Here are the transfers so far, as the season's about to begin so the market will slow down.
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=346775Also, I found a great article previewing the Apertura from SI.com columnist Gregory Sica.
Taking down Boca
Argentine clubs have one goal: unseat the championsThe Argentine '06 Apertura championship is set to kick off, and clubs have one goal in mind: bringing an end to Boca Juniors' dominance.
Boca is still probably the favorite, but the 22-time champs will face a particularly daunting challenge this time around, because most of its rivals have broken the bank in attempts to strengthen their squads.
The transfer market was especially busy during the offseason, and an influx of foreigners may provide Argentina with some of its finest domestic soccer in a long time. Boca won't have it their way so easily.
Archrival River Plate, as well as Independiente, Racing and San Lorenzo are desperate to win the league title, and have made enough changes that they believe -- deservedly so -- that they have a good shot at it. Smaller clubs, such as last season's revelation, Lanús, will be looking to challenge the big fish once again in what promises to be a season to remember.
Here's a breakdown of each of my top 10 title contenders (in alphabetical order):
Boca JuniorsBoca will be looking to win its third successive league title, but unlike in previous competitions, there is a question mark as to whether it will be able to continue its success.
Alfio Basile will remain at the club only until mid-September, when he officially takes over the position as manager of the Argentine national team.
Meanwhile, Boca has off-loaded three key men: goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri and midfielders Federico Insúa and Daniel Bilos. Insúa, arguably the '06 Clausura season's best player, will surely be missed. Boca has also been slow in securing reinforcements. The club has made only two signings to date: Paraguayan goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla from Libertad and midfielder Jesus Datolo from Banfield.
The good news is that prolific striker Rodrigo Palacio will stay put for at least another season.
But don't be fooled -- even though they will be weaker than last season, the Xeneizes have the quality to fight for the championship. Last weekend they closed their Mexican tour with an emphatic 6-1 demolition of Tigres.
Estudiantes de La PlataEstudiantes put all their efforts into their Copa Libertadores last season, when they missed out on a semifinal birth only after a penalty-shootout defeat at the hands of South American champion São Paulo.
New manager Diego Simeone is hoping to bring the club the league title for the first time in 23 years, and he has enough material to work with to put up a strong challenge. The majority of last season's squad remains, with the addition of some important players. The biggest signing was that of Juan Sebastián Verón, who returned to the club that saw him turn professional back in 1994.
The side's strong attack will be boosted by the signing of Ezequiel Maggiolo, a deadly finisher who found the back of the net seven times last season when playing for Olimpo of Bahía Blanca.
Gimnasia y Esgrima La PlataEl Lobo has never won a league championship but has come increasingly close to making history in the last couple of seasons. Pedro Troglio's side plays some of the most attractive soccer in the country, and has inherited a quality for knocking off the traditional heavyweights.
Much of the credit can go to outstanding Uruguayan striker Gonzalo Vargas, who finished as the league's top scorer last season with 12 goals. This season he will play alongside fellow countryman Santiago Silva in what promises to be one of the deadliest attacking partnerships in Argentina.
Another important signing is the well-traveled Andrés Guglielminpietro, who should add a wealth of experience to a side that is ready to take the next step.
IndependienteThe sale of young superstar-in-the-making Sergio Agüero to Atlético Madrid means Independiente now has the financial backing to assemble a side that is able to fight for the title. The club directors have gone all-out to reinforce the squad, and fans are optimistic that their club has a good shot at winning its first title since '02.
Daniel Montenegro has returned to the organization after a successful spell with River Plate, and is likely to partner with Germán Denis, a talented striker who scored six times last season when playing for Colón de Santa Fe.
Another big signing is that of Antonio Barijho, who helped Boca to back-to-back Copa Libertadores titles in '00 and '01. He will likely be an important alternative for the side's attack.
