Football
Montes to La Liga, Ochoa settles in Italy, Vega rejects European move

As the winter break comes to a close and European clubs prepare to kick off the second half of the 2022/2023 season, let’s take a closer look at Mexicans abroad.
Cesar Montes finally completed a transfer to Liga MX from Rayados de Monterrey to follow in Hector Moreno’s footsteps, while Guillermo Ochoa returns to Europe for a second, unexpected stint.
Here’s everything you missed.
Cesar Montes officially joined Espanyol de Barcelona from Rayados de Monterrey.
The defender longed for a move away from Liga MX, previously negotiating with Russian team Dinamo Moscow before the deal fell through in the summer. But he finally secured the transfer, joining the La Liga team on an estimated $7m trade.
“I’m happy and excited, this is a dream come true for me,” said the player upon arrival.
“It’s worth the sacrifice because I’m here now and everything is going to be exciting from now on. I’m not afraid of playing in Europe, it’s a challenge and it’s what I have wanted to do since I was a boy. I come to compete for a place in the side and we will know how the coach responds towards me.”
He follows in the footsteps of Rayados de Monterrey and El Tri teammate Hector Moreno, who spent four years at Espanyol.
Orbelin Pineda scored the second goal in AEK Athens’ 4-0 triumph over Volos NFC in the Greek Super League.
The Mexican national team player is currently on loan at AEK Athens from Celta de Vigo, securing the season-long move on July 15 to rejoin former Chivas de Guadalajara manager Matias Almeyda.
He’s managed three goals in 15 appearances for the Greek side, inspiring the team to second on the table with 35 points in 15 games.
Guillermo Ochoa revealed the reason behind his move to Serie A’s U.S. Salernitana from Club America, explaining he wants to “continue playing at the highest level” to reach the 2026 World Cup in pristine shape.
“I maintain the illusion and desire to continue at a high level and to be able to play the next World Cup that is played in Mexico and to be able to end my career with that World Cup,” he declared in his first press conference with the team.
He joined the team on a six-month contract, with the option for an additional year.
“The situation as a Latin American goalkeeper in Europe, I am the first goalkeeper in the history of Mexico to play in Europe and finding a team that would give a goalkeeper a non-EU place is more difficult,” he added.
“Staying six months is an option for the board, it is also an option that I liked. It is a consideration that if at any time I am not participating as I would like or playing what I could play, I have the option of not staying in a club without participating. I want to convince the board to stay many more years in Serie A.”
Salernitana returns to action on January 4, when hosting AC Milan. The team currently sits in 12th place on the Serie A table with 17 points in 15 games.
Chivas de Guadalajara figure Alexis Vega revealed he rejected a move to Europe, choosing instead to stay with the Liga MX club ahead of the 2023 Clausura.
“There are cases where sometimes we rush just to fulfill the dream of playing in Europe and in six months or a year you are back. One team we had talks with wanted to take me to Europe, where I would play there for six months [at the highest level] and if it didn’t go well, return on loan to another Liga MX team,” Vega said to TUDN.
“I don’t see the point in going to play for six months, the time it takes to adapt to the pressure and for you to adapt in the best way. Due to those situations, you make the decision to rush the process. Now I am focused on Chivas. I am super happy to stay here with my family for a long time.”
EPL
Tottenham weighing up decision on Antonio Conte future

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is weighing up whether to sack manager Antonio Conte this week, 90min understands.
While Spurs remain fourth in the Premier League, limp exits in the FA Cup and Champions League threw the Italian’s future into doubt and his meltdown at Southampton plunged the club further into crisis.
90min revealed earlier on Monday Tottenham could be forced to pay Conte a whipping £15m if they dismiss him before the end of the season.
Now, sources have confirmed Conte is back in Italy for a routine trip to his homeland having held talks with Spurs boss Levy. A final decision has not yet been reached but a number of officials at the club believe Conte’s position is untenable.
Football
Players of the MLS Matchday 4

