South American Futbol - Libertadores, Sudamericana, World Cup 2010

Just like that, things can change on a dime in Argentina.

It was barely four months ago when Vélez Sársfield’s outstanding closing half to the 2004-05 campaign captured the attention of the nation. The team’s free-flowing brand of soccer had reached such a ravishing consistency, it was only natural to expect that the club from Buenos Aires’ Liniers district would pick up more hardware as the year went on.

Since then, the injury bug has obliterated manager Miguel Angel Russo‘s squad and has turned Vélez fans’ stomachs completely sour. The defending champions currently sit in second place in the Apertura, but a depleted roster may be the decisive factor this winter, as title candidates Boca Juniors, Argentinos and Independiente keep getting stronger.

Whether Russo’s side can continue to hold on in Argentina remains to be seen. But their first test couldn’t be any tougher than a Copa Sudamericana quarterfinal clash on Wednesday night with Mexican giants América, a club that went undefeated for 28 league matches until two weeks ago.

Before we get to that, though, let’s take a look at the unfortunate run of bad luck in Liniers. Vélez’s injury problems started in the first week of the Apertura, when prolific striker Rolando Zárate — who scored eight goals in last season’s Clausura — fractured his right hip, an injury that has kept him out of action for almost three months.

Zárate had been instrumental in Vélez’s attacking success during the past few seasons: He netted another eight goals in the ’04 Apertura, and was the league’s top scorer in the ’04 Clausura with 13.

Russo must also make do without the services of midfielder Marcelo Bravo, who, at age 20, may have to hang up his cleats after tests showed a serious heart problem that could be life-threatening if he continues to play soccer.

Bravo’s case is eerily familiar: Soccer has seen some of its brightest young stars felled by heart attacks in recent years, including Cameroon’s Marc-Vivien Foé and Hungary’s Miklos Feher, both of whom died on the pitch. Not surprisingly, the Vélez medical team thought it was best to give Bravo a rest until doctors have more time to treat him.

In the 11th week of the Apertura, against Arsenal, Vélez lost defender Maximiliano Pellegrino to a dislocated right shoulder, an injury that is likely to keep him out of action for the remainder of the season. This is a particularly big blow for Vélez since they sold their former captain, center-back Fabricio Fuentes, to Atlas of Mexico during the offseason.

As if that weren’t bad enough, Vélez lost their prolific strike force of Claudio Enría and Lucas Castromán in that same match — the duo had notched seven of Vélez’s 16 goals this season. Enría is likely to recuperate in time for the América match, but the irreplaceable Castromán is out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle, which seriously dents Vélez’s chances of winning back-to-back titles.
Castromán is undoubtedly the greatest talent on the Vélez squad, and perhaps the most important player in the Argentine First Division. Last season, he scored eight times in leading Vélez to the title, and this season he had found the back of the net on three occasions in league, and had scored another three times in Copa Sudamericana play. (He also figured to get his shot on Argentina’s national team.)

Against a full-strength América side, Vélez are in for a tricky ordeal. But what has given the Vélez faithful some signs of hope is the marvelous form of attacking midfielder Leandro Gracián. The Buenos Aires native has scored five goals this season, including an extraordinary injury-time strike that gave Vélez a crucial 1-0 win over Arsenal, the very same game that saw Pellegrino, Enría and Castromán go down.

Gracián’s consistency will play an important role in determining whether Vélez will be able to fight for both the Apertura Championship and the Copa Sudamericana, an achievement that looked very possible before the injury bug hit.

Of course, no team expects such a devastating catastrophe to hit at such a decisive point in the season. But for Vélez, bad planning could have been the cause of this calamity. The club offloaded 12 players from its title-winning side, while bringing in only five new faces for the new season. It is worth noting, though, that a similar lack of experience is responsible for Vélez’s lifting itself from the dead over the past 15 years.

Although the club’s trophy cabinet is not as extensive as that of its more illustrious rivals, such as Boca Juniors, River Plate, Independiente and Racing Club, the team from Liniers still holds a number of important titles.

Vélez have won the Argentine First Division Championship on six occasions (including five times in the past 13 seasons), but what adds prestige to the club is the number of international trophies they have to their name. During the mid-’90s, they had a brilliant spell under Carlos Bianchi — now the manager of Atlético Madrid — who guided the club to five cups. The peak year was 1994, when Vélez won South America’s grand prize, the Copa Libertadores, and carved up AC Milan to win the Intercontinental Cup.

Russo has helped Vélez fans relive some of Bianchi’s success, but he faces a completely different set of challenges. Despite the spate of injuries, he’s confident his side will still compete, and hints the club could tap its junior ranks for reinforcements.

It’s been a roller-coaster of a ride for Vélez fans, to be sure. But they can take solace in their veteran coach, who refuses to throw in the towel and insists he’ll sweat it all for the sake of the club. After all, luck changes fast in Argentina.

Gregory Sica

Article at Si.com