In step with the Concacaf Legends series, FloFC is also running features on up-and-coming Concacaf stars under 22 years old.

Veracruz of Mexico’s Liga MX have thoroughly struggled to put a competitive team on the field over the last couple of years, and there’s been no shortage of drama surrounding the club as the losses have accumulated. The 2018-19 Clausura (closing) tournament ended with them failing to win a single match in 17 tries, good for dead last and 11 points back of the closest competitor.

Nevertheless, Los Tiburones Rojos (the Red Sharks) are once again competing in the top division due to a new league rule that allows teams to pay a fine of roughly $6.3 million to avoid relegation. To make matters worse, there were reports that Veracruz wouldn’t even be able to start the new season in July because of unpaid players’ wages.

Amid all the turmoil of late, 21-year-old Sebastián Jurado has provided plenty of certainty between the sticks over the last eight and a half months. Born in Veracruz on September 28, 1997, the hometown kid joined the team’s youth academy in 2013 and rose through the ranks before earning his senior debut on November 9 of last year in a 2-2 draw against Querétaro. He started the subsequent fixture – the last of Veracruz’s 2018 Apertura (opening) season– against Club América in a 4-1 loss. 

Now with one full campaign under his belt, he has quickly established himself as one of Mexico’s brightest young talents.

Suiting up for one of the worst teams in Mexico’s top flight is a bit of a doubled-edged sword. His statistics may suffer in some areas, but it does allow him to rack up the stops in front of goal and showcase his talents when his back line is constantly under siege. 

Case in point: Jurado finished with the most goals conceded while topping the league with 72 saves. From aerial wins to quick recoveries and double saves, his highlight reel is chock-full of timely stops to keep his side in games, or at least within striking distance.

Jurado proved he was ready for the big stage early in 2019 with a pair of standout performances against two of the giants of Liga MX. He faced six attempts on target and recorded a shutout in an impressive 0-0 draw against Chivas, before keeping Tigres at bay with seven saves until the dam finally broke in the 87th minute. Standing at just over 6-0 tall, he has demonstrated keen instincts and reactions and has been able to come up with stops time and time again in one-on-one situations. 

The 21-year-old was able to pull off this tremendous trailing leg save while preserving a 1-1 draw with Cruz Azul back in February.

Mexican goalkeeper Sebastián Jurado with one of the best saves you will see all weekend!

He also got a boot to the head for his troubles...pic.twitter.com/vQQMgeW8SA

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— EndaStory #FM19 (@EndaStoryFM) February 23, 2019

The Sharks were thrilled to announce they had signed their rising young star to a three-year extension on April 3, as Jurado maintained that he is very content to stay in Veracruz for the time being. He earned his debut for El Tri with the U23 side for their training camp in February, and he was then called up to the U22 team in March for their friendlies against Scotland and Northern Ireland. Jurado got the start in the first match and made way for Club Atlas’ José Hernández in the second half as the two keepers combined for a shutout.

The Touloun Tournament in France gave the young keeper another chance replicate his club performances on the international level. Surprisingly, Jurado was kept on the bench in favor of Hernández throughout the group stage and knockout round, but he was handed the start for the team’s final appearance in the third-place match against Ireland. It ended in a scoreless draw and El Tri’s shot stopper was the hero as he got a hand to four spot kicks and managed to keep out two to lead Mexico to their best result at the competition since 1997.

These were the 2 saves by Sebastián Jurado in the penalty shootout to help Mexico win third place at the Toulon. pic.twitter.com/eT4ePq9Hzr

— Mex Nex Gen ?? (@MexNexGen) June 15, 2019

The upcoming Nations League matches and 2020 Tokyo Olympics are perfect opportunities for Jurado to continue developing at the national team level. Guillermo Ochoa recently showed that he has no plans of stopping anytime soon, but Mexico just might have a quality replacement on their hands once Ochoa finally hangs up his gloves. They would do well to give him increased chances in training camps and meaningful games sooner rather than later.

Vercruz once again have an uphill battle following the kickoff of the 2019-20 Apertura, which they began by recording a 3-3 draw with Pachuca. The Red Sharks will be hoping Jurado can play a big role in their efforts to punch above their weight before he likely moves onto a much bigger club at some point in the not-too-distance future.