‘I have felt very good with the team’: Why Atlas’ El Salvador star Brenda Cerén is one to watch closely – scout report

Ever since its inaugural season back in 2017, Liga MX Femenil has garnered a reputation as one of the fastest-developing leagues in the global women’s game, with it boasting an array of player talent and continually growing its fanbase as each year goes by.

Such is the quality on show each week and the overall competitiveness of the league, it has become a popular destination for those hoping to experience a new culture and to further develop their games, with American striker Mia Fishel turning down Orlando Pride in 2022 in favour of Tigres UANL Femenil, forward Sarah Luebbert making a permanent switch to Club América Femenil from Chicago Red Stars in December and Spain duo Andrea Pereira and Jennifer Hermoso opting to leave Barcelona Femení a year ago to join América and Pachuca Femenil respectively.

Clubs, too, have begun to recognise the rich resources that the division can offer, with Chelsea Women signing Fishel this summer to boost their attacking options and Bayern Munich Frauen signing a partnership deal with current Apertura leaders Tigres in January, allowing both to share training facilities and to work together for the good of the game.

However, it’s not only Europe and the USA who have conducted business with Liga MX, with other players from around the world showing a desire to sample its culture. One of those is El Salvador international Brenda Cerén, who is currently in her first campaign at Guadalajara-based Atlas Femenil but who has already shown her value to the team, and there is every reason to expect that she could attract admiring glances in the future, as this tactical analysis will show.

Attacking threat

As she plays primarily around the forward line, this scout report will begin by highlighting how Brenda Cerén operates inside the final third, both in terms of assisting her teammates to maintain a constant attacking threat and in creating problems for her opponents.

A key quality that any good attacker must have is being able to play with both feet, and there is a good reason for this as it makes players less predictable and therefore trickier to contain. Cerén has shown as the season has gone on that she can play with both feet and so possesses that unpredictable nature in her game, with her able to get into positions inside the pitch and then either drive towards the goal line or cut inside and test their luck with a shot on goal.

This situation highlights the effect that this has on opposing defenders, with Guadalajara Femenil’s Damaris Godínez trying to keep Cerén back here but not knowing which way to move, and that means that the Salvadoran forward will always have the advantage here as she can push off before Godínez can.