Notes from the Western Frontera - July 14

Preseason

Xolos drew in their friendly on Saturday against C.D. Herediano. Jesús Angulo scored the lone goal for Xolos, while Jairo Arrieta scored for the visitors. East Village Times and The Xolos Podcast host Francisco Velasco tweeted out the lineup sheet for Xolos, and it’s interesting as we start to see who Diego Cocca is giving the starts to as well as who is not in the lineup.

Gibran Lajud was still out, recovering from his broken finger. Damián Musto is still not listed, further fanning speculation that he is being moved.

On Thursday, Xolos followed up with a match against Monarcas Morelia at Raley Field in Sacramento, California. Xolos lined up as follows: Luis Michel; Luis Fuentes, Julián Velázquez, Juan Carlos Valenzuela, Omar Mendoza; Rubio Rubín, Luís Chávez, Diego Rodríguez, Ignacio Rivero; Juan Martín Lucero, Erick Torres

Cubo Torres would get Xolos on the board when he converted a penalty in the 10th minute. Monarcas’ Gastón Lezcano would equalize in the 57th, but Miller Bolaños would score in the 75th to give Xolos their first win of the preseason.

On Friday, Xolos announced that Gibran Lajud was resuming training after recovering from surgery for a broken finger. Lajud was an integral part of Xolos’ defense last season and the Aztec Dogs are better off with him in the lineup.

Xolos finish the preseason with a match at the Estadio Caliente today against Dorados de Sinaloa, where Xolos prospects Fernando Arce, Jr., José Alberto García, and Hiram Muñoz are on loan for the Apertura. It will be interesting to see if Lajud gets reps in the match.

Moves

Xolos announced Erick Castillo’s signing on Tuesday, although their initial announcement was deleted and replaced with one spelling his name “Eryc”. However it’s spelled, Castillo is a winger who will most likely back up Ignacio Rivero on the right.

Matías Pisano has signed with Club Atlético Aldosivi, newly promoted to Argentina’s Primera División. Pisano didn’t feature for Xolos very much since arriving from Santa Cruz Futebol Clube of Brazil in 2016.

In moves of a different kind, FOX Sports Arizona announced on Tuesday that they would be broadcasting nine Xolos games this upcoming fall. This is a huge development for Liga MX and Xolos, as this will be the first time a Liga MX team will be broadcast on television in English.

I reached out to FOX 5 San Diego to see if they too would be broadcasting Xolos games, however did not receive a response.

Rumors

While neither side has announced it officially yet, Racing Club’s Diego “Pulpo” González was photographed holding up a Xolos jersey in the room where other contract signings have been photographed. It’s as official as it can be without being official.

While (still) not officially announced by either club, Ferro Carril Oeste’s Gustavo Canto was on the bench for Xolos in their match against Herediano and was part of the jersey unveiling ceremony.

Damián Musto is still linked to SD Huesca in La Liga, however nothing has been officially stated from either team.

Xolos Femenil

The Liga MX Femenil season got underway yesterday, and Xolos Femenil will play their first match of the season on Monday against Pumas. Going into the new season, Xolos Femenil made the following roster moves:

Out: Martha Gallardo, Anjuli Ladrón De Guevara, Isela Parra, Ana Lara, Maria Barajas, Sarai Kim, Nubia Ayala, Ericka Soto, Mitzy Ortega, Brenda Sosa, María Juárez, Yael Huezo

In: Fabiola Sandoval, Guadalupe Olvera, Adriana Calzadillas, Alondra Carmargo, Marisol Luna, Yalu Mondragon, Tania Camargo, Luisa Ortega

I interviewed head coach Andrea Rodebaugh earlier this week, and we talked about her expectations ahead of the upcoming season as well as some of the difficulties she’s encountered managing a team so far removed from other Liga MX Femenil teams. You can read the full text of the interview here.

Other

Xolos unveiled their new jerseys last night, with a red and black hoop design for the home kit and a white kit with a big black “X” across the front for the away games.

Personally I think the red and black kits look amazing but may not translate well to television, while the white kits will probably look better on tv. Then again, I’m no fashionista and my opinions shouldn’t be construed as anything more than the whims of an old man.