Luis Angel Malagon

ANALYSIS
Malagon is his side's starting goalkeeper and one of the best Mexican keepers, and seeing him back on the training pitch is an encouraging sign after an Achilles rupture, which is one of the most demanding injuries any player can work through at this level. Rodolfo Cota has been filling in between the posts and, while experienced enough to hold the position, the gap in quality between a healthy Malagon and a backup option is real enough to matter for the team's defensive consistency. A standard Achilles recovery runs eight to twelve months from the point of injury, which puts Malagon's realistic return somewhere in the middle portion of the Apertura at the earliest, though the fact that he's already training is a positive signal that the rehabilitation is progressing on schedule.