Mariano Pavone will be playing the Apertura 2012 with Cruz Azul. Pavone becomes the first acquisition the Mexico City based team has made during this off-season, and will be the expected starting forward in lieu of Tito Villa, who left for Pumas.
Pavone is an experienced striker who has played for Estudaintes (Arg), Betis, River Plate and Lanus, where he
scored 14 goals this past year (still three games left in the Argentinian league). The 30 year old Argentinian will be a welcome sight in la noria, where they badly needed another striker to replace the experienced Tito Villa. Known as ‘el tanque’ (the tank), Pavone can play up top with his back towards the goal, letting midfielders move up to attacking poistions as he maintains possesion. Furthermore, he is an excellent scorer as well, which can be seen in his extensive history playing in Argentina and Spain.
Cruz Azul still has two more spots available for foreigners, given that they let go Tito Villa, Edixon Perea, and Waldo Ponce. It is expected that Cruz Azul will go after a defender – it is rumored that they want Diego Colotto – and another offensive player. We shall see what news comes up in the following weeks. For now, Cruz Azul seems to be headed in the right direction, as Mariano Pavone is an experienced, proven striker who would be welcome in any Mexican team.
