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Chivas make bold move, acquire veteran Oribe Peralta

By Jahir M. Martinez

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 03: Oribe Peralta of America gestures during a 15th round match between Club America and Toluca as part of Torneo Apertura 2018 Liga MX at Azteca Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Mauricio Salas/Jam Media/Getty Images)
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 03: Oribe Peralta of America gestures during a 15th round match between Club America and Toluca as part of Torneo Apertura 2018 Liga MX at Azteca Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Mauricio Salas/Jam Media/Getty Images) /
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The veteran forward moves from America to their arch-rivals for the Apertura 2019.

The Chivas front office is staying busy as they scramble to fine-tune the team after a disastrous Clausura 2019. Earlier this month, the club brought back veteran defender Oswaldo Alanis in an effort to strengthen the back line.

On Monday, they made a splashy move, bringing in another veteran, forward Oribe Peralta. Yes! You read that right! After spending five years in Mexico City playing with Club America, Peralta, 35, will spend the next two years trying to show that the Chivas’ bold move to bring him aboard was a good one.

“Cepillo” Peralta has suffered a dip in production, scoring only 8 goals total in the past three Liga MX seasons. But the Chivas likely are gambling that Peralta will provide intangibles other than goals, things like leadership, character, experience and intelligence. These are things the  Chivas need going into the Apertura 2019.

Let’s not forget the brief experience Peralta had with the Chivas back in 2005 when Monterrey loaned him to Guadalajara to play in the Copa Libertadores. He took part in only four games and did not score, but the Chivas asked for the loan because of his high-quality performances with the Rayados.

Peralta has a wealth of experience based on his 16-year career which began with the Monarcas of Morelia in 2003. “Cepillo” then joined second-division Leon for a year, helping the Esmeraldas win promotion before moving to Monterrey where he played for two years.

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Peralta had two stints with Santos Laguna – 2006 to 2008 and again from 2010 to 2014. He also played with the Jaguares of Chiapas in 2009 and spent the past five years with America.

Peralta won league titles with Santos on two different occasions in Clausura 2008 and Clausura 2012, and twice with America in Apertura 2015 and  Apertura 2018, as well as the Copa MX this past season. “Cepillo” also won back-to-back Concacaf Champions League crowns with America (in 2015 and in 2016). And let’s not forget he was the hero of Mexico’s Olympic gold medal-winning team in 2012.

So, is this a brilliant move by the Chivas? Critics will point to Peralta’s age and his diminishing production, others might whine about the fact that he wore the colors of Guadalajara’s hated rivals the past five years.

The Apertura 2019 can’t come fast enough!

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