SoccerBlogs

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

After weeks of speculation, Herculez Gomez will soon be on the move to a Liga MX side that already has some U.S. Men's National Team players on the roster.

Gomez will join Mexican side Club Tijuana this summer, Santos Laguna confirmed on Tuesday night.

Holden ... no more looking at the past!

And there it is. Jurgen Klinsmann going wide and expansive with his camp roster next week. The roster dominated by the return of golden boy Stu Holden and no place for Steve Cherundolo (or Carlos Bocanegra).

GOALKEEPERS (6) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.

By IVES GALARCEP

Edgar Castillo has been enjoying one of the best runs of form in the U.S. Men's National Team pool in recent weeks, but he won't be a part of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers after suffering facial fractures in Club Tijuana's match against Atlast last weekend.

Welcome back, SK.

No real surprises in this one here and only a few minor takeaways.

First, the roster:

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (World Cup qualifying Caps/Goals) – Detailed Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton – 22/9 SO), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire – 0/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City – 0/0), Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander – 31/5), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City – 5/0), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana – 0/0), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg – 0/0), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders – 0/0), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy – 0/0), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim – 3/0), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg – 3/0)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Michael Bradley (Roma – 19/5), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo 0/0), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor – 9/0), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04 – 5/0), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht – 12/0), Jose Torres (Tigres – 9/0), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim – 4/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City – 3/0)

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar – 17/6), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur – 26/10), Herculez Gomez (Santos – 6/2), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders – 11/10)

The match will air at 3 PM CST on Wednesday and it will be televised on beIn Sport (channel 620 for those of you with DirecTV). Here's the full roster for you USMNT fans out there:

GOALKEEPERS (3) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa - 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton - 22/9 SO), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire - 0/0)

DEFENDERS (9) : Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City - 0/0), Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander - 31/5), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City - 5/0), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana - 0/0), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg - 0/0), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders - 0/0), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy - 0/0), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim - 3/0), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg - 3/0)

MIDFIELDERS (8) : Michael Bradley (Roma - 19/5), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo - 0/0), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor - 9/0), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04 - 5/0), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht - 12/0), Jose Torres (Tigres - 9/0), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim - 4/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City - 3/0)

FORWARDS (4 ): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar - 17/6), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur - 26/10), Herculez Gomez (Santos - 6/2), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders - 11/10)

The numbers are world cup qualifying gaps and goals, respectively.

By DAN KARELL

In a span of four minutes, Club Tijuana fans and players felt a full roller coaster of emotions, beginning with agony, peaking with the thrill of victory, and plummeting down to crushing resignation.

Earning a penalty kick in the 91st minute with the score tied 1-1, Xolos had a chance to defeat Brazilian powerhouse Atletico Mineiro in Belo Horizonte and continue their amazing debut Copa Libertadores run.

By DAN KARELL

Club Tijuana look to continue their impressive debut run in the Copa Libertadores, when Brazilian side Palmeiras come into the Estadio Caliente on Tuesday (9:30pm ET, Fox Deportes) for the first-leg match in the Round of 16.

Though Palmeiras were relegated at the end of last year, they still have a strong squad thanks to their participation in the Copa Libertadores and finished first in their group with three wins in six matches, just edging Argentine club Tigre on goal difference for the top place.

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

After a successful two-year stint as head coach, Antonio Mohamed appears to be on his way out at Club Tijuana.

Mohamed gave what sounded like a farewell press conference following the Xolos' first leg draw with Atletico Minero in the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals on Thursday evening.

By IVES GALARCEP

If you were under the impression that defending Liga MX champion Club Tijuana were enjoying another good season, you couldn't really be blamed. The Xolos played extremely well in Copa Libertadores, advancing to the Round of 16 out of a group that they were expected to be overwhelmed by.

By IVES GALARCEP

Club America handed defending champion Club Tijuana their first loss of the Clausura season on Saturday to leapfrog the Xolos and stay within striking distance of unbeaten league leaders UANL Tigres.

An Osvaldo Martinez penalty and Paul Aguilar second-half strike gave Club America a 2-0 lead on the visitors in Mexico City, and while a Pablo Aguilar strike gave Tijuana some hope late in the second half, Las Aguilas held on for the victory.

The 2013 Clausura tournament in Liga MX is only four weeks in, but two teams continue to dominate the rest of the league. Club Tijuana, the reigning champions, and Tigres both got victories over the weekend and are not 4-0 on the year.

On Saturday, Tijuana hosted Pachuca at Estadio Caliente and walked away with a clean sheet and a 2-0 victory.

Aficionados agotan XoloPass Clausura 2013

Una afluencia total se espera durante la Liga MX y la Copa Libertadores 2013 en el Estadio Caliente

Tijuana, Baja California._ Una vez más la afición del Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente mostró la pasión que siente por los colores que representa el equipo de la Frontera y es que para el Torneo Clausura 2013 se registró una venta total de XoloPass para los duelos que se disputarán en el Estadio Caliente en esta temporada.

El Campeón inicia el camino del Clausura 2013

El Club Tijuana estrena el título ante el Puebla FC en la LIGA MX

Puebla, Puebla._ El Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente inicia este domingo 6 de Enero su camino como Campeón de la LIGA MX, y será ante el Puebla FC en la Fecha 1 del Torneo Clausura 2013 cuando se dé la presentación de la escuadra fronteriza en la cancha del Estadio Cuauhtémoc de la Angelópolis a las 16:00 horas (14:00 horas del Pacífico).

A year-and-a-half after securing promotion to the top tier in Mexico, Club Tijuana have become champions of Mexico.

Xolos put a dream end to their impressive Apertura campaign bybeating Toluca, 4-1, on aggregate after a 2-0 victory in the second leg of the Liga MX finals on Sunday. Tijuana winning the Mexican championship not only caps off the club's remarkable rapid rise, but also gives Xolos a berth in the upcoming Copa Libertadores tournament.

With Club Tijuana in the Liga Mx final against Tolcua, it marks another milestone of a club's rapid ascendancy towards becoming one of the best teams in North America.

Club Tijuana, commonly referred to as Xolos, was founded in 2007 by Jorge Hank Rhon who is the former president of the municipality of Tijuana and is the owner of Caliente, Mexico's largest sports betting company.

Club Tijuana booked their place in the Mexican League final on Sunday night by erasing a two-goal first-leg deficit and rolling past Club Leon by a 3-0 scoreline.

Duvier Riasco scored the crucial second goal for Tijuana to take control of the two-leg series, and Richard Ruiz provided an insurance goal for Club Tijuana, which will now take on Toluca in the Mexican League final after Toluca disposed of Club America in the other semifinal.

By IVES GALARCEP

The 2013 MLS season kicks off in 24 hours and The SBI Podcast wraps up part two of our preview of the upcoming season by breaking down the MLS Eastern Conference.

Co-host Garrett Cleverly and I discuss all 10 teams in the East, and break down their chances of making the playoffs, or winning it all.

By Chris Wright

Look! It's Robbie Keane and Morrissey everybody!

Morrissey then wrote the following gushing appraisal of Keane's performance against Club Tijuana, which later appeared on a fan blog:

"It was a joyous head-storm to attend LA Galaxy v Club Tijuana last night and to see captain Robbie Keane score in the fourth minute.

Duelo amistoso programado para el 19 de Febrero

Tijuana, Baja California._ El Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente sostendrá un partido amistoso ante el LA Galaxy, actual campeón de la Major League Soccer (MLS), el próximo 19 de Febrero en el Home Depot Center de Los Ángeles, California.

El entrenador del equipo Campeón del fútbol mexicano, lleva paso perfecto al inicio de este torneo, ademas de números impresionantes desde que llego como timonel de Xolos Tijuana:
53 partidos dirigidos de forma oficial con un total de 25 victorias, 22 empates y sólo 6 derrotas, lo que deja un 67% de efectividad, hasta el momento tiene 18 juegos de torneo regular sin perder con los Xoloitzcuintles de caliente el director técnico Antonio Mohamed.

