Fuerza Amarilla 2, Condor 1

Soccer fans are passionate.

Their devout support, through good and bad, is something I wish American fans would display a bit more.

But there are times when this passion crosses the line, like Saturday afternoon.

A near riot broke out in the stadium after the game as the frustrated fan base gathered to take out their anger on the referees for some questionable calls. For half an hour after the game ended, the fans were still gathered there as police officers surrounded the referees to protect them.

Now, I understand that the ref's made some questionable judgments that might have impacted the game. But at the same time, these calls didn't decide the game, and nothing good can come of waiting for the refs to leave the stadium. The game already ended, and the result wasn't going to change.

The calls in question came late in the game with Condor trailing by a goal. The ref called a foul on a Fuerza Amerilla player inside the 18-yard box, which would have resulted in a Condor penalty kick. But the line judge ruled that the foul was not inside the box, but about four centimeters outside.

So instead of taking a shot directly at the goalie, Condor had to face an eight-man wall. The ball sailed over the net, and the whole situation changed the momentum of the game. A few minutes later, a Condor player was called for a red card for what seemed like some incidental pushing. The player and Condor's coach, Roberto Salazar, got in ref's face about the calls, and both had to be restrained by the police.

The refs were unable to restore order to the game for five minutes, and by the time play resumed, they were already in the 47th minute of the half. It seemed clear that the ref's had lost control of the game. And the fans have grounds to gripe.

It crossed the line from acceptable to unacceptable when the common insults about the ref and his mom´s occupation (common prostitute) were replaced by broken beer bottles and mobs at the fence.

Did the refs make some bad calls? Sure.

Did Condor continue to suck at offense? Even more so. Like any other week, if Condor could have converted one of its three golden chances, we wouldn´t be talking about riots.

Instead of getting mad at the refs and waiting for them to leave the stadium so that you can intimidate them further, the Condor fans should ask the club leadership to put more resources into the club, like Fuerza Amarilla did this week.

(Segue into my next point)

There was a buzz in the stadium before the game.

One of the greats in Ecuadorian soccer history was going to be playing for Fuerza Amarilla. Recognizing the importance of this game, the Machala team signed a big name.

Cuchillo Fernandez.

Throughout the 90s and early 00s, Fernandez was a fixture in the Ecuadorian premiere league, playing for some of the country´s top teams. I would say he has spent the last five years in the downward swing of his career.

He is nearly 40 years old and started playing professional soccer before most of his current teammates were born. He is playing the Ecuadorian equivalent of independent minor league baseball.

He can´t play the full 90 minutes any more. He can barely go 45. He subbed in about midway through the second half. He didn`t do too much to wreak havoc on the Condor defense, but his presence on the field definitely changed how Condor defended and led to Fuerza Amarilla´s second goal.

Now, I don´t know about Condor´s financial situation. But I can´t imagine it being out of their price range to hire a player for a game or two to ensure classification to the next round.

Chances to advance

Here is the table of positions. Each team has one game left. The top two advance - the other two go home.

Santa Rosa 8
Fuerza Amarilla 7
Condor 6
Santos FC 6

A team gets three points for a win and one for a tie. Condor plays at Santos. Fuerza Amarilla hosts Santa Rosa. The fun thing about this weekend is that each team has a chance to advance.

Condor controls its own destiny. If it wins, it will advance. According to a conversation I had earlier today, Condor would lose the tiebreaker, which is based on goal differential. So Condor's path is clear: win and advance. Otherwise, the season's over.


Fun word

Futbolisticamente - soccer-wise