MEXICO --
The first of these occurred in the Apertura 2013. Porto, in the winter transfer market, acquired Diego Reyes, a young promise of the team who left after winning the league title against Cruz Azul.
The club had coverage in that defensive zone. Herrera used to play with a 5-3-2 formation and had the center-backs to replace him.
In that Apertura 2013, the defense was well covered by Aquivaldo Mosquera, Juan Carlos Valenzuela and Francisco 'Maza' Rodriguez. These pillars were a fundamental part of the team that was close to winning the championship, but in the end failed in the final against Leon.
Christian Benitez also left in the summer of 2013 and was a key player due to his goal-scoring ability and great form. The player died days after being sold to Al-Jaish in Qatar and his memory lived on among the fans that semester.
For that position, 'Piojo' had Narciso Mina, Luis Gabriel Rey, and a young Raul Jimenez who was fighting for minutes in the first team.
Mina and Jimenez started the season, but as the matchdays progressed, the attacking duo consisted of Jimenez and 'Canguro'.
In his second stint at the club, Herrera had to deal with the transfer of Diego Lainez, a young player developed in the team's youth academy and a Mexican promise who struggled to earn a spot in Herrera's lineup. Before being sold to Real Betis in Spain, Lainez was a favorite among the fans.
The youngster left in early 2019 and three different players had to cover his absence. Cecilio Dominguez and Cristian Insaurralde also left a few days later, leaving the position open for Andres Ibarguen, who was criticized for his performance. Meanwhile, Nicolas Benedetti took time to adapt to the country and suffered from an injury near the end of the semester.
Now, the coach has suffered a significant loss for the team with the transfer of Agustin Marchesin to Porto, and with it, the departure of the goalkeeper who arrived at the club amid questions and criticism. His performances on the field earned him the support and celebration of the fans.
With the absence of 'Marche', the team will have to rely on Oscar Jimenez in the immediate future. At 30 years old, he will make his debut for the Coapa team, but he doesn't have much support from the fans. Additionally, the management will turn to the transfer market and in the coming days, they hope to close a deal for a higher-level goalkeeper who can replace the Argentine.
Another player who left as a reference is Edson Alvarez, who was the hero in the last Liga MX final, scoring two goals against Cruz Azul.
His transfer to Ajax in the Netherlands for $17 million provoked a reaction from the board, even before his official departure they signed Fernando 'Oso' Gonzalez, from Necaxa, and Leonel Lopez, who was overlooked by Ricardo La Volpe in Toluca but was fundamental in Edson's development when he was at the 'plumaged' team.