Diego Cocca has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the Mexico national team. The move comes just several days after Mexico suffered a heavy 3-0 loss to the USMNT in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Cocca, who replaced Gerardo “Tata” Martino in February, is out after only spending seven games in charge. His stint included three wins, three draws, and one loss.

Mexican Football Federation (FMF) confirmed that Jaime Lozano will take over the national team on an interim basis. Lozano will lead the team at the upcoming 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is set to start later this week.

FMF president Juan Carlos Rodriguez told reporters on Monday that Cocca didn’t lose his job because of the loss to USMNT but because of how poorly his team looked in past matches. 

“The natural thing to do would be to wait for the end of the Gold Cup, but today we don’t have time to waste, so I’m letting you know that I’ve taken the decision to terminate the contracts of Diego Martin Cocca and his staff,” Rodriguez said.

Diego Cocca managed more than a dozen clubs across Mexico, Argentina, and Ecuador before being hired to coach the national team. He came with strong credentials and a track of success in recent years that included two Liga MX titles with Atlas in 2021, and 2022 and Liga MX Best Manager honors in 2021–22.

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Mexico is set to appoint Diego Cocca as the new coach of the men’s national football team, sources confirmed on Wednesday. An announcement by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) is expected to be made on Thursday.

FMF has been engaged in talks with Mexican Liga MX club Tigres over the hiring of Cocca in an agreement that would see the Argentinian coach leave for free if the national team signed him. Cocca was appointed Tigres’ head coach in November.

Cocca became the FMF’s preferred candidate for the role after undergoing interviews with Mexico national teams executive director Rodrigo Ares de Parga, sporting director Jaime Ordiales, and a newly-formed Liga MX committee. Following this hiring process, he was selected over Pachuca’s Guillermo Almada for the role. Other candidates who were previously considered include Marcelo Bielsa, Miguel “Piojo” Herrera, and Guillermo Almada.

The Argentinian manager has previously coached clubs in his home nation of Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, where he won the 2021 Apertura Liga MX title with Atlas before winning the 2022 Clausura Liga MX title the following season.

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Mexico is eliminated from the 2022 World Cup after finishing third in Group C. As a result, Gerardo’ Tata’ Martino is leaving his job as the head coach of the national team.

Mexico entered the final match of the group stage, needing a convincing win over Saudi Arabia to advance to the knockout stage. They managed to win 2-1, but that still wasn’t enough to move to the second spot in the group. Poland finished with the same number of points after a 2-0 loss to Argentina but got through thanks to a better goal difference.

The group stage exit is a disaster for the Mexico national team, considering they have reached the Round of 16 in the past seven World Cups. The last time the country participated in the World Cup and didn’t make it out of the group stage was in 1978.

“I am the first responsible for this terrible disappointment and frustration that we have,” Martino said after the game. “As the person in charge, it causes a lot of sadness, I fully assume responsibility for this great failure.”

Gerardo’ Tata’ Martino took over Mexico’s national team in 2019 after a successful stint with MLS side Atlanta United. He posted a managerial record of 42 wins, 12 draws, and 12 losses as Mexico’s head coach while winning CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2019 and finishing runner-up during the 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League.

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Mexico’s head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino has decided to include Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez as part of his 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup despite the player’s recent recovery from injury. This list was cut down from an initial 31-player list that was announced earlier this month.

Sevilla’s Jesus “Tecatito” Corona was unable to be included in the final roster after it was determined that he would be unable to recover from a fractured fibula in time for the World Cup. Also excluded from the final squad list are Erick Sanchez, Jesus Angulo, Diego Lainez, and Santiago Gimenez.

Gimenez’s absence has been viewed as highly controversial as the player is currently the joint-top scorer in the Europa League. With regards to Gimenez’s exclusion, Martino commented that “sometimes, you have to look beyond the goals,” adding that the player has had few minutes this season.

The exclusion of Lainez has also raised eyebrows, considering the impact that the left-winger had on Mexico’s World Cup qualifying results. In terms of club football, however, Lainez has lacked minutes on the field.

