Breaking the Liga MX Dinosaur Coach Carousel: The Prospects
Liga MX is known for a few things, some good, some bad, but if you’ve been keeping up with the ETO Podcast, you’ll know that a significant issue is the carousel of dinosaur coaches. When current coaches are on the hot seat, the same names seem to come up to replace them: Lavolpe, Boy, Meza, and on and on. If your team requires a new coach, here are a few up-and-coming coaches that you may need to know.
Jaime Lozano-41 years old
Jimmy Lozano is currently the coach of the Mexican U-23. El Jimmy has had experience in Liga MX, having coached Queretaro for 32 games, with a record of nine wins, nine draws and 14 losses. Lozano is a pupil of Vucetich and has shown himself to be a capable coach, and is good at working with Mexican youth. If Lozano succeeds in qualifying El Tri to the Olympics and has a good run, he should be a top candidate.
Rafael Garcia- 45 years old
Chiquis Garcia is currently an assistant with Atlas. He has accumulated over ten years of assistant coaching under the likes of Ricardo Lavolpe and Tomas Boy. Like Lozano, Garcia had a brief stint as the interim head coach of Puebla for 13 games with a record of 2-5-6. El Chiquis has been around long enough that he knows the ins and out of running a team and looking to youth and the canteras for the team’s success. Garcia has earned a legitimate shot at coaching in Liga MX and should be a candidate for many organizations.
Hector Altamirano- 42 years old
Continuing with the player turned coach trend, Hector Altamirano is another coach looking to break the dinosaur carousel. Like Chiquis, El Pity has accumulated over four years of assistant manager experience with Queretaro (see a theme here) and as Gustavo Matosas’ assistant with the Costa Rican National Team. Altamirano had a successful stint as the man in charge of Cimarrones for 16 games with a record of 7-5-4 and is currently enjoying a solid run with a record of 3-1-2 as coach of Celaya. While an excellent tenured track record in the Ascenso MX doesn’t always translate into Liga MX success, El Pity is due a shot in Liga MX.
Alex Diego-34 years old
Another coach with a recent prosperous streak in Ascenso MX is Alex Diego. Diego coached Oaxaca for 19 games in the 2018/19 season to a record of 7-5-7. Currently, he is the head coach of Atlante and has a record of 4-4-7 in both the Copa MX And Ascenso MX. While off to a rough start, he’s been a reliable coach who deserves a chance at the next level.
Joan Ginebra-28 years old
An exciting entrant in this discussion, Ginebra isn’t a former player. However, he is one of only six people in Mexico with a UEFA Coaching Certification, and his resume includes course completion at the Federación Catalana de Fútbol. Ginebra is currently the Academy and Affiliate Director for Celaya and has been the Coach for UNAM’s U-13 team, Operations Director for Correcaminos, and assistant coach for Saint Kitts and Nevis National team. While he is only 28, the fact that he hasn’t been influenced by Liga MX soccer schools like LaVolpismo might be the breath of fresh air Liga MX needs.
Marco Antonio Rodriguez- 46 years old
ChiquiMarco is another non-player who is an intriguing prospect. After retiring as one of Mexico’s best international referees, Rodriguez also preferred the alternate route and received UEFA Certification to coach. His coaching debut was to come with Spanish third tier side Salamanca, but his tenure only lasted three days after asking for new technical staff and the team refusing to accommodate him. Again, the fact that he lived and saw the game from a different perspective makes him an enticing option for a team looking for a change.
