Mexicans Abroad in September: Gonzalez Debuts in Europa League, Gimenez Faces Manchester City, Quinones Heads to Asian Champions League
September's schedule brings long awaited debuts in the Champions League, Europa League and Asian Champions League for Mexican players overseas.
September is stacked for Mexicans playing in Europe and Asia, with new names debuting in continental competitions and others already seasoned looking to settle in. The slate includes the Champions League, Europa League and even the Asian Champions League, so there's plenty of reason to keep an eye on every result.
Long Awaited Debuts on the European Continent
Let's start with the news. Armando "Hormiga" Gonzalez already opened his account as a scorer with Olympiacos, netting against AEL in the Greek Cup after failing to make an impact in his first appearance. Riding that momentum, the Mexican will look to make his Europa League debut on September 16, when Olympiacos hosts Jagiellonia Bialystok. Before that, the club's Greek schedule includes away trips and Super League and Cup matchups against Volos NFC, OFI Crete and Levadiakos.
Santiago Gimenez, now settled in at Porto, returns to the Champions League for one of the month's most eye catching matchups: on September 8 the Portuguese side hosts Manchester City. Before that fixture, the Mexican forward will see league action against Moreirense on September 4, followed by road trips to Casa Pia and the local derby against Benfica on September 19.
In Saudi Arabia, Julian Quinones will also make his continental competition debut. The forward, who snapped a three game scoreless streak by scoring in Al Qadsiah's win over Al Diriyah, will play his first Asian Champions League match on September 14 against Al Wasl, after facing Al Ahli and Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.
Steady Action in Domestic Leagues
Not everything runs through continental Europe. Raul Jimenez keeps piling up minutes with Wolverhampton in the English Championship, where he's already tallied two goals and an assist in the tournament's first four matches. In the most recent round, the striker played 65 minutes but couldn't prevent his team's first loss of the season, against West Ham. In September, besides the league, Wolverhampton will also play in the EFL Cup against Everton. Meanwhile, Mateo Chavez and AZ Alkmaar face a tough trip to England: the Dutch club plays Sunderland in the Europa League on September 16, in a month that also includes Eredivisie matches against Heerenveen, Willem II and Telstar.
Johan Vasquez continues on with Genoa in Serie A, with a schedule that looks manageable against Como, Frosinone and Parma, plus a Coppa Italia match against Sudtirol. In Russia, Cesar Montes and Luis Chavez will both stay busy with Dinamo and Lokomotiv respectively, in a Russian Premier League that hands out matches almost every week.
In Spain, Alvaro Fidalgo has a demanding month with Betis: besides the Champions League clash against Lille on September 8, the Andalusian side travels to face Real Madrid on September 4 and closes out the month with matches against Villarreal, Getafe and Deportivo La Coruna. Obed Vargas, meanwhile, waits for his chance at Atletico Madrid, which in September faces Athletic Club, Liverpool in the Champions League, Real Sociedad, Osasuna and, to close out the month, the derby against Real Madrid.
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