Ascendent Santos Laguna, Uruguay star Lozano taking it step by step

For Brian Lozano it all makes sense. Things go in order.

The Santos Laguna star does his best to help the team. The team does well, he does well and it's on to the next step. At least, that's what he says ahead of the start of the Liga MX playoffs, with Santos Laguna preparing to face Monterrey in Thursday's first leg and at home in the return leg Sunday. 

"I think the key to have a good individual showing is the team. The team comes into the playoffs in really good form, and that lets an individual stand out a little more at times, but the most important thing is always looking out for the collective group," Lozano told Goal on Monday. 

"I also have to say that the coaching staff has helped me out a ton and helped me get better in a lot of aspects. I think you learn from listening and from there you get better. That’s been the key for how I’m feeling today."

Lozano says he's in the best form of his life, and it's easy to see why. The 25-year-old scored nine goals in an Apertura campaign that saw Santos Laguna finish atop the regular-season table, four points ahead of Leon.

His form has drawn attention not only in Mexico but also in his native Uruguay. Longtime Celeste manager Oscar Washington Tabarez brought Lozano into the national team for the first time since 2015 and has given Lozano starts in four of Uruguay's last six matches. That included being part of the XI in each of Uruguay's November friendly matches, in which the South American side beat Hungary and drew with rival Argentina.

His 2015 cameos came as Lozano's star was on the rise and success in Mexico seemed imminent. After standing out in the Pan-American games with Uruguay and in the Copa Sudamericana with Defensor Sporting, Lozano was signed by Club America. Chances were few and far between, however, with Lozano making just one league start for the Aguilas and ending up going on loan back to his native country with Nacional.

His second spell in Mexico has been much more successful, with Lozano lifting a Liga MX trophy with Santos Laguna in the 2018 Clausura and looking for a second this year. After falling off the course a bit, the Montevideo native says he's back on track.

The Argentina match was a good example of Lozano's progress, with the left winger playing a key role in the Uruguyans' first goal. Federico Valverde spotted Lozano in space and switched the field, but the winger had to run down the bouncing ball. He kept it in and then he paused, keeping the ball on his feet as attackers dashed into position. From there, he picked out Lucas Torreira at the top of the box, whose ball for Luis Suarez allowed the Barcelona star to square and Edison Cavani to tap in.

"For me, it’s a dream. It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time, but I couldn’t get ahead of myself," Lozano said of his Uruguay return. "If I wanted to get back to the national team, I had to do things well with my club and think when the whole base of the team is doing well, the individual can make a jump forward."

Jack Guez

Part of that leap was feeling comfortable with his club, and the arrival of manager Guillermo Almada and midfielder Fernando Gorriaran this summer didn't hurt. Both Uruguayans, Lozano had plenty in common culturally with the new additions. 

That trio, plus forward Octavio Rivero, have added a distinctly Uruguayan flavor to Santos this season, and Lozano says the respect the small country has garnered in the soccer world commands attention, especially when Almada speaks.

"We all know Uruguayan players have a good character when it’s time to play. The manager has that strong character as well, honestly, and he transmits a lot of good things to us," Lozano said. "It’s in his own way, but he’s always telling us good things and the team is always buying in to doing what he asks."

He must be asking for goals. Santos found the back of the net 40 times in the regular season, doubling up five clubs' goal totals. Los Guerreros are now preparing for a two-legged series against a tough Monterrey squad.

Lozano says the Superlider label, which some in Mexico view as a curse after a series of first-round playoff exits by top teams in the regular season, doesn't come with any added pressure. That said, he's not expecting an easy time in the postseason, where each team will give Santos its best shot with a trophy only three series wins away.

"We can’t get overconfident or underestimate any opponent," he said. "We know that everyone is strong and if we just keep doing what we’ve done all tournament, be concentrated, that can make the difference and we can get [Santos' seventh title], but right now we’ve got a really important game in Monterrey and after that it’ll be a tough opponent if we’re able to get through."

Just like everything else for Lozano, it's about going step by step.