Veracruz has had an uninspiring Apertura 2017 season and this past weekend suffered an immense 6-2 loss against Leon. The lone player that stood out for Los Tiburones Rojos was Cristian Menendez, who scored a brace in his team’s lackluster performance.
The Argentine striker improved to 6 goals on the season and is quietly becoming one of the more effective strikers in the league. “El Polaco” just arrived in the Liga MX this season coming over from his native Argentina where he had a successful stint with Atletico Tucuman.
Los Escualos have lacked a consistent goal scorer since Julio Furch but may have found a perfect replacement in Menendez. The 29-year-old has very similar qualities to Furch like his height, physicality, and finishing abilit, which have allowed him to have this type of success in Mexican soccer. Menendez also has a potent strike and can beat anyone in an aerial battle on his day, making him especially dangerous on set-pieces.
Julio Furch is having a really successful season himself, with 8 goals, which puts him at a career 39 goals in the Liga MX. Menendez has proven to be clinical and it is very impressive that he has managed to get himself 6 goals in his debut tournament in the Liga MX.
There are still two games left in this Apertura 2017 and while Veracruz may not do anything significant, it will be interesting to track Menendez’s progress. We will surely see the Argentine pull up the sleeves on his jersey after a goal for several years to come in the Liga MX.