MEXICO -- After two forgettable tournaments, Pumas find light on the path that starts in 2018 with a player like Matías Alustiza. It only took one assist for the Pumas fans to be excited about the arrival of 'Chavo' for the upcoming tournament.
The 'back-heel' pass served for Nicolás Castillo to open the door to victory by beating Pachuca 3-2 after finishing last in the previous tournament and not earning any victories as visitors.
Alustiza, who came in for Alan Acosta, seems to be the remedy for the last-minute absences suffered by the university team. His field vision was evident from the first pass on Saturday night at the Hidalgo Stadium.
Without Matías Britos, who left for Arab football after partnering with Castillo in his debut tournament, and Pablo Barrera, who will be out for 6 to 8 weeks, Alustiza's experience excites the feline fans in a journey that gains even more importance due to the team's situation in the relegation table.
Currently, Patiño's team occupies the 11th position in that table, but they would drop to 15th in the next football year.
Alustiza has experience in dealing with these types of situations, as he experienced them in Puebla, a team he joined in the Apertura 2012, and later in Atlas, where he played throughout 2017.
The Mexican-Argentinian contributed an average of 5 goals with La Franja, including 9 in his best tournament.
It should be noted that Nico Castillo suffered several injuries last year and was a significant and irreplaceable loss for the university team (he scored 8 out of 21 goals and 5 out of 14, each tournament); now he looks fit and having a companion like Alustiza promises to be a good addition to the CU squad.
Interestingly, Alustiza will have a new opportunity to prove his worth in his new club next week against his former team and in the presentation of the squad as locals, where the pressure to show their strength and display their fighting spirit is even greater.