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Liga MX transfer deadline comes and goes with little activity

By Thomas Buckley

Santiago Ormeño had little success with Chivas and will hope a change of scenery boosts his prospects. Ormeño will play the rest of the current Liga MX season with FC Juárez. (Photo by Refugio Ruiz/Getty Images)
Santiago Ormeño had little success with Chivas and will hope a change of scenery boosts his prospects. Ormeño will play the rest of the current Liga MX season with FC Juárez. (Photo by Refugio Ruiz/Getty Images) /
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Liga MX transfer deadline
Colombia’s Cristian Arango (at left against Team USA in a Jan. 28 friendly) has left MLS for Liga MX where he will play for holders Pachuca. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) /

Most Liga MX teams choose to stand pat

The Liga MX transfer window slammed shut on Wednesday with little activity of note.

FC Juárez and reigning Liga MX champions Pachuca added strikers to their roster at the deadline while Cruz Azul again demonstrated front-office ineptitude yet again.

Santiago Ormeño was considered surplus to needs by Guadalajara and he has moved to the border where he will try to regain his Apertura 2020 form when he led Puebla in scoring.

The 28-year-old Peru international moved to León after his star turn with the Camoteros but failed to lock down the starting striker role. The Mexico City native was then acquired by the Chivas but found the net just once in 12 Liga MX games.

Ormeño will now take the roster spot of Darío Lezcano who was shipped to Chile’s Colo Colo this week. Lezcano leaves as the Bravos’ top scorer (3 goals) so there will be pressure for Ormeño to deliver.

In Pachuca, the champs welcomed Cristian “Chicho” Arango to the locker room. Arango arrives from LAFC where he was a teammate of Carlos Vela.

The 28-year-old Colombian scored 16 goals in 34 games last season helping his team win the MLS title. “Chicho” has big shoes to fill with the Tuzos after the club sold reigning Liga MX scoring champ Nicolás Ibáñez to Tigres last month.

In Mexico City, Cruz Azul failed to fulfill its manager’s wish list for the second season in a row.

Last season, then-coach Diego Aguirre asked for a striker and a right fullback but the Cementeros front office came up empty. Ten weeks into the season, “La Máquina Azul” was loitering just above the cellar and Aguirre was looking for another job.

This time around, new coach Raúl Gutiérrez requested a reliable No. 9 and … nada. After three games, the winless Cementeros are again in 17th place. It might not be too early for Gutiérrez to work on his résumé.

Liga MX make-up game

Atlas and Toluca battled to a scoreless draw on Wednesday in a game that had been postponed from Matchday 1 because Estadio Jalisco’s turf was considered unplayable.

The Zorros and Diablos Rojos remain unbeaten and are side-by-side on the Liga MX table with 6 points from 1-3-0 records.

Despite the nil-nil result, the match was not without excitement moments. A little over 9 minutes after kick-off, Atlas goalie Camilo Vargas palmed away a Leo Fernández rocket from distance.

Fourteen minutes in, Toluca’s Maxi Araujo couldn’t get his foot properly on a lovely chipped pass into the box. In minute 27, Diablos Rojos keeper Tiago Volpi made two splendid saves in quick succession. And just before the hour mark, Zorros defender Anderson Santamaría sent a header just wide off a corner kick.

Next. Deconstructing Cruz Azul, Part I. dark

These two teams will be back in action on Sunday with Atlas paying a visit to the Pumas and “Los Choriceros” in Monterrey to take on the Rayados.

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