GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Joe Benny Corona continued his fine start to the season for Club Tijuana with his second goal in as many games in the Mexican Primera División this past weekend.
The 21-year-old’s headed finish put Tijuana 2-0 up after 30 minutes at a visit to title contenders Monterrey on Saturday. However, the Southern California native was brought off after 55 minutes with the score 2-2, and the Xolos proceeded to crumble before losing 4-2. Tijuana remain stuck on zero points after two games of the Apertura 2011 although Corona is starting to make a name for himself South of the Border.
Relegation battlers Estudiantes Tecos also remain pointless after another 2-1 defeat, this time at Michael Orozco Fiscal’s San Luis on Saturday. Hérculez Gómez started on the bench for Tecos in an ill-tempered game that eventually boiled over. Orozco Fiscal started the game for San Luis, while Gómez came on at halftime with the score 1-0 to the hosts.
Within five minutes, the Los Angeles-born, Las Vegas-raised striker had the ball in the back of the net. Gómez pulled away from his marker as the ball was crossed in from a Tecos corner and he drilled a near-post header in the corner of the net giving the goalkeeper no chance.
San Luis took the points thanks to a converted penalty in injury time, but Orozco Fiscal saw red soon after. The Orange, Calif., native got involved after Gómez was awarded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty box. Pushing and shoving from players from both sides followed before Orozco Fiscal launched a timid head-butt at one of the Tecos players right in front of the referee. The official promptly pulled out the red card and Orozco Fiscal could miss the next three games.
In the other “Battle of the Yanks” game this weekend, José Francisco Torres started as sub for Pachuca against DaMarcus Beasley’s Puebla on Sunday. Beasley was on the pitch from the off, playing on the left wing but dropping back to do his fair share of defending when required.
The highlight of another good 90 minutes in Mexican soccer for the 29-year-old was threading through a pass to Duvier Riascos, who latched onto it and fired a shot into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 to Puebla.
Puebla dominated the vast majority of the game and headed into the break 2-0 up. With the game looking set, Pachuca snatched a goal in the 68th minute. Torres entered the fray in the 82nd minute and was on the field when Pachuca scored an unlikely equalizer.
Sacramento-born Miguel Ángel Ponce played a full 90 minutes for CD Guadalajara in the team’s 2-1 victory over Jaguares on Saturday. Adrian Ruelas was not part of the Jaguares match-day squad.
Over at Tigres UANL, Jonathan Bornstein was not called up by coach Ricardo Ferretti. Edgar Castillo and Isaac Acuña were subs for Club América but did not get on the pitch.
In the Liga de Ascenso, Marco Vidal played the full 90 minutes in León’s 3-3 tie with Correcaminos. León came from 3-0 down to draw the match.
Further south in Peru, 22-year-old New York-born winger Diego Chávarri played in Sporting Cristal’s 2-1 loss against FBC Melgar in the Torneo Decentralizado on Saturday. Sporting are hovering perilously close to the relegation zone.
Tom Marshall can be reached at tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com or via Twitter: @mexicoworldcup
