Santos: One Step Closer

Santos came through with two brilliant second-half goals to take the victory 2-1 over Cruz Azul in Mexico City in the opener of the Mexican league final. All they have to do now is come back to the desert and hold Azul to a tie in the sweltering Sunday heat, and we dance in the streets of Torreón (and, in all likelihood, I call in sick on Monday). 

Cruz Azul dominated the game, but Santos has a great goalie and four guys who can find the net at any moment, so they're dangerous even when they're getting drilled. Call them the Tommy Hearns of Mexican soccer. My unexpert analysis: they're best player for the last two years has been the Argentine Daniel Ludueña, a midfielder whose role in the offense was a bit like Zidane's for France. He was the offense; when he wasn't scoring, he was the guy setting others up. When he missed time with tendinitis this year, the team shifted the offense on the fly to run through forwards Matías Vuoso and Cristian Benítez. Even after returning, Ludueña hasn't been the same, and the team has continued to rely heavily on the pair up front. Ludueña's hopefully temporary decline makes the team a lot more vulnerable in the middle of the field, and overall they seem much less balanced now, which tonight's game showed. But it hasn't mattered, because their scorers have come through when needed. 

Check out Fernando Arce's goal at 0:42 of this clip. Sick pass, and a cañonazo of a goal.