GUADALAJARA – DaMarcus Beasley came off the bench to score his fifth goal of the season for Puebla on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to give La Franja some much-needed points, as they lost 2-1 at home to Jaguares.
Beasley latched onto a knocked-down header from Félix Borja inside the area in the 70th minute then smashed a right-footed shot into the corner to bring the scores level. But Jaguares scored late to take the points to leave Puebla needing a miracle to make the playoffs.
Beasley came on at halftime, while Michael Orozco Fiscal started but came off in the 61st. The former Philadelphia Union defender picked up a yellow just before halftime for a high tackle.
Jose Torres’ Tigres UANL suffered their first league defeat of 2013, losing 2-1 at Pumas UNAM on Sunday. The Texan midfielder completed the full game, but was without his usual partner Carlos Salcido in the heart of the Tigres midfield.
Club Tijuana suffered the worst defeat in their short history on Saturday, losing 5-0 at Cruz Azul, with Americans Joe Corona and Edgar Castillo both going 90 minutes.
Corona went close to opening the scoring in the ninth minute, shooting just past the right post and again after 30 minutes when he headed wide from a corner.
Cruz Azul opened the scoring two minutes later and doubled it in the 56th minute through a deflected shot by Teófilo Gutiérrez. After Crisitian Pellerano was sent off in the 70th, the floodgates opened and La Máquina added a further three goals.
Castillo was slightly loose in his marking on the last, allowing Rogelio Chávez to cross too easily, although by that point the Tijuana players’ heads had dropped en masse.
The defeat leaves Tijuana without a Liga MX victory in six games and they are now two points outside the playoff zone.
Exports: Brad Guzan's Aston Villa waste a chance, Tim Howard's Everton seize one
On Friday, Herculez Gomez may not have had any direct input on Santos Laguna’s goals in Friday’s 2-1 home victory over Toluca, but his presence was the catalyst for the team’s comeback victory.
Gomez started on the bench for the first time this Clausura championship and entered the field in the 62nd minute with his side 1-0 down. Eight minutes later, a close-range finish from César Ibañez and a solo goal from Oribe Peralta had the Guerreros in the lead.
The US international played down the right wing, keeping the ball well as the clock ran down and nearly getting on the end of a through ball behind the backline in the final few minutes.
The result moves Santos to 26 points and is a giant step to the postseason playoffs with just three regular season games remaining.
In the second division, Marco Vidal’s Lobos BUAP overcame Sonny Guadarrama’s Mérida 2-0 on Friday. Vidal went the full 90, while Guadarrama was brought off after 81 minutes.
In Brazil, Freddy Adu wasn’t involved in Bahia’s 1-1 tie with Vitória da Conquista in the Campeonato Baiano.
Tom Marshall covers Americans playing in Latin America for MLSsoccer.com. Contact him at tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com.
