"Better than Maradona?" - La Plata: Mexico #FM20 — CoffeehouseFM

Previously on La Plata: Mexico, Hugo Ojeda made the Promotion Playoffs with a direct 4-4-2.

In the dugout, absolutely yes.

The answer to the blog post's title question. For anyone that has not watched the Netflix docuseries “Maradona in Mexico”, I fully recommend it. The series charts Diego Armando Maradona’s time at Dorados de Sinaloa, where the club reached the playoffs each stage during 2018-19 under his management. I will not spoil it for you, but know that Hugo Ojeda could probably be classed as “Better than Maradona” now that Liga MX football has been secured for the 2025/26 season.

The way it was done was a fairy-tale in itself, finishing 7th by the skin of our teeth (as discussed last time out); before rallying around and gaining some serious momentum. Today’s post is a quick game-by-game walkthrough of the promotion playoffs, an update on a new piece of stadium interior we’ve acquired and a look to the future at Dorados de Sinaloa. I hope you enjoy.

WARNING: contains a CounterGolazo™️

Promotion Closing Stage Playoff Quarter Final

Vs Lobos de la BUAP

If Dorados were to be promoted, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. There are 4 two-legged ties (so, 8 games for those without a calculator at hand), over the course of 31 days. Our journey started with Lobos de la BUAP, who finished a place above Ojeda’s Dorados in the Closing Table. Their two best players were Centre-Backs, and I always hoped that if we could get a foothold in our opening home tie…they would struggle to score. Luckily this was the case. It was a really solid home performance led by club captain René Juárez…who put away the common 4-4-2 far post header. Our second, another header, came from loanee Albano Ballari - who on all accounts has been a terrific player for us over these past 6 months. His corner header 3 minutes from time secured daylight between Dorados and Lobos.

There isn’t much to say on the 2nd leg, other than there wasn’t much in the way of many good chances or shots-on-target. It finished Dorados 2-0 on aggregate, as we progressed with two clean sheets and no injuries or suspensions.

Promotion Closing Stage Playoff Semi Final

Vs Alebrijes de Oaxaca

The Grasshopper Derby? One thing I like about Oaxaca is that they have a grasshopper on their club badge, they obviously have great taste. So, I felt a bit embarrassed to humiliate them 6-0 on aggregate. Dorados were brilliant, and after an injury ravaged Closing Stage we finally saw the best of the experienced Deep Lying Forward Amaury Escoto. In return, this also meant Carlo Limón 🍋 was back in with the goals too…our fabulous academy 18-year-old prospect leading the line as our Advanced Forward.

Promotion Closing Stage Playoff Final

Vs Correcaminos UAT

The Return of FM Drawhopper! 4-4 on aggregate against the Closing Stage league leaders: Correcaminos UAT (CUAT). In a nice parallel with my FM19 save, we would progress via a playoff round draw and victorious penalty shootout. This was by far the biggest test of the playoffs, having seen CUAT walk the title with an 18-year-old Newgen called Hugo Cruz spearhead their attack. Once again Carlo Limón 🍋 was on fire as we raced to a 3-1 lead in the 1st leg…until Hugo Cruz inspired a late comeback. Frustrating seeing that the identified MVP, having been targeted via Player Instructions, would score…sometimes FM makes you feel powerless right?

The 2nd leg was tight…and not much to write home about until the penalty shootout, which I fired up as an impromptu stream. It introduces our first of two hackz in today’s blog:

Hackz 1: “Never choose a 6th penalty taker” - it may initially sound like a massive myth, but don’t give the AI the idea of the shootout going to the 6th taker. Simply select 5 takers, no more. I’ve done this a few times now and each time I’ve never lost a shootout: 5 takers, no 6th, win.

Ascenso MX Promotion Final

Vs CF Atlante

The BIG FM moments require special attention, so I drafted in FM Samo for the co-commentary on a live stream. Samo was tasked with full Assistant Manager duties, considering his virtual counterpart was astonishingly inadequate and not up to the task. It was a masterstroke move; not only did Samo go away and think about our upcoming games against Atlante…he also introduced the second hackz…

Hackz 2: “Against his old club” - Samorama trawled through the career records of every player in my squad, looking for some kind of advantage that we could exploit in-game. His big discovery was that Bryan Reyes, a back-up winger in my squad, had once played for Atlante (1 start and 1 substitute appearance) back in 2019. Yes, an ace up our sleeve! We could use this hackz when we needed it most, which we did with a few minutes to go when we brought on Bryan Reyes; who coolly converted home a teasing cross to score against his former club in the 89th minute. Atlante 1 - 2 Dorados.

