Pro Eleven Headline News
Unsung Quito looking to crash CWC party
With a paltry payroll of 6 million dollars, Liga de Quito was never tipped to win the Copa Libertadores, but the Ecuadorian side beheaded one giant after another en route to the South American club championship.
And coming into the FIFA Club World Cup, Edgardo Bauza's team has not generated the buzz of previous Libertadores Cup holders such as last year's Boca Juniors. It also pales in comparison to the attention European champion Manchester United is receiving.
But that isn't stopping Quito from trying to crash someone else's party, once again.
"We didn't come here just to participate. We came here to take back the cup with us," captain Patricio Urrutia said Tuesday ahead of tonight's semifinal against Mexico's Pachuca.
Pachuca,is coming off a 4-2 victory over African champion Al Ahly in Saturday's quarterfinal, roaring back from two goals down to win in extra time.
"All of Ecuador will be behind us, but I also think we have the entire South American continent on our side," said Urrutia, Ecuador's World Cup striker who led Quito with seven goals in the Libertadores.
Quito, Ecuador's biggest club founded by university students almost 80 years ago, has a poor track record against Mexican clubs. While Bauza's men did manage to beat America in the Libertadores, they struggled. The Ecuador national team has also had it tough in the past against Mexico.
Yet after all Quito had to overcome to qualify for the Club World Cup, Urrutia is not losing any sleep over a jinx.
"This game means everything now. Pachuca are a good team, but the past is the past," he said. "We want to play Manchester United with the pride of South American champions."
Quito defeated Brazil's Fluminese in the Libertadores final on penalties after a 5-5 aggregate result, as Jose Cevallos made three consecutive stops to bring the continental title to Ecuador for the first time.
The city of Quito is at an altitude of 2,800 meters, and while Urrutia denies of any influence, the high-altitude training is said to have helped Bauza's side knock off Argentina's Estudiantes and San Lorenzo, along with American and Fluminese in the Libertadores.
"We play at sea level all the time, and I don't think the fact that we play at a high altitude really helps us or hurts us," said the 31-year-old skipper.
One thing that has affected Quito is jet lag, said Urrutia, who looked like he needed to catch up on some Zs during Tuesday's press conference. But Bauza said his team has recovered some since arriving Friday.
"Our conditioning has picked up considerably because we're starting get over the jet lag," said Bauza, who played in the 1990 World Cup for Argentina. "There's a 14-hour difference between here and Ecuador. We've been training a lot for this competition, and we're as ready as we can be.
"I think Pachuca are a good, strong team but I also think it won't be easy for Pachuca to beat us."
And if it comes down to another shootout, Quito is more than ready.
"We haven't been practicing penalties at all," Bauza said. "We didn't do it for the Libertadores, and I really see no point in working on penalties in training. It makes much more sense to work on something else." -Yomiuri
Fergie: 39th game would be 'impossible'
Sir Alex Ferguson can see no legitimate reason for a '39th game' - and for Manchester United, there would be no room to play it anyway.
United have found a far more straightforward way of expanding the season. Qualification for the Club World Cup in Japan has not only added two extra games, it has also forced the postponement of a domestic meeting with Wigan, ensuring space in midweek during 2009 will be at a premium as well.
"I don't think there will ever be a 39th game and I don't believe there should be," said Ferguson. "I certainly am not in favour of it. You look at our domestic programme allied to our cup competitions. It is impossible."
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has been quietly trying to win over those who were originally so opposed to the scheme.
Some, such as Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam, have been won over. Traditionalists such as Ferguson may never be shifted.
Instead, Ferguson prefers to be challenged and learn from, different football cultures, Japan's Gamba Osaka on Thursday and, probably, Ecuador's LDU Quito on Sunday.
"Playing different opposition doesn't do us any harm," said Ferguson. "For a start, the improvement in Japanese football since we first came here on tour in 1989 is obvious.
"There is tremendous improvement in terms of technical ability and the organisation ability of the teams.
"It is a young country as far as football is concerned but it is an up and coming country in the sport who are producing some very good footballers now."
Blackburn Manager Ince Fired After 6 Straight Losses
Blackburn Rovers fired manager Paul Ince after six straight losses that leave the club 19th in English soccer’s 20-team Premier League.
Blackburn has 13 points, one more than last-place West Bromwich Albion, and is five points behind Sunderland and Manchester City. The bottom three teams are relegated at the end of the season. Rovers have won just three of 17 league matches and are winless in their last 11.
“We are currently in danger of becoming detached from the pack,” Blackburn Chairman John Williams said on the club’s Web site. “The survival of the club in the Premier League is paramount and our focus now is on finding a replacement who will be able to maintain our top division status.”
Blackburn hopes to have Ince’s successor in place for this weekend’s home game with Stoke, Williams said. Assistants Archie Knox, Ray Mathias and Karl Robinson will lead the team’s training in the meantime.
“Appointing a new manager is our total focus,” Williams said. “We will endeavor to have a new manager in place for Saturday’s game with Stoke City at Ewood Park, but there are no guarantees and we must ensure that we get the right man.”
Several U.K. newspapers reported today that former boss Graeme Souness may return in an interim role.
Sought-After Ince
Ince became the first black English manager in the Premier League when he was hired in June to replace Mark Hughes, who went to Manchester City. Blackburn finished seventh last season.
The 41-year-old Ince became one of the most sought-after English coaches after guiding MK Dons to the League Two championship during the 2007-08 season.
The previous year, he led Macclesfield to safety in the same division after taking over with the club seven points adrift of its nearest rival and struggling to avoid relegation from England’s fourth tier.
As a player, Ince won two league titles, a Cup Winners’ Cup, three F.A. Cups and the League Cup with Manchester United. Known as “The Guv’nor,” he also had spells at clubs including Inter Milan, Liverpool and Middlesbrough after starting his career at West Ham.
He represented England 53 times in an 8-year international career, becoming the first black player to captain the national team.
