UNAM Pumas have failed to succeed in impressive fashion over the last four seasons, failing to make Liguilla in three of them and exiting the playoffs unceremoniously in the other. A large chunk of the core from the 2011 Clausura champions remains intact, but they’ve been unable to duplicate that success.
Sick of underperforming foreign strikers, UNAM Pumas sign two foreign strikers
In addition to a couple of foreign strikers, Pumas have also signed a couple of other players on the wrong side of 30. It’s a set of moves indicative of a need to win now at the expense of the future.
That’s mostly because of their struggles up top since the departures of ‘Paco’ Francisco Palencia and Juan Carlos Cacho. Pumas have brought in a number of foreign strikers with great pedigrees, but their production has never been replaced. Pumas have listed three foreign strikers as transferable after an atrocious season, opting to start over again.
They’ve already announced four new signings, with more likely to come. Former Pumas striker Dante Lopez is returning to the club after a spell in his native Paraguay. He’s owed late wages from his current club, Olimpia, and will come back to a league where the checks generally arrive on time and clear. Also rejoining Pumas is 36-year-old midfielder Leandro Augusto, who played for the club for 10 years. He probably doesn’t have much left in the tank, but any reasonable depth and experience in midfield will help.
Daniel Ludueña will join from Pachuca, with Ariel Nahuelpán heading the other way. He hasn’t been nearly as successful at Pachuca as he was at Santos, though he did score a goal from inside his own half while playing for the Tucos.
The biggest signing of the four is striker Ismael Sosa of Universidad Catolica, mainly because his signing is reminiscent of others that didn’t work out. He’s a foreign striker in his mid-20s who had a rocky start to his career, but has recently started scoring at an impressive clip in a second-tier South American league. Pumas supporters will be hoping that he turns out much better than Nahuelpán and Robin Ramirez.
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