Jorge Villafana on the training pitch as a member of Santos Laguna
Following a season in which he helped the Portland Timbers win the MLS Cup, and was named 2015 Cascadia Corner Player of the Year, Jorge Villafana is midst of preparing for his new role with Santos Laguna in Mexico’s Liga MX.
Villafana recently shared his thoughts on his new challenges and his transition following training on Saturday:
“There’s always a process to adapt. You try to do it as quickly as possible to mesh with the group and this group has time together; they already have their dynamics, and they know one another, so what I’m doing is getting to know them and give my maximum effort.”
Villafana describes head coach Luis Zubeldía as “intense” saying, “He likes to give more than one hundred (percent), so we will always be there giving a hundred percent.”
When asked what he hopes to achieve this season, Villafana responds simply:
“I want to contribute to the group, personally play and get minutes, achieve great things, get to the playoffs, and win a championship.”
In other words, the six-digit transfer fee has not changed anything for one of the most dedicated fullbacks ever to play the position for the MLS incarnation of the Timbers.
Villafana expects to play Sunday against. Celaya. Future preseason matches include Correcaminos on Wednesday, December 30 and Rayados (of Monterrey) on Saturday, January 2.
Santos Laguna came into the Clausura as the defending champions, having won their 5th title. The team however failed to come together yielding a 17th place finish.
The Clausura 2016 regular season will kick off on January 8th, when Querétaro hosts Atlas.
