Tijuana Xolos: “Quick” Mendoza Deserves to Start But Is Unlikely To Get a Chance
The Xolos have been one of the best teams in the Liga MX Apertura 2017 recently.
They are now in fifth place with 14 points after having lost their first three games.
The border city side has gone a long way since losing players like Aviles Hurtado, Guido Rodriguez, Milton Caraglio, and Paul Arriola in the offseason, and during the season itself.
The team’s new manager, Eduardo Coudet, has brought in players of his own that have started to make an impact on the team, like Gustavo Bou, Alejandro Donatti, Damian Musto, Juan Manuel Iturbe, and more recently with Miller Bolanos.
All these flashy signings have left Luis Angel Mendoza in the shadows despite being one of the best players on the team in this Apertura 2017.
The current top scorer on Club Tijuana is Gustavo Bou with five goals, but coming in as the second-best goalscorer is “Quick” Mendoza, who has two goals in six games in this tournament. Even more impressively, the Mexican midfielder has only started four of those games and has also provided two assists.
The ex-Club America player came close to scoring against his former team when he came on as a substitute in Club Tijuana’s latest game. Mendoza has not had an opportunity to showcase his passing ability in his last two appearances, but in his last game as a starter, “Quick” demonstrated that aspect of his game. The 27-year-old completed 31 passes and had a very nice 81 percent pass accuracy, in comparison, Juan Manuel Iturbe has only completed 21 passes in two games as a starter.
“Quick” has never been the most exciting player in the Liga MX, but he seems to be playing his best level of soccer since he was a promising prospect.
Unfortunately for the Monterrey native, it will be almost impossible for him to sneak into Eduardo Coudet’s starting lineup in weeks to come. The recent high-caliber additions of Juan Manuel Iturbe and Miller Bolanos have left Mendoza’s role on the team to a limited bench spot. Bolanos had a dream debut scoring against Club America in his first game, decreasing the chances of Mendoza getting a spot in the Xolos’ starting XI even further.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.
