Club Atlético Boca Juniors
Founded in: 1905
Club President: Eng. Mauricio Macri
Coach: Alfio Basile

Stadium: Estadio Alberto J. Armando (Affectionately known as La Bombonera - The Chocolate Box)


Club History
I'm not going to try to write my own history when such a well-written one already exists. Presumably written by some kind-hearted Boca fan, it was submitted to Wikipedia, and I'll copy the salient parts to this topic. I'm not taking credit for any of this, as I didn't write it, but it is very good.

The Team
Italian immigrants gathered in the Plaza Solís, located in the heart of the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Esteban Baglietto, Alfredo Scarpatti, Santiago Sana, and brothers Juan and Teodoro Farenga founded Boca Juniors (the use of English language in team names was commonplace, as English railroad workers introduced football into Argentina).

The original jersey color was pink, which was quickly abandoned for thin black-and-white vertical stripes. The legend has it that in 1907 Boca played another team that used these colors, to decide who would get to keep them. Boca lost, and decided to adopt the colors of the flag of the first boat to arrive to the La Boca port. As the boat was from Sweden, the blue-and-gold was adopted. The first version had a yellow diagonal band, which was later changed to a horizontal stripe.

Boca Juniors played in local leagues and the amateur second division until it was promoted to the top division in 1913, when it was expanded from six teams to 15. Boca was never relegated; it won six amateur championships (1919, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, and 1930). With the introduction of professionalism in Argentina, Boca won the first title in 1931.

* First Match: May 6, 1905. vs. Mariano Moreno.
* First international match: December 8, 1907. vs. Universal (Montevideo, Uruguay)
* First professional match: May 31, 1931 vs. Chacarita Juniors.

The Crest
The shape of the crest has remained unchanged throughout Boca's history. In 1955, laurel leaves were added to celebrate the club's 50th anniversary, and the colors were changed in order to resemble the jersey colors.

Since 1970, it is changed to have a star for each Argentine title (top part, above the initials) and for each international title (bottom part) and a new star is added to the corresponding section whenever Boca obtains a title. To the delight of fans, the crest had to be modified several times in recent years.

The Stadium
Boca Juniors used several fields before it settled on the current grounds on Brandsen Street. Construction work on the concrete structure started in 1938; during the erection of the stands, Boca played its home matches in the Ferrocarril Oeste field in Caballito until 1940. A third level was added in 1953, and the La Bombonera name was born. The side opposite the Casa Amarilla railway platforms remained mostly unbuilt until 1996, when it was upgraded with new balconies and VIP booths.

* Dársena Sud: 1908 - 1912
* Wilde: 1914 - 1915
* Brins y Sengüel: 1916 - 1924
* Brandsen: from 1924

The Fans
Boca Juniors is traditionally regarded as the club of Argentina's working class, in contrast with the more upscale support base of cross-town rivals River Plate. Fans are known for valuing sacrifice, and to root for the team in good times and bad. (River Plate fans are known for demanding attractive play from their team.) (Once again, I didn't write this, so I mean no offense to any die-hard River fans )

As of August 2005, the club has about 61,000 card-carrying members. Registrations are currently halted because of the limited stadium capacity. Boca claims to be the club of half plus one of Argentina's population; a 2003 survey placed its following at 39%. (Centro de Estudios Nueva Mayoría)

El Superclásico
Being the two biggest football clubs in Argentina, and due to the rivalry between them, the Boca-River Superclásico is considered one of the most thrilling derbies in the world. See: BBC news - on famous world derbies.

The derby's statistics show Boca slightly ahead with 107 victories, 52 ties, and 92 losses against River. A few hours after each Boca win, street signs cover Buenos Aires, at fans' own expense, "ribbing" the losing side with humorous remarks. This has become part of Buenos Aires lore ever since a Boca winning streak in the 1990s.

Nicknames
Boca are known as los xeneizes (the Genoese) after the large number of Italian (especially Genoese) immigrants who lived in La Boca in the early 20th century. The word "xeneize" is Genoese dialect for the standard-Italian word "genovesi," which means "Genoese."

The name bosteros (horse-shitters) originates from the horse manure used in the brick factory that occupied the ground where the Bombonera stands. Originally an insult used by rivals, Boca fans have taken to wearing it with pride.

Boca fans also use the diminutive Boquita when referring to the club.

Following the team colors, Boca is also called la azul y oro (the blue-and-gold).

The fans call themselves la número 12 or la 12 (player number 12, "the 12th man") because of the influence they have on rival teams - especially in home games, where their cheering is loudly heard on the pitch.

Titles
Amateur

First Division: 7

1919, 1920, 1923, 1924, Copa de Honor 1925, 1926, 1930


Professional

First Division: 22

1931, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, Copa Argentina 1969, Nacional 1969, Nacional 1970, Metropolitano 1976, Nacional 1976, Metropolitano 1981, Apertura 1992, Apertura 1998, Clausura 1999, Apertura 2000, Apertura 2003, Apertura 2005

Copa Libertadores: 5

1977, 1978 (Undefeated), 2000, 2001, 2003

Intercontinental Cup: 3

1977, 2000, 2003

Other International Cups: 7

Supercopa 1989, Recopa 1990, Copa Masters 1992, Copa de Oro 1993, Copa Sudamericana 2004, Recopa 2005, Copa Sudamericana 2005


Records

* 40 consecutive Argentine-league matches unbeaten. (Argentine record) From 5 May 1998 to 2 June 1999, with 29 victories and 11 ties.
---------------------------------------------

Wasn't that wonderful? Thanks very much to whoever wrote it on Wikipedia. (see link below) I'll post all news, matches, etc. about the club in this topic. Hopefully, along with Campeões' River topic (and if anyone wants to start an Independiente topic?...hint hint), we can stir up some more discussion about the Argentinian league, its teams, and its passionate supporters.

