"El Futuro" - La Plata: Mexico #FM20

I drew this babe in Dorados colours.

Intro

Last time out on the blog, I wrote about how two experienced players helped retain our status as a Liga MX club. Despite these two players (Javier Güemez & Joaquín Laso) being absolute bargain signings in their advancing years, they only ever amounted to a 6-12 month stop gap. If Dorados de Sinaloa were to remain in the Mexican Big Time for years to come…then we had to look to the future.

Despite the likelihood of this being my final season in Mexico, it’s not a time to throw away the realism and splash the cash…it’s about leaving Dorados de Sinaloa in a good place. Ensuring we’re fit for the future, embracing the Club Vision that existed before Ojeda’s arrival and mixing well against Mexico’s elite.

This is the topic of today’s discussion. Vamos Sinaloa!

Season 2026/27

Liga MX - I was feeling upbeat after the first 5 games of the season. Unbeaten and in the playoff places…until a fairly dismal run of one win in 14 leagues games. But it’s my job to find some positive spin on this, as nobody else will do this for me.

Firstly, we’ve integrated more younger players this year (more on this later). It’s a bold strategy, seeing that 1.21 average points going into the season isn’t exactly guaranteeing no relegation fight…but my justification is that I am banking on at least a couple of teams being worse than us.

Another positive is that we’re no longer getting hammered like in the previous year’s Opening Stage. Ok, we’re drawing a lot…but I do think I’ve been unlucky in some games and some of them should have been wins. No need to panic.

We sit 16th and 1.13 on Average Points. Survival is in our hands seeing that Loros have an abysmal 0.63 Average Points and we also better a number of other teams. But we really need an improved Closing Stage, to ensure we don’t fall into an unnecessary relegation dogfight 🤞🏻

Copa MX - Good news for Sinaloa though: Dorados top a Copa MX Group and progress to the Second Round (where we meet Deportivo Toluca over two legs). Despite contrary reports, here at FM Grasshopper HQ we love a cup run and knockout games; we’ll do what we can to win silverware as we look to wrap up FM20 in style 🤞🏻

El Futuro

I have not been at Dorados long enough to complete some kind of Homegrown XI Challenge, but what Mexico does is force you to field domestic players. I really like this extra challenge and it leads you to think about how you utilise FM’s Development Centre and player pathways, from youth team through to first team squad. Mexico’s domestic player restrictions are:

Liga MX

  • The match squad must have at least 9 players considered Mexican-born.

  • Under-21 domestic players must play a combined 1000 minutes of the 19 matches played (in each stage). Teams will be deducted 3 points if they don’t reach this threshold. Note - 50% of minutes played by Under-22 domestic players also get included in this count.

  • The registered squad must have no more than 12 players not considered Mexican-born before their 18th birthday.

Copa MX

  • The match squad must have at least 9 players considered Mexican-born.

  • The match squad must have at least 3 Mexican under-21 players.

  • There must be at least 2 under-21 Mexican players in the starting eleven.

The graphic below shows the youngest 2026/27 Dorados First Team player per position, these are players that have either been integrated during the last 18 months by myself or signed with 2026/27 in mind. With the exception of Right Back, (although 22-year-old JA Pérez can play here), we have a very young core pushing for starts:

Dorados 4-4-2 with youngest First Team player per position.

Despite not having the best Youth System, I’m happy that Dorados has introduced two Academy players during my time here: Carlo Limón (who needs no further introduction on this blog) and Carlos Fernández…a graceful and technically adept Centre Back, who can also fill in at DM. But we must pay homage to Club América, who have helped us maintain Mexican National & Youth quotas with 2-year loans for Miguel Ávila‎ (who readers may remember from my time with Murciélagos FC) & Pedro Gómez. The same thanks applies to JA Pérez who made his 6-month loan permanent this Summer, swapping Club América of Mexico City for Sinaloa. From what I have seen in-game, Club América have one of the best Academies here in Mexico and their Youth Squads are filled with immense talent. I am particularly excited by the creative and unpredictable qualities of 17-year-old Pedro Gómez, who can play DLP-S in our 4-1-4-1 or more advanced as a DLF-S in the 4-4-2.

Pedro Gómez - €220k for a two-year loan.

In keeping with the club’s vision of signing young players I have externally recruited some really bright prospects during my time here too. I have previously introduced Néicer Acosta & Nazareno Yomaha as my 1st signings here at Dorados back in 2025 and have written around the conundrum of Conrado Verón last season. But the big signing, and only transfer fee in 2026/27, is that of 20-year-old Juan Martín Costanzo from Defensor Sporting for €850k. Costanzo is already versatile, by being able to play four positions across my two formations (DM, WM-S, DLP-S and CM-A). He also possesses a varied skill set between Technical/Mental & Physical attributes and can probably be channelled into any Midfield role with the right tailored training. For us at Dorados though, he will train and play in the Central Midfield - Attack role and see how he progresses there. In order to lure him away from the interests of a couple of Argentine clubs, I promised him Star Player squad status. Basically: whenever he is fit, he features.

JMC - I am hoping he un-leans the ‘Comes Deep To Get Ball’ trait to be more effective as our CM-A.

After 23 possible games (all comps) in the opening half of the season, you can see that I’ve given game-time to each youngster (below). Some have played every second of our season (Limón & Yomaha), but others have had to accept a mixture of a few starts and substitutions.

I am hoping that Dorados will be better for this. Not just in the Closing Stage, but longer term into the future years. The minutes will hopefully increase our players’ consistency, and help them move closer to their overall potential. Virtual Dorados fans should be thanking Hugo Ojeda far into the future (providing we stay up this season)!

To Be Concluded…

So, I have written about the potentially bright future that I’ll probably never get to see. Perhaps it highlights the oddity of how I play the game: taking satisfaction in the things that are yet to come…or won’t ever come…(seeing that I won’t simulate into the future this time round). We’re perhaps diverting off into a tangent here, but the end of this FM20 story is almost upon us. Although ending something I have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, may seem like is a weird decision to take; I think it’s the right one.

Stick with us though: 6 more months of football for Ojeda’s Dorados…and a Cartel War to conclude. Strap yourselves in, this will get messy.

Thanks for reading/sharing/caring.

FM Grasshopper