Every Player That Has Played With Both Xolos & Puebla In Liga MX
The Tijuana Xolos will host Puebla at the Estadio Caliente this Friday for a Week 4 matchup in the Liga MX Clausura 2018.
Over the years there have been several players that have played for both Club Tijuana and Puebla, including some very notable players in Tijuana Xolos’ history.
12 players have played with the Aztec Canines and Camoteros at the top-flight level, and here is a rundown of those players. There have also been players that did not play with the Xoloitzcuintles at the top level that are worth mentioning and will be included in this article.
Honorable Mention: Oscar Dautt
Club Tijuana has had some outstanding Mexican goalkeepers over the years like Cirilo Saucedo, Adrian Zermeno, and Gibran Lajud. Oscar Dautt is also a keeper that many Xolos’ fans will remember as he was part of one of the first Xolos teams in 2007. The Sinaloa native played 30 league games with Club Tijuana over the course of two tournaments in the second division and became a fan favorite. Dautt had a few different stints with Puebla in his career first from 2000-2001, then from 2003-2005, and finally towards the end of his career in the Apertura 2008 tournament. The 41-year-old still works with the Xolos as he has been a goalkeeper coach with the team for a few years now.
Honorable Mention: Gilberto Mora
Mora had an extensive playing career as a central midfielder in Mexican soccer from 1996-2011. Most of his career was spent with Jaguares de Chiapas, but the Mexico City native also played four tournaments with La Franja and two with Club Tijuana. Mora was part of the team that achieved promotion to the first division in the Clausura 2011 and he scored two goals in 12 games that season. The Mexican midfielder inclusively went back to Puebla after his time with the Xolos and retired in 2011. Mora now serves as a coach within the Xolos’ system in the third-tier league in Mexico, the Liga Premier.
Honorable Mention: Javier Robles
The Mexican centre-back was very important for Club Tijuana in the Ascenso MX from 2008-2010. Robles played in 56 league games with the Tijuana Xolos over the span of four tournaments and scored three goals. The Guadalajara native also played in three tournaments with Puebla from 2006-2007, where he helped the team achieve promotion to the Liga MX in the Clausura 2007.
Honorable Mention: Hugo Ruiz
Another member of that Puebla team that achieved promotion to the Liga MX in 2007 was Hugo Ruiz. The Mexican midfielder played in three tournaments with Los Camoteros and in three tournaments with the Border City Dogs. Ruiz played with the Xolos from the Apertura 2008 to the Apertura 2009 and scored two goals in 19 appearances with the club.
Honorable Mention: Sergio Rosas
The last player on this list that played with both teams, but did not play with Club Tijuana in the first division, is Sergio Rosas. “Samba” played 10 tournaments with La Franja, and like Hugo Ruiz and Javier Robles, he was also part of that Clausura 2007 Puebla team. Rosas’ time in the border city was not memorable as he played in just 10 games between the Apertura 2010 and Clausura 2011 tournaments, but he will be a player that Puebla fans will remember.
Juan de Dios Hernandez
Hernandez has been playing in Mexican soccer since 2004 and is still going strong with Atlante in the Ascenso MX this year. The Mexico City native played one tournament with Puebla in the Apertura 2008 and one with the Xoloitzcuintles in the Clausura 2014. Hernandez failed to make an impact for either team and started just two games with the Aztec Canines.
Jesus Chavez
Chavez is currently playing with the Xolos’ Ascenso MX affiliate Dorados de Sinaloa and is unlikely to ever play for Club Tijuana again. The centre-back is known for his physical presence and aerial ability that made him a successful defender in Mexican soccer for a few years. He did stand out in his time with Puebla from the Apertura 2012 to the Clausura 2014, but was heavily criticized in his lone tournament with the Xolos in the Clausura 2015. The Xoloitzcuintles failed to make the playoffs in that season, and a slow defense with Chavez at the heart of it played a role in the team’s downfall.
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Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.