Hex Foes Abroad
Could Bryan Ruiz Be the Key for Costa Rica?
The Fulham attacker continues to play well for his club in England and will be a handful for the United States backline. Jon Arnold takes a look at that story and more in his trip around the region.
The five national teams the U.S. faces during the Hexagonal round of World Cup qualifying include players who play outside CONCACAF. You know how the Americans fared abroad each week, but what about the players they’ll be facing? We’ll keep you updated on their progress each week. Also, don’t forget to check out our section dedicated to all things Hex.
REAL SOCIEDAD 4 VALLADOLID 1 by acosart With Oribe Peralta out injured, fans would love to see the in-form striker reconcile and return to El Tri, but it’s not happening and Chepo is tired of the whole thing. Real Madrid thrashed Mallorca, 5-2, which isn’t a huge surprise, but it was unusual to see Mallorca lead not once but twice before they were put away in the second half. Gio dos Santos assisted one of the goals. His coach, Gregorio Manzano, talked earlier this week about dos Santos’ importance to his side, calling him the club’s Ronaldo. Center back Hector Moreno had two tackles in Espanyol’s road win over Malaga. Andres Guardado started and went 85 minutes in Valencia’s 3-0 win against Real Betis. Guillermo Ochoa is back with the national team and continues making a compelling case to be El Tri’s netminder numero uno. He had three saves, keeping Marseille off the board in a 0-0 draw. A quick aside: if every league did these short recaps telling the story of each game each week in English, soccer fans would be that much happier. Another full 90 for Javier Aquino with Villarreal, which was able to overcome a sending off to beat Huesca in the Seugnda Division. The Yellow Submarine sits in the playoff positions but is only four points out of automatic promotion.
Costa Rica
Real Betis had a mess of a match with a center back conceding a penalty and getting sent off in the 15th minute. Joel Campbell was replaced soon after with a reserve center back coming on in his place. That guy later scored an own goal and Betis ended up losing 3-0 to Valencia. Bryan Ruiz played a key part for Fulham before leaving its 1-0 triumph over Spurs in stoppage time. The attacking midfielder, who emphasized the total team effort after the match, paired well with Dimitar Berbatov but didn’t have a shot attempt. Bryan Oviedo was an unused substitute as Everton beat Manchester City, 2-0. Midfielder Christian Bolaños helped Copenhagen to a 2-1 victory against Horsens. He played all 90 minutes Friday. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas started for Levante in its Europa League match Thursday in Moscow. The keeper kept Rubin Kazan off the board until extra time when the Russians scored in the 100th and 112th minute to advance. He didn’t play in a weekend draw with Granada. With the Tippeligaen opening we add Giancarlo Gonzalez and Michael Barrantes to the list. Gonzalez went the full 90 in Valerenga’s defeat to Brann. Barrantes had a brace for Aalesund in a win vs. Haugesund.Mexico
Chicharito will be well rested for tilts against Honduras and the U.S. He was an unused substitute for Manchester United in its victory against Reading. Carlos Vela’s Real Sociedad knocked off Real Valladolid, 4-1. Vela didn’t score for a change but had two assists. He also set up a few other chances, including a nice back heel, but they didn’t lead to anything.REAL SOCIEDAD 4 VALLADOLID 1 by acosart With Oribe Peralta out injured, fans would love to see the in-form striker reconcile and return to El Tri, but it’s not happening and Chepo is tired of the whole thing. Real Madrid thrashed Mallorca, 5-2, which isn’t a huge surprise, but it was unusual to see Mallorca lead not once but twice before they were put away in the second half. Gio dos Santos assisted one of the goals. His coach, Gregorio Manzano, talked earlier this week about dos Santos’ importance to his side, calling him the club’s Ronaldo. Center back Hector Moreno had two tackles in Espanyol’s road win over Malaga. Andres Guardado started and went 85 minutes in Valencia’s 3-0 win against Real Betis. Guillermo Ochoa is back with the national team and continues making a compelling case to be El Tri’s netminder numero uno. He had three saves, keeping Marseille off the board in a 0-0 draw. A quick aside: if every league did these short recaps telling the story of each game each week in English, soccer fans would be that much happier. Another full 90 for Javier Aquino with Villarreal, which was able to overcome a sending off to beat Huesca in the Seugnda Division. The Yellow Submarine sits in the playoff positions but is only four points out of automatic promotion.
