Photo Credit: Cruz Azul
By: Jason Marquitz
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Cruz Azul, a team with plenty of moments it would like to forget. The entirety of last season would be one to strike from the records for the Mexico City side. The season started ugly and ended ugly with Cruz Azul consistently near the bottom of the table and ending there at the conclusion of the 2015 Apertura.
Cruz Azul look to rebound in the first full season under the leadership of Tomas Boy. They will do so with some added reinforcements. Joffre Guerron comes in to add much needed help to Cruz Azul’s attacking front. Guerron become obsolete at Tigres UANL with the addition of Andre-Pierre Gignac. The Ecuadorian striker does improve the attacking options for Cruz Azul along with the newly-acquired Victor Vazquez. The Barcelona youth product will be making his first venture away from Europe at the age of 28. With the ink barely dry on this transaction, his impact might not be coming as quickly as some in blue might be hoping. The other notable addition to the squad is Aldo Leao from Atlas. Leao is a top quality central midfielder who can control tempo, create, and distribute with expert precision. Unfortunately, Leao’s best days are clearly behind him. This would have been a major signing for Cruz Azul five years ago. It may not bring the same impact in 2016.
One of the major areas of concern with Cruz Azul has been the age of the squad on the field. With this winter’s additions the squad didn’t get any younger. The additions to the midfield should help; replacing Lucas Silva with the likes of Vazquez should be a major step forward. Time will tell how these new pieces will gel.
Fan favorite, Gerardo ‘Jerry’ Flores departed this offseason to Toluca. The right back was sometimes Cruz Azul’s best on the field and sometimes its worst. His occasionally-reached ceiling will be missed with the team, but the void is in a position where the team has some flexibility.
Cruz Azul has the potential to make a push to get back into the playoffs contention. There are two clear keys to success for this team. First, Cruz Azul will need to see more from this past summer’s acquisitions. With a season now under their belts, players such of Ariel Rojas, Fabio Santos, Richard Ruiz, and Jorge Benitez could be expected to make some advances with the team and together. Secondly, Cruz Azul needs to hope for a season of health and competency from its aging center-back combo. Javier ‘Maza’ Rodriguez and Julio Cesar ‘Cata’ Dominguez still make for a decent Liga MX pairing in the back line, but the lack of depth behind them could be a deal breaker.
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