Alejandro Organista – Chivas’ box-to-box engine
Alejandro Organista has donned the legendary Chivas red and white since the age of 6 as he is on the cusp of the first team squad. The 20-year-old has already made his first-team debut for Chivas in the Liga MX Clausura last year on the back of a triumph with the U20 side as he leads yet another side that sits atop of the Mexican U20 Division. He combines his fledgling football career with his studies as he pursues a Law degree at University level which is impressive as he has travelled for tournaments all over the world with the Chivas and Mexican youth sides.
Earlier this season, when Chivas were undergoing a goalscoring crisis in Liga MX, their manager Victor Manuel Vucetich identified Luis Fernando Puente and Organista from the youth sides - as Zahid Munoz had already made his debut for the first team against Santos Laguna - as Chivas sought to use youth players to remedy the situation. Organista was less of a surprise than 17-year-old striker, Puente as he had already been training with the first team as the 20-year-old has put in some consistently high performances at U20 level. Organista is a prospect that has proved exciting for the fanbase and coaching staff as is believed to be one of the jewels of the academy as the youngster is raring for a place in the Chivas first team squad.
Organista’s best performances come as a box-to-box engine as he has a well-developed physicality to drive past players, shield the ball and weave out of tight spaces while he also possesses a lethal turn of pace, receiving the ball and using a burst to create goalscoring opportunities for himself and teammates. The Mexican youngster loves to roam the central areas and half-spaces as an option to receive passes in between the lines as he can open his body to swivel past his man to drive forward, attempt an elaborate flick-on or keep things simple with a lay-off. Whenever he is positioned in the half-space, underlapping his winger, he can receive possession to drive at goal or dribble into the central spaces to attract opposition players before working a slide rule pass to a runner or switching the ball to the opposite flank.
At home to Puebla, Diego Campillo played a switch ball to the left flank for the winger to nod a pass to Organista who had three players closing in on him. He then utilized his beguiling turn of pace as his drove past all three players, engaging the rest of the Puebla defence as Puente made a movement towards him as Organista flicked his hips and attempted a through ball for the striker who had just moved too close to the ball as Organista looked to work a pass that was closer to the goal. Another thing that makes Organista such a difficult player to tackle is his change of direction as he has tremendous body control to fake one way before driving the ball into the opposition direction to weave around defenders like a set of stationary cones.
At home to Mazatlan, he received possession from Nestor Diaz after a turnover to drive the ball to the right touchline before sweeping the ball forward with the outside of his right foot to leave three players on his heels before driving into the opposition half and laying off a pass to a teammate in space. Organista’s ability to turn on a dime allows him to be a press resistant player in the deeper areas who can push his team forward and remove gluts of opposition defenders from the sequence of play. It also allows him to bring continuity to his side’s attacking play in the final third as he can receive the ball and turn in one move while also having the innate sense of timing and his teammate’s runs and positions to know when to pass and when to hold the ball. In the match against Mazatlan, he received a pass from Diaz in between the lines to flick on for Benjamin Sanchez to run in behind and finish with aplomb.
In another move from the Mazatlan game, he received the ball in the deeper areas to allow the ball to roll across his body to evade a tackle before moving to the left flank, utilizing a nonchalant croqueta to beat an opposition defender before sliding a pass into a teammate in the central pockets and continuing his run on the flank. In another sequence, he moved onto the left flank to receive a pass from his centre-back to play a pass to a teammate with the outside of his right boot before continuing his run into the half-space to receive possession to cut past a defender while driving into the centre to play a pass to a teammate who had a shooting opportunity.
Organista’s assets in receiving the ball in the higher and tighter spaces will allow him positional fluidity as he embarks on his professional career. Firstly, he can play as a box-to-box midfielder with his energy, physique and guile in possession. His boundless energy will also allow him to play in the wide areas as an interior, marking the opposition fullback while supporting his own as he can also move inside to receive possession in the central spaces and connect play from the half-space and wide areas. The 20-year-old could also play as an attacking midfielder in behind the striker, a second striker or as a false-nine with his combination play, strength to hold possession and initiative in the final third.
Organista is at the age where first-team football is becoming more integral if he is to fulfil his vast potential as a move to the MLS or another Liga MX or Liga MX expansion side could be in the offing if he is not able to make the step up to the first team. The 20-year-old also has the physical and technical preparation to be a cut-price option for teams in the middle rung of European football like in the Dutch Eredivisie, Belgian Jupiler Pro League, Portuguese Liga NOS or the Austrian Bundesliga. He would provide immense resale value as after a few years in those divisions, he could make a move to the German Bundesliga or French Ligue 1 allowing his side to accrue a tidy profit from his sale.
He should also look to earn a spot in the Mexican U23 side for the Olympics next year as the midfield will be packed with competition as young Liga MX starlets and young Mexican players plying their trade in Europe will all be vying for a spot in the Olympic side. He would have to make inroads into the Chivas first team to earn a place at the Olympics as young and talented players with ample professional experience who are yet to make an impact for Gerardo Martino’s National side will also be looking to use the Olympics next year as a platform to establish themselves as the future stars with players like Andres Guardado being 34 and Hector Herrera being 30-years-old.
Xolos duo Marcel Ruiz and Luis Gamiz, Pumas’ Erik Lira and Atlas’ Angel Marquez are all Mexican deep-lying midfielders with significant Liga MX experience aged 20 and below as Mexico have a generation of progressive midfield dynamos coming through. These players will be vying for a role at the Olympics next year with the more experienced Mexican midfielders at home and abroad. Organista has had a distinguished career at youth level as his dream since he was a toddler is to play with the Chivas first team as he is close to fulfilling that dream. He is a player that scouts should keep a close eye on as he fits the multi-faceted demands of a modern-day all-round midfield hub.