Useful Websites:
http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boca_Juniors
http://www.ole.com.ar/
http://www.clarin.com/

Current Squad (also from Wikipedia for ease of copy-and-paste)
* Goalkeepers
o 1 Argentina Abbondanzieri, Roberto
o 12 Argentina Medrán, Ezequiel Luis
o 25 Argentina Eberto, Gustavo Daniel

* Defenders
o 2 Argentina Schiavi, Rolando Carlos
o 3 Paraguay Morel Rodríguez, Claudio Marcelo
o 4 Argentina Ibarra, Hugo
o 6 Argentina Díaz, Daniel Alberto
o 15 Argentina Calvo, José María
o 28 Argentina Casais, Eduardo Javier
o 33 Argentina Cahais, Matías
o 38 Argentina Acosta, Fernando
o 39 Argentina Coronel, Sergio
o 46 Argentina Fusco, Emiliano

* Midfielders
o 5 Argentina Gago, Fernando Rubén
o 8 Argentina Cagna, Diego
o 10 Argentina Insúa, Federico
o 11 Colombia Vargas Rivera, Fabián Andrés
o 18 Argentina Marino, Guillermo Andrés
o 19 Argentina Cardozo, Neri Raúl
o 21 Argentina Battaglia, Sebastián
o 22 Argentina Silvestre, Matías Agustín
o 24 Argentina Krupoviesa, Juan Ángel
o 27 Argentina Scarione, Ezequiel
o 32 Argentina Baigorria, Manuel
o 34 Argentina Franzoia, Andrés
o 36 Argentina Gutiérrez, Enzo
o 44 Argentina Bertolo, Nicolás
o 41 Argentina Trejo, Oscar

* Strikers / Forwards
o 7 Argentina Barros Schelotto, Guillermo
o 9 Argentina Palermo, Martín
o 14 Argentina Palacio, Rodrigo Sebastián
o 16 Argentina Delgado, Marcelo Alejandro
o 23 Argentina Bilos, Daniel Rubén
o 30 Argentina Galarza, Víctor Manuel
o 40 Argentina Trípodi, Mariano
o 42 Argentina Mondaini, Marcos Gustavo

It looks like Hercules from Spain's second division has bought Schiavi for 600,000 Euros. I guess its never too late to go to Europe, he is 33!

I have a strong admiration for Boca Juniors and a lot of my favourite players have donned the blue and yellow shirts in their careers.

You could call me a fan, but I'm not passionate enough really to get pissed off if they lose or overjoyed when they win. They're my favourite South American club, but with no real emotional attachment like the one I have with Inter.

Yeah I dunno why he would go to Hercules, they're not really even close to being promoted to the Primera Division. Anyway, here's the article from Goal.com (which has actually become a really annoying website lacking lots of content since they changed the layout...it's getting frustrating, it was such a good site before they changed it):

Isn't this a bit of disappointing that a player is choosing a second-division team in Spain over Boca Juniors?

Yeah seriously! I mean, with Boca he won 7 titles and now he's going to some Segunda Division team over one of the greatest clubs in the world? Maybe he's not getting enough playing time. I'm not sure if he's been starting very often in the Apertura. Oh well. We'll never know now.

Oh well, he's getting old, maybe he wanted to do something magnificent with the rest of his career, like bringing a 2a div team into the Primera Liga. You can't deny it would be quite an accomplishment, but I'm sure if Hercules does get promoted it would be due to more factors than that. But we'll see I suppose.

Spanish:

BOOM!

Boca Juniors 3-2 River Plate
43' Rodrigo Palacio
48' Rodrigo Palacio
58' Daniel Montenegro
73' Daniel Díaz
92' Leandro Fernández



A promising result. I think we can expect more of the same great stuff from Boca in the coming tournament.

And if Palacio keeps up this phenomenal form for the next few months, I think we can expect him to get offers from several top European clubs this summer. But we'll sorry about that later. He'll likely be a goalscoring machine throughout the Clausura.

Good win for Boca but really nothing in the teams other then Lux making stupid errors. We'll see a truer test when River has plays it's first choice strikers of Falcao and Farias. Oberman was complete crap and Montengro was alright.

Another Superclasico coming up!





Looking forward to this one. Should be an equally exciting match.

I don't think it will be as exciting because both teams look like playing substitutes. I just can't wait for competitive Argentine football.

41' right now and it's Boca 0-1 River. I also can't wait for the league to start. The matches will be spectacular then.

Some news about Fernando Gago, who may be leaving the club:

Finished 3-0 to River Plate.

I don't think Gago wants to leave Boca Juniors but it will be really hard to turn down Reaal Madrid or Barcelona.

Why didn't Gago play against Independiente yesterday?...is he injured?

No clue mate. I haven't seen any news about him.



And perhaps the best news of all:



Good man!

who is Sebastian Rusculleda? is he a new talent from argentina? have you any info about him?

Does anyone who lives in Argentina or knows the Argentinian media real well think that Gago will be leaving this summer, before or after the World Cup...most likely after seeing as if he plays well his price could sky rocket...

But Madrid could try to weasel a transfer deal before than just to keep the price low...any thoughts?

I don't think it will happen. Boca Juniors have done well in keeping their players this transfer window. I would have expected Bilos, Palacio and Gago to leave but it looks like they will stay.

yea I doubted Gago would be sold during this transfer window...I meant was there any news on whether there would deff be a deal done for a summer transfer...all the stuff I've been reading has pointed to a summer transfer to Real.

But the only thing thats foggy is if the deal would be struck before or after the world cup...I dont know if Gago will be playing all that much, but if he did I am sure he'd produce and his price would go way up...

