankle at the EURO 2008 finals, however, as Portugal bowed out at the quarterfinal stage to Germany.

Regarding his future at Old Trafford, Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon admitted that the player’s future is in the hands of Sir Alex Ferguson and the United brass.

“Right now the most probable thing is that Ronaldo will be at Manchester United next year,” he stated during an interview at Wimbledon, Sunday. “United have to want it to happen in order for a transfer to happen.”

Calderon’s remarks reinforced the views of Ronaldo’s sister, Alma Aveiro. In an interview with The Sun, the 34-year-old stated that “Cristiano wants to keep playing at Manchester United. Real Madrid keep making very strong advances for him.” She continued, “But we know who he is and what he is really up to. He wants to stay at United.”

Jose Mourinho will attempt to pry Frank Lampard from Chelsea before the summer transfer window closes on August 31. The former Blues boss and current Inter Milan manager was believed to be waiting until next year to launch his bid for the 30-year-old midfielder. Lampard will be out of contract in June, 2009 and can sign a free transfer with a club of his choice after January 1. But rather than risk losing him for nothing in 12 months, Chelsea now appear ready to part with the England man.

Inter’s first offer arrived at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening when Technical Director Marco Branca faxed the Italian club’s 6.5M-bid. Chelsea are not in a good position to demand more money as Lampard has already hinted that he may opt to leave the club. Additionally, new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has already added Portuguese midfielder Deco to the squad and Michael Ballack is coming off a superb season in North London.

Should he force the move, Lampard would be just the first of several Chelsea players to link up with their old boss at the San Siro. Ricardo Carvalho is also expected to join the Nerazzurri while Didier Drogba has been linked with the three-time Italian champions as well.

Since joining Chelsea from West Ham in May, 2001, Lampard has won two Carling Cups, the FA Cup, and a pair of Premier League titles. He has also scored at least 20-goals in each of his past three seasons.

Villarreal continue to bolster their squad ahead of their upcoming assault on La Liga and the Champions’ League. Chairman Fernando Roig Alfonso revealed the club’s latest signing, Ariel Ibagaza, over the weekend. Ibagaza, nicknamed “El Cano”, arrives at El Madrigal on a two-year deal via Mallorca for a reported 1.5M-euros.

The 31year-old, twice capped for Argentina, is one of the better, playmaking midfielders in Spanish football. After moving to Europe from Lanus in 1998, he enjoyed two stints at Mallorca and a further three seasons with Atletico Madrid. He was part of the Mallorca side which won the Copa del Rey in 2003.

Villarreal have already added Edmilson, Joseba Llorente, Damien Escudero, and Robert Flores to a lineup which finished runners-up to Real Madrid in 2007-08. Edmilson, the 31-year-old defensive midfielder, backstopped Barcelona to the Champions’ League in 2006 and was part of Brazil’s World Cup-winning squad in 2002. Llorente, a 28-year-old centre-forward, scored 42 league goals over three seasons at Valladolid. Escudero, a standout for Velez Sarsfield and a fully-capped Argentina international at 21-years of age, will play on the left of Manuel Pellegrini’s midfield while Flores, a 22-year-old Uruguay international, played two seasons at Montevideo side River Plate before making the move to Spain.

The Yellow Submarine also broke the United States transfer record when they signed Jozy Altidore for $10million on June 4. Currently with New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer, the 18-year-old is widely held as the top, young American footballer and also garnered interest from Newcastle, Reading, and Real Madrid.

A trio of Premier League clubs are tracking Real Madrid midfielder Ruben de la Red. Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Aston Villa are thought to be keen on the versatile 23-year-old. The creative midfielder, a member of Spain’s EURO 2008-winning side in Austria and Switzerland, is also an effective central defender and can be deployed throughout the middle of the park.

After appearing in just ten Liga matches for Madrid from 2004-2007, de la Red was sold to Getafe for 2.4M-pounds. However, Madrid retained the right to buy the player back after 12 months and exercised the clause in May, 2008. Given the player’s outstanding season at Getafe and his selection to the national team, the Meringues are now demanding 15M-pounds in exchange for his signature. If each of the three English sides opt to take a pass, Madrid manager Bernd Schuster has stated that de la Red will be offered a chance to fight for a place in the first team at the Bernabeu.

Already linked with Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov and River Plate’s Falcao, Manchester United are believed to be pursuing Klaas Jan Huntelaar as well. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has made no secret of the club’s plan to add another striker before the end of August. And with Spurs’ pricing Berbatov at roughly 30M-pounds, he is thought to prefer either 22-year-old Falcao or 24-year-old Huntelaar. For Huntelaar, it seems, the feeling is mutual.

“I know certain English clubs are following me, like Manchester United,” he said. “I love clubs with great history like Ajax. I also love United. They are a club that make me dream, especially as Ruud Van Nistelrooy did great things with them.

In three seasons at Ajax, Huntelaar has scored an incredible 96-goals. He has scored over 20-goals in each of his past six seasons in Dutch football while adding 8-goals in 13-appearances for the national team.

Have a question about football? Email your query to jerradpeters@gmail.com.

Jerrad Peters covers football for the Winnipeg Free Press, Soccer Three-Sixty magazine, ESPN Soccernet, and Soccer365.com. His work has also appeared on TheMirror.co.uk, Canadian-soccer.com, Footy247.co.uk, Foot2ball.com, and Squadinfo.com.

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