Tijuana Xolos: Ariel Nahuelpan Changes The Dynamic Of The Attack
Credit: Xolos
The Tijuana Xolos gained their second win of the Liga MX 2019 Clausura tournament this past Saturday, Feb. 2, against Toluca at the Estadio Caliente.
Despite the rainy and gloomy whether, Club Tijuana shined, especially going forward as the attack worked stupendously together.
Several players had solid games including Miller Bolanos, Fabian Castillo and Gustavo Bou, but Ariel Nahuelpan really stood out among his teammates. Fabian Castillo and Miller Bolanos scored the goals on the rainy night against Los Diablos Rojos, but Nahuelpan helped gel everything together.
The Argentine striker used his physical presence, holdup play, distribution and dribbling abilities to perfection. Nahuelpan was able to feed his teammates beautifully and served as a middle man between passes from the midfield to the wingers and Gustavo Bou.
The 31-year-old also showed his flair at times during the encounter and netted himself an assist along with three shots on target and four successful dribbles from four attempts according to SofaScore. The Argentines physical presence is also like no other player on the Xoloitzcuintles and that is a trait that can prove to be useful in all aspects of the game. Nahuelpan was an intriguing signing for Club Tijuana as he had been successful in the Liga MX before, but is now proving to be more than just a gamble.
The 31-year-old could have been the missing piece the Xolos’ offense needed to work together and finally be effective in front of the net. Nahuelpan is not as skillful as Fabian Castillo or Miller Bolanos, but he brings a much more different dynamic, mixing his physicality with his flair.
Oscar Pareja should continue to start the Buenos Aires native as the weeks go on and it will be interesting to see if he continues to make the impact he has had so far.
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.