Sanchez Dismissed
Mexico has seen enough. Hugo Sanchez, who again failed to beat the USA and could not get his U-23s through group play of Olympic qualifying, has been fired.
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Hugo Sanchez was fired as coach of Mexico's soccer team on Monday, two weeks after El Tri's under-23 team was eliminated from Olympic qualifying. The Mexican soccer federation fired Sanchez after 16 months on the job, having failed to deliver on promises of regional titles and an Olympic medal. The decision of the Mexican federation committee, made up of the directors of the first-division clubs, was unanimous. The failure to qualify for Beijing is particularly stinging for Mexican players of this generation, who won the Under-17 World Cup in Peru in 2005 and reached the quarterfinals at the Under-20 Word Cup in Canada last year. Jesus Ramirez, who guided the Mexican U17s to their 2005 title, was installed as the interim manager of Mexico. Before taking the helm, Sanchez went on a four-year campaign to become Mexico's manager, repeatedly criticizing predecessor Ricardo La Volpe and promising to make the team a world champion.
Will anyone miss him? I doubt it.
By Steve Goff |
March 31, 2008; 6:56 PM ET
World
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Posted by: Joe Doc | March 31, 2008 7:02 PM
Wow! Bob Bradley has gotten a lot of heat, but you could pretty much say he is the person most responsible for getting Hugo Sanchez fired. It definitely looks like a beat the US or get fired kind of gig.
Posted by: Viva l'Estadios | March 31, 2008 7:23 PM
This couldn't have happened to a better person. Say what you want about Lavolpe but he was turning Mexico into a team that the world respected. He couldn't beat the US either but he was getting Mexico to be better respected on the world stage.
Posted by: | March 31, 2008 7:25 PM
Wow! Bob Bradley has gotten a lot of heat, but you could pretty much say he is the person most responsible for getting Hugo Sanchez fired. It definitely looks like a beat the US or get fired kind of gig.
Posted by: Viva l'Estadios | March 31, 2008 07:23 PM
Though Mexico didn't play the US as they failed to make the Olympics. I think it's a cumulation of repeated failures to get to the next level on the world stage. The Mexican players are often better on paper than on the field.
Posted by: Nogra Rover | March 31, 2008 7:26 PM
Bwahahahahaha!!!
Sanchez ran his mouth for years, and when he got the job, he cowered, whimpered, and blustered his way to an early exit.
Mexico has too much talent to be hamstrung by Sanchez's "coaching".
Adios.
Posted by: Matt Mathai | March 31, 2008 7:26 PM
Hilarious.
Did wish that he was still the Mexican MNT manager. Comedy would have ensued after every poor result.
Posted by: Eleazar | March 31, 2008 7:32 PM
Brilliant.
Posted by: Chest Rockwell | March 31, 2008 7:32 PM
No surprise. Sanchez brought this on himself. Didn't he guarantee a victory against the U.S. in a friendly shortly after the World Cup? Foolish promise and typical machismo without results equals bye-bye. I bet it saved Mexico from the humiliation of not qualifying for the next WC.
Posted by: delantero | March 31, 2008 7:47 PM
Hahahah Sanchez gets exactly what he deserves. And for all the running of his mouth, I'll certainly remember one image of Sanchez, sitting dumbfounded in his pink polo as the US celebrated Benny Feilhaber's volley. Oh sweet memories.
Posted by: G-Dub | March 31, 2008 7:47 PM
Every team in CONCACAF will miss him. With Sanchez as coach, Mexico was just above average. With a good coach, like Pekerman, Mexico can be world class.
Posted by: CACuzcatlan | March 31, 2008 7:56 PM
I'll certainly remember one image of Sanchez, sitting dumbfounded in his pink polo as the US celebrated Benny Feilhaber's volley. Oh sweet memories.
Posted by: G-Dub | March 31, 2008 07:47 PM
Oh yeah, that moment was priceless!
