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Top World Cup Players To Watch In Liga MX

Liga MX World Cup players had a good tournament in Russia. With the World Cup coming to an end, many of us are heartbroken and will face the existential void once the final whistle blows in the France vs Croatia game. However, the good news is local tournaments will resume soon all around the world and things will go back to normal.

Four long years lie between us and the next World Cup to be played in Qatar, which means we can go back and support our beloved local teams week in and week out. Liga MX will resume on Friday, July 20th, bringing back all the emotions we’ve been missing for quite some time now.

In fact, there are several World Cup players that will partake in the new Liga MX edition. These are the ones you will want to keep a close eye on.

2018 World Cup Players In Liga MX

Matheus Uribe, Club América | Colombia

Colombian international Mathues Uribe was used as a regular sub by coach Jose Pekermann. Even though Matheus did not feature in the starting lineup, his presence on the pitch had a positive effect for Selección Colombia, providing balance and good distribution.

Matheus Uribe was close to being the hero for his country with a marvelous strike that will be remembered as one of the most staggering World Cup saves, made by England’s Jordan Pickford.

Sadly, Uribe’s good performances for Los Cafetaleros at the World Cup are now over-shadowed by him missing a penalty in the penalty shootout vs. England.

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Edson Álvarez, Club América | Mexico

Edson “El Machín” Álvarez had a bittersweet World Cup. At 20 years of age, Álvarez was one of the youngest players to feature on Mexico’s roster. He delivered good performances against Germany and South Korea.

However, we was unfortunate and scored an own-goal in the match against Sweden, shattering El Tri’s expectations to finish on top of their group and therefore avoid facing Brazil in the Round of 16.

Nevertheless, Edson Álvarez is a young and talented player. 

If he keeps his level up, surely he will become a key player for Miguel Herrera’s side. And who knows? He could very well migrate to a bigger league in the near future.

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Luis Advíncula – Lobos BUAP | Peru

Even though Luis Advíncula is owned by Tigres UANL, the Peruvian has played on loan for Lobos BUAP in the last seasons. 

Luis “El Rayo” ("The Bolt") Advíncula is known to be one of the fastest players on the planet, recording a speed of 36.16 km/h (22.46 m/h) in a game vs Chivas.

He delivered solid performances for Peru in the World Cup. So much so that some European teams are rumored to be interested in acquiring him. However, up until now he remains a Lobos BUAP player and we will likely see him flying through the fields of Liga MX starting next week.

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Pedro Gallese, Veracruz | Peru

Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese delivered some remarkable performances not only during the World Cup but also throughout the World Cup qualifiers. It is largely thanks to his outstanding interventions that Peru was granted the opportunity to dream big and compete against teams like France and Denmark.

Gallese will return to Los Tiburones, however, one should expect to see him migrate to a bigger, more important team in the near future.

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Nahuel Guzmán, Tigres | Argentina

Even though Nahuel Guzmán did not play a single minute this World Cup, Tigres boss Tuca Ferreti has blind trust in him, despite his occasional howlers.

Tigres have consolidated their status as one of the most important teams in Liga MX, and Nahuel Guzmán has been an important element in their success. Playing for Tigres, Guzmán has won three Liga MX trophies and two Campeón de Campeones since 2015.

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Jonathan Urretaviscaya, Monterrey | Uruguay

Proving his worth as a winger for Pachuca between 2015 and 2017, Urretaviscaya signed for Monterrey in early 2018.

At 28 years of age, Urretaviscaya is still young enough to perform at optimum level. Monterrey will definitely need him at full capacity if they want to match city rivals Tigres this season.

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Jesús Gallardo, Monterrey | Mexico

Even though Jesús Gallardo normally played as a winger for Pumas UNAM, Mexico boss Juan Carlos Osorio used him as a left back in the World Cup.

Like El Tri, Gallardo had a decent tournament, especially considering the fact that he didn’t play in his usual position and still managed to defend well against teams like Germany and Brazil.

Gallardo is expected to play a more offensive role for Monterrey than he did for Mexico. However, he will have a lot of competition at Rayados, with Jonathan Urretaviscaya, Carlos Sánchez, Rogelio Funes Mori and Dorlan Pavón playing on the offense.

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Erick Gutiérrez, Pachuca | Mexico

Pachuca’s Erick Gutiérrez barely made it to the final Mexico 23-man roster after defender Diego Reyes dropped out with an injury.

A midfielder, Gutiérrez was not granted the opportunity to play a single game at the World Cup. However, the experience of being a part of the most prestigious tournament on the planet will surely have a positive effect on his development.

At 22 years of age, Erick Gutiérrez is one of Mexico’s most promising young talents.

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Oribe Peralta, Club América | Mexico

At 34 years of age, we are most likely looking at Oribe Peralta’s last seasons as a football player.

One of Mexico’s best forwards, Oribe Peralta has gradually faded and lost his role as a protagonist in Liga Mx.

Last season, Peralta only managed to score one goal the entire season. This new season will give him an opportunity to either reclaim his place at Club América and Liga MX or to begin saying goodbye to his career.

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