Junior selección
Hasta El Gol Siempre turned four years old on Thursday. To celebrate the milestone, I spent most of
the day sitting indoors in front of my computer, recording one podcast and producing another, which
had been recorded the previous evening. ... Continue reading →
Three big matches took place on Wednesday evening at various levels of the Argentine game. At the
most senior level, the least important game was played; Argentina beat Portugal in a friendly
thanks to a first half goal from Ãngel ... Continue reading →
Argentina's Under 20s finally looked a competent side in the Sudamericano Sub 20 on Sunday night,
as they became the first side in the competition to beat their Brazilian counterparts, and shot
themselves right back into contention for a London ... Continue reading →
After a poor showing and a 1-0 loss to Ecuador in the first match of the final stage of the
Sudamericano Sub 20, Argentina got their campaign back on track on Thursday night, and kept
themselves in with a fighting ... Continue reading →
Argentina and Independiente have both lost 1-0 to Ecuadorian sides in the last couple of days, but
the attitudes to those defeats are very different. Argentina Under 20s' loss to their Ecuadorian
counterparts on Monday night in the first match ... Continue reading →
After some unconvincing showings in their first three matches which, nevertheless, brought
qualification for the final group stage, Argentina's Under 20s improved a lot last night in their
final group match against Chile, winning 3-1 to top the group. Banfield's ... Continue reading →
Argentina qualified for the second (and final) group stage of the 2011 Sudamericano Sub 20 in Peru
with a third straight unconvincing performance on Saturday afternoon. Boca Juniors starlet Sergio
Araujo got his first goal for the side ten minutes ... Continue reading →
I'm slowly getting used to being back in Buenos Aires, so it's probably about time I posted the
goal video of Argentina's 2-1 win against Peru in the Sudamericano Sub 20 on Wednesday evening.
Rogelio Funes Mori yes! ... Continue reading →
In their quest to outdo their predecessors of two years ago and qualify for this year's World Youth
Cup and the London 2012 Olympic Football Tournament Argentina's Under 20s got off to a good start
in the Sudamericano ... Continue reading →
With little going on during the summer break, HEGS has been quiet as I've been earning some
spending money whilst on my visit to England, and seeing friends. Off the pitch though, some
transfer dealing has been happening, and some ... Continue reading →
On Saturday one group of Argentines abroad got off to a very good start in a new campaign José
Luis Brown's national Under 17 team beat Honduras 1-0 in the first match of their age group World
Cup in Nigeria. Sergio Araujo scored the only goal of the game. Around the world in the [...]
Funny how things come full circle. Back in June, Argentina narrowly beat Colombia on a pitch so bad
due to River Plate's decision to stage a rock concert on it a few days previously that Diego
Maradona threw a hissy fit which saw the match with Brazil last month moved to Rosario Central's
[...]
His fifteen year career took in ten titles: four Argentine leagues, one Copa Brasil, one French
Cup, one Copa Libertadores, one Supercopa Sudamericana, one Panamerican Games title, and one Youth
World Cup. He was part of the most successful River Plate team of all time, and played for ten
clubs in six different countries.
Don't worry Racing fans, that's not Ricardo Caruso Lombardi in the headline. Godoy Cruz striker
Leandro Caruso is off to Italy, where he'll play next season for Udinese after passing a medical.
At Huracán, president Carlos Babington wants to keep Javier Pastore at least until the end of the
year, so has signed an agreement [.
The French city of Toulon is hosting a friendly Under 21 international tournament this month which
Sergio Batista's boys have travelled to, and on Wednesday they played their first match against the
Netherlands, and demonstrated after the embarrassment of the Under 20s' failure to qualify to
defend their crown at the the Egypt 2009 World [.
The 2009 World Youth Cup, when it's played in Egypt, will not include the nation who've claimed the
last two titles. Sergio Batista's boys finished bottom of the final group of the Sudamericano
Sub 20 in Venezuela, without a single win. A 1-0 loss to Colombia on Sunday evening ensured the
embarrassment was complete.
Two matches were taking place simultaneously with potentially enormous consequences for HEGS this
year. In one, Estudiantes de La Plata had the second leg of their Copa Libertadores qualifier
against Sporting Cristal of Peru, having lost the first 2-1 in Lima. In the other, Argentina's
Under 20s had to beat their cross-river rivals from Uruguay [.
Argentina's underwhelming showing in the Sudamericano Sub 20 continued on Monday evening as they
lost 2-0 in the final group stage to bitter rivals Brazil. In torrential rain, Argentina actually
turned in their best performance of the tournament so far - but lost for the first time. Unlucky,
boys... Argentina started the better side, dealing more [.
