The Mexican national soccer team begins a new era with an old acquaintance at the helm.
Javier Aguirre was named head coach of El Tri for the third time, and on Tuesday, he will be at AT&T Stadium to face Canada in a friendly match.
Aguirre made his debut on Saturday against New Zealand at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena with a 3-0 win.
Aguirre, 65, replaced Jaime Lozano, who had a resounding failure in not making it past the group stage in the Copa America played in the United States during the summer.
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Executives of the Mexican Federation think Aguirre’s experience will help resolve the deep crisis that Mexico has been mired in since it failed to advance beyond the group stage in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
After all, Aguirre has coached 20 years in Europe, something that no coach in the history of Mexico has done. On top of that, Aguirre has been the coach of the Egyptian and Japanese national teams.
“Javier is the Mexican coach with the best track record in our history,” said the Mexican national team’s sports director, Duilio Davino.
Aguirre has already been the coach of the Mexican national team twice. On both occasions, he was called as an emergency substitute when El Tri was on the verge of failing to qualify for the 2002 and 2010 World Cups.
Aguirre led El Tri to the World Cups in Korea/Japan and South Africa. Still, he failed to make a breakthrough since Mexico was eliminated by the United States and Argentina, respectively, in the round of 16.
Aguirre agreed to be Mexico’s coach for the third time after the Mexican Federation assured him that he would be El Tri’s coach in the 2026 World Cup.
“Javier is a better coach today than when he managed Mexico on the two previous occasions,” said Davino, who played for FC Dallas in 2008.
“Javier is a coach with much more experience and who knows the Mexican player well,” said Davino, who has a close relationship with Aguirre since, as the sports president of Rayados de Monterrey, he hired Aguirre as his coach in the 2021-22 season.
Mexico’s new national football team coach Javier Aguirre, right, and his assistant, former soccer player Rafael Marquez, left, arriving for a news conference in Mexico City, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024.(Marco Ugarte / AP)
Aguirre is the fourth coach of the Mexican national team in the last two years. Before him, Gerardo Martino, Diego Cooca and Jaime Lozano failed to take Mexico to the next level.
“We need to start playing well to give the fans back their hope,” Aguirre said at a recent press conference.
“We have time to make a good plan, but we must not relax, we must look for the best alternatives to face the best rivals available to prepare for the World Cup,” said Aguirre, who played for El Tri in the 1986 World Cup played in Mexico.
Aguirre, “El Vasco,” as he is also known because his parents were originally from the Basque region of Spain, is a man without filters.
His press conferences are legendary for the colloquial language he likes to use, the jokes he makes and the references he sometimes makes about his taste for celebrating victories by mixing rum and coke.
“Just as you see Javier in press conferences, that’s how he is in real life,” said Francisco “Kikin” Fonseca, a former Mexican national team player who is now a TUDN/TelevisaUnivision network analyst.
“Javier is very nice but also very genuine and direct. When Javier speaks, he doesn’t mince words. He is very authentic, which is why he generates closeness with people,” Fonseca said.
Fonseca knew Aguirre well since they worked together as TV analysts at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
“Javier is very charismatic and creates a lot of harmony in the teams he has been with. His main virtue is to bring players to their highest level and generate great confidence among them,” said Fonseca.
The game against Canada will not be Aguirre’s first visit as Mexico’s coach to AT&T Stadium.
In July 2009, El Vasco was in charge of El Tri, which beat Haiti in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup. That match was one of the first sporting events played at the home Jerry Jones built.
“It is an honor to be the coach of my country’s national team, I take on this new challenge with great pride,” said Aguirre.
“I am Mexican, and when my country needs me, I will gladly be available.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-09 01:59:00
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