What can we expect after our horrific display on Saturday night? I’m slightly optimistic for a better result.

First, our defensive line of four will be improved. We missed three key players in the defense against Chile: Veron, Da Silva, and Morel-Rodriguez. Dario Veron and Paulo Da Silva will be back from suspensions. Morel-Rodriguez is recovering from an injury and the coach will wait for him to the very last minute.

In the midfield, Santana is now fit to play. It is Barreto who is in doubt since he reinjured himself against Chile. Barreto could be replaced by Bonet or Ledesma.

In the offense, Salvador Cabanas is back. Too many times he has proven to be a game changing player, even more than Santa Cruz. Cabanas paired with “Pajaro” Benitez could do some damage.

Our likely formation will be:

Villar
Veron, J.Caceres, Da Silva, Caniza
Bonet or Barreto, V.Caceres, Riveros, Santana
“Pajaro” Benitez and Cabanas

Unfortunately, this is not our A team since we are missing Morel-Rodriguez, Haedo, and Santa Cruz.

Still, this line-up should do a better job of fighting for ball possession and defending with precision. We greatly missed both of these aspects of our football against Chile.

All the ingredients for a great game are there. Brazil is coming from a huge victory in Uruguay and they want to get even with Paraguay. Let me remind you that Paraguay pretty much manhandled Brazil in the 1st game in Asunción (2-0).

On the other hand, Paraguay really wants to bury the Chile disaster.

To top it all off, the lead is at stake.

My prediction is that we come back with a hard fought point from Recife.

Fuerza Albirroja!!!

Paraguay receives Chile at the “Defensores del Chaco” stadium at 18:50 ET.

Probable line up:
Justo Villar
Marcos Caceres, Julio Cesar Caceres, Julio Manzur, Denis Caniza
Enrique Vera, Edgar Barreto, Victor Caceres, Cristina Riveros
Nelson Haedo and “Tacuara” Cardozo

Benfica star, Cardozo, will get another chance due to Salvador Cabanas suspension and Roque’s injury.

Deniza Caniza will be on if Morel Rodriguez doesn’t recover in time for the game today.

Marcos Caceres (Racing-Argentina) is back in the Albirroja. He has been in some friendly games before, but this is his first official match.

Interestingly, Marcos and Victor are brothers. They join Diego and Edgar Barreto, who have also been called for this round of games. Yet, both Marcos and Victor will be fielded today. It is unlikely Diego (the third goalkeeper) will get playing time alongside his brother Edgar (midfielder).

Let’s keep our winning streak on Chile! We have won the last four World Cup qualifier games against them. Our last victory was the 3-0 upset in Santiago back in 07.

Dale Albirroja!!!!

In a close game in Asunción, Paraguay defeats Peru 1-0 and once again stretches its lead to 23 points.

We are so close to South Africa we can see the giraffes!

Pre-game preparation
The excitement and happiness generated by the Albirroja is completely unprecedented. For example, recently elected president Fernando Lugo gave all government employees half the day off to enjoy the Albirroja fever.

Also, the national team’s base camp is in Ypane, about 35km from the “Defensores del Chaco” stadium. Traditionally, people will crowd the streets waiting for the bus with the Albirroja to go by, in the midst of cheers and flag-waving. Yesterday, it took the national team 90 minutes to get from Ypane to the stadium, precisely because of the fans in the streets cheering them on!

The game
Coach Martino played:
Villar; Bonet, Caceres, Da Silva, Morel Rodriguez; V.Caceres, Riveros, Barreto, Santana; Haedo and Cabanas.

Morel came back to his usual position alter recovering from an injury, but the regular Enrique Vera sacrificed his position to Jonathan Santana. To me, this was a surprising change. I think that Vera gives our football more volume in the midfield.

The first half was pretty bad. Peru had possession of the ball and the match was tangled in the midfield. In the first half Peru was closer to scoring than Paraguay.