I don't think Gago will go to the World Cup. YOu don't have to worry about it. He has no caps so Pekermen will probably not pick him in this vital stage. Yes, Gago will probably leave in the summer but he could stay. Depends on the offer.

If Real Madrid is serious about buying Gago, I doubt Boca can do anything to stop them. Madrid has the buying power and Gago has already said that it is a dream of his, so...I wouldn't be surprised.

I think its a MISTAKE! I have said it in the past that moving to big teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, etc. is very bad for the player. The only thing that Big teams do is BURN there players. Look at the amount of players that Real Madrid and Barcelona just go through alone.

All great players, and yet they don't play. Gago can really be the next Fernando Redondo, and I for one don't want to Jeopardize that.


I am all for with him going to Madrid after a few years in Europe, but not right away. It wont help him. Besides, what can Real Madrid teach him, that he cant learn at BOCA other than just a contract.

Better Soccer??? don't think so, they buy South American to make their League competitive. Its all about the dollar. Enough said....



Saludos


David

Redondo went straight to Madrid...Ramos isn't burning out, Robinho is burning out...ur theory has a couple of holes in it...

I am sorry sir, but please get your facts right. Redondo played at Tenerife from 1990 to 1994 and after the World Cup 94 he left and went to Real Madrid and blossomed into what we saw.

Gago would be much better if he went to a smaller club, get use to European Soccer, and then go to Real Madrid. If his Idol did it, why shouldnt he?


David

...I knew he went to Tenerife, but I had just assumed it was a team in Argentina. I read that he was taken from right under the nose of river plate, so I assumed it was from another Argentine team, but I guess I was wrong...

still a young player going to a large club doesnt mean they'll fail...Robinho, after a rough start, has really come into his own. Gago plays DM and wont have as much pressure put on his shoulders. Seeing as Robinho had been touted the savior before he even signed for us and after his debut almost every Madrid fan and reporter had already raised him to Di Stefano and Butra status.

I know Gago will probably be stamped the "new Redondo" in the Spanish media and those are some big shoes to fill, but I'm hoping he'll be comfortable with those comparisons, he is getting them now at a slightly lower scale. He wants to go to Madrid at 19/20 and I personally think he can handle the pressure...but haha thats just me...

Goooooooooool de Boca! Silvestre with nice control and slams it home off a corner. Instituto 0-1 Boca...finally!

edit: Uh oh. Palacio just got carted off on a stretcher.

edit2: Okay there's Palacio, he's taped up and on the bench. Jimenez just missed an otherwise brilliant diving header that would have equalized it.

edit3: WHOA! Oh man...Jimenez with a brilliant header to equalize! He was waaaay up in the air for that one. I have to say...great goal.

Time To React



Boca Juniors will try to recover from the defeat at the hands of San Lorenzo when it visits the always tricky squad of Argentinos Juniors within the 6th round of the Clausura tournament, and will have the chance to show that its comeback power is that of a champion team.

Even if coach Alfio Basile hasn’t announced the lineup which will be stepping onto the field of the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, presumably the coach will introduce three changes with respect to the team that played against San Lorenzo.

Juan Krupoviesa will replace Claudio Morel Rodríguez, midfielder Fernando Gago will go in for Fabián Vargas and forward Marcelo Delgado will do so for Daniel Bilos.

The statistics of the encounters between these two teams show a huge edge for Boca: 25 triumphs for Argentinos, 27 ties and 56 victories for Boca.

Probable lineups and other details:
Argentinos Juniors: Marcelo Pontiroli; Anchén or Caballero, Nicolás Pareja, Quiroga and Brunet; Marcelo Sarmiento, Cristian Ledesma, Facundo Pérez Castro and Núñez; Franco Niell and Diego Rivarola. Coach: Gregorio Pérez.

Boca Juniors: Roberto Abbondanzieri; Hugo Ibarra, Matías Silvestre, Daniel Díaz, Juan Krupoviesa; Pablo Ledesma, Fernando Gago, Federico Insúa; Guillermo Barros Schelotto; Martín Palermo and Marcelo Delgado.Coach : Alfio Basile.

Venue: Argentinos Juniors.
Referee: Saúl Laverni.
Time: 5 pm.
TV: T&C Max (encoded).-
----

Gago's back in the lineup, while Palacio is still injured from his knocking in the knee against Instituto. Bilos is out though, so Delgado will be playing in his stead.
----
Palacio's Word



Forward Rodrigo Palacio, who suffered a sprain in the internal lateral ligament of his right knee, said that we wouldn’t hurry back to the field and would return only when he was physically “perfectly fit”.

"I shall come back when I am perfectly fit, otherwise I won’t return” Palacio said in statements made after the training session carried out by Boca’s squad at the Casa Amarilla complex.

Palacio suffered his injury during the game Boca tied 1-1 against Instituto in Córdoba within the fourth round, and was therefore absent from the team’s lineup that played against San Lorenzo on Sunday.

Last week he had said that he would be back within “ten to twelve days” and this Tuesday he continued working on his recovery, but he still feels pain in the injured part of his body.

“It hurts when I have to stretch my leg or when I move it suddenly” Boca’s big star said.

Palacio was asked how his morale was facing this mishap of his professional life. He answered by saying “it was sort of inevitable that some day I would be confronted with an injury, and it happened now”.

"But I try to face this mishap the best possible way. I’ve promised myself I would snap out of any slump in my morale and do all the necessary exercises to try to be fit again” he pointed out.

Boca’s scorer, when asked whether he felt an improvement during the week and whether he would be fit to play on Sunday, answered in a no-nonsense fashion: “I hope to be back only when I am perfectly fit”.

