GUADALAJARA, Mexico – DaMarcus Beasley would have been disappointed not to get the call-up to the US squad for this week's qualifiers against Jamaica, but at least his Puebla team was able to win a point at Guadalajara on Sunday.
Beasley went the full 90 minutes on the left wing and tested 'keeper Luis Michel with a left foot shot from outside the area in the 15th minute.
After the Poblanos took the lead in the 32nd, Beasley's attacking runs were slightly curtailed, but he played his part in his team holding onto the 1-1 scoreline as Chivas piled on the pressure.
José Torres' Pachuca were within a couple of minutes of snatching a vital away win against Cruz Azul, but Mexico international Gerardo Torrado equalized in second-half injury time.
Torres went 78 minutes in the center of midfield for the Tuzos, again impressing with his neat passing, although Cruz Azul were dominant for much of the game.
Joe Corona, meanwhile, started his seventh consecutive game on Friday in Club Tijuana's 2-0 victory over Jaguares. The versatile Corona played on the right side of a central midfield trio and seems to be growing in confidence as the season progresses.
Greg Garza got his first league start of the Apertura as Tijuana's left wing back, deputizing for the injured Edgar Castillo.
Garza went 66 minutes and will have been happy with his performance. Very little danger came down the Jaguares right wing and his attacking forays into the opposition half produced a couple of chances for Tijuana.
US call-ups Herculez Gomez and Michael Orozco Fiscal will at least be fresh when they show up in Miami for camp. Gomez was left on the bench in Santos Laguna's 3-1 victory over Tigres UANL on Saturday, while Orozco Fiscal also watched from the sidelines as his San Luis fall 2-0 to Club León.
In the Liga de Ascenso, Marco Vidal went the full 90 for Lobos BUAP in their 3-1 victory over Cruz Azul Hidalgo on Sunday, while Sonny Guadarrama scored his third goal of the season against Nexaca, but his team lost 3-1.
Tom Marshall covers Americans playing in Latin America for MLSsoccer.com. E-mail him at tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com.
