GUADALAJARA, Mexico – There was plenty of action for Americans south of the border this weekend and one outstanding performance.
DaMarcus Beasley provided it, coming off the bench in the 57th and scoring two goals to hand Puebla a 3-1 victory on the road at San Luis.
Beasley chested the ball down and shot past the onrushing ‘keeper with his right foot from close range to put Puebla 2-1 in front in the 82nd minute.
Seven minutes later, the 30-year-old picked the ball up inside Puebla’s half, drove towards goal, exchanged passes with Felix Borja and fired another right foot shot in the goal at the near post. They were Beasley’s first goals since April 2012.
Fellow US international Michael Orozco Fiscal, meanwhile, went the full 90 and is becoming increasingly settled as Puebla’s right back. The three points moved La Franja up to sixth position in the league.
Herculez Gomez had a frustrating Sunday afternoon as Santos Laguna fell 1-0 at home to Pachuca. Gomez rattled the post with a shot from outside the area in the seventh minute, set up Darwin Quintero with a golden opportunity in the 33rd and forced a fine save with a diving header in the 61st.
The result leaves Santos Laguna just inside the playoffs in eighth.
Also Sunday, Jose Torres went 80 minutes for Tigres UANL in their 4-1 victory at Toluca. The American midfielder is gaining in confidence week after week for his new club and went close to netting in the 53rd after a solo run into the box. The win – which could’ve easily been by en even wider margin – kept Tigres at the top of the league, one point ahead of América.
In Tijuana on Saturday night, Club América defended heroically with nine men to thwart Xolos’ attempts to keep up with Tigres. Edgar Castillo went 56 minutes against his old club in Tijuana's 2-1 loss, while Joe Corona came on after 65 minutes.
Neither was poor against a resolute America, but nor were they able to provide that bit of magic to break through the opposition defense.
In the Ascenso MX on Sunday, Sonny Guadarrama went 90 minutes in Mérida’s 1-1 draw with Toros Neza, while Jesús Padilla played 62 minutes for La Piedad in their 0-0 draw against Altamira.
On Saturday, Marco Vidal started and finished Lobos BUAP’s 2-2 draw at Veracruz.
In Costa Rica, Moises Hernandez played the full game as Saprissa let a two-goal lead slip to tie 2-2 away against Puntarenas on Sunday.
Tom Marshall covers Americans playing in Latin America for MLSsoccer.com. Contact him at tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com.