Mexico will play Sweden in a friendly on November 16 before heading to Qatar, where their opening group stage game will be against Poland on November 22.

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FIFA announced on Monday that it has given Julian Araujo the all-clear to switch his national team eligibility from the United States to Mexico. The LA Galaxy defender made his only appearance for the U.S. national team last December, playing at the position of right-back during a 6-0 thumping of El Salvador.

Born in Lompoc, California, Araujo represented the United States at several age-group levels up until the under-23 national team. This includes an appearance for the under-23 American team against Mexico during their Tokyo Olympics qualification game in March 2021.

After winning the match 1-0, Mexico went on to win the bronze medal at the Olympic competition.

Due to being a dual national with Mexican family ties, Araujo was eligible to switch national teams according to FIFA regulations. He was yet to appear in a competitive game for the United States Men’s National Team.

The Mexico national team is currently at the top of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers standings, with five wins and two draws in seven games. Mexico is next set to face Canada on October 8 before taking on Honduras and El Salvador on October 11 and 14 respectively.

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Inter Miami’s attacking midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro recently received a call-up for Mexico national team, getting an opportunity to add to his 25 appearances for his native country. This, however, didn’t sit well with the MLS side.

If Pizarro accepts the call, he will miss up to two-thirds of Inter’s remaining nine regular-season games due to travels and required quarantine on his return. And with the club still in play to make the Finals series playoffs, the absence of the 26-year-old midfielder would seriously hurt their chances to get there.

“We have made it very clear that we want Rodolfo to stay with us,” Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso told reporters on Thursday. “We are in conversations with MLS and FIFA to try to reach a resolution. It is a difficult situation for Rodolfo because he wants to play for his national team, but also wants to help our team.”

According to Alonso, Miami will let Pizarro leave if forced, but they remain hopeful that the player will choose the team over the national side. 

“If we are obligated to release him to the national team, we will, but if we don’t have to, we won’t,” he added. “There are good reasons for him to stay with us. He will respect whatever decision is made.”

Mexico is scheduled to play two games early this month, facing Netherlands and Algeria. However, both contests are friendly games, which makes the result not so crucial. This is one of the reasons why Rodolfo Pizarro might sit this gathering out.

After getting used to MLS, Pizzaro emerged as an important player for Inter Miami in the recent period. In 12 games he played in 2020, he scored three goals while adding four assists. 

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According to ESPN, Atlanta United’s head coach Gerardo Martino is leaving MLS at the end of 2018 in order to coach Mexico national soccer team. Martino was heavily linked with this job in the past month, and reportedly two sides have now come to a verbal agreement about the terms of the contract.

Due to his contractual obligations to Atlanta, Martino will be able to sign a deal and take over Mexico in December, once the current MLS season wraps up. In case that the 55-year-old changes his mind until then, Mexican Football Federation identified Club America coach Miguel Herrera as their backup option.

Mexico reportedly sees Gerardo Martino, who previously coached Barcelona and Argentina national team, as a long-term solution on the position after Juan Carlos Osorio resigned in July 2018. Martino is also interested in having long-term job security and would be looking forward to working with Mexico’s exciting group of young talented players that includes PSV’s Hirving Lozano and LA Galaxy’s Efrain Alvarez.

Even though there is interest on both sided, Martino declined to discuss reports that he is linked with the vacant position of Mexico’s coach.

“Nothing to say,” – said Martino on Friday. “I don’t have to clarify things that I haven’t said. This is always the same thing. Whenever there is some news, we will be sure to tell you. Until then, nothing has changed since the last time we spoke.”

Gerardo Martino took over Atlanta United in September 2016 for the team’s inaugural season in MLS. He managed to take the team to the third position in Eastern Conference and reach the MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout Round. This season Atlanta is first in the conference and is one of the main favorites to take the 2018 MLS Cup.

Martino’s record in MLS is 63 wins, 31 draws and 17 defeats.

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Diego Cocca has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the Mexico national team. The move comes just several days after Mexico suffered a heavy 3-0 loss to the USMNT in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Cocca, who replaced Gerardo “Tata” Martino in February, is out after only spending seven games in charge. His stint included three wins, three draws, and one loss.

