Versus / MLS’s Minnesota United would target Alan Benítez

Football in Paraguay

1 Jun 08:41

Cerro Porteño returned to training following a brief break due to the stoppage suffered by the Apertura 2022 tournament due to the Asian tour of the Paraguayan National Team.

The azulgrana DT, Francisco Arce, plans the future; the final stretch of the first championship of the year and the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores 2022, where he will face Palmeiras, current two-time champion of the contest.

Although the concern revolves around the reinforcements that may arrive, offers are also beginning to arrive for some of their figures; one of them would have been by the versatile Alan Benítez, who is at the service of the Albirroja for the friendlies once morest Japan and South Korea.

“Minnesota United of the United States would be interested in having the services of player Alan Benítez. The winger-midfielder has a contract with Cerro Porteño until the end of June this year,” said Jorge Izquierdo, a journalist for Grupo Nación Media.

Alan Benítez arrived in Barrio Obrero for the second half of 2021 and since then he has registered 21 games played and one goal scored. He also won the Clausura 2021 tournament title with the Barça team.

Minnesota United, from the USA, would be interested in having the services of the player Alan Benítez.
The winger – midfielder has a contract with Cerro Porteño until the end of June this year. @SomosVersusPY@Universo970py pic.twitter.com/NoyE15804O

– Jorge Izquierdo (@izquierdo010) June 1, 2022

Comments

Latest videos

International Soccer

1 Jun 08:25

Lionel Messi’s Argentina and an Italy still bruised following failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will play the Finalissima this Wednesday from 2:45 p.m. in London, a new competition between the champions of Europe and South America.

Following the example of the Artemio Franchi Cup, which was played twice (1985 and 1993), Conmebol and UEFA, within the framework of their good relations and a collaboration agreement, decided to give new life to a tournament that decided the ‘super champion’ among the monarchs of the two confederations with the greatest tradition and history in world football.

Argentina won the 1993 Artemio Franchi Cup, with Diego Maradona in their ranks, beating Denmark in a penalty shootout in Mar del Plata.

Now the Albiceleste will aspire to lift another intercontinental trophy, less than a year following winning the Copa América in Brazil.

Italy, for its part, earned its right to be in this Finalissima by winning the European Championship in July last year, beating England in the final in a penalty shootout at Wembley, precisely the stadium where the game is played this Wednesday.

However, Italians and Argentines arrive with very different sensations at their pulse.

Argentina, with a new impetus from the hand of its coach Lionel Scaloni, qualified for the World Cup without difficulty and in the last game once morest Ecuador (1-1), in March, managed to equal its official record for consecutive games without losing, the 31 achieved by Alfio Basile’s team between 1991 and 1993.

The ‘Scaloneta’ can now leave that mark behind, almost three decades later.

“We have to be prepared to know that a moment of difficulty may come, even if everything is going smoothly now,” Scaloni warned during the last window of the World Cup qualifiers in the South American zone.

In Italy, the situation is very different.

The title in the European Championship and a run of 37 games without losing between September 2018 and October 2021 had triggered the euphoria around the Azzurra, but everything came to an abrupt halt when the Italian team lost to Spain in the semifinals of the Liga de Nations and above all by failing in the qualifiers to qualify for the World Cup, just as it happened on the way to Russia-2018.

First, in their group of the European qualifying phase, Italy faltered in the last games and saw Switzerland take the lead and the only direct place in Qatar-2022.

The Azzurra was relegated to a play-off in which they had to win two games, but already in the first one they slipped when they lost 1-0 at home last March once morest North Macedonia, which consummated the disaster.

– Chiellini’s farewell –
The coach Roberto Mancini now faces a stage in which he needs to return the illusion to the ‘tifosi’.

“It is necessary to continue, to start thinking differently,” he said shortly following the elimination once morest the Normans.

For the moment, for this Finalissima and for the other duels of the team in June, in the League of Nations, he opted for a group with a continuous character, in which the return of Leonardo Spinazzola stood out, who was one of the outstanding men of the team in the last European Championship and was out for almost the entire season due to injury.

Veteran Giorgio Chiellini (37 years old), for his part, aspires to say goodbye to the Italian team with a trophy, in what will be his 117th and last game with his national team.

Italian figures such as Ciro Immobile or Federico Chiesa will not be present due to injury.

For its part, Argentina was preparing this Finalissima with a concentration last week in Bilbao.

Scaloni counted in this call for the June window, in which he will then play a friendly once morest Estonia on Sunday, with his usual stars, with Lionel Messi in charge, and included defender Marcos Senesi, who has dual Italian nationality and Argentina, so Mancini had tried to add him to his Nazionale. Finally, the Feyenoord player chose to defend Argentina, where he was born 25 years ago.

These are the likely starting teams for the Italian and Argentine national teams, which will face each other at London’s Wembley Stadium in the Finalissima, in a duel between the champions of Europe and South America:

Italia: Donnarumma – Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini (cap.), Emerson – Barella, Jorginho, Verratti (or Locatelli) – Bernardeschi, Belotti, Insigne

Coach: Roberto Mancini

Argentina: Emiliano Martinez – Star Mill, Rosemary, Otamendi, Coin – De Paul, Guido Rodriguez, Lo Celso – Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Di Maria

Coach: Lionel Scaloni

Referee: Piero Maza (CHI).