The national Under 20s played their first match of the final group in the Sudamericano Sub 20 on
Saturday evening, and yet again - like four of their five first round matches - they drew.
This time Paraguay were the opponents. In stiflingly hot Puerto Ordaz, Argentina started the
stronger of the two sides with Juan Neira [.
Tuesday saw Diego Maradona name his second Argentina squad, in preparation for the friendly against
France in Marseilles on the 11th of February. For the first time Lionel Messi was called up by
El Diego - as was my mate Carlos Tevez - who, clearly motivated by my words of encouragement
on Saturday night, scored for Manchester [.
It's been a busy few days for Sergio Batista's Under 20 team in Venezeula whilst I've been away.
Two more group matches have yielded four points in spite of underwhelming performances - you can
see highlights of both games here. In Mar del Plata on Saturday, Boca Juniors beat River Plate in
the year's first [.
I'm in Manchester for a couple of nights this weekend, sorting out some final plans for my upcoming
trip to Mexico. What this means is that there won't be any immediate write-ups of Friday and
Saturday's major matches; to wit, the Sudamericano Sub 20 group stage game between Argentina and
Peru in Maturín, Venezuela on [.
The goals from last night's opener of the Sudamericano Sub 20 Venezuela 2009 are online, and you
can watch them right here. Sergio Batista's Argentina drew 1-1 with the hosts after conceding a
penalty in the opening minute. Sudamericano Sub 20 2009 group stage: Venezuela 1 - 1 Argentina
(19th Jan 2009): Posted in Argentine football, Continental [.
Venezuela 2009 is underway, and Argentina's challenge for the South American Under 20 title (and
more importantly, qualification for the World Youth Cup) got off to a faltering start on Monday
night. I'm too tired to write a proper match report, but the junior albiceleste fell behind to a
rebound from a first-minute penalty, with [.
Four years ago it was Carlos Tevez, on Saturday Benfica's Angel Di María secured his place in
Argentine football history by becoming the second man to score a gold medal-winning goal for his
country in the Olympic Football Tournament. In a final played in scorching heat in the Bird's Nest
Stadium in Beijing, Argentina rode [.
In a couple of hours' time, Argentina will be going for a second gold medal of the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games when the men's football team take on Nigeria, their conquerors in Atlanta 1996, in
the OFT final. Argentina are seeking to defend their title, having demolished arch-rivals Brazil
3-0 in the semi, with Liverpool [.
The Olympic Football Tournament is the one international tournament Brazil have never won (of the
ones they compete in of course, because obviously they've never been crowned champions of Europe or
what have you), and it will have to remain as such for at least the next four years. On Tuesday the
selecção met the [.
Argentina advanced to the semi-finals of the Olympic Football Tournament in China on Saturday,
after beating the Netherlands 2-1 after extra time in Shanghai. Barcelona star Lionel Messi was the
key man for an Argentine side who found it hard, at times, to get out of first gear, but who still
created more good chances [.
Argentina rounded off their Olympic Football Tournament group campaign with an academic defeat of
Serbia on Wednesday. Having already qualified for the quarter-finals, Sergio Batista rested Juan
Román Riquelme, Javier Mascherano and (to the disappointment of a Chinese crowd who'd turned
up specially to see him) Lionel Messi, and was rewarded with a 2-0 win [.
Argentina are still a long way from shining as brightly as they might do, but they confirmed their
place in the quarter-finals of the Olympic Football Tournament on Sunday, beating Australia by a
solitary goal after an underwhelming performance which saw the Aussies' spirited rearguard
eventually broken by a brilliant counter-attacking goal from Napoli's Ezequiel [.
The goals from the first match of the men's Olympic Football Tournament between Argentina and Ivory
Coast are online now, and you can watch them right here. I offer a metaphorical doff of the cap to
anyone who can tell me what on earth Oscar Ustari is doing for Ivory Coast's equaliser... Argentina
2 - 1 [.
Lionel Messi talked to Barcelona, Lionel Messi played for Argentina. Lionel Messi set one up and
scored one as Argentina beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the opening match of the men's Olympic Football
Tournament to begin the defence of the gold medal won in Athens four years ago. Barcelona having
apparently decided to allow the [.
So you've read the Argentina squad profile for the Olympic Games that I wrote for Soccerlens, and
still want more? You're in luck, because I was very busy this weekend. Another one has now gone up
on new Australian online magazine The 84th Minute, edited by ocassional HEGS commentor Neil
Zimmerman, who wanted to me [.
The Olympic Football Tournament kicks off on Thursday (yes, that is before the official start of
the Games, which is on Friday), and Argentina, as the defending gold medalists from four years ago
in Athens, will be red-hot favourites to retain the title, thanks in large part to an attacking
lineup that would terrify most [.
