TORONTO -- "El Lobo" (the Wolf) was on the loose once again at BMO Field on Tuesday night, but this time he was prowling the pitch for the opposition.
Motagua midfielder and Honduras World Cup captain Amado Guevara dazzled the fans in Toronto one again with his blazing speed and precision passes, although this time in a losing effort for his new squad.
WATCH: The Best of Amado Guevara
“I’m just happy to be back in Toronto again and want the fans here to know I have no hard feelings against my old club,” Guevara said through a translator after the match.
Guevara played with the club in 2008 and 2009 before leaving in December for the fourth stint of his career with Motagua. Guevara and Motagua fell to Toronto 1-0 on a 20th minute Chad Barrett strike in the first leg of their CONCACAF Preliminary Round series.
But despite the loss, Guevara was all smiles after the game and even stopped in at the Toronto locker room to greet his old teammates. He was met with cheers by Toronto supporters and shared a warm embrace with the club’s general manager Mo Johnston after the match.
Guevara scored nine goals in 46 matches during his time with Toronto, where he was a fan favorite.
El Lobo was also a reliable draw for MLS fans in New York, making 103 appearances in four seasons and scoring 32 goals. In 2004 he shared the league scoring title scoring race was voted league MVP.
He also played four matches with Chivas USA in 2006 before a fallout with current Toronto coach Preki sent him packing from the Los Angeles club.
Motagua coach Ramon Maradiaga elected to substitute midfielder Javier Portillo for Guevara at halftime.
“[Guevara] and Charles Cordoba were playing at a low level in the first half so we decided to make a change,” Maradiaga said. “The fact that he was returning for a game against his old club had nothing to do with my roster decisions.”
Guevara is the all-time caps leader for the Honduras national team, making 139 appearance for the senior squad with 29 goals. He appeared in his fist World Cup earlier this summer, leading Honduras in their first World Cup bid since 1982.
Los Catrachos failed to advance past the group stage in Group H, posting losses to Spain and Chile and a scoreless draw against Switzerland.
A gruelling World Cup campaign may have had something to do with Maradiaga’s decision to remove Guevara from the match, as Guevara indicated his form was lacking after a long post-World Cup layoff.
The 34 year-old is currently in the midst of an 18-year professional career which began with Motagua rivals Olimpia in 1992-93 and included eight other clubs in six different countries.
He’ll get a second chance to face his former club next Tuesday, when the aggregate-goal series wraps up in Tegucigalpa.
“Next week we are going to have to take advantage of playing at home in front of our fans and take the game to Toronto and try and level the score,” Guevara said.
