The impending announcement would put an end to a weeks-long hunt for a successor to Diego Simeone, a search which at one time included names such as Ramón Díaz and Omar Labruna as possible candidates.

An official club announcement could be made sometime this evening. Check back soon for updates.

Diego Simeone officially bid farewell to River Plate yesterday in his final game as head coach in an emotional 3-3 draw with Huracan at the Monumental.

Despite a season of disappointments, el Cholo was nonetheless applauded by the fans throughout the game, many of whom waved banners and sang songs, thanking him for his service to the club and asking him to stay. It was a gesture of gratitude towards the man who ended River’s 4-year title drought, and a bittersweet closing of an era that will be remembered more for its unfulfilled promise and what-ifs.

The game taking place on the pitch neatly summarized the River that Simeone will be leaving. It was a team of two personalities, one that was down 3 goals by the 35th minute, another that fought back valiantly in the second half to even the score. One that looked lost and without a leader, yet also showed the ability to come together one last time for the man who would soon be leaving them.

Seeing Simeone on the sideline, dressed in his usual all-black attire, one could tell he still had his heart with the team. Despite lying dead last at the bottom of the table, one could see in his face the disappointment each time a Huracan goal went into net, or the wild exuberance he showed when River came back to tie the game in the second half, jumping up and down and rallying the team to the end.

Regardless of what we thought of him, you could never deny that Simeone approached every game with the same seriousness and determination as any other coach in the league. He was constantly a force on the sideline, arguing calls, pushing his players forward, celebrating every victory, and suffering every defeat. The white bandage on his arm was the perfect accessory, a reminder that he could easily pump his fist in the air in joy as he could smash it against the wall in frustration.

Seeing the players pull together to give Simeone something memorable for his last game in charge (see Tuzzio dedicating his goal to him in the video below), and hearing the fans shout chants of thanks was an emotional sight. Yes, no one expected that only months after celebrating a league title in the very same stadium, Simeone would be coaching his final game with River suffering the worst campaign in its history. But the emotional exchange on hand at the Monumental, between fans who despite being heartbroken still came to graciously say goodbye, and from Simeone himself, whose somber tone seemed to envision a dream of better times, of championships never to be won, of a history that will never be written, was one of the proudest moments I’ve seen from the club all year.

The season has been hard, but I want to thank Diego for his work with the club, and I wish him the best of luck in his coaching career. I never thought he was as bad as this season’s record shows, and I suspect a long and successful path lies ahead of him. As for River, they remain an embarrassment, an eyesore that needs to quickly go away so we can all recover and and move on. But those discussions will be for another time. Instead, I dedicate this chant to el Cholo, one heard from the terraces over the weekend:

“Olé, olé, olé, olé, Cholo, Cholo!”

After leading River to its first title in nearly 4 years in his first season in charge, Simeone has seen his squad crash this year to the bottom of the Primera table with a 1-6-6 record, the worst start ever in River’s history. After a defeat in the Superclasico, the rumors began to swirld that el Cholo’s days at River were numbered, and only a Copa Sudamericana title could rescue his job. But after River blew their early 2-0 lead last night that would have seen them through to the next round, Simeone, who was tossed out after arguing calls in the second half after Chivas had tied the game 2-2 and thereby eliminating River, it was only a matter of time before today’s news.

It’s is an acrimonious end for Simeone and the club, who, after the disappointing reign of Daniel Passarella, was appointed with the task of turning the club’s fortunes around. After a successful stint at Estudiantes, which included a league title, Simeone was seen as a fresh face, a young and fiery coach who would bring his enthusiasm and experience from his days on the national team to Argentina’s most successful club.

But there were several missteps from the start. Simeone struggled to find his best starting XI for much of the first season, constantly changing his tactics week after week and failing to establish any sort of consistency. He failed to beat Boca both times in the league, and the 2-2 draw at home against a 9-man San Lorenzo in the Copa Libertadores remains one of the most embarrassing moments in River history.

