With the World Cup in full throttle and Argentina ready to crush Germany on Saturday, I figured there was no candidate more deserving of the T2T Hall of Fame honor than Argentine forward, Carlos Tevez. The guy has literally gone from Argentine poverty to English royalty without loosing his modesty, sincere smile or passion for the game in the process. Buena Onda!

Tevez was raised in a very tough part of Ciudadela, Buenos Aires in a neighborhood called Ejercito de Los Andes aka "Fuerte Apache". Because of its high crime rates, the quarter of tall block buildings is considered one of the most dangerous barrios in Great Buenos Aires and in the whole country. 

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(Tension builds as Argentinos Juniors try to hold on to beat struggling River Plate @ River)

Last week the biggest match of the Argentine Football season took place at La Bombonera (Boca Juniors Stadium) in La Boca. The bi-annual Superclásico between the two biggest Argentine clubs (Boca Juniors vs. River Plate) was undoubtedly the biggest topic of conversation in Buenos Aires both before and after the match. However, even after Boca's impressive 2-0 victory over River, most of the talks weren't about the fabulous play or incredible rivalry. It was more about how both teams, despite all the hype of the match, were still sitting in the bottom half of the standings more than half way through the tournament. As of this post, River is sitting in 16th place and Boca is 18th of 20 teams. A far cry from both clubs tradition and expectations of winning. 

I can't really explain the significance of this situation because there is no comparison like it in the States. Teams here are so rooted in political, economic and social influences that a few loosing seasons by one of these major clubs means big problems for a lot of people. 

I preface this post with this information because although I couldn't make it to the Superclásico last Thursday night, I attended the next River Plate match on the following Monday just a few days after their devastating loss. I figured paying $30 pesos vs. $200 US Dollars was a good trade-off for seeing an equally, if not more important match for both clubs.

I have been wanting to attend a match with Dan from the handofdan.com for awhile now to learn more about the game and get the inside scoop from a true football fan. Dan is a proper London bloke with West Ham United in his blood and an impressive journalism background. I've been reading his blog since I've been down here and it's really well done. He manages to capture many different aspects of Argentine life and translate it through the eyes of an adopted Argentinos Juniors fanatic.  

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(Boca vs Banfield - Watch at the 3:50 mark as Banfield realizes they're Champions)

Lots of big news in the Futbol world over the last few weeks and Argentina was in the middle of it all.

1. Banfield won the Argentine Apertura 2009. In their final match of the Apertura 2009 tournament Banfield faced off against the most popular club in Argentina Boca Juniors, at Boca. A friend and I actually went down to the stadium and around Boca before and during the game and it was nothing short of insane. You could hear the cheers literally echo around the entire west side of the city. The streets leading up to the stadium were all blocked off with police in riot gear and road blocks to funnel traffic. Once the game started the entire neighborhood was abandoned. Banfield fans came into the stadium with armored car escorts and the streets they came in on were blocked off to outsiders (Boca Fans). The Apertura 2009 is tournament of all the Argentine Futbol Clubs. It is the first of 2 seasons here in Argentina. Each team plays each other once (19 matches) and the club with the most points at the end wins. No playoffs. No championship match. I couldn't even imagine the environment of a championship match. Superclasico times 10? 

So, coming into the final weekend Newell's Old Boys trailed Banfield by 2 points in the standings. In a rather anti-climatic manor, both Newell's Old Boys (San Lorenzo) and Banfield (Boca) lost. Therefore, Banfield held on for their first title as Champions of the Apertura 2009. You have to watch the video above starting at the 3:50 mark. Banfield fans love to celebrate with crotch grabs! 

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Today was the Superclasico. The Superclasico is like a subway series like Cubs/White Sox or Yanks/Mets with a Super Bowl like status on steriods. It's a game held once a year between the 2 most successful Argentine Soccer Clubs, Boca Juniors and River Plate. I can't begin to explain what the game was like because tickets were virtually unavailable. However, from just watching the game on tv you could see how tense the rivalry is and what the game meant to both sides. Rather anti-climatic the Superclasico ended in a 1-1 draw. I agree, you would think a game of this stature would merit a shoot out. Maybe this will give you a taste of its intensity...

I gotta say though, the only thing I don't like about watching these games is all the over acting players do to get a call. I'm all for a little extra 'enthusiasm' but rolling around, grabbing your face, while kicking and screaming is a bit much - come on guys. 

Check out the ESPN Deportes post game recap (in Spanish)