The Guerreros are looking to make their mark in this year’s Leagues Cup, which begins on July 21, having reached the semi-finals in the 2021 tournament. Two of the players to keep an eye on in the squad, which is managed by the Uruguayan Pablo Repetto, will be the Colombian Harold Preciado and the young prospect Omar Campos.
Santos Laguna are one of the most storied teams in LIGA MX history. The Guerreros have eight league titles to their name and will be looking to add another line to their honours list with a Leagues Cup title, with the tournament starting on July 21. The Torreón-based outfit will be a part of the **South 2** group, along with **Orlando City** and **Houston Dynamo**.
The team will kick off their **Leagues Cup** campaign on July 25 at the **Shell Energy** stadium at 8:30pm ET (6:30pm CDMX). The second match of their campaign will be against **The Lions**, on July 29, at 7:30pm ET (5:30pm CDMX), at the Exploria Stadium.
How are Santos Laguna looking going into their Leagues Cup games?
The Guerreros began their LIGA MX Apertura 2023 season with a loss (0-2, against Querétaro) and then a win (3-2, against Puebla). They’ll be looking to find more consistent form as they kick off their Leagues Cup campaign. The team will also be looking to bounce back after a disappointing end to the previous season, having been knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the Liguilla play-offs of the Clausura 2023, losing to Monterrey.
The Uruguayan coach Pablo Repetto took the reins at the end of the last Clausura campaign. At the dawn of a new season in Mexico and ahead of another Leagues Cup campaign, the tactician saw his team consolidated in the transfer market with four reinforcements. With a revamped squad, he will be looking to improve on the club’s performance last season.
Santos Laguna will be pinning much of their hopes for the season on the Colombian forward Harold Preciado and the youth prospect Omar Campos.
Harold Preciado, Santos Laguna’s marksman
Since his arrival at the beginning of last season, Harold Preciado has established himself as the the key man in Santos Laguna's attack. In 57 games with the Guerreros, the striker has scored 23 goals and provided seven assists. The player arrived in January 2022 from Deportivo Cali of his native Colombia, where he scored 52 goals in 119 appearances.
In addition, the striker accumulated another 57 goals in 105 appearances during his four years with Shenzhen FC in China.
His impressive goal-scoring record has seen him, at the age of 27, make his Colombian national team debut in 2022. Since then, he has played in three matches and is set to feature in the Cafetero attack for the upcoming South American World Cup qualifiers.
Omar Campos: a Mexican prospect at left back for Santos Laguna
The 20-year-old Omar Campos plays at left back for Santos Laguna and is one of the top prospects in Mexican soccer in his position. He has attracted interest from several clubs both within the country and abroad. The player, who emerged from the team’s youth ranks, has accumulated 93 games played in the senior side.
The defender has already spent more than two years in the first team with the Guerreros and during the 2022-2023 season he played in 39 matches. As such, the youngster consolidated his place in the starting 11 and received his first call-ups for the Mexican senior national team.
Preciado and Campos are two of Santos Laguna's key players for this year’s Leagues Cup, which begins on July 21. Will they and their teammates be able to make their mark in this tournament, that brings together 47 teams from North American leagues?