Behind the scenes, Simeone struggled to take on a role as a leader of the clubhouse. He failed to reign in players like Juan Pablo Carrizo and Oscar Ahumada, whose post-Libertadores comments infuriated the River fan-base. He had a long standing and bitter feud with Ariel Ortega, a River legend, and his decision to leave him on the bench brought the wrath of fans who were furious to see their captain so disrespected. When it appeared that President Jose Aguilar went behind Simeone’s back and extended Ortega’s contract with the club, his role as coach was severely undermined. Though Ortega would ultimately leave, Simeone was left as the scapegoat, his authority challenged.

This season proved to be disastrous almost right from the start. Without a true team captain, his reinforcements failing on the pitch, River’s title hope was over in a matter of weeks, and Simeone’s tenure was hanging by a thread. Last night was just the final straw.

Though it was the necessary change, (being known as the coach of the worst River team ever is not going to keep you around long), it is still a sad end to what at the time was perceived as a new start for River, a new era of championship glory for la gloriosa banda. Diego may have deserved better, and he may not be as bad as his record shows, but there was really no other choice to be made.

Glad to see Simeone out? Think it came too late? And who do you want to see take over? With nothing left to play for, there will be plenty of time to hash out these questions n the coming months.

It didn’t happen. But while it may appear that Simeone will stick it out, at least until the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana, the end of the Cholo era seems to be drawing to a close. With the odds unlikely that Simeone will see out the rest of the season, and with an extension of his contract even less favorable, the writing it seems, is on the wall. Simeone has not only guided River to a season that was over before even being midway through and failed at its other top priorities, the Superclasico, and as it appears, the Copa Sudamericana, but he now owns a title that no one could have seen coming: leading River to its worst start ever. At the rate the club keeps losing games, it’s hard to imagine that things could still get worse.

With no help in sight, I can’t help but think that Simeone is just counting down the days until he can resign and rid himself of this River team that, try as could, was never really his own. He never really warmed to the fans, the players (Ortega?), or the board, and though he led us to our first league title in 4 years, it may not be enough to see him through this crisis.

While I find it admirable that Simeone would tell his friends that he would stick it out (allegedly), I just can’t buy it. He’s been rumored to move to Spain for months, and though he was never a serious candidate for the Argentina NT post, he must know that if he continues to beat this dead horse, it could stain his future coaching aspirations.

For now though, River and Simeone are tied together in an un-easy union, a relationship that is close to a sad and premature ending. As as in all the relationships that end that way, it’s always too soon, too much, and never thought possible.

Consider: A loss to our most hated rivals, against a Boca that had not won in the Monumental since 2003. A team playing with 10 men for much of the second half, and were not even playing particularly well to begin with. And a squad that had spent much of the past international break embroiled in an off-field dispute between two of its star players.

What do all these add up to? Nothing more than River Plate’s worst ever start in the league through 10 games. As in, worst start ever in their professional history. Oh, we’ve seen bad in recent years. But the hole in which River has dug themselves into this year supersedes all that has past before. They have attained a new level of futility that, while not so unexpected considering the results so far this season, given the talent of the squad and the success of the coach, still comes as a shock.

As for the aforementioned Diego Simeone, he seems ready to abandon this sinking ship, telling the press that unless River wins the Copa Sudamericana, which kicks off tomorrow against Mexico’s Chivas de Guadalajara, he will resign as head coach. That seems like a fair proposition, seeing as River have failed in their two other quests this season, defending their 2008 Clausura title, and beating Boca.

But his comments should not be viewed as a gesture of humility. In fact, suggesting that he will leave the team should an early exit in the Copa happen is more of a threat then an admittance of not performing to standards. It should be seen then as an indictment of the squad, which has been almost uniformly bad, and more importantly against the club itself, and reviled President Jose Aguilar, who has had several public spats with Simeone, almost always siding against him. He seems to be saying, “You gave me this mess to work with. Either shape up and win me a Copa, or I’ll leave you twisting in the wind.”

