Scout Report: Omar Campos

Omar Campos is one of the hottest U-23 prospects in Liga MX right now who plays as a left-back for Santos Laguna. 20-year-old Campos is 5'9", 143 lbs. and has been called up to the Mexico National Team in December 2021 but is yet to make his debut. Campos has been a part of Santos Laguna since 2016 in their academy set up and has been a mainstay in the starting XI in the past two seasons, holding down the left-back spot.

Campos' Opta Profile via FBRef

Campos' Smarterscout Profile

In Possession (Attack):

Campos is a very attacking minded left-back whose strengths lie in this phase of the game. When looking on his Smarterscout profile comparing him to other LBs in Liga MX between 2021 and 2023, Campos’ consistently scores higher in attacking metrics with a 97 in dribbling, 70 in shooting, 67 for receiving in the box and 63 in overall attacking output. The advanced Opta metrics from FBRef.com for Liga MX tell a similar story with the attacking data for Campos for example seen by:

· 2.63 dribbles attempted per 90 (88th percentile)

· 1.42 fouls drawn per 90 (80th percentile)

· 0.12 xAG (Expected Goals Assisted) per 90 (86th percentile)

· 2.95 crosses per 90 (68th percentile)

· 0.12 assists per 90 (72nd percentile)

· 2.14 shot-creating actions per 90 (62nd percentile)

Based on the data, as mentioned, Campos is a very direct and attack minded left-back who is a threat on the ball through this dribbling and shot creating actions which produce a strong number of expected goals assisted mainly through crosses. Video of Omar Campos clearly demonstrates these trends and strengths as well as Campos, although not extremely rapid but definitely not slow, can often be seen bursting down the left flank for Santos Laguna, taking on his marker and looking to cross the ball into the penalty area. What is important to note is that alongside his high crossing volume, his xAG and assists are also relatively high which is an indication of high quality shot creation (eg. Crossing). Based on video, what makes Campos’ crossing so dangerous is his tendency to execute low crosses at a high pace which are difficult to deal with alongside his ability and tendency to carry the ball to the byline and play a cutback into the box which is also very difficult to deal with for defenders.

Out of Possession (Defense):

Campos is a hardworking player both in attack and defense although his strengths lie mainly in attack. That said, Campos is still definitely a solid above-average left-back in Liga MX on the defensive said of the game. He is strong in the air for a left-back with a Smarterscout score of 59 and falling in the 60th percentile for aerials won with an aerial duel win rate of 53.35%, according to Opta via FBRef.com. Smarterscout gives Campos a defending quantity score of 50, and 47 for the quality of his defensive actions. Looking at his defensive actions in more detail, his strengths more lie in his ability to intercept the ball and clear it versus breaking up opposition play and tackling. He makes 1.4 interceptions per 90 and 2.34 clearances per 90, falling into the 63rd and 66th percentile respectively. Campos is still above-average as mentioned when it comes to his tackling ability winning 1.23 tackles per 90 (58th percentile) and winning 63.4% of tackles versus dribblers (76th percentile) suggesting that he is a good one v one defender. What the video shows that the data doesn’t regarding Campos’ defending is his work-rate and ability to closing opponents quickly and effectively giving them little time and space, which adds to the narrative that Campos is a strong one v one defender. So according to the data, Campos not being in a higher percentile for tackling, could even be a result of his closing down being effective enough that the need and opportunity to make a clear tackle is not consistently present as the opposition is either forced back, dispossessed by a teammate of Campos or makes an error and turns over the ball.

Similar Players:

Based on data from FBRef and Smarterscout, in other leagues such as La Liga, the Premier League, MLS and Serie A, similar players who Omar Campos could be compared to are:

· Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma)

· Yuri Berchiche (Athletic Bilbao)

· DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution)

· Rico Henry (Brentford)

Overall Summary:

Omar Campos is a young left-back with a promising future with potential to develop into a starting left-back for many clubs in Europe and the Mexico National Team. His work rate, attacking tendencies and abilities make Campos more suited to play as a wing-back in back 3 or back 5 system which would allow Campos to play to his strengths. That said, he has consistently been playing in a 4 man defense at Santos Laguna mainly in systems such as a 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1. Campos is a threatening left-back due to his high-quality shot creation through crosses and his dribbling. Although defending is not his strength, he is not a bad defender being an above average in Liga MX over the past 2 years due to his ability to close down opposition, intercept the ball and win one v one duels. The future is bright for Campos and he just could be one of the next players to cross the Atlantic from Liga MX and be a consistent player in the set up for El Tri looking towards 2026.