The secondary factor underlying this win was that we had also received (unknown to us at the time) a Managerial Birthday Boost, as Hugo Ojeda celebrated his 22nd birthday with the away fans…

What a way to celebrate your 22nd birthday: an 2-1 away win Vs Atlante!

The 2nd leg was a treat to watch…with two Golazos ensuring we would win promotion to Liga MX with a 4-1 aggregate win. I have come to the conclusion that I like counter attacking goals more than any other type of goal in FM. Our 2nd on the night Vs Atlante from Edwuin Cetré at home was an absolute delight, which typifies our style: counter, direct and high tempo. Here it is below:

The Anatomy of a CounterGolazo™️

8 touches, 4 players, 3 passes, 1 goal. I wanted to break it down a bit more and look at the anatomy of this CounterGolazo, to savour it for future years when looking back on this save. Firstly, it involves only four players: Sweeper ‘Keeper (Support), Full Back (Attack), Deep Lying Forward (Support) & Winger (Attack). Secondly, it’s a good demonstration of the individual skillets that all four players possess.

GK - Nazareno Yomaha - I mentioned Yomaha last time out on the blog, he’s been my best signing by far with 22 appearances at the age of 21 and 54% of them being clean sheets. His Passing (15) and Vision (14) combination is a joy to see, and in the Sweeper ‘Keeper role he is instructed to take more risks…as shown in the CounterGolazo.

LB - Nahuel Esquivel - Esquivel is fast (15 for both Acceleration & Pace) and agile (15)…meaning he can turn it on at any moment and bomb forward. In the Attack role (and within our Counter Team Instruction) he is focused on getting into the opposition half and with his good Concentration & Decisions (both 14) he is able to read the situation and make an assist to Cetré.

ST - Amaury Escoto - 32-year-old Escoto is the wiser head in the attack. He has a player trait of coming deep to get the ball and he is competent on a technical level (First Touch 12, Technique 16) and can sometimes do the unexpected (Flair 13). In this case, he makes a simple but critical contribution to the move…assisting the assister by linking the support and attack together.

MR - Edwuin Cetré - Edwuin is my top earner (€56k per month), so I’m happy he is the guy to finish this move and get some glory. Cetré is suited to the Attacking Winger role, he is a modest athlete with Acceleration & Pace of 13 and has Off the Ball of 13. He shoots with power, which often frustrates the hell out of me, but in the case of the CounterGolazo it produced an absolute howitzer of a shot.

Here is the goal as-it-happened with Latin American commentary.

The Bust Of Gear

I don’t dispute for one second that my friend, Dan Gear, had an enormous part to play in our 15 game unbeaten run and eventual rise to the Liga MX. His tweaks from v2 to v3 of the 4-4-2 have made a considerable difference to our central play and we are definitely scoring more goals. As part of the deal, I arranged for Dorados to crowdfund the erection of a Dan Gear statue outside the stadium.

Sadly, only 500 Mexican Pesos were raised (£18)…so we therefore have to make do with The Bust Of Gear, which sits proudly in the canteen area where the club’s matchday staff take lunch. I would like to personally thank Dan for the help he provides me, and others within the FM Community.

This is for you, Dan:

El Futuro

Despite promotion being a fabulous accomplishment in young Hugo Ojeda’s short managerial career, the greater achievement is whether he can keep this Dorados team in Liga MX. The club is now mixing with the elite, and in 2025 we are witnessing a plethora of Mexican Wonderboy Newgens entering the 1st teams of some of the nation’s biggest clubs.

With Albano Ballari’s 6-month stay ending to join Club León, Dorados need a top class Centre-Back. Once we move past this headache, we then look towards an accomplished central midfielder. One with a good engine and broad set of attributes to complement the 4-4-2. The budget? Well, the club ends 2024/25 on a negative balance of €1.8m. The battle on the shores of the Pacific State of Sinaloa has only just begun…the hunt for la plata in Mexico continues.

Thanks for reading/sharing/caring,

FM Grasshopper