![Guadalajara's midfielder Orbelin Pineda salutes the crowd after scoring his penalty kick during the fifth place match of the FIFA Club World Cup 2018 football tournament between Tunisia's Esperance Tunis and CD Guadalajara at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, on December 18, 2018. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Giuseppe CACACE has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [salutes the crowd after scoring his penalty kick] instead of [after winning]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo credit should read GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/c5786e2da995ca26dc16d296bd3b8d577ca2844dae0801dc8c8a13ae7078f5e2.jpg "Guadalajara's midfielder Orbelin Pineda salutes the crowd after scoring his penalty kick during the fifth place match of the FIFA Club World Cup 2018 football tournament between Tunisia's Esperance Tunis and CD Guadalajara at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, on December 18, 2018. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Giuseppe CACACE has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [salutes the crowd after scoring his penalty kick] instead of [after winning]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo credit should read GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images)")
Chivas announces the sale of their 22-year-old starlet to Liga MX rivals.
On Tuesday December 18th, Liga MX club CD Guadalajara made another controversial move. In what is fast becoming an important transfer window for the club, Orbelin Pineda has been announced as Cruz Azul’s new signing. The move has caused some debate from Chivas fans. Announced via its official Twitter account right after the Esperance Tunis game, Chivas gave a fond farewell to a fan favorite.
Orbelin Pineda concluye su etapa como rojiblanco. 🇲🇽 ¡Muchas gracias, @orbelin90! ➡️ https://t.co/lk7QmFJBdq pic.twitter.com/Z0sK1J3BvL
— CHIVAS (@Chivas) December 18, 2018
There seems to be two main schools of thought regarding this transfer by Chivas fans. One side believes that Orbelin, while previously a big part of the 2017 Double winning side, has stagnated at Chivas and isn’t as important now. These fans believe that it’s in the best interest of both the club and player to move on in order for the club to either buy in a quality replacement or to promote a youth product in his place.
Lets be real, it was time for Aris and Orbe to go.
— TSG (@thestraygoat) December 18, 2018
Another reason that some fans are not complaining about the move is the rumour that Cruz Azul paid around 12 million dollars for Orbelin. If proven true, this amount of money could be used to buy a new player to strengthen the squad or be used to inject a positive change for the club.
These stats plus the reported $12 million transfer fee.... The Orbelin Pineda sale is not a terrible deal for Chivas. https://t.co/L7nVLCgPJu
— Fútbol Forever (@Futbol_Forever) December 18, 2018
The other side of the argument focuses on Orbelin’s age and future potential. At only 22, he is still seen by Chivas fans as a potentially great player who already has experience playing for the National Team. Despite his recent poor form, some fans believe that selling him to a rival is a mistake that could come back to haunt the club.
Which ever side of the argument you personally sit on, it is going to be strange to see Orbelin Pineda play in a Cruz Azul jersey in January. It is a shame when you consider his scintillating form back in 2017 which helped Chivas win 5 trophies in 3 years under Matias Almeyda, and compare that to his disappointing form in 2018.
Despite winning the CONCACAF Champions League against MLS club Toronto FC back in April, 2018 will go down as an incredibly disappointing year for Chivas fans. In fact, in many ways, this move, which is very similar to the Rodolfo Pizarro transfer, highlights that disappointment.
Chivas fans will now hope that the club brings in quality replacements to replace Orbelin and to improve the overall squad. The recent acquisition of Necaxa midfielder Dieter Villalpando, while a positive start, is not enough to placate fans who love their club, but have suffered too much disappointment in recent months.
Fans want to see positive moves in the transfer market, such as the recent purchase of Alexis Vega from Toluca, and they also want to see some youth products being brought into the first team. However, only time will tell if the sale of Orbelin will prove to be the correct decision, or if it will come back to haunt Chivas.