José de Jesús Corona will leave Cruz Azul at the end of the season thanks to Juan Reynoso

Even if Cruz Azul lost on their visit to Pumas for the first leg of the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League by 2-1, La Máquina still has chances to play the final against an MLS team, as they have a vast roster with enough key players.

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They are also still in the fight to avoid Repechaje and accessing directly Liguilla, as they currently stand 4 in Clausura 2022 after 12 rounds, just below Tigres, CF Pachuca and Club Puebla, who seem to be ending the season as the top three.

La Máquina has won two of the last five games they’ve played in Liga MX and will face Mazatlán this weekend, although it’s yet to be seen if Juan Reynoso keeps Sebastián Jurado as the starting goalkeeper or if José de Jesús Corona will return to the starting XI.

“Chuy” Corona has missed the last five games of Cruz Azul after he got injured during the warm-ups on La Máquina’s visit to CF Montréal in the quarterfinals of the CCL, and even if he already trained with his teammates during the week, Reynoso could be keeping him in the bench.

Why won’t Reynoso start Corona?

According to reports from sports journalist Juan Carlos Zúñiga, “Chuy” Corona has received a few offers from MLS teams to join them after Clausura 2022 is over, something he’s considering as he knows he’s on his last couple of years as a professional player.

Corona knows that it’s time to prioritize his family and that he can have a salary increase playing the last part of his career in the MLS than in Liga MX, and Juan Reynoso, who is aware of his possible departure, has said to Corona that he’ll back his decision up, whatever it is.

That’s why Reynoso has given Jurado more opportunities, as he knows of the talent that the 24-year-old has, but the lack of regularity has diminished his confidence, something that has been evident in his recent performances, as he was involved in several mistakes.

If Corona leaves, will Cruz Azul add another goalkeeper?

For now, neither Juan Reynoso nor Cruz Azul management have showed any signs of looking for a replacement for Jurado if “Chuy” Corona decides to leave at the end of the season. But reports from Guadalajara suggest that the renewal of Camilo Vargas with Atlas was just to sell him at a higher price, and Cruz Azul is the team with more possibilities to acquire him.

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