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This season's Herediano will look a lot different than last season's.
The reigning Costa Rican Verano champion presented four of its key acquisitions on Tuesday, part of a restructuring with the start of the CONCACAF Champions League less than five weeks away.
Forward Yendrick Ruiz and midfielder Willy Eras from Puntarenas, and defender Derrick Johnson and midfielder Kendrick Pinnock from Limon were introduced as Herediano's lastest arrivals, the new hopes of the 22-time Costa Rican champion which shed several of its most prominent players since May.
Ruiz scored 13 goals in 36 games over the past year for Puntarenas, while Pinnock had one in 22 matches for Limon.
The newcomers will have to shore up a roster that has lost Brazilian forward Jorge Barbosa, who scored six goals last season in the Champions League and had another eight in helping the club to the Costa Rican Verano crown, Jose Cancela and Yosimar Arias, who transferred to fellow Champions League qualifier Municipal of Guatemala.
Other moves among Champions League-bound clubs included 33-year-old forward Alejandro Alpizar to Xelaju. Alpizar had played the past two years with Alajuelense, which this season will be making its second straight Champions League appearance and third overall.
Elsewhere, included six-time Salvadoran league champion Isidro Metapan acquired Panamanian striker Nicolas Munoz from fellow qualifier Aguila.
The 30-year-old Munoz scored 29 goals in 38 matches over the past year for Aguila, which will play in Group 1 with Santos Laguna and Toronto FC.
Metapan will need Munoz to replace 24-year-old Christian Bautista, who after being the team's second-leading scorer with 12 goals the past year has been loaned to Hakoa Amidar Ramat Gan of the Israeli second division.
El Salvador's other CCL entry, CD FAS, has acquired Jonathan Aguila from his namesake club. The 21-year-old striker has played professional since 2008 for Aguila, and also has served on the Salvadoran U-17, U-20 and U-23 sides.