To even discus winning the Sudamericana at this moment seems premature; what is most pressing now is earning a positive result tomorrow against Chivas if we are to have any hope of advancing to the semis. It may not be enough to erase the memories of this train wreck of a season, but it could help to slow the bleeding, not mention restore a little dignity. At this point, it’s to imagine things getting any worse.

Embarrassing.

Those questioning if the season could possibly get any worse were answered this afternoon with River Plate blowing their most important match of this Apertura 2008, falling 1-0 to a 10 man Boca at the Monumental. It was an uninspired performance from los millonarios, who continue to show an unbelievable level mediocrity in this league season. Considered by many to be a final, an opportunity to salvage something from this lost season, River instead showed little heart or tenacity, and the result was a pathetic defeat that handed our most bitter rivals their first victory at our home since 2003.

To be fair, the match failed to live up to expectations, and the first half saw mistakes from both sides. River had the most opportunities to go ahead, but poor performances again from Santiago Salcedo and Radamel Falcao up top failed to ignite the offense. So when Boca’s Hugo Ibarra was shown a straight red in the early minutes of the second half, it appeared to many River fans that the rout was on.

Guess again. What happened was the exact opposite, with River failing to take advantage of the extra man, and unbelievably, Boca would get the lone goal of the afternoon minutes later, when Lucas Viatri’s header would sail over a diving Juan Ojeda.

The rest of the match saw a weak River side unable to put any sort of sustained attack together, and it looked more as if River were the ones playing a man down.

And so, the Apertura is now officially over. Yes, there are several matches remaining, but after the Superclasico there is now nothing to play for, aside from pride, which took a severe blow this afternoon. Unless River are able to make it deep into the Copa Sudamericana, it’s going to be a sad, sad Christmas for gallinas worldwide.

2008 Apertura Fixture 10
River Plate 0 – 1 Boca Juniors

Scoring Summary:
Lucas Viatri (BJ), 60h

River Plate:
Juan Marcelo Ojeda
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Eduardo Tuzzio, Cristian Villagra
Augusto Fernández, Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas
Diego Buonanotte
Radamel Falcao, Santiago Salcedo

Substitutions:
Mauro Díaz for Salcedo, 46th
Andrés Ríos for Fernández, 63rd
Leonardo Ponzio for Ahumada, 78th

Highlights

For los millonarios, this Superclasico carries even more weight this season; with the title out of reach, River will feel even more pressure to grab a result against Boca. It is by no means a consolation prize, with River’s early demise this season still a stinging blow to me and many of the River faithful. But a win over our most despised rivals is like its own tournament, and should things go our way on Sunday, millions of gallinas around the world will celebrate

You can watch the match live on Fox Sports en Español live at 3PM ET/NOON PT.

VAMO’ RIVER, EL MAS GRANDE LEJOS!!

Probable Lineup:
Ojeda
Ferrari, Cabral, Tuzzio, Villagra
Augusto Fernández; Ahumada, Abelairas
Buonanotte
Salcedo, Falcao

And so with that brief statement began one of the strangest stories this past week, a debate that, if you are at all familiar with football in Argentina, you know could only happen in Argentina: Is River simply playing badly this season? Or are they just playing without heart/ Without, yes, huevo?

It’s easy to see where this feeling from River fans comes from. The team have been an unmitigated disaster in this year’s Apertura, and while many felt that River, after losing players like Carrizo, Ortega, and Sanchez in the off-season would struggle to retain their league title, no one could have imagined that after only 7 games into the tournament, los millonarios would be done and dusted.

