Newell's success can be traced back to one match

	Marcelo Penta and the young Newell's attack have scored 14 goals in eight league matches. AP
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Boca Juniors prides itself as the Argentine club of the commoner. River Plate has built a heritage out of its workmanlike approach to scoring goals. But Rosario club Newell's Old Boys can be characterized simply as an organization that values its own unpredictable nature.

Last Sunday they missed a glorious opportunity to climb atop the league standings, surrendering their lead and losing 2-1 to Estudiantes de La Plata, a rival that was coming off three consecutive losses.

Though Newell's six-match undefeated streak came to an abrupt end, the "Leprosos" (who stuck with the nickname after helping a leprosy fund in the 1920s) are still a good bet to fight for the championship.

Nearing the halfway mark of the season, the club sits in third place, one point behind River and two points behind league leader Boca. But the big-money question is whether it can keep pressure on the big two.

First, let's get into why Newell's is considered such an unpredictable bunch. In 2004, the signing of majestic dribbler Ariel Ortega inspired the club to its first championship in 12 years. Strangely enough, it finished in the bottom half of the table for the next two seasons, including a disappointing 16th-place finish in last year's Apertura.

This year they've stepped up again and are challenging for the honors, although most observers originally had labeled them as relegation material. Curiously, the club's financial situation forced it to get rid of half a dozen of its key players, while it added only two reinforcements to the side for the new season.

Much of the praise for Newell's turnabout should go to the club directors, who showed faith in manager Nery Pumpido (Argentina's '86 World Cup-winning goalkeeper) and kept him. One of the reasons Pumpido wasn't axed last season was his good relationship with Newell's faithful after last November's crucial 2-1 derby victory over archrival Rosario Central. Perhaps coincidentally, Newell's rise has been simultaneous with the downfall of the Canallas, who currently languish in 17th place.

That match late last season was a huge turning point for Newell's Old Boys. I have attended several top South American derbies, but the showdowns between these Rosario nemeses are definitely up there with the best. The magnificent atmosphere generated by the opposing supporters that packed the Coloso del Parque last November intensified the tension on the field. As in any top Argentine derby, there was a dramatic twist -- Newell's came from a goal down to snatch a miraculous victory from the feet of the outstanding Ortega.