GUADALAJARA, Mexico – It was a largely disappointing weekend for Americans down south, with gringos dropped to the bench or finishing on the losing side. Thankfully, there was one important exception.
The bright spot was Club Tijuana's 2-0 victory against Chivas de Guadalajara on Saturday, as Las Cruces, N.M., native Edgar Castillo was a constant menace marauding down the Xolos’ left flank for the 55 minutes he was on the pitch.
Greg Garza also appeared for Club Tijuana's Under-20s, while Joe Corona was busy in Costa Rica with the US U-23 squad. The Xolos are now level on points at the top of the Mexican first division.
For Chivas, 25-year-old Californian Miguel Ángel Ponce was dragged off at halftime after starting the game.
Things aren't going quite as swimmingly well for DaMarcus Beasley's Puebla this season compared to last. La Franja went down 2-1 at home to Atlante, giving them just one point from three games at the start of the Clausura 2012. Sonny Guadarrama wasn't involved for Atlante.
Michael Orozco's San Luis conceded their first goals of the season, falling 2-0 to Morelia. The Orange, Calif., native went the full 90 minutes.
Midfield playmaker José Francisco Torres and his Pachuca team managed to scrape together a 1-1 draw against Cruz Azul, with the Texan again going the full 90 minutes.
Las Vegas-raised striker Herculez Gomez was on the field when Santos Laguna grabbed a late winner against Jaguares. Gomez had come off the bench in the 74th minute.
Jonathan Bornstein was on the bench for champions Tigres UANL, who lost 2-1 against Toluca.
Down in Mexico's second division, Jesús Padilla played the full game for La Piedad in their 3-2 win over Veracruz.
Tom Marshall covers Americans playing in Latin America. He can be reached via tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com.