El lateral goleador del Club Tijuana destaca el historial entre el Club Tijuana y el Club León

Tijuana, Baja California._ El Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente mantiene la preparación de cara a la Fecha 2 de la LIGA MX-Clausura 2013 en la que recibirán al Club León el próximo sábado 12 de Enero en la Cancha del Estadio Caliente (17:00 horas).

Durante su paso por la liga de ascenso Xolos de Tijuana tuvo una rivalidad contra los Dorados de Sinaloa, me toco vivirlo en juegos del estadio caliente, en el cual muchos aficionados de Sinaloa avecindados en la frontera más visitada del mundo apoyaban a sus Dorados.

En esta nueva edición del duelo norteño se enfrentaron como juego de pretemporada a titulo de "Campeón de campeones".

"CAMPEÓN DE CAMPEONES"
CLUB TIJUANA VS DORADOS DE SINALOA
El enfrentamiento entre Xoloitzcuintles y Dorados es un duelo especial en la región debido a la rivalidad deportiva que ambas escuadras compartieron en la Liga de Ascenso del balompié nacional en pasadas temporadas.
Ambas escuadras se enfrentaron en 9 ocasiones en duelos oficiales de la División de Ascenso de nuestro balompié.

Hace unos días que este espacio cumplió 6 años de besar las redes, gracias a todos ustedes hemos anotado muchos goles en la web.

Este año que para algunos era el fin del mundo, para futblog fue uno de los mejores; por eso haremos un recuento de los momentos más importantes:

By IVES GALARCEP

Will Bruin is making the most of his first stint with the U.S. Men's National Team, scoring two goals to help the national team post a 3-0 victory against Club Tijuana's reserves in a closed-door scrimmage at Home Depot Center on Tuesday.

Philadelphia defender Jeff Parke provided the third goal for the Americans, who were playing in their final warm-up before the Jan.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

The U.S. Men's National Team might be playing in only one official friendly during their current January camp, but that does not mean they aren't playing anybody else.

According to Club Tijuana's website, the reigning Liga MX champions and the U.S. will square off in a closed-door scrimmage this coming Tuesday at the Home Depot Center.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The celebration is officially over and the focus for reigning Liga MX champions Club Tijuana is to start off their Clausura campaign with a win, but they will need to knock off an American and his team in order to make that happen.

Xolos are set to visit Puebla on Sunday and their Clausura opener should pit the Tijuana trio of Edgar Casitllo, Joe Corona and Greg Garza against DaMarcus Beasley.

Tijuana stunned Toluca 2-0 on Sunday to earn the title of Mexican champions. After winning the first leg 2-1 at home, the "Xolos" scored a pair of second-half goals at Toluca to win the Apertura title with a 4-1 aggregate [...]

The post Americans Help Tijuana Win First Mexican Title appeared first on Soccer Perspectives.

By Chris Wright

Apropos of nothing, here's Pies' pick of our 20 favourite South American football badges. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin..

1. Colo Colo, Chile

Emblazoned with a Mapuche indian, who refused to surrender to the Spanishcolonialistsway back when.

If you had a chance to watch some Liga MX action this weekend, odds are you enjoyed the game or games you were able to see. Across the board, most of the 2013 Clausura Week 5 matches were loaded with entertainment, goals, or stellar defense.

The week was highlighted by a clash of the titans - Club Tijuana and Tigres, both 4-0 coming into the weekend.

Leagues in Spain, Italy and Mexico return to action this weekend to give us a quality blend of viewing options for all soccer fans.

In Serie A, Michael Bradley and AS Roma take on Napoli in a match-up of teams with Champions League aspirations. Napoli currently sit just one point out of third place and the Champions League place that goes with it, while Roma sits two points further back.