The Confederations Cup is serious business...apparently.
Tag: Mexico
Christian Pulisic shaves his head, scores stunning goal against Mexico
The 18-year-old phenom earns a rare point at the Azteca for the U.S.
Liga MX officials go on strike after abuse from players
A red card for everyone
The Liga MX season has been halted after officials decided to go on strike over concerns for their own safety. The decision stems from two recent incidents in which players acted aggressively toward referees during Copa MX matches, which the Mexican Referees Association condemned through their official Twitter account while expressing support for the mistreated officials.
In one incident, Club America’s Pablo Aguilar headbutted a referee just after full time of a 1–0 loss to Tijuana.
In the other, Toluca’s Enrique Triverio shoved a referee who had just sent off two of his teammates, earning a red card of his own to put Toluca down to eight men before they ended up losing 3–0 to Morelia in a shootout (one of the players sent off was Toluca’s goalkeeper).
Liga MX suspended Aguilar 10 matches and Triverio eight, but this wasn’t enough to satisfy the match officials’ association. It’s unclear how long the officials will remain on strike, but a strong statement is being made with this act. They’re making it clear that they will not be bullied by players or taken for granted by the league. And if they’re still mistreated once they agree to return to the job, they should probably be allowed to carry pepper spray. That will definitely convince players to keep a safe distance.
UPDATE: Aguilar and Triverio’s suspensions have been dramatically extended to one full year each, presumably in an effort to get the referees back to work. This should do the trick.
Santos Laguna fans shower former goalkeeper with fake money
He chased the paper to Club America so they had some waiting for him on his return
Goalkeeper Augustin Marchesin moved from Santos Laguna to Club America in December after previously professing his love for Santos and claiming he would never join America. Naturally, this did not please Santos fans. And yet Marchesin still somehow believed that they would give him a warm reception upon his return for a Copa MX match on Wednesday night.
This did not happen.
Instead, he was showered with fake money as he headed into the tunnel for halftime.
And if that wasn’t satisfying even for the home supporters, the final result definitely was. Santos took a 1–0 lead in the 55th minute, but America equalized in the 90th. But then Julio Furch scored his second goal of the match in the third minute of added time to give Santos a 2–1 win. And that’s how you get a nice warm slice of satisfaction.
Liga MX match invaded by dog and cat, making it the greatest match of all time
What more could you possibly want?!
It’s always special when an animal invades a football match. For a brief moment, all the viciousness and invectives melt away as everyone comes together to coo over the unexpected presence of a creature that cares not for our silly human past-times.
A Liga MX match between Pachuca and Chiapas achieved one of these special moments in the 66th minute when a dog bolted up the pitch. Play was halted as the pup pranced around at its leisure before getting rudely taken away by a group of stewards who used a belt as a makeshift leash.
Normally, this would be all the animal action one could hope to see during a match. But then, in the 85th minute, a cat appeared. It just sat near the corner flag, as if to say “I am a cat and I am also here, but I do not have to run around to interrupt your stupid game like that equally stupid dog.”
The cat made a hasty escape when the referee approached it, but the job was done and, to my knowledge, this is now the first time a single match has been invaded by both a dog and a cat. And within a span of 20 minutes, no less! This, my friends, is an occasion that future generations will wish they were around to see.
After the match, which Pachuca won 1–0, the club tweeted a photo of the dog in their dressing room. We can only assume that the cat, meanwhile, took up residence in the owner’s box.
Here are the match highlights, including dog and cat moments:
Andre-Pierre Gignac broke his goal drought with a hat trick after undergoing hypnosis
Struggling footballers might want to invest in a swinging pocket watch
A two-month goal drought is enough to make a player who had been Liga MX’s top scorer, averaging more than a goal per game since his arrival in Mexico, try just about anything to get back on track. For Tigres striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, that meant getting hypnotized. And not in the Notorious B.I.G. kind of way. Like, actually hypnotized.
