Previously on La Plata: Mexico, Hugo Ojeda’s Dorados were nervously looking over their shoulders in Liga MX.

Intro

A lot hung in the balance during the 6 month period that today’s blog post covers. Last time out the relegation battle was finely poised, with five teams, including Dorados battling it out to avoid the drop via Average Points. From the highs of Peñarol, Uruguay and the promotion chasing campaign of last season…getting utterly battered each week in Liga MX added a new experience for me in Football Manager 2020.

But I believe we’ve passed through the most difficult times here at Dorados de Sinaloa, and our Closing Stage was fairly comfortable. Today’s post discusses what we did, how we did it and who we mostly have to thank; before we end on the curious case of Murciélagos FC. A team Hugo Ojeda, aka The Snake Of Sinaloa, will forever be connected with.

Let’s begin…

Season 2025/26

I ended the previous blog entry with a conclusion that I needed to recruit some defensively sound players. This is exactly what we did, having spent €61k on Argentine Centre Back Joaquín Laso & Sinaloan Defensive Midfielder Javier Güemez. It should come as no surprise that these defensively focused players are ones that are mentally strong fibra warriors, seeing that the positions they play (CB and DM) benefit from having players with strong Mental attributes. It should also come as no surprise that I opted for the experienced heads when in the midst of a relegation scrap, over those heads of younger players (the benefits and reasoning listed out in my latest Byline piece for Football Manager). Another huge attraction towards these two players in particular were the 422 Liga MX appearances they shared between them, the kind of experience we immediately needed in our First XI.

Joaquín Laso, despite his advancing years, steadied the ship with his high score in Anticipation & Concentration (both 15)…it was noticeable in the FM20 match engine with the way he would step out and aggressively defend. He played every single second of the Closing Stage and was class. Javier Güemez is ex-Dorados, having come through the youth system here 15 years ago. He was the DM I felt we needed to act as a screen in front of the Centre Backs, I gave him the Defensive Midfielder role to make sure he held position and kept it simple, but also press a bit more than an Anchor Man would.

You can see their statistics, along with their ‘fibra’ attribute scores below:

The Away 4-1-4-1

The new signings slotted nicely into an away 4-1-4-1, which was recommended by FM Slackers Rensie, FM James and Samo back during my Opening Stage thumpings over in my FM Slack channel (#fmgrasshopper).

You may notice that I did not change much in the way we play between 4-4-2 and 4-1-4-1…the reason for this is that the team is setup and trained to play a direct counter-attacking style. It seems disadvantageous having one formation being completely different in terms of Team Instructions (e.g. shorter passing/low tempo football). By being similar in approach, it also helped us learn the new formation quickly too, as the familiarity in the way we press, pass etc. was already known to the players.

However, I did add ‘Distribute To Full-Backs’ early on, in order to retain the possession a bit more and build out from the Goalkeeper (whose Kicking leaves a lot to be desired anyway). Additionally, I don’t have a Deep Lying Forward upfront in a 4-1-4-1, this role who would often drop in order to keep hold of the possession from goal-kicks in the 4-4-2 and bring others into play.

Liga MX

So, by using the 4-1-4-1 in away games, or when in a comfortable position in home games, we were able to turn six defeats into draws and conceded 17 fewer goals when compared against our Opening Stage performance:

It’s only a small gain of 6 points but our Average points rose to 1.21 when combining both campaigns and it has helped established Dorados from a relegation battling side to a mid-table Liga MX outfit:

Limon-aid 🍋

I think I have to thank my friend From for the lovely titular pun work here. I also have to thank virtual Carlo Limón for being such a hero during 2025/26, because despite all of the defensive improvements made…Carlo was an ever present success story in Liga MX with 33 league starts, 17 goals + 5 assists. It’s a monumental effort from the Mexican teenager. Just like how the Firefighting 4-4-2 restored my love for counter attacking football…Carlo Limón has reaffirmed my devotion to the Advanced Forward role.

Not only is he now being dubbed as the new Luis Hernández, a cult hero from the 1998 World Cup, he also competed for the Liga MX Golden Boot (missing out by four goals in the end, finishing in 4th place). No matter the opposition this season, I was confident that Limón would always get a chance or two due to his suitability in the Advanced Forward role and the Team Instructions that generate the chances for him: Slightly More Direct Passing and Higher Tempo.

I best not GIF them all, and lots of goals are similar anyway, but below is the beauty of Carlo Limón in 3 GIFs. All taken from a golden patch where he scored 5 goals over three games in March/April, enjoy:

The Curious Case Of Murciélagos FC

An underrated aspect within Football Manager is the interesting side plots that happen in the background of your save. Often they go unnoticed, but with Murciélagos FC an almost incredible fairy-tale was taking place right before my eyes. Hugo Ojeda’s former club were smashing Ascenso MX and were the form team in Mexico.

Readers are probably aware that Murciélagos FC were Ojeda’s first club in Mexico….in what was an 18 month roller-coaster of emotion. Ojeda’s successor in Los Mochis is fellow Venezuelan Guillermo Ramírez, who had been appointed by Ojeda as Assistant Manager. Ramírez has got the best out of the Sinaloan squad and they actually had the best record in Ascenso MX during the 2025/26 campaign (1st in Opening and 2nd in Closing). Ojeda’s signings of Enzo Cabrera and Fredy Vera in particular shining with 18 goals between them.

But this is where the injustice of the Mexican league promotion system can play out, which I personally like…but others may hate. Not only were Murciélagos FC the best team in the division (in terms of points), they bested Loros Colima in the Opening Stage playoff…only to fall apart against them during the Closing Stage Semi Final and then the resulting Ascenso MX Promotion Playoff in May 2026. 4-1 on aggregate in both two legged fixtures!

Closing Comments

So, sadly no reunion with my Sinaloan rivals on the pitch. But we’ve got our border battle to be getting on with against the Tijuana crew anyway. In a mirror image of last season, instead of spending an extra €100k per month on wages due to bonuses…we’re actually shaving around €100k per month off the wage bill due to players’ contracts ending. I’m therefore hopeful we can re-invest into the First Team and build on Dorados’ more than respectable 2025/26 campaign back in the big time. Vamos.

As always, thanks for reading/sharing & caring.

FM Grasshopper