Turning the page, Palacio referred to Boca’ s present predicament in the tournament and in an optimistic mood he asserted that Alfio Basile’s team would “revert the present situation any moment”.

"Boca has great players and is capable of fighting for the championship title” he concluded.
----

Well then we better get a move on because right now Boca is sitting mid-table while River are on top. Not good...a good thrashing of Argentinos would be nice, and could put Boca on a bit of a run if Palacio is healthy by next week.

Winning Once More



Boca visited Argentinos Juniors with a single idea on its mind: to start winnning again, and it did. Basile’s team defeated its rival by 2-1.

The champion was able to bring back the Lion King of its midfield: Fernando Gago, recovered from an injury which had him sidelined for the last few games.

Marcelo Delgado quickly increased the pulse rate of the fans, as at only 2’ into the game he almost brought down the crossbar with a violent shot.

It was like an advance notice, because the very same Delgado put Boca ahead at 35’ of the first half. 1-0 for Boca.

But the equalizer for the local team wasn’t far away. Franco Niell, with great skill attained the provisional tie for his team. The first half ended 1-1 and had been a very entertaining game, because both teams constantly sought their rival’s goal.

The second half was almost a carbon-copy of the first: a constant back and forth. At 13’ came Boca’s second goal. Guillermo Barros Schelotto fired a strong shot at the local goal which was parried by its goalie Pontiroli. The rebound was picked up by Juan Krupoviesa in the center of the area and netted for Boca’s second goal: 2-1.

Thus, in the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, Boca attained the victory which it had come to take home.
----

Well, that's pretty much proof of how important Gago is to Boca. He finally comes back and we win a match to put us in seventh. Solid win, hopefully with the return of Palacio we can get back to the top of the table.

Schelotto, Palacio's replacement for this match, did pretty well for himself though, let rip the shot whose rebound resulted in the second goal by Krupoviesa.

Great job Boca!

I just finished watching the tape delay on Fox Soccer Channel. Excellent match! Boca could have scored more as they started opening up the Argentinos defense and getting a lot of chances in the second half. And yes, Delgado's first shot was wicked! Ibarra nearly scored on a nasty free kick from just outside the box that bounced off the side of the goalpost. Overall, I was very pleased with Boca's performance today! Hopefully this will be the precursor of good things to come the rest of the way!

Well, there's at least some good news in Argentina today...Boca won! A great 3-0 victory in the Bombonera against Gimnasia La Plata, with Daniel Bilos, Martin Palermo, and Marcelo Delgado (the guy who "almost brought down the crossbar" last time ) scoring for el xeneize.

A Victory to Climb up the Table

^Click to expand. Nice photo.

In a very complicated game against last year’s vice-champion Gimnasia de La Plata Boca attained a valuable 3-0 triumph which puts it only two points behind Colón de Santa Fe, the leader in the standings.

The game started in a very dynamic way with both teams getting close to the rival’s goal. Boca’s midfielder Fernando Gago was instrumental in this by getting his team on the move with his instant passing game. But Gimnasia replied in kind testing Ezequiel Medrán several times, the stand-in goalie for Abbondanzieri. Daniel Bilos opened the score at 26’ of the first half with his first goal of the season, converting from the centerforward position at the edge of the box after a break-through by Federico Insúa.

In the second half there was much less soccer and the game lacked interest. Gimnasia pushed forward trying to equalize, thereby weakening its defensive set-up.

Boca took advantage of the risk Gimnasia was taking and resorted to counterattacks. After a very good play the scoring instinct of Martín Palermo netted the second goal of the game.

Near the end Neri Cardozo set up a great maneuvre and all Marcelo Delgado had to do was to push the ball into the net, as goalie Navarro Montoya was already beaten. The third goal put the finishing touch on the match.

Basile’s team picked up three important points and can look forward to the next match against Racing with poise, while it starts to put pressure on Colón, the leader of the tournament.

http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/english/nota...eta.cfm?id=7170

All right, I'm finally back in town, and I've got great news.

BOCA CAMPEON!!

Pos. Equipos J G E P GF GC DIF. Ptos.
1º Boca Juniors 9 6 1 2 19 8 +11 19
2º River Plate 9 5 3 1 21 10 +11 18
3º Newell's 9 5 2 2 14 8 +6 17
4º Vélez Sarsfield 9 4 4 1 12 7 +5 16
5º Colón 9 4 4 1 12 9 +3 16
6º Independiente 9 4 3 2 12 4 +8 15
7º Gimnasia (J) 9 5 0 4 10 9 +1 15
8º Olimpo 9 4 2 3 15 9 +6 14
9º Lanús 9 4 2 3 10 9 +1 14
10º Estudiantes (LP) 9 4 2 3 14 14 0 14
11º Arsenal 9 3 3 3 8 7 +1 12
12º San Lorenzo 9 3 3 3 8 8 0 12
13º Gimnasia (LP) 9 3 2 4 10 10 0 11
14º Argentinos Juniors 9 2 5 2 10 12 -2 11
15º Quilmes 9 3 2 4 7 10 -3 11
16º Banfield 9 3 1 5 13 16 -3 10
17º Rosario Central 9 1 4 4 4 10 -6 7
18º Tiro Federal 9 2 1 6 9 20 -11 7
19º Instituto (Córdoba) 9 1 2 6 5 18 -13 5
20º Racing Club 9 0 2 7 4 19 -15 2

Boca Juniors 1-1 River Plate: Player Ratings

I do this with most of Villarreal's games that I watch, and since I saw the Superclásico, I thought I'd put some of my opinions on Boca players' performances. It's out of a possible 10.

Abbondanzieri - 5 - He unnecessarily let in the first goal by unnecessarily coming off his line when there were enough defenders trying to handle the situation. Had he stayed put, he might have been able to tip Faría's shot over the crossbar. But he had to come out. And what was up with his running 45 meters off his line and getting a red card?

