The Clausura 2016 was a bitter pill for Xolos. After finishing as the top seed, the border team suffered in the playoffs.
After a hard-fought victory against Monarcas Morelia - a team that was fighting to avoid relegation and managed to secure a spot in the playoffs on Matchday 17 - the Tijuana club found the end of their tournament against Tigres, the Apertura 2015 champions who had a rough start in the Clausura 2016 but closed the regular phase of the tournament with solid victories.
The Canine team fell to the regio side (4-0 aggregate) and bid farewell to the competition with even more doubts. During the press conferences of the Quarterfinals, coach Ricardo Ferretti hinted to the media that Miguel Herrera, at that time coach of Xolos, had already had approaches with the Club América board to return to Coapa.
Despite Piojo's denials, his departure from the team finally occurred once the tournament was over and the border team was left without the coach whose project had solidified the team and placed them as the top seed in the general table for two consecutive tournaments.
The players also suffered a significant loss in Avilés Hurtado, the Colombian forward and main reference in the team's attack. His eight goals placed him as the second top scorer of the tournament, only behind Peruvian Raúl Ruidíaz. The cafetalero striker became the star signing for Monterrey's Rayados.
In addition to Avilés' departure, there are also departures of Guido Rodríguez (América), Milton Caraglio (Atlas) and Juan Carlos Medina (Lobos BUAP), among others.
With all these absences, the Apertura 2017 looks complicated for Xolos, which is why the team reinforced itself with goalkeeper Antonio Rodríguez, defenders Alejandro Donatti and Matías Aguirregaray, midfielders Enzo Kalinski, Damián Musto, and Mauricio Cuero, and forwards Luis Ángel Mendoza and Gustavo Bou.
Now, with Eduardo Coudet at the helm of the team, the first task is for the club to remain competitive. In addition to their reinforcements, 'Chacho' keeps reliable players in the team like Michael Orozco and Joe Corona, who can maintain the stability of the previous two semesters and avoid a setback.
FORECAST: The Xolos lost key elements in the transfer window. However, despite it looking difficult for them to remain the most dominant team in the tournament, the squad has enough quality to fight for a spot in the playoffs, although it seems difficult to be among the top positions.