Tiros Libres

By: Christian | July 15th, 2007

* River Plate will be taking on Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse tomorrow night, in Game 2 of the Peace Cup. The Buenos Aires club will hope to continue their good form following a 1-0 win over Reading FC last Friday, and maintain their current standing atop Group B, level on points with Ligue 1 champions Lyon. Again, there doesn’t seem to be any channel covering the game in the U.S., but check back soon for match highlights. Yeah, these are all friendlies with little at stake, but a win is a win and I’ll be hoping for victory for los millonarios. There also seems to be some optimism in the River camp, great news considering the dismal campaign we had last year.

* Of course, Argentina will take on rivals Brazil in the Copa America final today, at 5PM ET on Gol TV or Telefutura. Usually with this storied rivalry, all bets are off, and el albiceleste certainly won’t have an easy time of it, but I just can’t see Brazil, which has had a weak-by their-standards tournament, getting past Argentina. My prediction: Argentina 3-1 Brazil.

* Later on, the future stars of Argentina will take on Mexico in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Under 20 World Cup, available on ESPNU and Galavision, 7:30PM ET. As a hurting U.S. fan (note to Sal Zizzo, shoot the damn ball!), the question must be asked, what do I want more? Argentina to win, or Mexico to lose? To be fair though, these are both quality sides that have played some great futbol and have plenty of firepower, so look for a much tighter game then the Copa America final. Still, I’m calling Argentina for the win, 2-1, with goals from Sergio “Kun” Agüero. Of course, it must be said that I don’t expect to see much action from the River players on the squad, because there aren’t any.
EDIT: It looks the game will be on Telefutura instead. Make sure to check your local listings.

* Roberto Ayala will be joining another former River legend, Pablo Aimar, at Real Zaragoza, and not Villareal, as was originally thought. “El Raton,” had been set to join the Yellow Submarine after having spent 7 years at Valencia, but instead it appears that Zaragoza will pay a buy-out clause of 8 million euros to secure the services of the centre-back, currently in Venezuela for the Copa America final.

* Former River scrub Juan Toja netted two goals for FC Dallas, capping off a remarkable comeback against D.C. United last night in MLS action. The Hoops were 3 goals down yet came back in the second half for the draw, with el pescadito Ruiz finding the back of the net as well for the Texas side. Another former River player, Dario Sala, started in goal for Dallas. Considering the score sheet, you would think this was a South and Central American affair, with Luciano Emilio (2), Fred, Ruiz, and Toja all netting goals.

* Finally, the word “hero” tends to be used a lot these days, but in this case, the word “hero” just isn’t enough.