Mexican Football Federation (FMF) confirmed that Jaime Lozano will take over the national team on an interim basis. Lozano will lead the team at the upcoming 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is set to start later this week.

FMF president Juan Carlos Rodriguez told reporters on Monday that Cocca didn’t lose his job because of the loss to USMNT but because of how poorly his team looked in past matches. 

“The natural thing to do would be to wait for the end of the Gold Cup, but today we don’t have time to waste, so I’m letting you know that I’ve taken the decision to terminate the contracts of Diego Martin Cocca and his staff,” Rodriguez said.

Diego Cocca managed more than a dozen clubs across Mexico, Argentina, and Ecuador before being hired to coach the national team. He came with strong credentials and a track of success in recent years that included two Liga MX titles with Atlas in 2021, and 2022 and Liga MX Best Manager honors in 2021–22.

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Mexico is set to appoint Diego Cocca as the new coach of the men’s national football team, sources confirmed on Wednesday. An announcement by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) is expected to be made on Thursday.

FMF has been engaged in talks with Mexican Liga MX club Tigres over the hiring of Cocca in an agreement that would see the Argentinian coach leave for free if the national team signed him. Cocca was appointed Tigres’ head coach in November.

Cocca became the FMF’s preferred candidate for the role after undergoing interviews with Mexico national teams executive director Rodrigo Ares de Parga, sporting director Jaime Ordiales, and a newly-formed Liga MX committee. Following this hiring process, he was selected over Pachuca’s Guillermo Almada for the role. Other candidates who were previously considered include Marcelo Bielsa, Miguel “Piojo” Herrera, and Guillermo Almada.

The Argentinian manager has previously coached clubs in his home nation of Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, where he won the 2021 Apertura Liga MX title with Atlas before winning the 2022 Clausura Liga MX title the following season.

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Mexico is eliminated from the 2022 World Cup after finishing third in Group C. As a result, Gerardo’ Tata’ Martino is leaving his job as the head coach of the national team.

Mexico entered the final match of the group stage, needing a convincing win over Saudi Arabia to advance to the knockout stage. They managed to win 2-1, but that still wasn’t enough to move to the second spot in the group. Poland finished with the same number of points after a 2-0 loss to Argentina but got through thanks to a better goal difference.

The group stage exit is a disaster for the Mexico national team, considering they have reached the Round of 16 in the past seven World Cups. The last time the country participated in the World Cup and didn’t make it out of the group stage was in 1978.

“I am the first responsible for this terrible disappointment and frustration that we have,” Martino said after the game. “As the person in charge, it causes a lot of sadness, I fully assume responsibility for this great failure.”

Gerardo’ Tata’ Martino took over Mexico’s national team in 2019 after a successful stint with MLS side Atlanta United. He posted a managerial record of 42 wins, 12 draws, and 12 losses as Mexico’s head coach while winning CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2019 and finishing runner-up during the 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League.

The post Gerardo “Tata” Martino Out as Mexico’s Head Coach After World Cup Elimination appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Mexico’s head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino has decided to include Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez as part of his 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup despite the player’s recent recovery from injury. This list was cut down from an initial 31-player list that was announced earlier this month.

Sevilla’s Jesus “Tecatito” Corona was unable to be included in the final roster after it was determined that he would be unable to recover from a fractured fibula in time for the World Cup. Also excluded from the final squad list are Erick Sanchez, Jesus Angulo, Diego Lainez, and Santiago Gimenez.

Gimenez’s absence has been viewed as highly controversial as the player is currently the joint-top scorer in the Europa League. With regards to Gimenez’s exclusion, Martino commented that “sometimes, you have to look beyond the goals,” adding that the player has had few minutes this season.

The exclusion of Lainez has also raised eyebrows, considering the impact that the left-winger had on Mexico’s World Cup qualifying results. In terms of club football, however, Lainez has lacked minutes on the field.

Mexico will play Sweden in a friendly on November 16 before heading to Qatar, where their opening group stage game will be against Poland on November 22.