Comments

Paraguayans abroad

31 May 21:45

The 2021-2022 season of European football ended and the Paraguayan footballers in the most important leagues on the continent closed another year, some with much more participation than others.

It should be remembered that Paraguayan soccer has five players in the top leagues in Europe (one in England, two in Spain and two in Italy), a couple playing in Russia, another one of the powerful leagues, and some in other less significant leagues.

-The “General” arrives –

Among all these, the most regular of the season has been Fabian Balbuena. The 30-year-old center-back arrived at Russia’s Dinamo Moscow for this season from England’s West Ham and was the third player on his team with the most minutes on the pitch.

In total, the “General” played 27 of the 30 matches of the Russian Premier League and all of them started. accumulated 2,430 minutes on the court and scored three goals.

He is the most regular Paraguayan of all those who play in football on the old continent, followed by another central defender: Omar Alderete.

The left-hander from Valencia in Spain was present in 29 of the 38 LaLiga games in Spain, playing 28 as a starter and accumulating 2,410 minutesonly 20 less than Fabián Balbuena in Russia.

Alderete also scored two goals in the season and is also third in the table of players with the most minutes for Valencia during 2021-22.

While the “podium” completes it Antonio Sanabria, striker for Torino of Italy. “Tonny” played 29 Serie A games, starting 22 of them and accumulating 1,813 minutes on the court.

Sanabria scored six goals and was the third scorer of his team, but he is not among the most regular since he is just the ninth player with the most minutes on the pitch.

-Almirón, off the podium-

Outside the podium and in fourth place among the most regular Paraguayans in the most important leagues in Europe, is Miguel Almirón. The Newcastle player was the one who was on the pitch the most times, but he added very few minutes compared to the rest.

“Miggy” played 30 games with the “Magpies”, but started only 19 and accumulated 1,719 minutes on the court. In addition, he scored a goal that was among the best of the entire season.

With these numbers, Miguel Almirón was the ninth Newcastle player with the most minutes accumulated in the season.

The one that closes the top 5 and that exceeds 1,000 minutes in a season is one that is not in a very powerful league, but that is also important. Blas Riveros, at Brondby in Denmark, played 18 games and accumulated 1,315 minutes on the pitch.

-Those who come further back-

A little relegated in terms of participation in the powerful leagues, are Jesús Medina, Santiago Arzamendia and Federico Santander. Medina, who plays for CSKA Moscow, arrived in the middle of the season, accumulated 10 games scoring a goal and added 668 minutes.

Arzamendia, for his part, played 14 games with Cádiz in Spain. He was a starter in 5 with 469 minutes on the pitch and 1 goal. While Santander, who was injured for a long time, accumulated just 60 minutes in 7 games throughout the season and scored a goal.

-In less powerful leagues-

The two who stood out in less powerful leagues in Europe were Juan Manuel Iturbe, who is at Aris Thessaloniki in Greece, and Derlis Meza Colli, who plays for FC Arges in Romania.

The first accumulated 1,540 minutes in 33 games played and the second added 2,499 minutes in 35 games.

Versus infographic.

THE NUMBERS OF THE SEASON OF PARAGUAYANS IN EUROPE

FABIÁN BALBUENA (Dinamo Moscow – Russian Premier League)
27 games played
27 headline
2,430 minutes on the court
3 goals
3rd. most regular player of his team

OMAR ALDERETE (Valencia – LaLiga)
29 games played
28 headline
2,410 minutes on the court
2 goals
3rd. most regular player of his team

ANTONIO SANABRIA (Turin – Serie A)
29 games played
22 headline
1,813 minutes on the pitch
6 goals
9th most regular player of his team

MIGUEL ALMIRÓN (Newcastle – Premier League)
30 games played
19 headline
1,719 minutes on the pitch
1 gol
8th most regular player of his team

BLAS RIVEROS (Brondby IF – Danish Super League)

18 games played
15 headline
1,315 minutes on the court
10th most regular player of his team

JESÚS MEDINA (CSKA Moscow – Russian Premier League)
10 games played
8 headline
668 minutes on court
1 gol
17th most regular player on his team.

SANTIAGO ARZAMENDIA (Cádiz – LaLiga)
14 games played
5 headline
469 minutes on court
1 gol
11th player with fewer minutes on the squad

FEDERICO SANTANDER (Bologna – Serie A)
7 matches played
0 holder
60 minutes on court
1 gol
8th player with fewer minutes on the squad

IN LESS POWERFUL LEAGUES

JUAN MANUEL ITURBE (Aris Thessaloniki – Greek Super League)
33 games played
18 headline
1,540 minutes on the court
11th most regular player of his team

DERLIS MEZA COLLI (FC Arges Pitesti – Romanian League I)
35 games played
33 headline
2,994 minutes on the pitch
3rd. most regular player of his team

Comments