Veracruz loses preseason friendly in Blanco's debut

It wasn't the first official game of his second stint with Veracruz, but Cuauhtemoc Blanco's debut didn't go as planned.

Blanco's Veracruz side lost 3-1 to Albinegros de Orizaba on Sunday in his first match in a Veracruz uniform this year. Blanco went the distance in the game but was powerless to stop Albinegros.

The match drew around 20,000 supporters, according to Mexican outlet Esto.

Veracruz will open the season on Saturday against Necaxa, which won the Liga de Ascenso title in the Apertura 2009 campaign. Blanco said his new team will mesh soon enough.

"We need to have a better understanding of each other on the field," Blanco told Esto. "Several of us are new but, little by little, those things will come."

Albinegros opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a goal from Miguel Hernandez but Veracruz's Luis Angel Garcia leveled terms just before the break. However, Juan Manuel Cavallo scored twice in the second half -- including a penalty kick just two minutes in -- to give Albinegros the win. --Goal.com