Unión Magdalena was close to reaching the final of the BetPlay 2024 Tournament – it came in second position in group B, only behind Llaneros. After not achieving the goal of the semester, Alberto Mario Garzón, president of the Samario club, The management began to create a sports project that returns the team to the first division of Colombian professional soccer.
In a chat with Caracol Radio’s El Alargue, Garzón confirmed the arrival of Jorge Luis Pinto and spoke about the club’s first movements in the transfer market.“Professor Pinto was here in Santa Marta a few days ago, he returns to the city on Friday and we will design the entire planning strategy for the next championship. We reached an agreement with him, he chose his physical trainer and we are waiting for the technical assistant and we are looking for players to strengthen the team,” the leader mentioned.
Regarding Gustavo Torres, who played last semester with Once Caldas, the president of Unión acknowledged that there was interest, but that Pinto has not yet mentioned it in his sports plan. Lucas Ríos, Cúcuta Deportivo midfielder, was also ruled out by Garzón.
How did they convince Pinto?: “Professor Pinto has been a lifelong friend of Unión Magdalena, he was a physical trainer, he was the technical director of the reserve and he started his career here in Santa Marta. He is a very dear person and has always been in contact with the team owners, there is affection for the city and for Unión Magdalena. We are happy that he gives us a hand, that he has accepted this proposal, it is a challenge that he has proposed to take this team and take it to the first category, from where he should never have left.”
Possible positions to reinforce: “Professor Pinto is thinking about a 10, a center back, a mixed midfielder. He is making inquiries with his friends in Uruguay, in Argentina, about the possibilities in Colombian soccer. He has stated that he is going to select the best human elements to give us what we need.”
Work in minor divisions: “The minor divisions are being worked on. We have a group of boys that promises a lot, we have to work harder in the minor divisions. The professional team is young, but mature and committed. With the reinforcement that we bring, it will be better and we will try to obtain the result, which is to return to the first division.”
The blow of not reaching the final: “We were hurt, frustrated because we couldn’t qualify for the final, we did a task of great effort, there were many problems in the development of the semester, we were victims of illegal bets, we were able to recover from the situation, the team showed and worked, but things didn’t happen. The terrible refereeing hurt us, they did not miss an offside and this illegitimate goal took us out of the competition. “Very happy with the work that Professor Álvaro Hernández did, he did an important job, we were on good terms with him and with the doors open.”
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