#FPN La Final del Derbi en la CONCAF.

Por: Rolezllo

El nivel del futbol mexicano alcanza, basta y sobra para disputar con gran éxito la Confederación de Norteamérica, Centroamérica y el Caribe de Futbol, llegar cómodos al Mundial de Clubes, competir en la Copa y algunos, hasta ganar la Liga MX.

La primer etapa de la CONCACAF disputada el martes 23 de Abril del 2019, donde el Monterrey obtuvo la ventaja tras vencer a los Tigrespor un…

At 36-years-old, Rafael Marquez will still appear in one of El Tri’s squads during the summer, Hiram Mier has been haunted with multiple injuries since winning the gold medal in London 2012, Pachuca’s Miguel Herrera has had his share of minutes with Miguel “Piojo” Herrera’s Tri, while Hugo Ayala has been getting called-up since 2009 but hasn’t been able to claim a spot in the National Team.

Diego Reyes’s skills are undeniable but his adventure in Europe has hit roadblocks: last season he had 1,147 first-team minutes, this season only 387 minutes. 

But he had a remarkable game versus Holland at Amsterdam Arena. After that game he proved that he’s one of Herrera’s best options at the center back or central defensive midfield role. Again, Reyes’ skills are undeniable.

There’s a center back from Guadalajara, Jalisco who’s putting himself in a position to receive his first senior National Team call-up and compete for a place. 

Playing for Chivas this season is putting yourself into on one of the toughest scenarios Mexican football has ever seen; it’s incomprehensible to see Chivas fall so low and to be immersed in a relegation battle. The magnificence that Jorge Vergara once boasted about is now a quiet whisper, waiting to see the brothers Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre and Nestor de la Torre lead the team out of the deep mess it’s in, to then start talking about being protagonists, once more, of Liga MX.

Carlos Salcedo became the de la Torres’ bet to alleviate an area that troubled Chivas in the past, the center of the defense. Kristian Alvarez, Hedgardo Marin, Nestor Vidrio, and even Carlos Salcido when he played as center back, didn’t provide the composure, but most important the reliability that Salcedo provides to Chepo’s starting-eleven.

The former Real Salt Lake center back plays the game as if Chivas wasn’t involved in a serious matter, not to say this statement in a negative way, rather to interpret it as if he’s not letting Chivas’ current state eat him up, suffocate him, and make him commit egregious errors like the one Jair Pereira committed in Puebla, giving in to the moment, and pushing Flavio Santos inside the box.

That play was one of Pereira’s lowest moments of the season, well, Salcedo, at 21-years-old hasn’t had one of those low moments yet. It tells you a little bit of the type of footballer that he is.

After playing in MLS, Salcedo’s return to Mexico meant an excellent opportunity to make himself known to the Mexican crowd. His return to the land that saw him grow up, included winning the Central American Games with a team that included a good block of the players that will suit for El Tri in Rio’s Olympics. Raul “Potro” Gutierrez’s Mexico National Team finished the tournament in first place.

Salcedo made his Chivas debut against Pumas back in Fecha 2, and since then he has started all of the Clausura’s games and played them in their entirety. Chivas is currently in fourth place of the table and is tied with Tigres for fourth best defense with eight goals conceded behind America (6), Cruz Azul (7), and Veracruz (7).

Chivas only scored 13 goals last season, three of those goals were scored by defenders, Vidrio (2) and Pereira (1). After 10 games in the Clausura, Chivas has scored 12 goals, two of those by defenders, Raul “Deditos” Lopez (1) and Salcedo (1).

Salcedo provides to Chivas everything a solid, confident center back should provide: speed on catching up with Liga MXs fastest forwards, dominance in the aerial game, and an irrevocable attitude of going all or nothing on plays that can be risky.

One of those all or nothing plays happened in Queretaro’s Estadio Corregidora with defender Miguel Angel Jimenez, which left Salcedo with a fractured nasal septum. It has been reported that he will have to wear a protective mask until the end of season, and then he will have to head directly to the surgery room.

Salcedo’s trajectory is in its early stages, but what he has been able to show is that he’s conceptualizing all of the little details every center back needs to understand in order to become a successful footballer.

It’s excellent for Mexican football to have young center backs like Salcedo, who are confident defending in the aerial game, something that always seems to complicate El Tri during the big events.