Migliore - 7 - He didn't play for long, but he played pretty well. Saved one rocket shot by catching it, but almost got caught when Gallardo's (was it him?) shot hit the post. Not too bad though. Better than Pato.

Silvestre - 8 - Solid. Made the necessary emergency tackles and all in all, marked his man quite well throughout.

Díaz - 7.5 - Pretty good. Made some fine tackles.

Ibarra - 8 - Played well on the wing, and was there for the pass when needed. When Pato got sent off, he did the right thing and played more defensively. But he had that one superb run that Palacio couldn't finish...the run was awesome.

Krupoviesa - 8 - I think the red card was a bit unfair. He looked like he was going for the ball. But he played very well also. Boca's defence in general was pretty excellent today; near watertight. There were very few moments when River was able to successfully get a man past the offside trap, so Pato didn't have to chance to mess up again.

Gago - 7.5 - He didn't seem to do too much, which is what everyone normally thinks, but he's integral to the team because of the efficient way in which he shifts play from defence to offence, and he did that very well today. Made a couple of good tackles as well, besides his yellow card.

Ledesma - 7.5 - He also played quite well and the play in the midfield was usually very smooth, except when the ball was in the air. River are unquestionably superior in the air, as you could see from almost every cross that Palacio or Bilos or Insúa put in. Anyway, Ledesma played well.

Bilos - 8 - Played more or less his usual stuff, which was great. He worked very hard and ran forever. He also had some nice touches on the ball and played in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Insúa - 9 - Man of the Match - The excellent #10; he was quick and made good passes, put in some good corners, and a couple of good crosses too. His shots from outside the 18 were poor, but that's okay. He still played superbly.

Palacio - 8.5 - He gave the River defence a headache with his scurrying in the box. He also came into the sides at the perfect times when Insúa or Bilos needed someone to pass to. He missed one or two chances, but overall, he played pretty well for not getting a whole ton of chances.

Palermo - 8 - He missed narrowly a few times, but still played very well and picked his shots as carefully as he could. He scored the penalty though, so all his faults in this game are forgiven.

Barros Schelotto - 8 - He was great when he came on. He drew the penalty inadvertently but spectacularly. Nice moves while he was on...he played very well.

Boca Juniors 1 - 1 River Plate

Vamos BOCA

LATEST MATCH

Newell's Old Boys 1-1 Boca Juniors


^That photo is of flawless quality. Look at Insúa's shirt...the photo is perfect.

Palacio equalised in the 68th minute after Belluschi scored in the 63rd for Newell's but it wasn't enough for a win. River won their game, however, so it doesn't help us in the standings.

NEWELL'S OLD BOYS - BOCA JUNIORS

HIGHLIGHTS "FUTBOL DE PRIMERA" 97 MB

HIGHLIGHTS "PASO A PASO" 69 MB

Thanks to Pasionrojinegra.com

NEXT MATCH

vs

Opponent: Club Atlético Colón ("Colón de Santa Fe")
Competition: Torneo Clausura de Argentina (Fecha 14)
Date: 9 April 2006, 18:30 (17:30 ET)
Referee: Daniel Giménez
Venue: Estadio Brigadier Estanislao López (Cementerio de los Elefantes), Santa Fe


We haven't had luck against Colón in the past, but hopefully this time will be different. In fourth place now, behind third-placed River on goal difference, with Lanús heading up the pack at the top of the table. But River and Boca still have their matches to play so the table could get back to "normal" soon.

Basile has called up 19 players for the match, but interestingly has left out winger Daniel Bilos. Playmaker Federico Insúa and our best centre back Daniel Díaz are suspended because of the red cards they got last week against Banfield in that heroic 2-1 victory with 9 men. El Pato is also back from his suspension due to his red card in the Superclásico, but honestly, Migliore has been performing very well (better than Pato did against River).

Called For Match
Goalkeepers: Abbondanzieri, Migliore
Defenders: Ibarra, Silvestre, Maidana, Morel, Calvo, Krupoviesa
Midfielders: Ledesma, Gago, Bilos, Guarín, Vargas, Marino
Forwards: Palacio, Barros Schelotto, Palermo, Cardozo, Delgado



Three points will be tough, especially since it's away, but if we can manage it, it'd be a great step towards a championship and staying on par with River (hopefully they'll lose ).

Commentary
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL DE PALACIO!! Great goal, Palermo ran back to get the back just outside the 18 and flicked it over to a wide-open Palacio on the right side and he made no mistake, blasting it into the roof of the net. Colón 0-2 Boca

19 year-old Neri Cardozo has nutmegged two guys already. Boca playing nice, easy, relaxed football out there as Colón is playing rather disappointingly. The defense has been solid, and Ibarra has been really calm on the ball, great to watch. Palacio is running his boots off as well, and although Palermo isn't getting to see much of the ball as it stays on the wings (mostly Palacio's right wing), he's playing well also when he gets the ball. This is fun to watch, sort of like watching Barcelona except this is even prettier as Colón are no match for Boca today.

Colón de Santa Fe 1-2 Boca Juniors
*9'PT Horacio Ameli (own goal)
*24'PT Rodrigo Palacio
12'ST Franco D. Cangele



I saw the first half before my internet connection suddenly died, but from what I saw, the scoreline does not reflect how well Boca played. The Boca guys didn't really even try too hard and still managed to control the game. Palacio's goal was great: one swift motion, a run by Cardozo I think, which was interrupted by a defender, but Palermo got on the loose ball and in less than a second did sort of a 360 and flicked it to a wide-open Rodrigo Palacio who finished it like a master, firing into the top of the goal.

