And it all Happens Tomorrow!..

Tuesday is the day we've been waiting for..

Emilio Izaguirre is going to be unveiled as a Celtic player, Carlo Costly inches closer to a decision (while the player and FC Vaslui President go at it using the media as weapons), and the question on everyone's mind will be answered; will Georgie Welcome sign with Rangers? Wait and see... News, controversy and more opinions tomorrow!

P.S. Changed the template a little so I hope all of you like it. Oh, and I found another great, Honduran blog in English.. Check it out!

"La Tribuna" Blog in English

Sincerely,
Reynaldo

In Other News...

1. Wilson Palacios was benched today in Tottenham's season opener against Manchester City which ended in a 0-0 draw. Thanks to Joe Hart, Manchester City's goalkeeper and Man of the Match.


2. Maynor Figueroa and Hendry Thomas both saw action in Wigan's 4-0 loss to recently promoted Blackpool today. Umm.. Wow. Figueroa played the whole match and Thomas came at the start of the second half.


3. Peñarol of Uruguay included Carlo Costly in their list of players for the season. Motive? Trying to keep negotiations alive and hoping he will sign on soon. We'll see...


4. Julio Cesar 'Rambo' de Leon scored a penalty kick in Shandong Luneng's 2-1 win over Chongqing Lifan.


5. Anxiety is building in Honduras because the decision on our new coach hasn't been made yet. Looks like the next one will be Honduran though with Chelato Uclés, Nahún Espinoza, and Juan de Dios Castillo as possible options. It is also being rumored that Carlos Restrepo (Olimpia's Coach) might be used as a temporary replacement for the friendly matches coming up... Doubt it's true but we shall find out! Crossing my fingers for Chelato. Your thoughts?

Extended Trials for Ramón Núñez and Georgie Welcome...

24 year-old midfielder Ramón Núñez has won himself another week with Leeds United after an impressive display against Bradford Park Avenue where he scored the first goal in their 3-1 win. Here is what Leeds manager Grayson had to say about it,

"He did okay. We'll keep him here for another week as sometimes you only get two or three days to have a look.

We got him a game last week and might try and get him a game for the reserves next Wednesday.

He's a busy player who plays off the strikers. He's got a lot of qualities. But we have to see if he can make us a better team."

Looks like this week we will find out what his future will hold... but he's not the only one we will be keeping tabs on. Georgie Welcome also earned himself another week with the Glasgow Rangers of Scotland.

The 25 year-old, Honduran striker has been training with the squad for the past week but was unable to play any public matches without a work permit. It seems like Rangers manager Walter Smith is going to watch him play this week before making a decision.

"We’ll have a closed-doors game next week and that will give him an opportunity to show what he can do."

This week is the decisive week... and if it doesn't work out, oh well! Looks like someone else has been lurking, watching and waiting for these two join him at Peñarol of Uruguay. That's right, Manuel Keosseián stated this week in an interview with Diario Deportivo Diez that he would love to see them play for him... He's also after Carlo Costly!

Editor's Opinion: I think Ramón Núñez would make a great addition to Leeds United... but is he rushing things? After a horrific World Cup and almost no offers.. is he trying to snatch the first opportunity available? It seems like it. I've always seen Núñez as a top quality player... not so sure he's making the right choice by choosing a Championship side but I guess we'll know soon enough! For all you Leeds fans out there, Núñez can be compared to Luka Modrić in some ways. He's usually is played on the left but is way WAY better playing as an attacking, center midfielder. He has a great touch, enormous passing abilities and a nice shot to come with all of it too!

And Georgie Welcome? I love the kid. Pure energy and enthusiasm! I think Rangers will be the perfect home for him and the fans will come to love him. Great choice by Motagua to send him there and I'm really anxious to see how it all plays out. He's got speed, strength, aerial play and his traditional, gymnastic celebrations won't hurt either! Let's hope he scores this week - a goal, and a contract.

Keep checking back for more posts! Thanks.
Reynaldo

Emilio Izaguirre off to Rangers!.. No wait, Celtic.

After dozens of links to clubs all over the world, it seems like the wait is over. Izaguirre is going abroad!

First, there was Pachuca.. then Ipswich.. then Wigan Athletic.. then Toronto FC.. then Rangers. Well now it's Celtic! And according to Motagua's managers, Eddy Atala and Julio Gutiérrez, a deal is already in place for Emilio. News sources in Scotland and Honduras are claiming that he will travel Saturday night for his medical examination which will take place the next day.

Celtic coach, Neil Lennon, was quoted saying, "Izaguirre will be in on Sunday but I don't know how far we are down the line with him." So nothing is set in stone yet but there are statements coming out of Honduras that say the young defender has signed for the next three years. STV Sports also claims that the 24 year-old, Honduran left-back has agreed to join for a "fee just under £580,000."

With all of these reports, I'm guessing it's safe to say that he has found his new team! I'm looking forward to the new season and seeing how he does! One more great team I get to be a fan of.. And I'm sure he will be a great addition to the Scottish side.

