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.

Remember that River as of now are tied for 1st on points with Estudiantes and San Lorenzo, so anything other than a win is not an option. Later this week I’ll have my thoughts on that very game against San Lorenzo in the Copa.

Check back soon for results.

I can’t say anymore tonight. What a disaster.

While every game at his point in the Copa will be difficult, this draw presents a unique challenge. San Lorenzo did not start off the season well, and struggled to even score goals. But the team has found its form of late, rising all the way to 4th position in the league table.

The storylines will almost certainly center on San Lorenzo’s coach Ramón Díaz, who in 1996 led River Plate to their last Copa title, and on former star player Andrés D’Alessandro.

The first match will be played April 30th, with the second leg May 7th. Should River advance they will face the winner of Estudiantes and LDU Quito.

Full Fixtures:
Fluminense (Brazil) – Atlético Nacional (Colombia)
Flamengo (Brazil) – América (México)
River (Argentina) – San Lorenzo (Argentina)
Atlas (México) – Lanús (Argentina)
Cruzeiro (Brazil) – Boca (Argentina)
Estudiantes (Argentina) – Liga de Quito (Ecuador)
Cúcuta Deportivo (Colombia) – Santos (Brazil)
Sao Paulo (Brazil) – Nacional (Uruguay)

For 90 minutes last night, River showed none of the weaknesses that have so far defined their campaign, instead displaying an attacking flair that did not settle after the first goal. And while many will suggest that River had an easy task against a minor team from Peru, remember that this was the same San Martín that defeated los millonarios 2-0. And if there was one player who chose the right moment to break out, it was El Loco Abreu, who had his finest start since wearing la banda gloriosa, scoring three goals and receiving ovations from the crowd and local press. Radamel Falcao and Andrés Ríos were the other scorers on the night.

River fans are experiencing an incredible week. First in the Clausura, through to the final 16 in the Copa, the emergence of Abreu, and the probable return of captain Ariel Ortega this weekend against Rosario Central. There are now real hopes of some silverware in the near future, and last night’s stunning display of the kind of football we are used to seeing from River just might be a sign of good things to come.

NOTES: Special thanks must be given to Fox Sports Español for showing the result of the match during the delayed broadcast that ran after the Católica v América game. And if that wasn’t enough, the entire second half was plagued with satellite problems.

River came into Mexico tonight needing only a draw to automatically qualify for the knockout round of the Copa Libertadores, but los millonarios instead went down 4-3 in a thriller to Club América.

Diego Simeone had to deal with several key players missing due to injury, so it was a huge sigh of relief when in the 6th minute Rodrigo Archubi, much like his first half substitution this past Sunday, found himself in front of the net to slide in the first goal of the evening. América looked very disorganized as a team, as their current standing in the league reflects, and provided little opposition. As the minutes ticked on you could sense that América were starting to gain some confidence, and that the tying goal could be on the way, but thankfully River went into the half with their lead intact, and on their way.

Then the bottom fell out. Within the first 10 minutes of the second half, América went up 2-1, catching River asleep in defense, and energizing the Azteca stadium. A 10th minute own goal from Diego Cervantes put it all even at 2. América then went ahead 3-2 five minutes later, but Abreu was able to find the equalizer again a minute after that. The Mexicans continued to attack and River looked to be in trouble, and when Salvador Cabañas‘ 70th minute goal slid past Carrizo, it was essentially over. The final 10 minutes of the match were agony for River, who were desperate to grab the tying goal that would send them through, but in the end it was too late.

I know I’ve been hard on the team lately, and certainly, this result is terribly disappointing. It was hard to find any player on the pitch that stood out. Nasuti is not ready to be a starter. Sánchez got gassed quickly and was not very effective out wide on the right. The team gave up way to many set-pieces. And with a depleted squad, it was hard to find that go-to player who might have turned the game around in our favor. But I have to give all credit to América, who unlike River, were able to bounce back from a poor start and completely turn things around. Given some of our injuries, la banda were far from terrible, and did about as much as they could. They were simply outplayed.

So River are now sitting in second, level with América on 9 points but with a lower goal differential. While a win against San Martín in two weeks time will be enough to see us through without having to worry about the Católica – América result, I have to admit I’m just a bit nervous.

Video to follow.

River Plate
Juan Pablo Carrizo
Paulo Ferrari, Alexis Sánchez, Cristian Nasuti, Cristian Villagra
Leonardo Ponzio, Matias Abelairas
Alexis Sánchez, Radamel Falcao, Rodrigo Archubi (Nicolás Domingo, 75th)
Sebastián Abreu

River did just enough to secure their 3rd straight win in the Copa at the Monumental tonight, defeating Chilean side Universidad Católica 2-0, and leaving them atop Group 5 with 9 points.

An absolute blunder in the 37th second gave River a shock early lead, when Católica keeper José Buljubasich literally dropped the ball right in front of Radamel Falcao who easily kicked it into the net. Los millonarios again had a solid outing in the first half, with Villagra, Buonanotte, and even Abreu all looking strong.

But we’ve seen many times this season, it was another story in the second half. While River were clearly trying to maintain their 1 goal lead, they looked more sloppy and disinterested than confident, and with Católica turning in an even less inspiring performance, limiting their attack to off-target shots from 30 yards out and almost no passing game, the match turned into a bit of a snooze. El Loco Abreu was able to get the crowd on its feet in the 71st minute when his strike gave River the lead, and despite one or two chances from Católica, both expertly saved by Carrizo, la banda were able to secure a deserved and vital victory.

