Alan Mozo arrives at Cruz Azul to close out a year of patchwork at right back

Some positions go unnoticed until they're missing. Right back at Cruz Azul is one of those cases: ever since Jorge Sánchez left for PAOK Thessaloniki in February 2026, La Máquina spent almost a full year patching that flank with players who, frankly, weren't built to play there. The arrival of Alan Mozo closes out that chapter of improvisation, one that began with Nicolás Larcamón in charge and ended with Joel Huiqui.

When Sánchez packed his bags, Larcamón lost his starting right back in the middle of the tournament and had to make do with what he had on the roster. The first fix was Omar Campos, a Santos academy product who had spent his entire career playing on the left. It looked strange seeing him on the other side, but he ended up logging the most minutes at that spot during the 2026 Clausura.

After Campos came Jorge Rodarte, a young player who is actually a natural center back. Rodarte started at right back in Huiqui's debut as Cruz Azul manager, and everything pointed to him holding onto the job heading into the Liguilla. But an illness ruled him out right when he seemed ready to lock down the position.

From midfielder to key piece in the Liguilla

That setback opened the door to the strangest story of them all: Jeremy Márquez. He was an attacking midfielder, not a fullback, but Huiqui tried him on that flank and the experiment worked out perfectly. Márquez ended up as the starting right back for the entire 2026 Clausura Liguilla, the tournament in which Cruz Azul won its tenth league title, and he also held down that spot in the Campeón de Campeones. For a player who came from a completely different part of the field, that's no small feat.

There was still a fourth variation. In the match against Necaxa, Huiqui surprised everyone by starting Rogelio González, another academy product and also a midfielder by trade, at right back. That move let Jeremy Márquez return for one game to his natural position in midfield, while González covered the gap in defense.

Four names, none of them a natural right back, held down that flank for nearly a year at Cruz Azul. Now, with Alan Mozo on the roster, La Máquina finally has a player specifically trained for the position, something the club hasn't had since Jorge Sánchez's departure.