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FIFA announced on Monday that it has given Julian Araujo the all-clear to switch his national team eligibility from the United States to Mexico. The LA Galaxy defender made his only appearance for the U.S. national team last December, playing at the position of right-back during a 6-0 thumping of El Salvador.

Born in Lompoc, California, Araujo represented the United States at several age-group levels up until the under-23 national team. This includes an appearance for the under-23 American team against Mexico during their Tokyo Olympics qualification game in March 2021.

After winning the match 1-0, Mexico went on to win the bronze medal at the Olympic competition.

Due to being a dual national with Mexican family ties, Araujo was eligible to switch national teams according to FIFA regulations. He was yet to appear in a competitive game for the United States Men’s National Team.

The Mexico national team is currently at the top of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers standings, with five wins and two draws in seven games. Mexico is next set to face Canada on October 8 before taking on Honduras and El Salvador on October 11 and 14 respectively.

The post FIFA Approved Julian Araujo Switch From USA to Mexico appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Inter Miami’s attacking midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro recently received a call-up for Mexico national team, getting an opportunity to add to his 25 appearances for his native country. This, however, didn’t sit well with the MLS side.

If Pizarro accepts the call, he will miss up to two-thirds of Inter’s remaining nine regular-season games due to travels and required quarantine on his return. And with the club still in play to make the Finals series playoffs, the absence of the 26-year-old midfielder would seriously hurt their chances to get there.

“We have made it very clear that we want Rodolfo to stay with us,” Inter Miami coach Diego Alonso told reporters on Thursday. “We are in conversations with MLS and FIFA to try to reach a resolution. It is a difficult situation for Rodolfo because he wants to play for his national team, but also wants to help our team.”

According to Alonso, Miami will let Pizarro leave if forced, but they remain hopeful that the player will choose the team over the national side. 

“If we are obligated to release him to the national team, we will, but if we don’t have to, we won’t,” he added. “There are good reasons for him to stay with us. He will respect whatever decision is made.”

Mexico is scheduled to play two games early this month, facing Netherlands and Algeria. However, both contests are friendly games, which makes the result not so crucial. This is one of the reasons why Rodolfo Pizarro might sit this gathering out.

After getting used to MLS, Pizzaro emerged as an important player for Inter Miami in the recent period. In 12 games he played in 2020, he scored three goals while adding four assists. 

The post Inter Miami Wants Rodolfo Pizarro to Turn down Mexico Call-Up appeared first on SportzBonanza.

According to ESPN, Atlanta United’s head coach Gerardo Martino is leaving MLS at the end of 2018 in order to coach Mexico national soccer team. Martino was heavily linked with this job in the past month, and reportedly two sides have now come to a verbal agreement about the terms of the contract.

Due to his contractual obligations to Atlanta, Martino will be able to sign a deal and take over Mexico in December, once the current MLS season wraps up. In case that the 55-year-old changes his mind until then, Mexican Football Federation identified Club America coach Miguel Herrera as their backup option.

Mexico reportedly sees Gerardo Martino, who previously coached Barcelona and Argentina national team, as a long-term solution on the position after Juan Carlos Osorio resigned in July 2018. Martino is also interested in having long-term job security and would be looking forward to working with Mexico’s exciting group of young talented players that includes PSV’s Hirving Lozano and LA Galaxy’s Efrain Alvarez.

Even though there is interest on both sided, Martino declined to discuss reports that he is linked with the vacant position of Mexico’s coach.

“Nothing to say,” – said Martino on Friday. “I don’t have to clarify things that I haven’t said. This is always the same thing. Whenever there is some news, we will be sure to tell you. Until then, nothing has changed since the last time we spoke.”

Gerardo Martino took over Atlanta United in September 2016 for the team’s inaugural season in MLS. He managed to take the team to the third position in Eastern Conference and reach the MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout Round. This season Atlanta is first in the conference and is one of the main favorites to take the 2018 MLS Cup.

Martino’s record in MLS is 63 wins, 31 draws and 17 defeats.

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