On paper, this year’s edition of River looks solid; only 2 goals allowed in the league, and a 3-1 record in the Copa. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters going forward are the results and River seem to be getting them. Yet I still have a few reservations about the team, especially in looking at their recent matches. In games against Estudiantes, Racing, and América, River seem to be missing early chances, and as the minutes pass, their quality of play seems to diminish. While it has served them well so far, a deflected pass here or there could have meant the difference between a draw and a win, and I wonder about River’s luck going forward.

What matters now is to gain ground in the league and to advance to the knockout stages, and the team for its part has done just that, not by playing the most attractive football, but, with a little luck, doing just enough to get things done. As I stated above, I understand playing behind the ball to secure the lead; I just want to see it done with a bit more control and precision. Confidence wise, the team is getting stronger, with Buonanotte and Villagra improving each week, and even Abreu and Cabral, two new incorporations who have struggled in their new roles, seem to be slowly adjusting. If the team can remain healthy and grow under Simeone, then perhaps this could very well be our year. But make no mistake, there is still a lot of football left.

Next, it’s down to Sarandí to face Arsenal in the league.

River Plate
Juan Pablo Carrizo
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Eduardo Tuzzio (Danilo Gerlo, 52nd), Cristian Villagra
Oscar Ahumada (Leonardo Ponzio, 43rd), Matias Abelairas
Mauro Rosales, Diego Buonanotte, Radamel Falcao (Nicolás Domingo, 55th)
Sebastián Abreu

For all things Copa related, make sure to check out Mauro’s excellent Libertadores blog now on The Offside.

For the second straight time in this years Copa Libertadores, River were able to bounce back from a tepid performance to grab the game-winning goal in the dying minutes of the match, this time defeating Chile’s Universidad Católica in a 2-1 victory tonight in Santiago. The result sends los millonarios to the top of Group 5 with 6 points and on pace to advance.

Diego Simeone again tinkered with his lineup, returning to a classic 4-3-1-2 formation, yet River stubbornly stuck to some old, bad habits, playing a dull and uninspired match for almost the entire 90 minutes. Their rivals Católica were not much better, falling asleep in front of goal to give Sebastián Abreu an easy strike in the 43rd minute. But River, not to be outdone, were just as equally poor in defense, giving los cruzados one back to start the second half. But the game winner would come from an unlikely source, when the diminutive Diego Buonanotte managed a fantastic run up the left after having the ball stripped from him, which would lead to Mauro Rosales’ game winner in the 87th minute.

Truth be told, this was a shocking game, with weak performances from both sides. River looked anemic in attack. Gustavo Cabral again had a rough night, nearly giving up 2 goals in the process. Alexis Sánchez was just not effective, and he seemed to have trouble communicating with an equally confused Abreu, who despite the goal, is looking questionable up front. Católica were not much better, with seemingly half the squad flopping up and down the pitch looking for any kind of advantage. And the home crowd in Santiago “welcomed” back former Colo Colo star Sánchez with a barage of projectiles as he left the pitch with an injury. The lone bright spot for la banda again was Juan Pablo Carrizo, whose brilliant save in the second half off a free kick kept the team’s chances alive.

Perhaps I’m being a touch harsh on River, who after all are sitting, for now, atop their group, and still have 2 more matches at home. But as the competition rolls on, the margin of error will be getting smaller and smaller, and River as of yet have not shown any indication of growing stronger.

Next up, a clásico at home against Racing in the league.

River Plate
Juan Pablo Carrizo
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Eduardo Tuzzio, Cristian Villagra
Augusto Fernández, Leonardo Ponzio, Matias Abelairas (Diego Buonanotte, 65th)
Ariel Ortega
Alexis Sánchez (Mauro Rosales, 65th), Sebastián Abreu

History will show that River won 2-1 tonight against Mexican side América in their second match in the Copa Libertadores, doing so in dramatic fashion thanks to a last minute goal by Ariel Ortega. But the reality was that River, despite starting an incredibly offensive side, and showing greater skill on the pitch for much of the night, were extremely lucky not to come away with a draw or worse.

Despite Diego Simeone fielding the same winning side from this past weekend, a defensive mistake put the Mexican club ahead in the 14th minute, and put River out of sorts for the rest of the first half. América certainly didn’t look like world-beaters out on the pitch, but los millonarios simply could not find a way to put the ball in the back of the net. Finally, Radamel García was able to equalize in the 37th minute to give some hope that a victory would be on its way.

It would not turn out so easy. What followed in the second half was some of the most agonizing moments I’ve seen from River this year, as América, intent to earn a draw, allowed la banda to spend most of half leading attack after attack, with simply nothing working. While credit has to be given to América keeper Armando Navarrete who had a fantastic night, River seemed simply incapable of scoring. As the minutes of the game ticked on it appeared that a disaster was in the making, but luck came in the form of two red cards for Falcao and José Castro in stoppage time. The lengthy expulsion and the fracas that followed seemed to take América out of the game, and in the dying seconds were unable to clear the ball that Ortega would send into the net that sent the Monumental into a frenzy.

So despite the suffering, River now find themselves even with the other three teams in their group, all now with 3 points. Next up, it’s off to Santiago, Chile March 12th to face Universidad Católica.

River Plate
Juan Carrizo
Paulo Ferrari (Alexis Sánchez), Gustavo Cabral, Eduardo Tuzzio, Cristian Villagra
Matias Abelairas (Diego Buonanotte), Oscar Ahumada, Augusto Fernández
Ariel Ortega, Radamel García
Sebastián Abreu