But everything changed in the 2nd half. First, Martino took Barreto off and put on a domestic juvenile player from Libertad, Osvaldo Martinez. This was Martinez’s international debut with the Albirroja. He is a midfielder, whose job was to try to get the ball to our strikers. If this substitution wasn’t surprising enough, half way through the second half Martino pulled out Haedo and Santana, for “Tacuara” Cardozo and Edgar “Pajaro” Benitez.

(Photo: President Lugo riding the wave at the end of the line: grey hair, wearing the Albirroja)

“Tacuara” has been severely criticized for his poor previous performances, and Benitez is another domestic juvenile from Sol de America who was only called due to Roque’s absence! Like Martinez, Benitez was also making his international debut!

As I saw it, Martino took off a midfielder for two strikers, and I had no idea how the ball was going to get to the forwards. It was surprising because Martino practically left Paraguay’s fate in the hands of a poor performing player, and two brand new guys, very risky!

The risk paid off in full. After the substitutions Paraguay went into winning mode and overpowered Peru. Our goal came after a series back and forth shots in the Peruvian penalty area that ended with “Tacuara” winning an offensive position, dominating the ball, and beginning a striking motion. It is not clear who scored, since as “Tacuara” began to kick the ball, the new guy “Pajaro” Benitez, came out of nowhere and took a swipe at the ball too. As it turns out, they both seem to have felt the ball in that play.

Postgame interviews
FIFA and the international press attributed the goal to the “Pajaro” Benitez. The Paraguayan press gave the goal to “Tacuara” Cardozo. On top of that, both players claimed credit for the goal in post game interviews!

Finally, this morning Benitez conceded that it was Tacuara’s goal, but what a debut for Benitez!

And what great substitutions!

See the goal below….

This victory reaffirms Paraguay’s lead over South America.

See the goal below…

Un abrazo,

Paraguay’s coach, Gerardo Martino, has included two novelties in the roster released yesterday evening in Asuncion.

Ariel Bogado (Atlas, Mexico) and Osvaldo Martinez (Libertad, Paraguay) have both become Paraguay internationals for the first time in their careers. Bogado has earned his ticket through his excellent performance in his first season in Mexico. He is a leading scorer in the league with 7 goals in 10 games. Talented Osvaldo Martinez is a familiar face to manager Martino, from his coaching days in Libertad.

Almost half way through competition, Paraguay currently leads the South American World Cup qualifiying group by 4 points.

How do you think we will do the next two rounds?

The 25 player roster includes:

Goalkeepers:
Justo Villar (Valladolid, Spain), Aldo Bobadilla (DIM, Colombia) y Derlis Gómez (Nacional, Paraguay).

Defenders:
Paulo Da Silva (Toluca, Mexico), Julio Manzur (Pachuca, Mexico), Darío Verón (Pumas, Mexico), Claudio Morel (Boca Juniors, Argentina), Denis Caniza (Olimpia, Paraguay), Julio Cáceres (Boca Juniors, Argentina), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo, Argentina) y Pedro Benítez (Tigres, México).

Midfielders:
Edgar Barreto (Reggina, Italy; pictured), Edgar González (Olimpia, Paraguay), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul, Mexico), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburgo, Germany), Enrique Vera (América, Mexico), Víctor Cáceres and Osvaldo Martínez (Libertad, Paraguay).

Strikers:
Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn Rovers, England), Nelson Haedo (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Salvador Cabañas (América, Mexico), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica, Portugal), Dante López (Pumas, Mexico) y Ariel Bogado (Atlas, Mexico).

Colombia vs. Paraguay – October 11, 2008 – 21:20 ET
Paraguay vs. Peru – October 15, 2008 – 17:10 ET

MORE NEWS

Fifa.com has an excellent report on Paraguayan players in Mexico (click here).

The Tim Vickery blog on BBC Sports also has an exquisite piece on the Albirroja (click here).

Catch Roque Santa Cruz in action today against Manchester United at 12:30ET on the Fox Soccer Channel.

Vamos Albirroja!!

