Tiros Libres: The Nightmare Ends
By: Christian |
3 Comments
At long last, the 2009 Torneo Clausura will end this weekend, with River Plate set to host Estudiantes in the last fixture of the season.
It could not come soon enough.
Considering our title hopes were pretty much dead after week 12, this last month has been an unbearable time for gallinas worldwide, as we’ve been forced to see a dead River sleepwalk though the end of the campaign. Mercifully, this forgettable season will end after this Sunday.
BTW, I missed the game last weekend against Godoy Cruz. All you need to know is the result: 1-0 to Godoy Cruz. Enough said.
River Plate Canadian Tour 2009: Juventus Out, Impact In, and Information On Seating For Everton Friendly
By: Christian | Add Comments
First and foremost, let me extend a warm thank you to Salvi Cammarata and Chris Billings of the Alberta Soccer Association, and Mel Kowalchuk of the Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League. All three have been very gracious in answering my emails regarding a dedicated fan section in the Commonwealth Stadium for the July 25th friendly against Everton. And guess what? There will indeed be a Fan Zone set aside just for River Plate fans! You can now go to the Ticketmaster event page to see a seating chart; our section will be on the east side of the stadium, sections S to N. Remember, tickets will go on sale June 22nd.
More updates regarding River’s anticipated Canadian pre-season tour:
Category: Team NewsClausura 2009: River Plate 3 - 1 Tigre
By: Christian | 1 Comment
The season may be over, but after a convincing 3-1 victory over Tigre this past Saturday at the Monumental, River Plate left an impression that better times may indeed be ahead for the embattled club. Overall, it was the most complete performance from River in quite some time.
Things got off on the wrong foot with Tigre scoring an early goal in the first minute. But unlike previous fixtures this season, River not only found the determination to fight back, but more importantly, were able to hold on to their lead, with goals from Flores, Falcao, and Fabbiani.
It would be pointless to analyze what this victory means in the context of a season that has been over for weeks; with most everyone at the club focused on the upcoming Apertura, the win was important for what it suggested could lie ahead for el millo.
Such hope was embodied by Cristian Fabbiani, who had a solid day on the pitch. In past weeks, el Ogro has let his mouth and not his feet speak for him, but Saturday he looked sharp, mentally focused, and in better spirits after what to this point can only be described as a disappointing season. Watch his playful goal celebration below to see just how relaxed he is now.
Can River build on this win for next season? They certainly have a long mountain to climb if they are to regain their rightful status atop the Primera table, but perhaps this win can be the start of better times at the Monumental. Next week, it’s off to face Godoy Cruz. Only two fixtures remain before this season finally comes to and end.
2009 Clausura Fixture 17
River Plate 3 - 1 Tigre
Scoring Summary:
Leandro Lazzaro (T), 1st
Robert Flores (RP), 39th
Radamel Falcao (RP), 62nd
Cristian Fabbiani (RP), 87th
River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Nicolás Sánchez, Danilo Gerlo, Lucas Orban
Diego Barrado, Nicolás Domingo;
Augusto Fernández, Robert Flores, Rodrigo Archubi
Cristian Fabbiani
Substitutions:
Radamel Falcao for Barrado, 56th
Martín Galmarini for Fernández, 71st
Erik Lamela for Flores, 79th
Highlights
Ticket Information For Carlsberg Cup Released
By: Christian | 2 Comments
Tickets for the July 22nd, Carlsberg Cup match between River Plate and Toronto F.C. will go on sale this Saturday, June 13th at 11AM, local time. Tickets will range from $41 to $320 (!)
You can find the direct link to Ticketmaster here.
Does anyone plan on going? Can anyone afford to?
Category: Team NewsRiver Plate To Face Everton in Canada
By: Christian | 8 Comments
A friendly match between Everton F.C. has been confimed for Saturday, July 25th in Edmonton.
The Toffees are now the third club to face River during their pre-season training in Canada, joining Juventus and Toronto F.C.
The game will be held at the Commonwealth Stadium at 7:30PM, local time. Tickets will be availble Friday, June 16th at 10AM, with a “generic presale” beginning Tuesday the 16th at Ticketmaster. You can visit their site here for more info.
Category: Team NewsRiver Plate To Invade North America This Summer
By: Christian | 4 Comments
River Plate has announced they will visit Canada for three weeks of pre-season training this summer, where they will participate in friendly matches against Italy’s Juventus and Major League Soccer’s, Toronto F.C.
According to La Página Millonaria, los millonarios will be in Canada from July 19th to August 9th as part of their preparation for the upcoming Apertura and Copa Sudamericana campaigns, and will include two friendlies with Juventus on August 5th and 8th, in a soon to be announced venue. The game will be a rematch of sorts of the 1996 Intercontinental Cup, which River lost 1-0 to Juve in Tokyo, with a squad that included such stars as Juan Pablo Sorín, Hernán Díaz, Ariel Ortega, and of course, Enzo Francescoli.
