TIJUANA Joe Corona sprinted toward the sideline with arms spread, extended over his head Saturday.
He wore a smile from cheek to cheek. Corona had just sent in the first goal for Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles in the Mexican Primera División.
"El primer gol en la Primera."
Corona will certainly remember it. The Sweetwater High alumni dreamed about such a moment since the days he played for the La Jolla Nomads club and Chula Vista Aztecs. The kid born in Los Angeles and mostly raised in National City was corralled and hugged by teammates in celebration after the goal.
But the moment would have been much sweeter for Corona had the opening match of the 2011 Apertura Tournament didn't end with Morelia Monarcas beating the Xolos 2-1 at Estadio Caliente.
Corona buried the ball past Morelia goalkeeper Federico Vilar after it ricocheted off a couple of players in the 18-yard box. Vilar had previously stopped a Leandro Augusto right-footed blast from about 25-yards out diving to his left.
Corona found the loose ball and tapped it in with his right foot, sending a sold-out crowd of about 16,000 into a frenzy.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time," Corona said afterward. "I'm glad it came out good, except for the final score. I wanted to win but I tried my best. There's still a long way and there are some things we can fix on the field and get some points."
A tie meant one point in the standings. Instead, the Xolos settled for the historic moment, Corona's goal. It sent the teams to halftime, tied 1-1.
Monarcas forward Miguel Sabah broke the tie after converting a penalty kick in the 84th minute after Xolos defender and team captain Javier Gandolfi was whistled for fouling Joao Rojas.
Sabah's goal ruined Tijuana's debut and it broke a 16-month home game unbeaten streak for the Xolos. Tijuana had not lost at home in 25 matches. Not the start the club was looking for.
"This was our baptism," said Xolos coach Joaquin del Olmo. "Now comes the good stuff."
Part of that "stuff" is trying to stack up against the top teams in Mexico. Morelia finished as the runner up in the last tournament losing to Pumas.
The Xolos won't play a home match until Aug. 14 against Puebla. They travel to Monterrey and Santos for the next two games.
On Saturday, the Xolos a team founded in 2007 that advanced to the First Division in May – showed they can compete in top-flight competition.
Club Tijuana held possession and was able to play a fluid brand of soccer for the most part of the match. It was the penalty kick and Luis Sandoval's goal 13 minutes into the match off a right-footed blast that ultimately were the difference.
Xolos defender Alejandro Molina couldn't clear a ball in the back resulting in a filtered pass to Sandoval, who dribbled into the penalty area where he was taken down for the PK. At least that's how referee Miguel Angel Chacón saw it. The rowdy crowd didn't agree with the call. Neither did the coaches for both teams.
"I think the ref made a mistake on both sides," said Morelia coach Tomás Boy. "It made the game complicated."
The other occasion was when Corona appeared to be fouled in the area late in the match and but there was no call.
Del Olmo wouldn't comment on the play but said he felt his team was better on the field.
"We cannot get desperate," del Olmo said. "I will lose some sleep over the loss but at no moment did I think our rival was better than us. We've just started."
Corona appeared to be the best player on the field for the Xolos as the club tried adjusting to a starting line-up that included eight starters from the last tournament and three off-season additions. Those would be veteran First Division players: central midfielders Leandro Augusto and Tijuana native Fernando Arce and goalkeeper Cirilo Saucedo.
Arce and Leandro had trouble connecting passes and appeared to be out of position at times on the synthetic field.
"We got to play more together," Corona said. "That's the piece that is missing. Other than that the team is pretty good."
It wasn't good enough to win but it was good enough to showcase that it can be a competitor.
As for Corona, he will always remember his goal but he said he will not hesitate to forget the final score.
ivan.orozco@sandiegored.com
