This Wednesday, June 7, the Tijuana Xolos officially announced the signings of Diego Barbosa from Atlas and Christian Rivera from Queretaro. These are the first two signings of the transfer window ahead of the Liga MX 2023 Apertura season, which starts on June 30 for Club Tijuana.

They are also the first two signings in Miguel Herrera’s second stint with the Xoloitzcuintles as he looks to improve from what was a subpar 2023 Clausura season. Diego Barbosa is a 26-year-old Mexican right-back that has played in Mexican soccer with Atlas, Venados de Merida, and Dorados de Sinaloa.

Barbosa is a Guadalajara, Mexico native and is from Atlas’ youth academy, that has produced top Mexican players like Rafael Marquez and Andres Guardado. The Mexican fullback was part of a historic Atlas team that won back-to-back Liga MX titles in the Apertura 2021 and Clausura 2022 seasons.

Barbosa played 17 total games with Atlas in the previous 2023 Clausura campaign and started in 10 games. Right-back is a position that needed improvement for Club Tijuana heading into the new season, Barbosa is likely to have a big fighting chance at becoming a consistent starter for Miguel Herrera.

The 26-year-old provides speed and has the ability to provide both offensively and defensively, as he is an improvement to the other right-backs currently on Club Tijuana. Barbosa has played under a Grupo Caliente team in the past, as he played with Dorados de Sinaloa under legend Diego Armando Maradona.

El colombiano más Tijuanense está de regreso, ¡El mago Christian Rivera se une a la #Revoluxión! 🐕

— Xolos 🐕 (@Xolos) June 8, 2023

Christian Rivera is a 27-year-old Colombian midfielder who is coming from Queretaro and has previously played with the Tijuana Xolos. This was Rivera’s first season with Quereatro after departing the Xoloitzcuintles, and he will now be back the border city club.

Rivera started in 16 out of 17 possible games with Quereatro this past season and provided one goal and one assist offensively. The Colombian is a box-to-box midfielder, as he can provide offensively and also has great ball recovery skills on the defensive side of things. Midfield was a very inconsistent department for the Aztec Canines, as Miguel Herrera even tried center-back Lisandro Lopez as a defensive midfielder. Rivera has the potential to provide a bit more stability, coming off a fantastic season at Queretaro.

The Tijuana Xolos are set to announce more signings in the coming weeks before the start of the 2023 Apertura season as Miguel Herrera and company look to get back on track to winning ways.

Francisco Velasco

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.