Just when it seemed like the Ariel Ortega saga was behind us, up comes this story from the Dallas Morning News of an audacious bid by MLS side F.C. Dallas to acquire the River Plate idol.

This week, John Ellinger, top assistant to Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman, will travel to Buenos Aires to see players from River Plate, with Ariel Ortega at the top of a wish list of potential signings. The visit will not be the first between the two clubs; Dallas have been in negotiations with River for weeks in hopes of securing a potential partnership between the two teams. Earlier this month River’s Vice President and General Manager were guests of Dallas GM’s Michael Hitchcock at his Texas home, and early reports claim the meeting was a successful one.

So will we be seeing Ortega in a different red and white kit? It seems unlikely. Ortega has declared his peace with Diego Simeone, was recently made captain for the second season in a row, and has stated more than once of his intention to retire with River. But with Dallas announcing they would spend what it takes to find the right player, the scenario is perhaps not that far-fetched. River President Jose Aguilar has been known to sell off players for the right price in the past, and el Burrito himself came very close to joining Estudiantes when it seemed that relations between him and Simeone were beyond repair, contradicting his statement that he would end his career at the Monumental.

Still, it would be tough to see a player in the last days of an illustrious career making the switch to a league like MLS, which, with all due respect, who be a significant drop from La Primera. But if Guillermo Barros Schelotto can transfer his diving skills from Boca to the Columbus Crew, perhaps Ortega, who on his day is still a remarkable player on any lineup, will see MLS as an attractive destination.

1. He Stays: Ortega to Remain at River

When I last posted on the behind the scenes drama between Ariel Ortega and Diego Simeone, little did I realize that the situation was going to deteriorate as quickly as it did, or that Ortega, club legend and fan idol, would come so close to jumping ship.

When Simeone benched Ortega for the 19th and final fixture of the regular season against Banfield, el Burrito, clearly miffed at not being able to celebrate one last time with the fans, proclaimed his career with River was over. It was a threat that seemed even more likely when days later, rumors were flying that Ortega would join, of all places, Estudiantes, to play alongside non other than Juan Sebastián Verón, captain of Estudiantes and vocal critic of, who else, Diego Simeone, whom Verón has publicly accused of breaking his promise to leave the La Plata club after winning the 2006 Apertura. But a last minute intervention with club President Jose Aguilar sealed Ortega’s stay at the Monumental, and fears of an irreparable rift between Ortega and Simeone were silenced after the two met last week, with reports that the duo are prepared to put their differences aside for the sake of the team and the upcoming season.

While I think that Simeone made the wrong decision to bench Ortega on the final day of the season (tact aside, Ortega deserved to be recognized by the public after his contributions to the Clausura championship, and the outcome of the game was irrelevant anyway with the title in hand), Ortega’s repeated stance of being unfairly treated simply do not hold. For one, his problems with alcohol are well documented, and as a result have kept the playmaker on the bench for more than one occasion since his return to River. And secondly, he played nearly equal minutes under Simeone as he did under Daniel Passarella, his mentor, when he was previously managing the team.

What remains to be seen is whether Simeone and Ortega can see past their differences to focus on the tasks at hand in 2009: to beat Boca, to win the league, and to claim the club’s first ever Copa Sudamericana. With neither player nor manager bigger than the shirt, both will need to set their egos aside to repeat as Champions.

2. He Goes: Abreu Leaves for Israel

Much was expected when the veteran goal-scorer arrived last winter, with an impressive career both at the club and international level. But despite his 7 goals in the Copa Libertadores, Sebastián Abreu’s luck in the league was not as successful, with the striker managing only 2 goals the entire season, and repeatedly the target of jeers and whistles from the home crowd. So it was little surprise when the Uruguayan national decided to try his luck in Europe with Beitar Jerusalem, last year’s champions of Israel, and automatic entrant into the second qualifying round of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League.