Recently, Venezuela has been a difficult opponent for the Albirroja, both at home and away. For example, for France 98, the game was ending in a 0-0 draw. Finally, the coach put on the “Tanque” Torres and we scored in the final minutes of the game.

Last Tuesday, the game started out pretty tangled. Half way through the 1st half it was still a draw at zero. Finally, Riveros pushed a cross into the goal and we were up by one. Before the end of the 2nd half, a long shot from Victor Caceres found Roque, who won in the air and gently headed the ball to Haedo. Haedo found himself all alone, facing the goal with the ball at his feet. Haedo, who has become a symbol of the Albirroja, finished with an excellent shot to the goalie’s right.

Nelson Haedo Valdez

The second half was pretty quiet, with Paraguay controlling the ball and the pace of the game. Venezuela had a clear chance towards the end of the 2nd half, but didn’t materialize. Overall, another strong Paraguayan performance.

Santa Cruz and Cabanas were injured this month and couldn’t play against Argentina. Of the two, Santa Cruz recovered in time for the Venezuela game.

Highlights (Julio Gonzalez Cabello – Radio 970 AM)

Throughout the qualifiers we have seen Cabanas, Haedo, and Santa Cruz complement each other delightfully. Cabanas and Haedo made excellent plays together against Uruguay and Chile, while Roque and Cabanas demonstrated their talent against Brazil. I am ready to see “Tacuara” Cardozo join the club. This talented striker from Benfica missed a goal opportunity against Argentina, and didn’t even play against Venezuela. Dale “Tacuara” we want to see you scoring too!

Our next stop is in Colombia. They have been pretty beat up in the last two rounds, so who knows how we will find them.

Paraguay should add another three point in our visit to Colombia.

If this happens, it would be our third consecutive win in Colombia for the World Cup Qualifiers.

Fuerza Albirroja!!!!!

Albirroja against Venezuela
Villar; Bonet, Da Silva, Manzur and Morel Rodríguez; Barreto, Cáceres, Riveros and Santana, Haedo and Santa Cruz

Un abrazo,

Argentina started the game at a furious pace, which lasted for about ten minutes.

Soon after, Abondanzieri and Heinze fouled up a defensive play while under pressure from Haedo. Heinze scored an own goal, and about ten minutes later Tevez was sent off.

At this point Argentina was really hit, which allowed Paraguay to dominate the rest of the 1st half. With one man up and one goal up, it seemed like the stage was set for Paraguay to finish Argentina, but our 2nd goal never came.

Argentina came out in the 2nd half with a with renewed spirits, and after tying the game camen close to winning it.

A point on the road is always good, but we can’t help feeling the bitter after taste of having lost two points. The “Tata” Martino stated that it seemed “we were afraid of winning the game”. Haedo also displayed clear disappointment and expressed regret over losing two points.

We play Venezuela on Tuesday. Roque Santa Cruz and Salvador Cabanas will be fit for this game, and hopefully we will be able to keep all three points at home.

Fuerza Albirroja!

Un abrazo,

Diego Gavilan has made a return after a long absence from the Albirroja. We wish him luck!

Marcelo Estigarribia, recently transferred to French football from Cerro Porteno, made his international debut in a recent friendly game against France. He played very well, and he may well make his official debut against Argentina.

Salvador Cabanas is hurt, and my only appear in the 2nd game against Venezuela.

We play Argentina in Buenos Aires, and Venezuela in Asuncion.

It would be ideal to collect all six points, but four points would also keep us well on track to qualify for the World Cup.

