Marked for Darwin Arango
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Jun 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Zulia may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market5 Jun 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Zulia, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market5 Jun 2028
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zulia have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Match3 Jun 2028
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad5 Jun 2028
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings5 Jun 2028
Marked 8.73 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad5 Jun 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to David Otero, and the manager let it.
Market5 Jun 2028
He is 19, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Match3 Jun 2028
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad29 May 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match27 May 2028
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad29 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad29 May 2028
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Player ratings29 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market29 May 2028
David Otero linked with a move away
The name of David Otero keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market22 May 2028
Miguel Pernía hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zulia can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 May 2028
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match20 May 2028
1‑3 to Deportivo La Guaira, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings22 May 2028
Marked 8.66 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad22 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Miguel Pernía
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad22 May 2028
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Squad22 May 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings22 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings22 May 2028
Marked 5.39, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad15 May 2028
Miguel Pernía: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad15 May 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match13 May 2028
Estudiantes de Merida left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings15 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad15 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Francisco Gonzalez, and the manager let it.
Squad15 May 2028
Facundo Tealde knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market8 May 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Zulia, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad8 May 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Zulia may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad8 May 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sergio Gonzalez commits to Zulia for another 2 years.
Squad8 May 2028
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match6 May 2028
A 2‑1 win over Deportivo Tachira, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings8 May 2028
Marked 8.51 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad8 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings8 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market8 May 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Francisco Gonzalez’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match29 Apr 2028
Nowhere to hide for Zulia
0‑3 against Metropolitanos, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad1 May 2028
Daniel Cordova: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad1 May 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom1 May 2028
Inquest at Zulia
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Player ratings1 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad1 May 2028
Zulia will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Player ratings1 May 2028
5.43 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
Market1 May 2028
David Otero linked with a move away
The name of David Otero keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 Apr 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match8 Apr 2028
Three points for Zulia, 3‑1 the final word against Llaneros in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
Marked 9.27 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
A performance of 8.55 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
Marked 8.26 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
Marked 8.20 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad10 Apr 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to César Zárate, and the manager let it.
Squad10 Apr 2028
David Otero finally opens his account
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zulia have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Market10 Apr 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Francisco Gonzalez’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market27 Mar 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Zulia, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match27 Mar 2028
Every point is an argument now for Zulia
Position 14 and 8 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Match25 Mar 2028
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
The terraces27 Mar 2028
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 29 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match25 Mar 2028
Estudiantes de Caracas left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings27 Mar 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.69, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad27 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Victor Soteldo, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match4 Mar 2028
The wait goes on for Zulia
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” David Otero commits to Zulia for another 3 years.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Tempers go at Zulia
Francisco Gonzalez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad6 Mar 2028
The medical room confirms 23 days on the sidelines for Luis Moreno, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings6 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match4 Mar 2028
It needed Sergio Gonzalez to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Portuguesa, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings6 Mar 2028
Marked 5.37, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Market6 Mar 2028
David Otero linked with a move away
The name of David Otero keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Jan 2028
As if he never left: Victor Herrera returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Victor Herrera is a Zulia player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market24 Jan 2028
The shirt still fits. Luis Ramirez is back at Zulia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market24 Jan 2028
The shirt still fits. Cristian Rondon is back at Zulia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market24 Jan 2028
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Squad24 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings24 Jan 2028
Marked 8.91 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad24 Jan 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad24 Jan 2028
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Henier Rodríguez knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Match22 Jan 2028
A 1‑1 draw with Deportivo Tachira leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom17 Jan 2028
Pressure builds in the Zulia boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Squad17 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Carlos Castillo, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Dec 2027
Juan Savarino hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zulia can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Zulia
Mateo Pérez Curci was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market27 Dec 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Zulia will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Roberto Osorio asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Darwin Arango has company in his position
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Darwin Arango keeps the shirt for now, at Zulia's convenience rather than his own.
Market27 Dec 2027
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Juan Moreno leaves Zulia the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom20 Dec 2027
Pressure builds in the Zulia boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Zulia
César Zárate was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad20 Dec 2027
The manager makes an example of César Zárate
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Roberto Osorio knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market20 Dec 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Francisco Gonzalez signs something — a contract at Zulia or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Darwin Arango has seen what the next man earns
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at Zulia that is a harder question to answer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom2 Aug 2027
Pressure builds in the Zulia boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Boardroom2 Aug 2027
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Squad2 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings2 Aug 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.18, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match31 Jul 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Roberto Osorio. 2‑1 against Zamora, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Loan watch2 Aug 2027
“I did not go to Mineros de Guayana to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zulia and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Player ratings2 Aug 2027
Marked 8.79 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings2 Aug 2027
Marked 8.14 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad19 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Jul 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Miguel Pernía, and the manager let it.