I certainly directed my rage at Abreu more than once during the season, and his criticisms by press and fans alike were warranted by his lack of speed and predictability. But his performance had as much to do with Simeone’s ever-changing lineup and tactics, and his intended role of basically heading down balls to Radamel Falcao and Diego Buonanotte never really took off, especially in a land where the 4-3-1-2 is typically the norm.

Still, el Loco was always a gentlemen and I never doubted his desire to win. While acknowledging the jeers from the home crowd, he never turned on them or made excuses (something “better” players like Juan Pablo Carrizo and Oscar Ahumada failed to do), and was never greedy, as the few goals he did score were always celebrated with the rest of his teammates. Had his penalty in the match against San Lorenzo in the Copa Libertadores held, he could have continued his run in the Copa with perhaps better results. But it was not to be, so el Loco leaves with one more title to add to his list of accomplishments, and will now seek dreams of glory in Europe and the Champions League. I wish him the best of luck.

3. 19 to 34: Fixture List revealed.

The 2008 Apertura season will begin August 10th when River will travel to Santa Fe to face Colón. River have been given the added bonus of hosting 4 of the top five teams at home, with only Independiente to face away. The flip side of course means that in next year’s Clausura, the reverse will be true. The Superclásico will be held October 19th. One interesting note will be the 19th and final fixture December 14th away to Estudiantes, which could just be a title decider. You can read the full fixture list here.

NOTES: As expected, both Juan Pablo Carrizo and Alexis Sánchez have completed their loan spells and returned to Italy to rejoin Lazio and Udinese, respectively. … Diego Buonanotte will be the lone River representative at this year’s Olympic games, joining former player Javier Mascherano on Sergio Batista’s 18-man roster.

Well that didn’t take long.

After posting last night about the need for Marco Ruben to move to another country after not living up to expectations, River have sold the young forward to Spanish side Villareal in a deal worth 7 million dollars.

Ruben, surprisingly named yesterday to Argentina’s 18 man roster ahead of Olympic qualifying, had also been linked to fellow Spanish club Deportivo La Coruña, but Villareal’s offer, which also guarantees River 15% of any future sale, was simply too good to pass up.

Purchased along with Juan Ojeda and Cristian Villagra from Rosario Central in 2006, Ruben scored 7 goals in 36 games played for la banda, and struggled to make it to the starting lineup. I wish him the best of luck in Spain and I hope to see him play next month in Los Angeles.

EDIT: Thanks to Golazo for pointing out earlier that I had incorrectly written Valencia instead of Villareal. I did know it was Villareal but for some reason wrote Valencia instead. One of those days I guess.

Reports from Argentina and Goal.com are claiming that Marcelo Gallardo, former River captain and Argentine international, could be on his way to MLS.

San Lorenzo was known to be in the running for the midfielder, currently languishing at PSG, a move which would have been a major coup for former River coach Ramón Díaz. However, according to Gallardo’s agent Juan Berros, San Lorenzo’s offer was not as lucrative as MLS’, and a deal could be announced by week’s end.

So where could El Muñeco wind up playing? I don’t know, but whatever side gets him will become my new B team. Gallardo is one of my all-time favorite River players, and the opportunity to see him play again would be unbelievable. He was always regarded by me as a consummate professional and a born leader on the pitch, and River hasn’t really been able to fill the void left after his move to Europe. D.C. United have to be considered front-runners, given the fact that they lost out on Juan Sebastián Verón and with their history of scouting players from South America, but don’t count out the New York Red Bulls, whose new coach Juan Carlos Osorio is said to be scouting in Colombia and Argentina.

Here’s a video I took two years ago at the Monumental, when River defeated Rosario Central 2-0, thanks in part to this penalty, converted by Gallardo.

* Marco Rubén may be headed to Spain. La Liga side Deportivo La Coruña are looking to secure the young forward in a mid-season loan worth about $500,000; River, however, have stated they will only agree to a permanent deal. Rubén has not lived up to expectations since joining the club in 2007 from Rosario Central, scoring only 7 goals in 28 appearances and looking average at best. With all due respect to Rubén, who could very well have a bright career ahead of him, he does not seem to me as a player deserving of the River kit, and the club should let him move on in the interest of both parties. Depor could certainly use any help they can get, as they well spend the second part of the season in an intense relegation battle, as they currently sit in 19th.

