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It was announced earlier this month that Argentinian, Diego Cocca, was selected by the Mexican Soccer Federation to manage the Mexican National Soccer Team. This is following the departure of Gerardo “El Tata” Martino after a disappointing World Cup stand.
Martino left with a 42-12-12 record with Mexico.
“I am the first (person) responsible for this terrible disappointment and frustration that we have,” said Martino after announcing his departure. “As the person in charge, it causes a lot of sadness, I fully assume responsibility for this failure.”
Cocca comes from Club de Fútbol Tigres (Tigres Football Club) where he managed the team for a little over a month. Bouncing from club to club, Cocca was a member of clubs such as Club Atlético (Athletic Club) River Plate, Unió Esportiva (Athletics United) Lleida and Atlas where he would later coach. Cocca began his managerial career in 2008 with the Argentinean club Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba. His first foyer into Mexican football came when Cocca joined Santos Laguna in 2011.
The announcement came as a suprise to some including Argentinian sports journalist Flavio Azarro.
“When we learned that Diego Cocca was appointed as coach of the Mexican National Team, I was surprised because in Argentina he failed with Racing and Rosario Central, I think this could happen with the Mexican National Team,” Azarro said.
“We are going to work to avoid making ourselves ridiculous, as we have been doing lately,” said Ignacio Mier Velazco, a member of the Chamber of Deputies, “(The failure to advance in) Qatar cannot happen again, especially in a country with all the soccer tradition that exists in Mexico.”
This hiring was a part of a national initiative by the lower house of Mexico’s congress to transform soccer in Mexico.
“I believe a lot in Mexican soccer players and their talent,” Cocca said after his hiring. “But talent is not enough. You have to give them a whole lot of tools so they can take off, and that is my goal, I want to make them take off.”
Mexico is set to face Suriname in the CONCACAF Nations Leauge March 23 which will serve as qualifications for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Mexico fell in the 2019 finals match to the United States.
Cocca will be the third straight manager who is not Mexican and the fifth Argentinian to manage the Mexican National Soccer Team.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is the sports editor and may be reached at [email protected]: @rivasemmanuel2 on Instagram.