Match17 Jul 2027
0‑1 to Atletico Venezuela, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Market19 Jul 2027
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Victor Murillo has his answer from Zulia; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Squad19 Jul 2027
No place for David Herrera on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Zulia pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Market19 Jul 2027
Trujillanos are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Zulia will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad19 Jul 2027
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Zulia will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Shots: 8, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Jul 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Zulia, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad12 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match10 Jul 2027
A 2‑1 win over Estudiantes de Caracas, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Loan watch12 Jul 2027
“I watch every Zulia game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Deportivo Lara runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
A performance of 8.84 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad12 Jul 2027
The team sheet said everything about Miguel Pernía
Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Miguel Pernía.
Loan watch12 Jul 2027
“Three loans in three years. At some point a club has to decide if I am their player or their asset.” The spell at Mineros de Guayana continues; the message travels home.
Squad12 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Victor Murillo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market12 Jul 2027
The shop window has César Zárate in it
Zulia have let the market know César Zárate can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market14 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market14 Jun 2027
The bid was some way short and Zulia did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 24 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad14 Jun 2027
César Zárate in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market14 Jun 2027
Victor Casseres has left for Aragua in a $11.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Market14 Jun 2027
The phone has started ringing about Oscar Casseres again, and this time the name on the line is Trujillanos. Zulia are listening politely and promising nothing.
Match12 Jun 2027
Aragua made Zulia work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 May 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Zulia, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad17 May 2027
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Loan watch17 May 2027
“I watch every Zulia game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Deportivo Lara runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad17 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Luis Casseres
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad17 May 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Julian Restrepo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match8 May 2027
The wait goes on for Zulia
7 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad10 May 2027
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad10 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch10 May 2027
“I did not go to Zamora to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zulia and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Match8 May 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad10 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Aytor Herrera
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings10 May 2027
A mark of 5.61 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Marked 5.76, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match1 May 2027
The wait goes on for Zulia
6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad3 May 2027
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Loan watch3 May 2027
“I did not go to Mineros de Guayana to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zulia and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 18 matches say the rest.
Player ratings3 May 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.92, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad3 May 2027
The manager makes an example of David Herrera
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match1 May 2027
It needed David Otero to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Metropolitanos, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Shots: 7. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Market3 May 2027
The name of Francisco Gonzalez keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad29 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad29 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Miguel Pernía
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.23, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at Zulia needed to.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad22 Mar 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market22 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad22 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
A defender's afternoon for David Otero
Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match20 Mar 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Daniel Otero. 1‑0 against Mineros de Guayana, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad22 Mar 2027
15 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Defensive actions: 24, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
A performance of 9.07 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Loan watch15 Mar 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zulia, and 0 appearances in 10 say he has earned the hearing.
Match13 Mar 2027
Carabobo made Zulia work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.17, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
A defender's afternoon for David Otero
Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad15 Mar 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zulia have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad8 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Zulia
César Zárate was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” David Herrera and Zulia agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Loan watch8 Mar 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zulia, and 0 appearances in 8 say he has earned the hearing.
Match6 Mar 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Francisco Gonzalez, and the manager let it.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 Feb 2027
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Zulia may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad15 Feb 2027
César Zárate in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match13 Feb 2027
Caracas left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Otero, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Feb 2027
There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match6 Feb 2027
7 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Squad8 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Loan watch8 Feb 2027
“I did not go to Deportivo Lara to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zulia and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match30 Jan 2027
A hiding for Zulia
Beaten 2‑5 by Estudiantes de Merida, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match30 Jan 2027
The wait goes on for Zulia
6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.52, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
Nobody left the Zulia dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Dec 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad28 Dec 2026
52 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Zulia
César Zárate was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 88% of everything Zulia earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Market28 Dec 2026
Victor Casseres is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zulia has been clear about where Victor Casseres stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Miguel Pernía has company in his position
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Miguel Pernía keeps the shirt for now, at Zulia's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Zulia
Darwin Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market21 Dec 2026
He is 19, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Market21 Dec 2026
Victor Murillo is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zulia has been clear about where Victor Murillo stands, which is more than many ever get.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Dec 2026
The bid was some way short and Zulia did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad14 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zulia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Dec 2026
56 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market14 Dec 2026
He is 19, and nobody at Zulia signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Khaled Bani Zamah and Zulia agree another 3 years.
Market14 Dec 2026
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zulia has been clear about where Roberto Castillo stands, which is more than many ever get.
In brief
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Squad
Somebody is after David Otero’s shirt
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Market
Zulia shop where it costs nothing