Palacio had a wonderful game as he played on the right side, almost like a winger but even a little more attacking than a normal winger. Had some great pieces of control, excellent passing, and that one goal to cap it off. Neri Cardozo (19 years old and coincidentally wearing #19 as well) had a pretty good game too, I was rather impressed. He plays an awful lot of like Palacio except he likes the left side. Ibarra was also very relaxed on the ball, so his play was nice and fluid. Maybe the second half wasn't as good, since Colón scored, but I didn't see that.

Colón could have taken more shots and put the goal under more pressure, as they got a couple of opportunities, but invariably a player would hold on to the ball too long and the Boca defense would shut it all down. Nice, tight game from the team today to stay up there with River.

I'll edit this post and put the Goal.com match report if/when it comes.

NEXT MATCH

vs

Opponent: Estudiantes de La Plata
Competition: Torneo Clausura de Argentina (Fecha 17)
Date: 30 April 2006, 15:10 ET
Referee: Daniel Giménez
Venue: Estadio Alberto J. Armando (La Bombonera), Buenos Aires


Estudiantes have not won against Boca in quite a long time, and especially with this game at home and Boca in flying form, this shouldn't be too much of a problem for us. At this stage especially, every game is crucial to title success.

The huge news in this match is the return of the one and only Sebastián Battaglia! The captain (and former Villarreal player) is back after a long layoff due to injury, and he's even likely to make the starting 11 because Ledesma is suspended. Apparently Biglia is likely to finally start again over Neri Cardozo, who will probably come in as a substitute anyway. Insúa is apparently struggling with a very minor injury that the docs hope will not affect his performance on Sunday. He trained lightly today though just to be on the safe side.

Suspended: Ledesma, Díaz, Krupoviesa

Called For Match
Not sure yet, but I will update this as the news comes.



The game will be broadcast on CCTV-5 starting at 4:10 ET. If we win this game and River and Lanús lose, then it's party time!

BOCA 4-0 ESTUDIANTES

GOOOOL DE INSÚA!
GOOOOL DE PALACIO!
GOOOOL DE INSÚA!
GOOOOL DEL GUILLLLLLEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCA CAMPEEEEEEOOONNNNN!!!!!!

DAAALE BOOOOOOOOOOOO, DAAAALE BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! DALE BOCA DALE BOOOOOOO!!!!





Well, almost. We still have to beat Independiente, which unfortunately for them will probably not be a tall order because they won't even have Kun.

But next weekend...

Boca lo Mas Grande!!!! Ganamos con la camiseta!!!!


David

From the official site:

Very near the Bi-championship



Authoritatively, without any doubt, convincing, solid and overwhelming. These adjectives are apt to describe Boca's 4-0 victory against Estudiantes de La Plata, in a home game within the 17th round of the Clausura tournament.

Boca's fifth consecutive triumph was attained thanks to the goals scored by Federico Insúa -two-, Rodrigo Palacio and Guillermo Barros Schelotto.Thus, the team came very near to the conquest of the bi-championship, as it has a four-point edge on its immediate follower Lanús, when there are only two rounds to go to the end of the tournament.

From the word go the men commanded by coach Alfio Basile started to take possession of the ball and of the initiative to go forward and attack again and again. To press and to handle the ball with precision and intelligence.

Federico Insúa turned in a great afternoon -he made it 1 - 0 at 20'. Together with Palacio they designed the pattern of that goal by a mutual double passing maneuver. The former Argentinos midfielder finished it with a soft touch that left rival goalie Martín Herrera wrong-footed , after the latter had rushed out to close the forward's angle.

Boca's dominance grew and grew. Half the field was the private property of Battaglia -he returned at a great level - and Gago. The defense wasn't exacted because Estudiantes had Mariano Pavone as its only forward and the ball never reached him.

Boca should have produced a larger edge during the first half: A center sent in by Insúa was headed over the crossbar by Bilos, a Battaglia shot hit the goalpost, and Palacio missed a clear chance when he left enough players behind to be alone in front of the goal but marred the last stitch.

In the second half the champion came out with the same overwhelming attitude it had shown in the initial period, adding to it a greater effectiveness. That's how Palacio at 11', once more Insúa at 33' with the heel, and the just fielded Barros Schelotto, at 39', sealed the royal 4 - 0.

This result takes Boca to a total of 37 points, escorted by Lanús with 33, and caresses the second consecutive tournament title when there are only two rounds to go.

The whole Boca neighborhood is celebrating.

http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/english/nota...eta.cfm?id=7468
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“Boca was a clockwork”



This Sunday night Boca’s coach Alfio Basile, assured that his team was ” soccer-generating machine” as he analyzed its 4-0 triumph against Estudiantes.

"Boca was ” soccer-generating machine. I have faith in my team because it has the knack of a champion, but there are still two finals to play” the coach argued.

“I feel calm because the team plays the way I like and that’s all I want to talk about. As far as the contract is concerned, I won’t say anything until the championship has finished” he said in relation to the question as to whether he will or not continue to be Boca’s coach after June.

http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/english/nota...eta.cfm?id=7476
------

Basile has been a fantastic manager and has led the team to deserved successes. That said, he's not really "the people's coach" like Bianchi was; the fans don't seem to really care for him too much. I mean, they obviously don't dislike him, but they don't mind him one way or the other; with Bianchi, he's a Boca legend.

Granted, I am a huge fan of Bianchi because of all he's done for Boca (and because of his mentoring Riquelme), but I would not be surprised, or even terribly unhappy, if Basile decided to move on. Why he would do that, I don't know. I'd like him to stay because we've seen what he can do and we know he can bring us success. But he just doesn't seem to be a people person. He seems like the kind of guy that you really have to get to know in order to truly like him. I'm sure all the players like him, but they see him and work with him almost all day, every day.

