Three Liga MX ‘have-nots’ prepare summer makeovers

The Liga MX transfer season is just barely under way, but several teams have come out aggressively (León have acquired Puebla stars Santi Ormeño and Omar Fernández; Monterrey repatriated El Tri defender Héctor Moreno from Qatar).

Last week, we offered quick glances at the two most popular Liga MX clubs – América, in retooling mode, and the Chivas, hoping to overhaul their roster on the cheap.

We’ll continue tracking Liga MX transfer activity throughout the offseason, analyzing team moves and addressing rumors and wish lists as well.

In this installment, we’ll provide brief looks at the three cellar-dwelling teams of the Guardianes 2021 season – Necaxa, Atlético de San Luis and FC Juárez – and how they are approaching the upcoming Apertura 2021.

Rayos aim to become Liga MX trailblazer

After finishing dead last, Necaxa has nowhere to go but up, especially as the Rayos will have “relegation” concerns this coming year. So, a new investment group eager to inject a little bit of cash into the modest Aguascalientes-based club was music to the ears of Necaxa fans.

While the involvement of celebrities such as Eva Longoria and Kate Upton, as well as big-name athletes like Justin Verlander and Mesut Ozil grabbed headlines, the fútbol folks in the investment group is equally appealing.

DC United executive Sam Porter and real estate mogul Al Tylis have done this before. In addition to the Washington, D.C.-based MLS team, the duo has pumped money into English Premier League side Swansea.

Of course, they’ll have their work cut out for them. A league-worst 11 points from 17 games (2-5-10) and a –15 goal differential (second worst in Liga MX) demonstrates the truth of that statement.

Coach Guillermo Vázquez took over midway through last season, only accepting the job after eliciting a promise from ownership to inject more money into the roster. He’ll now try to hold the front office to that commitment.

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Right from the outset, the team lost its best outfield player when defender Unai Bilbao was recalled by Atlético de San Luis as his loan deal expired. The hole in the back line will be filled by Pumas veteran Luis Fernando Quintana and Agustín Oliveros, a 22-year-old Uruguayan who can play left back and central defense.

After scoring a measly 14 goals last season, the Rayos dipped into their recent past and brought back burly Argentine striker Mauro Quiroga who thrived in “Memo” Vázquez’s offense in 2019-2020.

Quiroga benefited as target man for wingers and fullbacks firing crosses into the box, scoring 17 goals in 28 Liga MX games across two seasons with the Rayos, sharing the Golden Boot (with Alan Pulido, Chivas) after scoring 12 goals in the Apertura 2019 season.

“El Comandante” departed Rayos Nation a year ago but was relegated to the bench at both Atlético de San Luis (Guardianes 2020) and Pachuca (Guardianes 2021).

“Los Electricistas” also bolstered their midfield with another returnee, Fernando “Oso” González, whose defensive mindset should help in the middle of the pitch. González left Necaxa for América and spent last season with León. Joining “Oso” in midfield will be Jonathan González who comes over from Monterrey on a loan deal. The 22-year-old plugger should get the playing time he could not find with the high-priced Rayados.

Earlier, Necaxa acquired Vicente Poggi, an 18-year-old Uruguayan midfielder who has played for Charrua national teams at the youth level. Still, his acquisition would seem to be more of a long-term investment (hoping he pans out then selling him at a profit in a few years’ time).

Tuneros in a real pickle

Atlético de San Luis is not having a good offseason. The Tuneros must fork over 120 million pesos after finishing last in the Liga MX “Relegation Standings” and they’ll start the Apertura 2021 as the favorite to come in last again.

Then despite expressing an interest in selling its share of the club, majority owners Atlético de Madrid turned down a bid from a group headed by publicist Carlos Alazraki and former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, a Mexico City native.

After crunching the numbers, the Madrid officials announced they will stay on as majority owners. They then swiftly renovated the front office, naming Severiano García general manager and hiring Rodrigo Incera to be assistant general manager. García was the director of soccer programming at TV Azteca and a former Atlas FC executive, while Incera was the GM at Puebla.

The new front office will have to focus on shoring up the worst defense in Liga MX (33 goals allowed) and replacing leading scorer Nicolás Ibañez who was sold to Pachuca to help pay the massive “relegation” fine.

The defense is likely to get a boost from veteran Argentine goalie Marcelo Barovero who starred at Necaxa and Monterrey before migrating to Spain to play with Burgos. The spindly netminder won trophies in Argentina’s first division (with Velez Sarsfeld and River Plate) before joining Necaxa in 2016. He then went on to backstop Monterrey to a Liga MX championship (Apertura 2019) and a Concacaf Champions League title.

Offensive additions are still pending, but management did hire a new coach – Marcelo Méndez. The 40-year-old Uruguayan won silverware with Liverpool FC in his home country, but he has a tough job in front of him in San Luis.

Liga MX legend tasked with lifting up Bravos

Legendary coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti has accepted a huge challenge up in the border city of Cd. Juárez. After a record-setting decade with the big-budget Tigres franchise, the winningest coach in Liga MX history (tied with Ignacio Trelles for most league titles – 7) must make do with a more modest roster.

Ready to lend a helping hand is former Querétaro and Atlas manager Rafa Puente, Jr., who will serve as Ferretti’s top assistant.

The Bravos finished in 16th place in the regular-season table last season and in 16th place in the Liga MX Relegation Standings. The price of finishing third-to-last was 50 million pesos (league officials did away with demotion for five years and instituted a financial penalty for the last three teams in the relegation standings).

The result could be costly as FC Juárez might be forced to sell off it best player – forward Darío Lezcano – to help pay its “relegation fine.” Pachuca, Cruz Azul and Santos Laguna are interested in the Paraguayan sniper.

So far, the Bravos have not been terribly active. There are reports that goalie Hugo González could be on the way from Monterrey. The 30-year-old netminder is a quality keeper who was a member of Mexico’s 2019 Gold Cup-winning squad, but he has fallen out of favor with Rayados fans and has apparently agreed to move on.

Over the weekend, FC Juárez dipped into second division for José Juan Manríquez, a 25-year-old defender who enjoyed success with Atlante in the Liga Expansión MX.

After a 4-3-10 season and with continuing “relegation” issues (the Bravos start the Apertura 2021 in 16th place in the Relegation Standings), “Tuca” hopes more help will be coming.