LanúsThey may not be your traditional title candidate, but you can't take the men of Lanús too lightly -- especially after last season's spectacular run. Lanús fought Boca all the way until the final few weeks, eventually finishing in second place and qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana. The team's fans have fond memories of international competition -- their club was crowned champions of the now-defunct CONMEBOL Cup back in 1996.
Team manager Ramón Cabrero will be hoping to prove that last season's campaign was no fluke, although it will be difficult for the side to compete in both competitions.
Unlike the traditional powers of Argentine soccer, Lanús doesn't have the financial backing to sign high-quality players, and with a minimal squad it is unlikely to be a real threat.
Racing ClubThe Academia is coming off a devastating season in which it finished in 18th place, a huge embarrassment for a club that is usually among the title candidates.
Reinaldo Merlo has replaced Simeone as the club's manager, but fans are unsure whether the controversial character, who was dismissed at River Plate last year, will be able to turn around the club's fortunes.
Merlo is hoping to make a name for himself once again and has made some important signings. New faces include Gonzalo Bergessio, Sixto Peralta and Facundo Sava, players who have the potential to make the club a power once again. The bad news is that impressive Chileans Milovan Mirosevic and José Luis Villanueva have moved on.
River PlateThe pressure to win the title is greater than ever at Nuñez, particularly after River's unexpected elimination from the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals a couple of weeks ago.
Manager Daniel Passarella has made some good signings, particularly those of Ariel Ortega and Fernando Belluschi, both from Newell's Old Boys. Former Atlético Madrid enforcer Marcelo Sosa will also strengthen the side's midfield, while Federico Lussenhoff will add experience to its defense.
Names on the way out, however, include Luciano Figueroa -- who last week made some startling declarations about not having received any payments since arriving at the club in January. He transferred to Italian Serie B club Genoa, while impressive Paraguayan center back Julio César Cáceres is expected to complete a move to Sporting Lisbon.
But despite the sale of these key players, River has the depth to mount a strong title challenge in both the Apertura and the Copa Sudamericana.
Rosario CentralAfter several poor campaigns, the club directors realized they needed to acquire some high-quality players to become competitive again. That's exactly what they did, securing players of the caliber of Costa Rican striker Paulo Wanchope, Kily González from Inter Milan and future prospect Dario Conca from Universidad Católica.
Things were looking very positive for Rosario until last week, when manager Leonardo Astrada shockingly announced his resignation, citing the meddling of club investors. His immediate replacement was Néstor Gorosito, but it's unknown whether the former River Plate star will have sufficient time to work with the side before next weekend's debut.
San LorenzoThe Ciclón promises to be much stronger than the side that finished in eighth place last season. Oscar Ruggeri, who helped the club to the Clausura championship in '95, was appointed manager and was able to attract some good players to the club. Bolivian striker Joaquín Botero and highly rated midfielder Santiago Hirsig have added an extra punch to the side.
But San Lorenzo will have to make do without veterans Paolo Montero and José Cardozo, players who were sidelined for much of last season due to injury. Cardozo's vacancy may be filled by Uruguayan striker Dario Silva, who is said to be on the club's wish list.
Vélez SarsfieldVélez has been one of Argentina's most consistent clubs in recent years, but its huge exodus of key players means that it is highly unlikely to have any possibilities of fighting for the title.
The biggest loss is that of influential playmaker Leandro Gracián, who, along with striker Rolando Zárate, moved on because of an internal conflict with members of the squad. The club suffered a further blow just a few days ago when gifted midfielder Leandro Somoza agreed to terms with Spanish club Villarreal.
So what's left for Vélez? Other than some financial stability, it was able to retain manager Miguel Ángel Russo, who turned down Boca Juniors. And although there was speculation that star striker Lucas Castromán would return to Italian soccer, he has confirmed that he will stay on until the end of the year.
One player to look out for is Mauro Zárate (the brother of Rolando). The skillful striker has become one of the most exciting young talents in Argentine soccer, and much is expected of him this season.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writ...view/index.html
River are building a very strong squad while Boca's only activity in the transfer market has been losing players.