ESPN FC’s Tom Marshall reports:
Gignac visited hypnotist John Milton ahead of Tigres’ crucial Liga MX quarterfinal second leg against Pumas on Saturday, and whatever he did seemed to work. The French striker netted his first goal since Sept. 18 and went on to complete the night with a hat-trick in his team’s 5–0 win.
He even celebrated one of the goals by “falling asleep” in the hypnotist’s style.
So there you have it. Indisputable proof that hypnosis is the greatest cure for poor form. Man United should hire this John Milton character to be their next manager.
The legendary origins of Columbus’ demonic tifo for USA-Mexico
The first and best tifo to be based on a DT post
For US fans, the best part of Friday night’s 2–1 loss to Mexico was the fearsome tifo featuring Christian Pulisic hoisted in the America Outlaws’ end of Mapfre Stadium before kickoff. What made it especially incredible for Dirty Tackle readers, and myself in particular, is the fact that it was inspired by a spooky DT post from our more exclamation pointy days in 2013 about Columbus, Ohio’s “dos a cero” tradition.
The section of the tifo behind demon Pulisic reminding Mexico of all their 2–0 losses in Columbus with his fingers featured the words “tiny demon fortress” and stars of previous dos-a-cero matches Josh Wolff, Oguchi Onyewu, Michael Bradley, and Landon Donovan—all of whom are referenced in “The terrifying Mexican football legend of Columbus, Ohio.” The phrase itself comes from this section:
They strategically placed Columbus, Ohio in a territory so nightmarishly bland that even They call it “flyover country.” It is a territory that only exists to make life miserable for Mexican footballers. And it’s there that They built their first “soccer specific stadium” — a term that loosely translates to “tiny demon fortress.” A David-like hovel that can only fit less than 25,000 people in a land of Goliath sporting cathedrals. Few Mexicans have been inside the Columbus Demon Fortress, but those who have say that it is a horrible place where the chants of “USA! USA!” penetrate the skull with their thunderous volume and maddening repetition. It contains rows of metal benches that offer terrible lumbar support and the scoreboard spews flames and black smoke when it has been too long since the last non-believer has been offered as a sacrifice.
The tifo was designed and brought to life by the extremely talented and admirably dedicated Columbus Crew fans at #TIFOSWEAT.
I’m pretty sure this is the first time a DT post has been turned into a tifo and I’m very sure this one will be hard to top. I couldn’t be more proud. And I’m glad the people of Columbus feel the same way about their tiny demon fortress.
Special thanks to Evonne Segall for bringing this to our attention!
Chile beat Mexico 7-0, Brazil and Mexico become sadness buddies
It was all going so well for Mexico. Manager Juan Carlos Osorio hadn’t lost in his first 22 matches in charge of the team, leading them to the quarterfinals of Copa America Centenario to face a Chile team they beat 1-0 in a friendly just before the tournament began. And then they lost to Chile in that quarterfinal match 7-0 (SEVEN GOALS TO NO GOALS).
Tecatito Corona scores Messi-like equalizer against Venezuela
Down 1-0 to Venezuela, running out of time, and facing the prospect of playing Argentina in the quarterfinals, Mexico needed a goal to equalize and win group C of Copa America Centenario. So 23-year-old Tecatito Corona cut through the entirety of Venezuela’s defense to score the needed equalizer in the 80th minute.
Copa America Centenario isn’t off to the greatest start
lmao they played Chile’s national anthem instead of Uruguay 😂. Look at the face of GK Muslera loool pic.twitter.com/yXlWLeZz2g
— Shujaat (@DrakesWriter1) June 6, 2016
The special 100th anniversary edition of Copa America hosted by the U.S. was supposed to be a showcase to further strengthen a potential 2026 World Cup bid. But so far it has only been an exhibition of greed and poor planning.
Playing Chile’s national anthem for a confused and angry Uruguay ahead of their match against Mexico at For-Profit University Stadium in Glendale, Arizona was an embarrassing flub that follows a string of poorly attended matches. And the excessive cost to attend these games probably has something to do with that.