Bravos Head Coach Targets Front Office While Locos Head West

FC Juarez suffered a second consecutive loss in the span of four days, falling to Pumas by the score of 2-1. The Bravos failed once again for the second time in a row to keep a lead at home. In their season Bravos gave up a one goal lead on two occasions for Atlas. On Wednesday night Bravos allowed two goals in the second half to give Pumas the victory.

Juarez took the lead in the 32nd minute of the match when Diego Campillo scored to give the Bravos a 1-0 lead going into halftime.

Pumas came back in the second half making adjustments that the Bravos had difficulty adjusting to. The team that represents the national university of Mexico scored in the 66th and 80th minute.

All three goals that were scored on Friday were absolute gems, but the fireworks did not end there…

Barbieri lets the front office have it

After the midweek match FC Juarez head coach/technical director Maurico Barbieri spoke with the media for the first time this season. He was not allowed to participate in the post match presser in the season opener against Atlas because he was red carded. On Saturday’s match against Toluca he was serving his one match suspension for the red card.

So Wednesday night he finally addressed the media and boy did he have plenty to say.

A visually bothered and frustrated Barbieri immediately defended his team’s effort, treaded carefully in his critical remarks about the referees in the first two matches and then got to the heart of his grievances.

Barbieri made it clear that with the current roster that Bravos have at the moment, they do not have the luxury to rotate players, make substitutions like the first three teams that they have played this season and essentially trying to convey that his team is doing very much with relatively little despite failing to achieve the desired results.

And then he got specific…

“I want to make this clear, that up to now, this institution has completely failed in bringing in the acquisitions that it promised. I’m very worried about where we go from here and those that need to know this have been made perfectly aware.” Barbieri said.

When asked about how many new players he is wanting or have been promised to him the head coach said, “You have to ask those that are in charge of that. I have told them my thoughts with regards to that matter and now I’m just left to wait for what it is that they promised me.”

Barbieri concluded by saying, “What I want to make perfectly clear is that I am completely unhappy at being at this point in the season (3 matches in) and not having what was discussed 11 or 12 weeks ago.”

Things do not get any easier for the Bravos as they will host reigning champion Club America on Saturday night. The regular season match will take place less than a month after these two teams faced each other for a preseason match at the Sun Bowl. A match that ended in a 1-1 draw.

The most hated team in Mexican soccer arrives to the Borderland coming off a loss to Tigres in Monterrey on Wednesday by the score of 1-0. The back-to-back champions have had a dismal start to the season suffering two defeats in one win thus far.

Tomorrow night’s match is scheduled for a 9 p.m. MST kickoff and will be televised on Fox Deportes.

Locomotive on national TV tonight

El Paso Locomotive FC will face Phoenix Rising FC tonight in a nationally televised game that will take place in the Valley of the Sun. The match will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

El Paso will look to get back on the winning track after not being able to win in their last four matches and begin to work their way from last place in western conference. These two teams played to a 1-1 draw on June 15 at Southwest University Park.

Phoenix is currently looking to get into the playoff zone as they are currently in ninth place.

Earlier in the week the Locos announced the arrival of three players in their effort to turn this season around. Steven Rivas, Ricky Ruiz and Robert Coronado were announced as acquisitions by the team from the Sun City and will be available for tonight.

Tonight’s match is scheduled for a 9 p.m. MST.