Top Moves of the 2022 Liga MX Off-Season
With the new 2022 Liga MX Clausura season upon us -and yes, it will continue to be labeled GRITAMEXICO and more on that later- there are some notable off-season moves, and here at El Tri Online, we will highlight the notable ones.
Jonathan dos Santos – Club America
The LA Galaxy did not renew his contract at the end of the season, and dos Santos became a free agent. After his father and brothers Eder and Gio, he will become the fourth dos Santos to play for Las Aguilas. Giovani’s stint with the Club from Coapa ended last season. Unlike Giovani, who landed at the club in questionable form, the younger of the dos Santos siblings comes with better consistency. He was a regular for the LA Galaxy, and Tata Martino includes him in most Mexican National Team camps.
Will Jonathan dos Santos excel at Club America? The team kicks off their season this Friday on the road vs. Puebla.
Sebastián Córdova – Tigres
After much speculation that Sebastián Córdova would end up with Chivas through a direct swap with Uriel Antuna, the young starlet signed with Tigres. The team from northern Mexico managed to scrap out a deal to land Sebastián’s services. The biggest question that comes to mind is: what does this mean for his European dream? He is 24 years old, a ripe age to make the jump across the pond, but if he waits too long, that dream could dissipate. The upside is that he will likely play with Los Felinos, which means he will compete in the final 2022 World Cup roster. A move to Europe could send him to the bench, as we’ve seen with many other Mexican players who made the jump.
What will Córdova’s season be like with Tigres? Please give us your fortune teller prediction.
Uriel Antuna & Charly Rodriguez – Cruz Azul
La Maquina was busy this off-season and landed Charly Rodriguez from Monterrey. They also traded for Uriel Antuna and Alejandro Mayorga from Chivas. Cruz Azul looks to benefit from Antuna’s speed and Rodriguez’s creativity. Both players are entering the prime of their careers and look to bring another title for Los Cementeros. You might remember the team ended the Cruzazuleada two seasons ago by finally winning a title. Mayorga could also prove to be vital, but acquiring him along with Antuna and Rodriguez came at the cost of losing Luis Romo and Roberto Alvarado.
Will these three players be enough to bring Cruz Azul another championship?
Roberto Alvarado – Chivas
Chivas has had many issues luring top talent recently, and when they do, they typically overpay. The latest example was the eye-gouging 11 million dollars they paid for Antuna. With El Piojo’s arrival, in addition to getting rid of Antuna’s exuberant salary, they get a player in Alvarado who is likely to provide a bigger ROI, an area where Guadalajara has failed. Roberto should rejuvenate the team with creativity and better complement Alexis Vega at the top.
Will Chivas make a better player of El Piojo, or will they spoil him, but in a bad way?
Luis Romo and Rodolfo Pizarro – Rayados
Not to be outdone by Tigres, Rayados of Monterrey, who will be playing the FIFA Club World Cup in the coming months, landed two players, one standout of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Luis Romo and the other, a familiar face in Rodolfo Pizarro. Romo has been a consistent player for La Maquina and was instrumental in winning the championship two seasons ago. For his part, Rodolfo’s stint with Inter Miami has been nothing short of mediocre. David Beckham’s team shelled out millions of dollars for the playmaker, but he never lived up to the hype. So much so that team decided to loan Pizarro to his old club, maybe the only one willing to cover the hefty salary?
Will these two additions be enough to help Rayados content for the title and contend versus top-notch rivals in the FIFA World Cup?
New Season Kicks Thursday
We want to remind you that a new season of the El Mexican Soccer Podcast also kicks off today at 9 pm E.T. if you want to see the entire Liga MX schedule, you can find it here. As we mentioned at the top, the tournament will continue to be called GRITAMEXICO as the Mexican Federation continues to eliminate the homophobic chant. The National team will play another two World Cup Qualifying home games without fans because of the chant.
The chant is damaging the federation and hitting them where it hurts. But in the end, the fans are the biggest losers as they’re banned from the games. Let’s end this chant once and for all!
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