So now the focus shifts to the Copa Sudamericana, the continent’s second most prestigious tournament, and one that River have never won, having reached the final in 2003 only to lose to Peru’s Cienciano 4-3 on aggregate. If you’ll recall last year, River were denied a spot in the final when they lost to Arsenal de Sarandí in the semis on penalties. To help them win this elusive Cup, they have retained the services of Sebastian Abreu, the much maligned forward who joined the squad last season, and left to join Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem. With River in need of some help up front scoring goals, and Abreu unhappy in Europe, the deal was made to bring el Loco back.

Abreu won’t exactly be returning as the conquering hero. During the 2008 Clausura, el Loco only found the back of the net twice in the entire season, and often was the brunt of much abuse from the fans, sometimes actually deserving it. Granted, he did score 7 goals in the Copa Libertadores, including three in one match against San Martin in the group stages, but it’s still seems a huge risk on the part of Simeone to place Abreu as the piece of the puzzle that will reverse the squad’s fortunes.

But coming back to the issue of “huevo,” this deal brings up some interesting questions. River have been pursuing Abreu for weeks, however they’ve know in all that time that Abreu would be ineligible to play in the Apertura since the transfer window had closed, and only barring a massive injury to one of the current squad players would Abreu be allowed to play in the leauge. Are we to assume then that even prior to this weekend’s loss, Diego Simeone and the club were already conceding the Apertura, and instead focusing solely on the Cup? Does it make that much sense to bring in a reinforcement who you know from the outset can only participate in one competition? If that’s at all true, then essentially River have simply been walking through these first 7 league games. So what else to assume then that River aren’t playing 100% on the pitch, if it appears they aren’t even interested in competing? Where’s the huevo in that?

So are River a team with heart that is simply not playing well enough? Or are they just not trying? Simeone claims that the team is just not very good right now. From my point of view, it doesn’t really make a difference. The team is shocking, and whatever the reason, it’s no excuse for the way River has approached either the off-season, the league, or the Copa Sudamericana. Not enough reinforcements, poor to average performance on the field, and questionable priorities about which competitions to take seriously is leaving me pissed and nervous. What is certain is that if River fails to make something of the Copa, and if they make as big a disaster of it as they have the league, then expect the team to come away from this year with nothing more than egg on their face.

River Plate take on Defensor Sporting from Uruguay tomorrow night in Montevideo. You can watch it live on FSE at 7PM ET/4PM PT.

River ahora juega dos finales, la Sudamericana y conta Boca.

River now play two finals, the Copa Sudamericana and against Boca.

-Fox Sports Commentators

So there you have it everyone, River are out of the Apertura race. No Bi-Campeon, no 34th league title to carry us into Christmas and New Year’s. After an abysmal display this past Sunday against newly promoted San Martín that ended in a 3-1 loss, River, while not mathematically eliminated, were left with a 10 point gap between themselves and current leaders San Lorenzo, and now sit all the way down in 17th place in the table with only 6 points to show for their effort.

The writing seemed to be on the wall for Diego Simeone, since based on his lineup against San Martín, had just about conceded the league sometime last week. The focus will now turn to the Copa Sudamericana and the Superclasico. To willingly surrender the league after only 7 games, and only one win, is just unbelievable. River have been shocking in recent years, yes, but there was always the hope, the suggestion, that they were capable of a late season run. This year it appears, barring a huge collapse from the 16 teams who currently sit above us, that hope has gone out the window.

As for a review of the game, I don’t see why I should bother with the effort when River clearly showed none on the pitch. Omar Merlo put us ahead early in the first half, but the rest of the game was just a slumbering bore with soulless play from all involved.

Look for my take on the Sudamericana, which begins this Thursday, sometime tomorrow, as well as the news of a return player to the squad.

Para ganar la copa, se necesita huevo!!!

