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Chivas off to slow start in preseason, despite refuerzos

By Dan Chapman

Eduardo "Chofis" Lopez of Guadalajara looks to pass the ball during a friendly match against River Plate as part of Colossus Cup 2019 at SDCCU Stadium on June 28, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
Eduardo "Chofis" Lopez of Guadalajara looks to pass the ball during a friendly match against River Plate as part of Colossus Cup 2019 at SDCCU Stadium on June 28, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /
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Ahead of a midweek International Champions Cup fixture against Italian Serie A club Fiorentina, here’s a look back at the Chivas’ preseason so far.

The Chivas have had an eventful summer so far highlighted by a few high-profile acquisitions.

First Guadalajara brought back former central defender Oswaldo Alanis after his brief stint in Spain with Real Oviedo. Then they shocked Mexico and every Liga MX fan by signing striker Oribe Peralta from their most hated rivals America.

Finally, in another somewhat controversial move, the Chivas signed another defender, Antonio Briseño, who has been playing in Portugal. Many soccer fans argued Briseño should have stayed in Europa at least another season, suggesting that playing with the Chivas would stunt his growth. But for Chivas fans, these three players are considered positive additions for a club that will be facing a relegation battle this next year.

Before their big, upcoming games in the International Champions Cup, the Chivas already faced two Argentinian clubs.

First, River Plate humiliated the Chivas 5-1 which almost certainly provided coach Tomas Boy with a sobering reality check.

Then Boca Juniors defeated Guadalajara 2-0. That’s 1 goal scored while conceding 7 in just two games.

Even with Briseño and Alanis in the squad, we can already judge that the defense is still going to be an issue for the Chivas when the Apertura starts.

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Offensive play also needs a lot of work as scoring just once in two games is not a good start to what essentially amounts to a rebuilding project for Guadalajara. Fans can be forgiven for worrying that an aged Peralta may not be the answer. However, we must mention that Alexis Vega did not take part in either of these games as he was at the Gold Cup. Though he did not see much action, ?Vega did convert his debut national team goal during El Tri’s 7-0 rout of Cuba in the first game of the tournament.

It could be that Vega, who has a summer’s worth of tutelage under “Tata” Martino, could return to Guadalajara a better player and one who could take Chivas’ offensive responsibilities on his shoulders and start scoring regularly.

Up next though is Serie A’s Fiorentina on Tuesday, a massive test for Boy’s side who truly need to start showing some improvement if they want to give their fans any kind of hope for the upcoming season.

Guadalajara also has International Champions Cup contests against Benfica (Saturday) and against Atlético Madrid (Tuesday, July 23). The Benfica game will likely feature Guadalajara’s back-up squad and academy players because the Chivas open their Apertura 2019 season at Santos on Sunday and coach Boy said he is prioritizing the league.

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