Club Sporting Cristal had a common problem: cutting through the market buzz to find the right deal for their in-demand player.

The top-flight side in Peru were aware that clubs in North America were interested in winger Washington Corozo and the Ecuador international was keen on a move to the MLS or Mexico.

But Sporting Cristal did not have the contacts or relationships in those leagues to find out which specific clubs were genuinely looking for a player of Corozo’s type. 

And the Lima-based side knew from experience that ringing up clubs one by one, or relying on intermediaries to test the market, would be time-consuming and probably lead to a limited range of options.

Sporting Cristal Chief Scout Guido Bravo explained: “In the past, maybe we would have 10 calls with the club and another 10 calls with the player’s agent, and even then you don’t know what’s happening in between. 

“It’s never very transparent, and it takes time.”

How to test the market without a local network

Corozo had previously enjoyed a successful loan spell at Pumas UNAM in Liga MX.

But Sporting Cristal needed to make the player’s availability known quickly to as wide a selection of clubs

as possible in Mexico and the USA.

Bravo added: “They were attractive leagues for him and for us, because as Sporting Cristal we are used to selling players there and seeing them develop.”

TransferRoom’s Plus Pitch feature, which allows recruitment staff clubs to pitch their player directly to up to 20 clubs, was the solution.

Bravo said: “The Plus Pitch really helps because even without knowing what the other club is looking for, you can present them with some opportunities.

“Clubs sometimes don't know they're looking for that opportunity until it’s presented to them.  It’s the best way to make lots of clubs aware in a direct way of a player’s availability.”

Deal done in less than a week

Sporting Cristal Plus-Pitched Corozo to 20 clubs in MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX - and things moved fast.

Bravo said: “Within two days, Austin FC sent me a message. One day later we had a video call. One more day and we had an offer.

“It was the quickest deal we’d done in years because the communication was from club to club.

“When Austin FC wanted to know about the player’s conditions, I gave them his agent’s number and they talked one or two times.  Then they put the numbers down on paper and that was it. It was all very, very fast.”

Less than a week after the initial Plus Pitch, Sporting Cristal announced Corozo was moving to Austin on a six-month loan deal.

Plus Pitch gives you greater global reach

The success with Plus Pitch convinced Sporting Cristal that TransferRoom could help them build a real presence in the American and Mexican markets and give Peruvian players a springboard to develop their careers further afield.

Bravo said: “We have transferred, as a country, a lot of players to MLS and Mexico and they have developed very well. 

“So we are trying to have more opportunities for that because we know they are very good leagues that can catapult our players to other countries also.”

Sporting Cristal went from having no way of finding the right club for Corozo to sealing a transcontinental deal in less than seven days.

Plus Pitch gave them a direct route to clubs and their decision-makers in their target markets, saving them time, money and aggravation.

Watch Bravo's interview at the 2022 TransferRoom Summit - Deal Day below.