Pumas face new setback as Tony Leone suffers injury
Pumas defender Tony Leone has been sidelined by an ankle injury, adding to Esteban Solari's ongoing defensive personnel issues.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 / Author: Milton Martínez / Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México
The Pumas squad is dealing with another blow to their defensive lineup. Defender Tony Leone has been sidelined after suffering an ankle injury during the week. Head coach Esteban Solari confirmed the injury, though no specific timeline for his return was provided.
For Solari, the absence is particularly difficult as he had begun to rely on Leone to help stabilize a defensive unit that has struggled throughout the current tournament. The manager had recently been experimenting with a five-man backline to address these issues, with Leone playing an important role.
With Leone out, and Alvaro Angulo also expected to miss a couple more weeks, Solari was forced to shift to a four-man defense for the match against Necaxa. The starting unit featured Nathan Silva, Ruben Duarte, Rodrigo Lopez, and Cristian Calderon.
The team's depth is being severely tested, especially with Sebastian Cordova also unavailable. Solari must now adjust his tactics again as the team prepares for their upcoming challenge against Tijuana. Meanwhile, the club continues to work in the market, with the impending arrival of Cesar Huerta expected to bolster Solari's project.