Goalkeepers: Justo Villar (Valladolid, Spain), Aldo Bobadilla (Independiente de Medellín, Colombia), Derlis Gómez (Nacional, Paraguay)

Defenders: Paulo Da Silva (Toluca, Mexico), Julio César Cáceres (Boca Juniors, Argentina), Claudio Morel Rodríguez (Boca Juniors, Argentina), Julio Manzur (Pachuca, Mexico), Dario Verón (Pumas, Mexico), Carlos Bonet (Cruz Azul, Mexico), Pedro Benítez (Tigres, Mexico), Denis Caniza (Olimpia, Paraguay), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo, Argentina)

Midfielders: Edgar Barreto (Reggina, Italy), Edgar González (Olimpia, Paraguay), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul, Mexico), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburgo, Germany), Enrique Vera (América, Mexico), Diego Gavilán (Portuguesa, Brazil), Víctor Cáceres (Libertad, Paraguay)

Forwards: Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn Rovers, England), Nelson Haedo (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica, Portugal), Salvador Cabañas (América, Mexico), Dante López (Pumas, Mexico), Marcelo Estigarribia (Le Mans, France)

Fuerza Albirroja!!!!

Un abrazo,

Five new Paraguayan players will be giving up empanadas, chipa guazu, bori-bori, and asados for tacos, burritos, and quesadillas as they begin their new lives in the Liga Mexicana de Futbol.

The newcomers to Mexico are:
1) Pedro Benitez (Tigres/defender)
2) Julio Aguilar (Tigres/striker)
3) Enrique Vera (America/midfielder)
4) Ariel Bogado (Atlas/striker)
5) Dante Lopez (Pumas/striker)

These players will be joining 8 others who have already played at least one season.

The Mexican first division currently has 93 foreigners playing in their ranks. The most numerous are the Argentines (36), followed by Paraguayans (13), Uruguay (12), Brazil (9), Colombia (7), Chile (5), USA (4), Panama (2), Costa Rica (1), Ecuador (1), and Venezuela (1). While most South American players dream of playing in Europe, Mexico has become a popular destination for several young Paraguayans like Julio Aguilar and Pablo Zeballos.

The most prominent is Salvador Cabanas. His solid performances for America and Paraguay, especially against Brazilians, have led the Brazilian press to refer to him as the “grim reaper” of Brazil (loosely translated). In fact, their correspondents for the Paraguay-Brazil game were surprised that it was Roque that got almost all the attention at home, not Salvador!

Salvador has done it again this weekend and scored two goals in America’s first game. He has been joined in America by another Paraguay international, Enrique Vera, Libertadores champion with Liga Deportiva Universitaria (Ecuador).

Paraguayans scored a total of six goals: Ariel Bogado (2), Dante Lopez (1), and Pablo Zeballos of Cruz Azul (1). Uruguayans also had a great debut, scoring a total of five goals, followed by three Argentine goals.

The Mexican League is decidedly competitive, as the teams that make it up. How long do you think it will be before we have a Mexican champion of the Copa Libertadores? After all, they have been scratching at a place in the final several times now?

How long will it be before they win the Copa America?

Fuerza albirroja!!

Un abrazo,

Watch Cabanas magnificent goal at about 5:00

Goals: Roque Santa Cruz & Salvador Cabanas.

To me, Salvador Cabanas was the man of the match. The Brazilian concerns about him were very well founded. A couple of weeks ago he almost single-handedly eliminated both Flamengo and Santos from the Libertadores, scoring a total of four goals (in two games) on them. Today, he scored again and was denied by the goalpost twice!

Santa Cruz played with his usual class. After we were left with 10 men on the field, early in the 2n half, Roque led a counter-attack carrying the ball from the midfield at top speed. As he was closing in on the goal, he seemed to get further and further from his marker. He shot to the goalies opposite post. He did everything right, and it was the Brazilian goalkeeper’s credit to deflect the shot. Fortunately, Cabanas was there to knock in the deflection.

The 2-0 lead, calmed our anxieties about playing the rest of the game with 10 men. From then on, Brazil maintained ball possession but never really threatened. Caceres, da Silva, Caniza, and Vera were completely synchronized.

The best of Brazil were two shots on goal by Anderson; both were saved with difficulty by Villar.

We are now comfortably leading by three points.

Next stop is La Paz, Bolivia. Paraguay’s objective is to collect another three points there. Our “Mexican” legions, used to playing at high altitudes, should be able to handle that environment well.

VAMOS ALBIRROJA!!!!!!!!

Un abrazo,