2008 Apertura Fixture 6
San Martín (T) 3 – 1 River Plate

Scoring Summary:
Omar Merlo (RP), 11th
Gustavo Ibáñez (SM), 34th
Daniel Vega (SM), 77th
Enzo Bruno (SM), 87th

River Plate:
Juan Marcelo Ojeda
Danilo Gerlo, Facundo Quiroga, Omar Merlo
Martín Galmarini, Leonardo Ponzio, Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas
Mauro Rosales, Diego Buonanotte
Santiago Salcedo

Substitutions:
Mauro Rosales for Galmarini (injury), 58th
Andrés Ríos for Buonanotte, 66th
Augusto Fernández for Ponzio, 74th

Highlights

It’s gone from bad to worse.

After their 2-1 defeat this past Wednesday at home to Vélez Sarsfield, River Plate not only extended their winless streak to 4 games, handing coach Diego Simeone his first home defeat since taking over as manager, but the team’s best forward Radamel Falcao suffered an injury that will keep him out for three weeks. With a meager 6 points out of a possible 18, and the opportunity to challenge for the title slipping further and further away with no reinforcements on the horizon, it appears that River’s Apertura campaign could be coming to a premature end.

Looking back to last season, the squad may not have looked that much better despite going on to win the title. New players like Rodrigo Archubi and Sebastian Abreu didn’t exactly set the world on fire, Gustavo Cabral looked like a boy among men, Diego Buonanotte struggled out of the gate, and then new coach Simeone changed his tactics nearly every week. But what was more apparent last season, as opposed to this, was that spark, that dynamic playmaker who could make a difference on the field and in the locker room. For many, it was Ariel Ortega, who despite his health struggles and internal feuding with the club, was, on his day, the type of go-to player that a struggling team looks to. Juan Pablo Carrizo was a brick wall behind the shaky defensive line, saving the team numerous times, and with the speed of Alexis Sanchez on the flanks and Buonanotte improving steadily week after week, the team had an added dimension that helped to improve its performance and ultimately go on win the league.

The result? Last season after 6 games, River posted a 3-1-0 record, gaining ten points, scoring 7 goals, and conceding only 2. This year after 6 matches, try a 1-3-2 record, 7 goals conceded against 7 scored, and only 6 points gained, 7 away from current leaders San Lorenzo. (Boca, currently second with 11 points, have a game in hand.) The new reinforcements have failed to make an impact, with Santiago Salcedo the biggest disappointment by far, failing to score a single goal, and missing more than one sitter. Juan Ojeda has done an admirable job as keeper, but whether his fault or not, he still has seen 7 goals fly past him.

Against Vélez, all the flaws were on display. Falcao was the lone bright spot in attack, but the midfield was not aggressive, and the defense was poor. During one frustrating counter attack, River pushed forward with 5 men against 2 defenders, only to end up booting the ball high over the opposing keeper. Essentially, the team is short on ideas, short on inspiration, lethargic on offense, and weak on defense.

Is River done then for the season? A lot can change in Argentina, and no one has really run away with the title. If River can produce a few positive results in a row, they can slowly chip away points from the leaders and try to regain some footing in the title race. But with the Copa Sudamericana starting soon with liitle hopes of success, and with our best striker on the bench, River might have to continue to endure what Simeone calls the clubs lowest moment since his arrival. San Martín awaits on Sunday; let’s see if they club can raise themselves from the near-dead.

2008 Apertura Fixture 6
River Plate 1 – 2 Vélez Sarsfield

Scoring Summary:
Jonathan Cristaldo (VS), 37th
Andrés Ríos (RP), 70th
Hernán Rodrigo López (VS), 80th

River Plate:
Juan Marcelo Ojeda
Paulo Ferrari, Facundo Quiroga, Eduardo Tuzzio, Cristian Villagra
Leonardo Ponzio, Matías Abelairas,
Mauro Rosales, Andrés Ríos, Diego Buonanotte
Radamel Falcao García

Substitutions:
Robert Flores for Falcao (injury), 30th
Augusto Fernández for Ferrari, 46th
Santiago Salcedo for Quiroga, 46th

Highlights