Calamity in Metapan

This weekend the 4th round of the 2nd part of the 1st half-season of the 2007/2008 season was played, and we once again saw how important regular training is in professional football. A few weeks back Alianza lost 5-1 following a two week long training strike. The Alianza players are now being paid but their metropolitan colleagues at San Salvador are still not. After two and a half months they have now also walked out of training.

This, coupled with some odd decisions from their new manager Henry Vanegas, led to a disastrous game against Isidro Metapan. With 39 mins on the clock, four nil down and making the second tactical substitution, the manager’s and player’s faces told us that the second half was going to be a very long 45 minutes for them.

Edwin Portillo had the luxury of naming an unchanged team, and sticking to 4-4-2. Vanegas, meanwhile, switched to 4-4-2 and left two of his national team players on the bench, Dennis Alas and Ronald Cerritos, Eliseo Quintanilla missing through suspension. He had an odd formation with the defensive midfielder Francisco Milla as centre back, and Ernesto Gochez with Andres Medina in the centre, Medina slightly withdrawn, Doni Valle and William Torres on the wings. This proved to be highly ineffective, and Milla particularly looked awful, off the pace, and positionally naïve.

It was actually rather surprising that it was as late as the tenth minute that Metapan scored, as the SanSal defence seemed to have literally no idea how to deal with the lamest of balls lifted into the box. Paolo Suarez had a fine game on the right, making the first two goals, and scoring the fourth, he ran Doni Valle ragged, before the latter was removed just before the break.

However the first tactical change had come at just 24 minutes and it was a relief to see Milla removed, as it was a performance that was painful to watch. Alas came on for him, slipping into midfield, with Medina dropping to centre-back. This did stiffen the Pantera’s midfield to a degree, but also exposed a further problem – Alas’s free kicks were the visiting team’s sole attacking idea, he even made an attempt on goal from the half-way line.

So a fine night for Metapan who now occupy 2nd spot and particularly for Honduran William Reyes (pictured), whose hat-trick tonight puts him top of the goalscorers chart, with 9. It was quite a 31st birthday celebration for him, also passing the 150 goal mark in the top flight here - fourth on the all time list. I think they may even feel a little disappointed to have won only six nil. That really is how one sided this encounter was.

But what a miserable night for San Salvador, who attain 10 games without a win, and receive fellow low-fliers The Canaries of Once Municipal Wednesday night. This is a crucial match for them, one Vanges described as a “nine-pointer”, which is an idea even Tricky never came up with, answers to the usual place, please…. Your correspondent will be in the stadium for that one.

A very quick round up of the rest of the games. The aforementioned Once Municipal broke their six game losing trot, and 217 minutes without scoring, beating leaders Aguila one-nil at home. Despite being away and having only ten men for an hour, FAS beat Chalatenengo 1-0. Now looking back up to full fitness a rampant Alianza brushed Nejapa aside, 3-1. Vista Hermosa, not looking so good now the rains have finished, lost at home 1-0 to Firpo; and that completes the Jornada.

Next Up:-
Jornada 5, Segunda Vuelta (or 14th Jornada):

Wednesday 31st October 2007
Chalatenango v Alianza
Firpo v Metapan
San Salvador v Once Municipal
FAS v Vista Hermosa
Aguila v Nejapa

SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG