Who wants to take over for erstwhile Mexico coach Miguel Herrera? Presumably, lots of high-profile coaches — after all,
Just don’t punch anyone.
Of course, as with any national team coaching job,there’s an awful lot of downtime. Herrera, who became famous at the 2014 World Cup for his exuberant touchline displays, made himself quite busy by becoming a celebrity endorser-on-the-side.While some people had no problem with that, others certainly did. Accordingto ESPN’s Andrea Canales, this was one of the main criticisms that Christian Martinoli,
In any event, though the compensation and itsresidual benefits will likely agree with whoever replaces Herrera, there are some big items for prospective candidates to consider before saying yes to the Mexican soccer association (FMF).
Forstarters, job security: Mexico has been through six head coaches since the 2010 World Cup. It has been through a whopping 14 since 1999. By comparison, rival USA has been through three over the sameperiod. In the world of soccer, perhaps only English giant Chelsea has been through as many coaches in the last 15 years — and we’re talking about a national team here, not a club that has toperform in three to four different competitions every season.
Why so many? If you ask former Mexico coach Victor Manuel Vucetich, who lasted for exactly two games (one win, one loss)during El Tri’s chaotic World Cup qualifying campaign during which it went through four coaches, the project operates on a broken model. In other words, every Mexico coach is damned from thebeginning.
Unlike, say, the U.S. Soccer Federation giving Jurgen Klinsmann reign over all aspects of the U.S. men’s national team, Mexico’s next coach must adapt to thewhims and needs of the FMF: its benchmarks for success, the competitions it enters the team into, its sponsorship arrangements, the friendlies it organizes, etc. Then there’s the fact that mostof the program’s players play in the Liga MX, which has its own considerations, Vucetich notes.
“In my experience, the federation and the national team must work on a projectthat is supported by the [Liga MX] clubs,” the Queretaro coach tells ESPN, addingthat the lack of cohesion between the three programs results in the national team coach constantly having to balance a squad of seriously over-worked players.
“We have the Copa, the league,Concachampions, Libertadores, Gold Cup, Copa America,” he says, adding: “There is an entire world to program for so that they don’t get overtaxed and don’t get to the World Cup like they did [in2014]. The big players get exhausted and their performance is under what was expected due to being overworked.”
Indeed, some Mexican players play in extra competitions, whereas in the USA, thenational team does not usually play in the Copa America, and its MLS clubs do not (yet, anyway) play in the Copa Libertadores (South America’s top club championship). As any coach will tell you,players burn out when you over-burden them with so many commitments.
That said, they also need stability. A jumpy federation going through four different coaches in one month duringWorld Cup qualifying (as El Tri did in 2013), does not inspire confidence in players, or fans.
Withall of that in mind, is the FMF presiding over a system that unknowingly bites the nails of its own success? Perhaps, as Vucetich suggests, if it rethinks its infrastructure and operations, itwouldn’t have to go through so many coaches.
FMF would have been better advised to suspend Herrera for a time so that things could calm down. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is brought back in a month or two.
A head coach of any National Team that punches someone deserves to get fired, not suspended. That’s pretty simple. While the FMF may find itself in a predicament with no coach, kudos for making the correct decision……..
I agree with Kenneth Barr. From what I saw repeatedly and then also heard on tv, especially the Mexican channels, the journalist repeatedly ragged on el Piojo, to the point that even my nephew in Mexico City (an ardent Club America and Piojo fan) said that the reporter went too far in aiming some of his commentary at the family. Then, one must beg to ask, just how far is a reporter or anyone else with a channel and means to spread his/her commentary go before one crosses the line? Granted, freedom of expression and the press is at the very pinnacle of a society, but then again, as the old saying goes, does this give one the right to yell fire in a crowded theater? And lastly, and very interestingly, that there was/is no footage from TSA or TSA-reports about the incident, and even that cell phone “tape” really doesn’t show the incident per se. Sadly though, El Piojo’s reputation finally caught up to him….
I don’t think they can “Take It” back at this stage… Should have suspended him,… For Next couple of games…Over Reaction, to The Over-Reactor..
Unfortunately it is always the Retaliation, about the Family that gets you… Ask Zidane…