* The Juan Pablo Carrizo saga does not look to be ending anytime soon. Word is that the keeper will be unable to secure the proper paperwork for a move to Lazio, and as a result will spend another 6 months in Argentina. Considering some of the criticism that Juan Ojeda has been taking for his blunder against Independiente that lead to a draw in the Copa de Verano opener, some may argue that keeping Carrizo around for another campaign may not be such a bad idea. But Carrizo has made it clear that he wants to move to Italy as soon as he can, so it may not be in the best interest of the club to have their starting keeper with his head somewhere else. As for all the flack that Ojeda is getting, remember it was still only a friendly, the first after the holiday break, and he remains, for now, River’s starting keeper.

* Finally, Simeone has chosen Ariel Ortega as the team captain, replacing Paulo Ferrari. It’s a great honor for el Burrito considering the personal struggles he faced last season, and hopefully on the pitch he can guide the club to success this season.

River Plate began pre-season training last week in the coastal resort town of Mar del Plata, ahead of their Copa de Verano debut this Saturday against Independiente which you can follow live at 7PM ET on FSC.

Aside from letting go some driftwood, it hasn’t been the best off-season for River or for new coach Diego Simeone, with not enough reinforcements joining the club as was initially expected. River were able to bring in former Uruguayan international Sebastián Abreu, who has amassed an impressive playing career as a forward stretching from Uruguay, Argentina, Spain, and Mexico. However, the club has made little progress in solidifying our shoddy defense, which was responsible for an Apertura worst 31 goals against last year.

To understand where River are at right now, let’s take a look at the list of players currently in camp:

Goal Keepers: Juan Marcelo Ojeda, Mario Daniel Vega and Gonzalo Marinelli.

Defenders: Danilo Gerlo, Mateo Musacchio, Maximiliano Oliva, Eduardo Tuzzio, Cristian Nasuti, Paulo Ferrari, Cristian Villagra, Nicolás Sánchez and Emmanuel Martínez.

Midfielders: Nicolás Domingo, Oscar Ahumada, Leonardo Ponzio, Damián Lizzio, Diego Buonanotte, Marcelo Burzac, Augusto Fernández and Sebastián Sciorilli.

Forwards: Marco Ruben, Mauro Rosales, Andrés Ríos, Ariel Ortega, Alexis Sánchez, Gastón Gauna, Radamel Falcao García and Sebastián Abreu.

The biggest name missing of course is Fernando Belluschi, whose long rumored transfer to Greece’s Olympiakos was finalized to the tune of $7 million, although given the ridiculous state of transfers in South America, River will only pocket around half of that after selling a percentage of his rights some time ago. While Belluschi will be sorely missed, it was clearly the best move for both parties. The midfielder provided us with some great moments on the pitch and some highlight reel goals, but he was also prone to disappear during games, and his lifeless performance during the Copa Sudamericana semifinal was a heartbreaking example of that. Some of that blame has to be put on the shoulders of former coach Daniel Passarella, and his ridiculous and unrealistic claims that Belluschi was a “$40 million player”, but in the end, el “rasta’s” shot at winning a title had passed. He leaves River having been the teams top-goalscorer during the 2007 Apertura, with 7.

Surprisingly on the list is Radamel García, after many, including myself, believed him to be leaving la banda to join Fluminense, but it appears he will remain for at least one more season. As for the rest, there are some welcome returns (Alexis Sánchez, Diego Buonanotte), some question marks (Juan Pablo Carrizo is in Italy working out his passport issues), and some, unfortunately, back (Villagra, Villagra, and Villagra).