Another weekend of MLS saw action-packed scenes on the field from coast to coast.
From one-sided blowouts to records being broken, week four of MLS lived up to the expectations set by week three. On the field, many players stood out for their teams, making them worthy of praise for their efforts.
Here at the top five players from week four…
FC Cincinnati started off the season well; They are currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference with eight points through four games. Their latest match against the Chicago Fire was an all-out attacking spectacle.
Junior Moreno led the way for Cincinnati with a two-goal performance that saw the men in Orange take a point home. Though Moreno isn’t the most well-known player on the roster, his impact was felt on match date four.
Jesus Ferreira is a man in form. The 22-year-old was on the score sheet once again for FC Dallas as they beat Sporting KC 2-1.
Ferreira had a complete game, scoring once and also creating for his teammates. With this win, Dallas is now fourth in the Western Conference on seven points.
Here comes Joao Klauss!
The 26-year-old Brazillian notched his third goal in four games for St. Louis City as they beat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0. Despite being a forward, Klauss was active on both sides of the pitch, ending the game with five passes into the final third, two interceptions, and three recoveries.
Talk about a well-rounded player.
CF Montreal got their first win of the season with a shock victory against defending Eastern Conference champions, the Philadelphia Union.
Romell Quioto led the way for Hernan Losada’s men scoring a brace to lift them over a struggling Union side. The Honduras international finished the game with four total shots, two passes into the final third on just 27 touches, the least of any outfield player.
What more can be said about Thiago Almada?
Arguably the best player in the league, the World Cup winner is having an incredible start to the year for Atlanta United. Not only did the Stars and Stripes put on a clinic against the Portland Timbers, but Almada scored a Goal of the Year candidate in the 45th minute with a looping free kick to beat Timbers netminder Aljaz Ivacic.
With performances like these, it’s only a matter of time before big European clubs come knocking for the young Argentine’s talents.
Football
Charlotte FC quiet the Lions as they pick up their first win of the season

Charlotte FC picks up their first win of the season with a challenging 2-1 win away at Orlando City.
With the pressure mounting after three straight losses to start the season, Charlotte FC broke their winless streak with a 2-1 triumph over Orlando City SC. Head coach Christian Lattanzio lined up his side in a slightly different starting XI, leaving Designated Players Karol Swiderski and Kamil Jóźwiak on the bench due to bad form. In their place were 21-year-old Kerwin Vargas and 25-year-old McKinze Gaines.
Since arriving in MLS, Jozwiak has fallen short of expectations, with the Poland international failing to score in the league and only assisting three times in 23 matches. This personnel switch saw Charlotte play an attacking brand of football with much more cohesion as a team.
“…I am very, very proud of the boys because they played a complete game in the sense that they attacked when they had the possibility to do it. They defended when they had to. In football, you need to fight to impose your game and impose yourself into the game. And I think that this has to be a part of our DNA.”
Lattanzio spoke about the lineup changes after the match, saying that he gave specific players chances to show their quality, but their on-field performances fell flat.
“I made the changes because we played three games and I gave certain players opportunities to play and I think it’s only fair to give other players opportunities when things don’t work the way we’d like them to work.”
He also touched on their roster depth and how it’s important to give chances to players who will perform well.
“It’s part of the team, that’s why we have a roster and on many occasions I said that I really trust all the players on the roster because they train well. We decided to give opportunities to guys that trained well, and they proved it.”
Though it is a massive win for Charlotte, rookie goalkeeper George Marks pumped the brakes on the hype train and said in his post-game comments that the team needs to continue to work hard if they want results like this to come.
“…Tomorrow it’s back to the grindstone, try to look at the performance objectively, not just throw it to the side because we won the game and try to look at the little details, what we could do better, what we need to continue to do, so we can get this thing rolling in the right direction.
“I said during the week not to talk, to put the head down, keep working. And despite the win, for me it’s the same. We keep the head down, we let other people talk now. We let people talk, we listen, whatever, but we are very determined to improve on a weekly basis”.
Charlotte FC will continue their MLS campaign this weekend as they take on the New York Red Bulls.
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