GUADALAJARA, Mexico – DaMarcus Beasley capped off a memorable week on Sunday with a goal for Puebla, but it wasn’t enough to stop La Franja from falling 2-1 at home to Jose Torres and Tigres UANL.
Beasley latched onto a ball over the top of the defense and guided a header past goalkeeper Enrique Palos to level the scores in the 58th minute. The US international came off the bench at halftime and helped Puebla to an improved second-half display.
Michael Orozco Fiscal played the full 90 minutes at right back for Puebla, while Torres, as is becoming the norm, started the game for Tigres and came off after 68 minutes.
Orozco Fiscal came close to giving Puebla the lead when he burst into the box and got on the end of a cross in the seventh minute, but the effort went over the bar. Torres also nearly got the opening goal, when his curled effort from the left hand edge of the penalty area in the 19th minute went agonizingly close to finding the top corner of the net.
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On his own return from national team duty, Herculez Gomez went 90 minutes for Santos Laguna on Saturday in a disappointing 1-1 home draw with Querétaro. Los Gallos Blancos equalized in second-half injury time. Gomez went close in the 51st minute from a chance he probably should’ve done better with from inside the penalty area.
Edgar Castillo was back from injury for Club Tijuana, but the team’s recent poor fortune didn’t improve, with the Xolos losing 1-0 on Saturday at Toluca. Joe Corona also started and went 63 minutes for Tijuana, who had Fidel Martínez sent off in the 10th minute. The result leaves defending Liga MX champions Tijuana outside the playoff places.
In Mexico’s Liga de Ascenso, Marco Vidal played the full match for Lobos BUAP in their 1-0 victory on Friday over Irapuato.
Sonny Guadarrama grabbed a brace for Mérida against Veracruz on Saturday, but it didn’t stop his team losing 5-3.
In Costa Rica, FC Dallas loanee Moises Hernandez started for Deportivo Saprissa on Sunday, but they lost 1-0 to Uruguay.
Tom Marshall covers Americans playing in Latin America for MLSsoccer.com. E-mail him at tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com.