This past Saturday it was announced that River will also participate in the Carlsberg Cup, an annual summer competition against Toronto F.C. Previous editions has featured clubs Benfica and Independiente. “To bring a club of River Plate’s history to Toronto is very exciting for us,” said senior director of business operations Paul Beirne. “They are a team steeped in tradition and once again we are pleased to host such an opponent at BMO Field. We look forward to another exciting game with some South American flair that our fans will enjoy.” >. You can read the rest of TFC’s official press release on their official site here. Times and ticket prices will be announced at a later date.
The club will reportedly pocket $200,000 for their three week trip, with all expenses paid, thanks to World Eleven, a sports marketing firm that is financing the three week trip. The business group, according to their website, holds exclusive rights for all friendly matches of the Argentina National Team through 2011, and regularly sponsors international friendlies.
Category: Team NewsClausura 2009: Argentinos Juniors 0 - 0 River Plate
By: Christian | Add Comments
Is it over yet?
Despite playing (slightly) better, River Plate came away empty-handed from La Paternal this past Sunday, drawing 0-0 with Argentinos Juniors, mathematically eliminating them any chance at winning the Clausura.
Any fan following the club during this agonizing season already knew that the season was over after the 1-0 loss to Newell’s back on May 2nd, so the idea that only now River are eliminated from the title is laughable. The performance that la banda put out was not that of a team pushing for a late-season championship run, but of a squad going through the motions, killing time before the end of the year.
I’m sorry, but what more can I possibly add at this point? What good are game recaps when we all know the outcome? What is the point of rating players when we’ve become so accustomed to seeing them underperform?
I want to support this club, but they are making it incredibly difficult to do so. In the coming weeks, I’ll be focusing more on the future, because to spend one more second on this lot would be a monumental waste.
2009 Clausura Fixture 16
Argentinos Juniors 0 - 0 River Plate
Scoring Summary:
River Plate:
Mario Daniel Vega
Paulo Ferrari, Nicolás Sánchez, Danilo Gerlo, Lucas Orban
Diego Barrado, Nicolás Domingo
Diego Buonanotte, Mauro Díaz
Cristian Fabbiani, Radamel Falcao García
Substitutions:
Augusto Fernández for Barrado, 76th
Rodrigo Archubi for Díaz, 82nd
Category: 2009 ClausuraTiros Libres: Feeling Down Under
By: Christian | 6 Comments
Let me take this opportunity to send a warm welcome to the members of the River Plate Football Academy of Australia (motto: There is a place for everyone at River Plate), who I was just told are regular visitors to this blog.
A comment this week from one of their members asked about the recent lack of posts and whether it was related to the poor performance of the club. While the current state of River is indeed sad, I assure you that en las buenas y en las malas, this blog will continue to exist. No, the reason for the lack of posts has been purely personal as I’ve been dealing with a stubborn injury (I hurt my knee training for a marathon) and the rehabilitation as taken up most of my free time.
Let me say how truly awesome it is to know that there is a community of River Plate fans worldwide who follow our club from every part of the globe, from the U.S. and Great Britain, to Israel and Australia. I hope that we can all continue to stay in touch as we look forward to better days ahead for our beloved River.
Let me catch everyone up on what has happened the past two weeks:
Clausura 2009: River Plate 1 - 1 Club Atlético Lanús
By: Christian | 3 Comments
It’s a sad sign of the times that River Plate’s 1-1 draw with Lanús yesterday evening was somehow not the most embarassing sight at the Monumental.
The result itself certainly qualified. Los millonarios squandered an early lead thanks to none other then Jose Sand, a one-time River reject who earned the wrath of River fans following his raucous goal celebration at the Monumental last year which many felt was disrespectable (he celebrated yesterday’s goal with equal disregard for his former club.) And if last week’s loss to Newell’s Old Boys was the final nail in the coffin on River’s season, the yesterday’s draw was just the bloodied corpse being dragged out one more time.
Clausura 2009: Newell’s Old Boys 1 - 0 River Plate
By: Christian | 2 Comments
River Plate effectively ended their Clausura title bid this past Sunday, falling 1-0 to Newell’s Old Boys. Their campaign finished in much the same way we’ve come to expect from los millonarios this season - a dull and uninspired performance from a club that appears to have given up on itself.
La banda had entered the game with a fabulous opportunity to gain points on leaders Vélez Sarsfield, who only managed a 0-0 draw to San Martín, and Lanús and Colón, who are above River in the standings, both suffered losses.
Category: 2009 Clausura
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