Santos Laguna has quietly been one of the most successful teams in the Liga MX in this Clausura 2017 tournament. The ‘guererros’ have accumulated 10 points and find themselves in sixth place in the competition. Santos is one of two teams who is yet to be defeated in this tournament, the other being Monterrey.
The success that the team from Torreon have had is due to the extraordinary work from manager Jose Manuel De La Torre. ‘Chepo’ has built a team that will compete in this Clausura 2017 with players like Julio Furch, Osvaldo Martinez, and Jonathan Orozco. But perhaps, the most impressive component of this Santos Laguna team has been the four youngsters that De La Torre has entrusted to be in the starting 11. Gerardo Arteaga, Ulises Rivas, Walter Sandoval, and Jorge Sanchez make up the core four of ‘canteranos’ playing for this Santos Laguna side.
Arteaga, 18, and Sanchez, 19, make up the fullback partnership for ‘Chepo’. With experienced players like Jorge Villafaña and Javier Abella, De La Torre did not have to use these players; yet, it has paid off in dividends for the Mexican skipper. Ulises Rivas, 21, has also done wonders for Santos Laguna, controlling the midfield along with Walter Sandoval, 21, who provides great options going forward.
The core four of Santos youngsters have been among the hardest workers in this Clausura 2017. The four are in the top-six of distance covered in the Liga MX, with Ulises Rivas leading the way with 69.66 kilometers. Sandoval and Arteaga also find themselves in the top five in sprints in the Liga MX, Sandoval in second with 213 and Arteaga in fifth with 201. Walter Sandoval has provided many options for this Santos team going forward, having provided three assists, which is good for second best in the league.
The four have also received plenty of playing time, not just starting every game, but playing nearly all possible minutes. Gerardo Arteaga and Ulises Rivas have played all possible 540 minutes of this Clausura 2017 under Jose Manuel De La Torre. Jorge Sanchez has only missed a minute of game time, while Walter Sandoval has played 525 out of 540 minutes.
It is very clear that ‘Chepo’ has faith in these youngsters and will continue to utilize them going forward in this competition. It will be interesting to see how the core four keep on progressing throughout the tournament and perhaps make playoffs with this Santos Laguna team.