If he does leave, we need a very capable replacement. Miguel Ángel Russo, Vélez's coach, has been a name tossed around quite a bit and I think he'd do well here. I don't know how well Basile will be able to manage the division, the Sudamericana, AND the Libertadores. That's one of the big question marks hovering over Boca's season so far, but I think we'd all be glad to just ignore for a while and celebrate the victory, which everyone will do anyway.

Anyone who follows the domestic league or knows anything more about Russo, your thoughts would be welcome.

It's official...

Independiente 0-2 Boca Juniors

BOCA CAMPEON!!!

Grande Coco!

It's also official that coach Alfio 'Coco' Basile, who has won all four titles in all four competitions that he has entered with Boca since he came, will continue as our coach!

All the fans were chanting his name for the first time in La Bombonera today in the 2-0 win against Olimpo, a game in which I think Palacio booked his World Cup spot with a goal. Coco was extremely happy, it seems from this article on Olé:

Basile: "Estoy feliz, es la primera vez que corean mi nombre"

Alfio Basile se mostró muy contento con las muestras de cariño que le tributó la hinchada xeneize, en el festejo por la obtención del torneo Clausura de primera división y dijo que es la primera vez que la gente “espontáneamente” lo ovaciona en la Bombonera.

“Estoy muy feliz, agradecido. Es la primera vez que corean mi nombre. Además, fue espontáneo”, expresó el técnico en el campo de juego, apenas terminado el partido que Boca le ganó 2 a 0 a Olimpo, en la última fecha del campeonato.

En medios de los festejos por haber logrado el bicampeonato, miles de simpatizantes comenzaron a corear: “vení, vení/, canta conmigo/ que de la mano de Alfio Basile/ todos la vuelta vamos a dar/”.

“Para mí es un orgullo, ahora hay que pensar en lo que se viene, porque Boca es Sportivo Ganar Siempre, no debemos relajarnos”, dijo El Coco mientras la multitud seguía festejando. El técnico elogió al equipo y remarcó que “aun jugando bien o mal, siempre buscamos ganar los partidos, en cualquier parte”.

Al referirse al tributo de la gente de Boca, el técnico-que continuará en el club por una temporada más- afirmó: “escuchar esto, de golpe, es algo que no lo esperaba y me pone muy contento”. Para Basile, “no es tan fácil como la gente cree” manejar un equipo, ya que hay que convivir con un plantel “y hay que dirigirlo, tener mucho vestuario”.

http://www.ole.com.ar/jsp/v4/pagina.jsp?pagId=1195616
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I think along with that great news, president Mauricio Macri deserves another round of applause for picking the second legendary coach of Boca Juniors. I think Basile will establish a reputation at this club as great as Carlos Bianchi.

Coach Alfio Basile renews contract with Boca Juniors

BUENOS AIRES (AP) - Boca Juniors coach Alfio Basile renewed his contract for another season Thursday, days after the 21-time Argentine league champion won its fourth major title in less than a year under his leadership.

"I'm very happy with this, happy with the club, the fans and this marvelous team that wins every championship it plays,'' Basile told a news conference at the club.

His new contract runs until June 2007 and includes a 30 percent raise in Basile's salary. The amount was not announced.

Since joining the side in June, Basile, 62, has coached Boca to victory in the Recopa and Sudamericana championships.

His team also has won the Argentine first-division Apertura title to close 2005 and the Clausura championship on Sunday.

During Basile's new term, Boca will play in the Copa Libertadores, Latin America's most prestigious club tournament.

Boca has won the cup five times, the last in 2003.

Basile said he would not request new players for the team.

"I don't need new players. I'm satisfied with the players I have and I want to give the kids from the lower divisions a chance to prove themselves,'' he said.

They will have that chance soon: After Sunday's game against Olimpo in the last round of the local championship, Boca is sending two teams abroad, one to play with Macabi Tel Aviv as part of the Israeli team's 100th anniversary celebration May 18, the other to play friendly games in Honduras and El Salvador.

Basile began his career in the 1960s as a defender for Racing and later for Huracan.

Later, he coached Racing, Huracan and Velez Sarsfield, as well as Uruguay's Nacional and Spain's Atletico Madrid.

As coach of the national team, he led Argentina to win the Copa America twice, in 1991 and 1993.

He also coached Argentina in the 1994 World Cup, where Diego Maradona tested positive for the banned drug ephedrine.

Argentina, without Maradona and with morale very low, lost 3-2 to Romania in the second round.

"Argentina was the best team of all,'' Basile said in a recent interview with the AP.

"That's why it hurts so much to remember. We could have beat anybody. It's the biggest frustration of my life.''

Despite the victories with Boca, Basile still has faced difficulties winning over Boca fans reluctant to forget Carlos Bianchi, the winningest coach in the team's history.

Voted the world's best club coach in 2000 and 2003 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, Bianchi won four domestic championships, three Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups during two spells in charge of Boca Juniors.

He also led another Argentine team, Velez Sarsfield, to the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup titles in 1994.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=...635&sec=apworld

And on the seventh day they rested

Boca’s international tour has come to an end. As from this Monday until the 20th of June the squad will have its deserved respite. A densely scheduled semester is coming up.

Boca’s twin tour to Central America and Israel has ended. One group arrived in Buenos Aires on Saturday and the other one on Sunday afternoon. At last an exhausting season has come to an end, but with the pleasure and satisfaction of looking five times straight into the eye of glory. And now, the deserved vacation.

Much water has flown under the bridge since the debut against Tottenham Hotspur (2-2) within that Corean tour. 308 days, 62 matches, 111 goals and five crowns have gone bye to reinforce the prestige of the club at the local and the international level.

