Much of the 2020 Major League Soccer offseason has been defined by players arriving from Liga MX, but movement in the other direction is also making waves.
Former Real Salt Lake forward Sebastian Saucedo scored the opener for Pumas in a 2-1 victory over Pachuca on the Clausura’s first match day, marking his Liga MX return with a bang. The one-time RSL Homegrown Player was out of contract after 2019, only to sign with the Mexico City-based side in December.
This is Saucedo’s second foray into Liga MX, as he previously spent 2016 on loan with Veracruz, scoring once in 10 appearances. Across four seasons with RSL, “Bofo” recorded five goals and 11 assists across 83 regular-season appearances. Saucedo, 22, also scored once in three Audi MLS Cup Playoff matches.
This new venture could prove fruitful for Saucedo, who’s in contention for the United States Under-23 team that recently learned their path towards qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
They’ve been drawn into Group A along with Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico for the Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship. The top two finishers in each group advance to the tournament’s semifinals, with the two winners of those semis booking the region’s two spots.
