Hugo Sanchez has been fired as head coach of the Mexican national team.
The greatest player in Mexican soccer history lasted barely more than a year before three failed attempts to beat the United States and a disastrous Olympic Qualifying campaign did him in before he even had a chance to coach a World Cup qualifier.
The move seemed inevitable after Mexico’s shock failure to qualify for the Olympics with its best generation of young players ever.
How will Sanchez be remembered? He will be remembered for whining about referees and complaining about terrible field conditions. Most importantly, he will be remembered for being the subject of several You Write the Captions for photos like the one shown. In that regard, Sanchez will certainly be missed.
All joking aside, I think Sanchez saw it coming. His demeanor before the last U.S.-Mexico game was very telling. Gone was the bravado from earlier in his tenure. He tried his best to temper expectations but after making things so difficult for his predecessor, Ricardo LaVolpe, Sanchez was never going to be given a long leash.
If the Mexican federation is smart, it will turn to someone like Jose Pekerman, who would be ideally suited to work with the young generation of stars currently rising through the Mexico ranks. Whoever the coach is, they will probably be given a longer leash than Sanchez by a federation that will be desperate for some stability.
What do you think of the news? Shocked? Happy? Sad? Laughing at Mexico’s national team? Share your thoughts below.