The tour that began on May 15 has seen its epilogue and on the seventh day the majority of the squad was released until June 20, the day the players will remeet at Casa Amarilla to face an exacting semester with new trascendental commitments.

Argentine’s soccer bichampion will contest the Southamerican Recopa on September 6 and 13 against Brazil’s Sao Paulo. The first leg will be played at the Bombonera and the return match at the Morumbi stadium.

Moreover, Boca will have the opportunity to gather its 16th international star when it competes in the Southamerican Cup as of August 20.

Have a good rest, fellows. You deserve it.

http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/english/nota...eta.cfm?id=7590
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They're on a well-deserved break until July 9. I don't think we'll be seeing heavy activity in the transfer market since Basile said he has a great squad already (true enough) and he wants to give the youngsters a chance.

Speaking of youngsters, Neri Cardozo is turning out to be quite a player...

boca are my favourite team in argentina , my dad told me that gago is holding talks with a premiership team

BOCA CAMPEON 2006 - Fox Sports Special

A great show, split into six parts of about 10 minutes each and uploaded by some kind soul onto YouTube. It chronicles Boca's campaign for the Bicampeonato. Here are the links. The celebrations in the last one are just awesome.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Enjoy

¿Puede volver Verón?



Mauricio Macri aseguró que si Federico Insúa se va a Europa, Boca podría "traer un jugador consagrado como la Bruja Verón".

El presidente de Boca, Mauricio Macri, aseguró que el club podría intentar contratar a Juan Sebastián Verón, si el enganche del equipo, Federico Insúa, acepta alguna de las ofertas que tiene del exterior y deja el puesto vacante.

En declaraciones radiales Macri explicó las posibilidades: "Si el Pocho Insúa confirma alguna de las ofertas que hay del exterior deja su puesto vacante. Ahí tenemos dos alternativas o apostamos a los jugadores que tenemos o tratamos de traer a alguien consagrado como la Bruja Verón".

"Es un jugador con mentalidad ganadora así que no creo que venga a Boca a hacer la plancha", agregó.

Además, comentó que espera que "en los próximos diez días pueda haber definición en el tema Insúa". El Pocho es pretendido por el Hamburgo de Alemania y el Lens de Francia.

Los rumores de que Verón vuelva a vestir la camiseta Xeneize corren hace varios días, pero también se mencionaron River y Estudiantes de La Plata como posibles destinos.

Lo concreto es que la Brujita se encuentra en Argentina y según declaró, le encantaría jugar en el país. "Mi idea es quedarme, sobre todo por mi familia", dijo el volante del Inter.

Macri también fue consultado por la posibilidad de que se produzcan otras ventas: "El pase de Abbondanzzieri se enfrió por suerte. Ahora estamos tranquilos, así que si el Pato se queda en el club Boca no necesita otro arquero".

"Por Krupoviesa hubo una oferta del fútbol francés pero la rechazamos", informó.

http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/notacompleta.cfm?id=7610
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Nooooo Pocho stay here! Damn, I wouldn't mind if Veron came back to Boca but I don't really want him to wear the #10, I don't think he's good enough. The #10 needs to go to Riquelme when he comes back, which he said he will do. Of course now he said that if Argentina win the WC he might retire! But anyway, I think if Veron decides to leave Inter then it will be Boca who get him. Pocho looks to be leaving now as a move to Germany or France will help him get noticed by other, bigger European clubs, although I don't think he's that talented to be a key man for a big club in Spain or England or Italy. He was a great player for us this season though and he will be missed if he leaves.

I thought, being the best team in the world, Boca deserved it's own official topic, complete with transfers, videos, match reports, River jokes () just anything and everything Boca.

Here are some recent transfers:

Good luck, Daniel



DANIEL BILOS

Finally, midfielder Daniel Bilos has been transferred. The man from Pergamino will play the next season for the French first division team St. Etienne. The tall guy said goodbye to his mates on Wednesday and left Boca's pre-season site in Tandil in order to travel to Europe on Friday.

"No, I'm not sad, but I 'm leaving behind a great human group, here they've treated me well from the moment I arrived. It's like a family. Besides, it's tough to leave Boca for all the club stands for", Bilos admitted with an air of melancholy on account of the imminent uprooting.

Bilos, before shining at Boca, where he won four titles (Recopa, the Apertura, the 2005 South American Cup 2005; and the 2006 Clausura ), stood out at Banfield and also realized his dream to play for the National Team in a friendly against Qatar.

"This club has something special to it. The feeling of the people, the pitch, and the repercussion everything has. For all this it's very difficult to leave Boca", the 26 years-old midfielder explained, who will sign a three-year contract with his new club.

Bilos went through all the rooms of the Posada de los Pájaros to say goodbye to all his comerades and to receive a fatherly hug from coach Alfio Basile.

"Considering all that I have been through I think that I can't ask for much more. I'm grateful and I leave with the dream of coming back some day. Maybe the Libertadores Cup is sort of a pending issue. I played it for Banfield and it was very nice", Bilos said in relation to the only title he hasn't won with Boca.

When asked what he knows about his new club, Bilos said "I found out what I could about my new club. The referrals are excellent. One can see that it's a great club. Moreover, I talked to a former mate at Banfield, Renato Civelli, who plays for Marseille, and he gave me very favorable information".

Lot's of success, Giant, because one wishes good luck only to the mediocre ones.-

Source: http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/english/nota...eta.cfm?id=7707

Aldo Bobadilla


Boca have all but officially signed Paraguayan keeper Aldo Bobadilla who performed expertly for his nation when starting goalie Justo Villar went down with injury. The 30 year old confessed his dream of playing for a top club such as Boca Juniors.

Source: http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/notacompleta.cfm?id=7715