Following another magnificent Liga MX season that saw Club America win their 11th Clausura championship, each team in the 18-club league had an opportunity to add to their rosters through the 2013 Draft.
The game of soccer will never struggle for attention in Mexico and as the Liga MX continues grow as one of the more successful leagues in the sport, some high profile changes heading into the upcoming Apertura have taken place.
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Notable Acquisitions - Club America
As they look to build off a tremendous run through the Clausura season heading into the 2013 Apertura, Clausura champion Club America brought in veteran Luis Gabriel Rey. Playing most recently with Chiapas, the 33-year-old striker totaled 33 goals in 70 appearances with the club and will now be expected to provide America with some added offense.
A native of Bucaramanga, Colombia, Rey was a member of the Colombian national team from 2003 to 2007, tallying 4 goals in 16 matches. In addition to acquiring Rey, America also reeled in Carlos Gutierrez and Luis Angel Mendoza.
Notable Acquisitions - Cruz Azul
While America added strength to an already potent lineup, Clausura runner-up Cruz Azul made a few nice moves of their own. Though they added Sergio Napoles and Jeronimo Amione -- both formerly with Atlante -- Cruz's biggest splash was the acquisition of talented winger Joao Rojas. A member of Morelia the past few seasons, the 23-year-old Ecuadorian was extremely consistent offensively, totaling 18 goals in 95 matches while using his speed and game IQ to remain a constant asset to his club.
Rojas has also been a member of the Ecuador national team since 2008 and with Cruz Azul hoping to build off a Clausura runner-up finish heading into the next season, Rojas will be valued at a high level.
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Notable Acquisitions - Chivas Guadalajara
Guadalajara finished the Liga MX regular season 17th in the 18-team league and as they look to reclaim their dominance in a league they've won 11 titles in (the last coming in the 2006 Apertura), Las Chivas added one of Mexico's most popular players in former Monterrey standout Aldo De Nigris.
De Nigris was brilliant in four seasons with Monterrey, appearing in well over 130 games while accumulating over 50 goals. A member of the Mexican national team, De Nigris scored the only goal in El Tri's 1-0 World Cup qualifying match against Jamaica earlier in the week. Joining De Nigris at Chivas will be former CF Pachuca defender Nestor Vidrio, a rising talent sure to help develop the resurgence in Guadalajara.
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Notable Acquisitions - Santos Laguna
Santos Laguna won Clausura championships in 2008 and 2012 and while this year's campaign didn't go according to plan after a solid regular season, Santos reeled in Cruz star Javier Orozco. Orozco spent 8 seasons with Cruz Azul and was a major part of the club's offense each season from the striker position. Appearing in 126 contests, the 25-year-old star from Los Mochis, Mexico scored 29 goals and helped guide Cruz to this year's final. Orozco is also a member of the Mexican national team.
Along with Orozco, Santos Laguna acquired Orozco's teammate from Cruz Nestor Araujo and former Pumas forward Eduardo Herrera. Herrera scored 10 goals in 64 matches for Pumas from 2011 through 2013.
Other Notable Moves
Veteran goalkeeper Oscar Perez, playing with Cruz Azul since 1991, will join Pachuca for the upcoming Apertura season while fellow keeper Sergio Garcia Lopez is departing Chivas for Tigres.
Additional Information
While these are just some of the most notable Liga MX changes, check out the complete list of transactions here.
The 2013 Liga MX Apertura Season begins on Friday, July 19.
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