Bear in mind that there is still a month left before the Clausura begins, and we will have to wait and see how River perform in the short summer tournament to get a sense of where the squad are at. But Diego Simeone will need to make some major signings AND inspire the current squad if he is to announce himself as a bigtime coach capable of leading a traditional powerhouse like River back to its former glory.

Diego Simeone has stepped down as head coach of Estudiantes de La Plata.

The decision, made tonight after a 2-0 home victory against Banfield, comes after weeks of speculation that River Plate had Simeone on the short list of potential candidates to replace Daniel Passarella. All this past week River President José Aguilar publicly stated that the team would not approach El Cholo so long as he was employed by Estudiantes. His resignation now paves the way for the former Argentine international to take over Los Millonarios.

Simeone became a fan hero at Estudiantes, guiding the club to a 2006 Apertura title, but amidst player turmoil with out of favor Juan Sebastián Verón, and lack of support from the board directors to reinforce the squad for the upcoming campaign, Simeone has instead chosen to move on, and all signs now point to him taking over at El Monumental.

At the evening’s press conference, he stated, “this hurts, but I’m positive this is the right decision.”

This was certainly not the first bit of news I wanted to wake up to this morning. In the past year, River have let go of two of their best attackers, Ernesto Farias and Gonzalo Higuaín, and along with German Lux going to Mallorca, two outstanding keepers. Part of me feels that it’s good for the club; that the money we will get in return will bring in the reinforcements necessary to seriously challenge for the title. But it’s also a sad and depressing state of the times in Argentine football, and specifically River Plate, as talented young players are shipped away to foreign clubs for big paydays far too early.

Here’s hoping all the best for Juan Pablo, who should have a great career in Italy and with the Men’s National Team. Check out some highlights below.

Save against Sebastián Saja of San Lorenzo
Incredible Save against Racing’s Claudio Lopez
Highlights From Previous Superclasico: Check out the 8:00 mark for the save of the season

It looks like the transfer of Ernesto Farias to Toluca was completed last night, with the striker leaving to join the Mexican club in a $4 million deal. He leaves River without a title, but was our top scorer for two years and one of the few bright spots on the pitch. He will be joining former Argentine National Team coach Jose Pekerman. If you’re in Chicago from July 27th to the 29th, you may be able to see him during the Chicago Trophy, featuring Toluca, Reggina, Sevilla, and Wisla Krakow at Soldier Field. Suerte Tecla.

EDIT: Defender Nelson Rivas is set to play for current Serie A champions Inter Milan. The Colombian Rivas, affectionately nicknamed Tyson by Clarin when he joined River back in January, had made a huge impression with the club and media during River’s successful Copa de Verano, but a few costly errors cost him a spot on the starting lineup. Having resigned his contract with the club, he’s was originally set to sign with Bologna, currently in Serie B, but it was reported yesterday that he will play for Inter instead.

After some questions about whether he would stay or go, Federico “El Colorado” Lussenhoff is set to stay at River. No word on whether or not he plans to score another own goal against Estudiantes. (Yes, I’m still bitter.)

Finally, Federico Domínguez was told by Daniel Passarella that he will not be joining the club in Korea for the Peace Cup, paving the way for a move, with Independiente the likely destination.

More news here.

* Club President José María Aguilar is claiming that Lazio’s offer of 3.5 million Euros is not enough for keeper Juan Pablo Carrizo, and will only sell the player for the right price. Aguilar also claims to have not received offers for Belluschi, Ponzio, Rosales, or Ferrari during his recent trip to Europe, though he claims that technically none are for sale.

* After scoring his third goal for Argentina, former millonario hero Hernan Crespo looks to be out of Copa America. The Inter Milan striker scored on a penalty during el albiceleste’s previous game against Colombia, but immediately afterward seemed to have pulled a muscle in his right leg. Supposedly it would take a miracle for him to see the end of the tournament. To calm any sense of panic for you Argentine fans, his “replacement” is Diego Milito. Oh, and some guy named Tevez is there as well.

More transfer rumors here.