Editor's Opinion: For those of you who don't know much about him; his biggest strengths are offensive runs, his left foot, 1 on 1's and crossing. I've watched this player grow for the past couple of years and can honestly say that he is pretty consistent. His aerial game cold probably improve but he's not that tall anyways. Don't expect to see a lot of goals from him (or any, for that matter) but perhaps some assists every now and again as well as some strong defending.

Thanks for reading (don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!),
Reynaldo

Anthony Lozano signs with Tottenham?

It's true! Well kind of...
Conflicting reports are being published both in England and Honduras regarding the future of Anthony Lozano. Some state that he will be on trial with Tottenham Hotspur for the next ten days while others claim that a deal is already in place for the 17 year-old striker.

Yet, the President of Olimpia (his current team in Honduras), Rafael Ferrari, insists that a deal has been agreed upon between both clubs and Lozano is just going for a medical examination. Whatever the case may be, the player left Honduras at 7 AM on August 11 with his father, Ruben Lincona, his sister Wendy, and Osman Madrid (Sports Director of Olimpia). Destination... England.

For those of you who don't know much about "El Choco," here is a biography I put together after some extensive research.

Anthony was born on the April 25th, 1993 in Yoro, Honduras. His family then moved to San Pedro Sula where he began playing for the Youth Academy of Club Deportivo Marathon. However, he quickly found his home at Platense Juniors where, at a very young age, he topped the scoring charts of the youth league. He even got media attention from "La Prensa" after scoring 18 goals in a single game.

His natural goalscoring prowess eventually landed him a scholarship to play for the Instituto Don Bosco where he led the team to consecutive titles of the "Codicader Central American Games" in 2007 and 2008. Because of his success, he quickly caught the attention of many coaches and teams across Honduras and earned a call-up to represent Honduras on the U-15 level.

Curious Tidbit: His older brother, Luis Ramos, is also a footballer. Ramos and his team, Debreceni VSC, were crowned champions last year in Hungary and participated in the Champions League. Ramos was also voted best winger of the Hungarian League in 2008 while playing with Nyíregyháza Spartacus. He was called up by the Honduran National Team for the Gold Cup 2009 but has never been capped.

After representing Honduras on the U-15 stage, Lozano continued to climb through the ranks and made the list for the U-17 team. He also landed a contract with Honduran Champions, Olimpia, and became the youngest player to debut in the Honduran League at the age of 15.

While playing for Olimpia, he continued to train with the U-17 squad and during the run up to the U-17 World Cup Qualification Round, El "Choco" found the net 6 times: scoring 5 times in Honduras' humiliating 9-0 win against Belize and netting the only goal in the 1-0 triumph over Panama. During qualification for the U-17 World Cup, he scored yet again in a 1-1 tie with Canada and went on to score a hat-trick against Cuba in Honduras' 6-0 win (which meant qualification to the World Cup in Nigeria). His tournament total was 10 goals in 5 matches (including a loss to the USA).

And in the midst of all of this, he also got called up for the Honduran U-20 squad that qualified for the World Cup in Egypt. Despite his young age of 16, it came as no surprise that he had been called up. Yet, with both World Cups coming up, Lozano had to choose which team he wanted to play for.

He finally chose to play for the U-17 team, explaining that his time to play in the U-20 World Cup would come later. During the World Cup in Nigeria, Honduras accumulated a 1-0 loss to Argentina, 1-0 loss to Nigeria and a 3-1 loss to Germany. However, leader and captain, Anthony Lozano, scored the only goal for Honduras in the tournament with an accurate, left-footed shot (Bringing his total to 11 goals in 8 matches). Despite his team's poor showing, Lozano proved himself on the international level and was one of the few, positive factors to take back from the tournament.

Since the tournament, he has made a couple of appearances for Olimpia in which he even managed to score a hat-trick against Club Deportivo Victoria in a 6-0 win.

Reports claim that Tottenham had tracked the young star since the run up to the U-17 World Cup and his performances had convinced them that he would become one of, if not the best, CONCACAF player to come out of the area.


Editor's Opinion: After watching Lozano play for years before all the international hype, I can truly state that he is one-of-a-kind. We have uncovered a true gem! I've followed him since he joined Olimpia and have anxiously waited for the day a big, European club came by to "discover" him... He is one of those players that you just watch and know that he has something special.

And it's funny because I saw him at a Pizza Hut one time in San Pedro Sula... Who would've guessed it wouldn't be that long before he was in Europe? Thank god I took a picture with him before he makes it to the very top.

Well thanks for reading, have a great one!

Honduran Football Blogspot - Up Again!

After an extended break, the Honduran Football Blogspot is up and running again! We will continue reporting on all of the most important transfer rumors, sports news and controversies involving Honduras and its players (in English)! Hope each and every one of my readers has enjoyed their holidays and I'm looking forward to a fresh start.

P.S. Keep an eye out for the new, "Young Prospect Section." I will also be updating the list of "Legionarios" (Hondurans playing in Foreign Leagues) and uploading tons of videos for you guys to see! Have a good one.

Sincerely,
Reynaldo