Posted by: FC | March 31, 2008 7:56 PM
Goffizinho: FYI, you are listed on CNN.SI's soccer page as "recommended columnists from across the web" along with Ives, etc.
Granted, the links are under ads for HUMAN Pheromones, Exclusive Spa Offers, and How's your credit score?, but nonetheless . .
Posted by: delantero | March 31, 2008 8:05 PM
So whens the next US/Mexico "friendly"?
Posted by: strago | March 31, 2008 8:05 PM
a good coach like pekerman? did you sleep through the last world cup or something?
Posted by: Buenos Aires | March 31, 2008 8:15 PM
Not shocking news, to be sure. It had to happen soon.
I hope the new coach instills good sportsmanship and respect for all opponents (or at least put on a good face).
Posted by: Beaker | March 31, 2008 8:24 PM
goffs wrote:
Will anyone miss him? I doubt it.
*****************
Well, I for one will miss him. I was looking forward to Mexico as a punching bag team for the next couple of years, maybe even to their missing WCQ. Now maybe they will recover. Too bad.....
Posted by: Paul | March 31, 2008 8:33 PM
this sucks. Sanchez was one of the best things that ever happened to the USMNT. He is basically a points ATM.
Posted by: papa bear | March 31, 2008 8:38 PM
Adios. Mexican fans will continue to believe it's the coaching and not the team. Nice.
Posted by: JSF | March 31, 2008 8:46 PM
Landon Donovan will probably miss him
Posted by: Steve | March 31, 2008 8:51 PM
I was waiting all day for this news and when I hadn't heard anything was thinking they were actually going to keep him. Too bad. This could mean one less guaranteed result for the US in CONCACAF.
Posted by: sitruc | March 31, 2008 9:21 PM
I agree with Paul... I loved an underachieving Mexico.
In the long term though, its good for the US. Mexico can only get better and we'll need at least someone to challenge us in CONCACAF
Posted by: jakeh | March 31, 2008 9:39 PM
How 'bout Jorge Campos for coach? Whatever happened to that guy?
Posted by: bbarrie | March 31, 2008 9:51 PM
Ha! I can't wait to call my Argentian barber George tomorrow morning. Hell, he's probably offering free haircuts all day. Maybe I need another cut after just a week?
Congrats on the shout out on the BSPN's website, Goff. (re KC's ballpark)
Posted by: Kire | March 31, 2008 10:00 PM
aww... I will miss the giant donkey punch every time we play them.
Posted by: gilbert | March 31, 2008 10:57 PM
Hu-gol is Hu-gone!
Posted by: Jacknut | April 1, 2008 12:18 AM
NO MANCHES HUGO SANCHEZ!!!
He's out!
good!
Now I can wait to see when Univision and Telemundo will start showing more Latin American teams other Mexico...or "Nuestra Seleccion"...
A la fregada!!
VIVA ES & GUATE!!
Posted by: TheWashDipsSince88 | April 1, 2008 12:25 AM
Nah-nah-NAH-nah,
Nah-nah-NAH-nah,
Hey HEY hey,
A-a-dioooos!
Posted by: Juan-John | April 1, 2008 12:41 AM
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
Ja ja ja! Merecido! H-P de primer order!
I am ecstatic. The happiest in a long time. I despise Hugo "Dirty" Sanchez. He was a gadfly, always hammering La Volpe. Now he finally had to put and failed.
I hope he takes his bad Ciudad Juarez nosejob and his telenovela hairplugs and falls off a cliff.
Glory, Glory, Glory!
Posted by: Erick | April 1, 2008 2:02 AM
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
No Se Pudo!
Ja ja ja! Merecido! H-P de primer order!
I am ecstatic. The happiest in a long time. I despise Hugo Sanchez. He was a gadfly, naysayers, worst kind of armchair manager, always hammering La Volpe and insisting he could do better. Now, he finally had to put up or shut up and failed.
I hope he takes his bad Ciudad Juarez nosejob and his telenovela hairplugs and falls off a cliff.
Glory, Glory, Glory!
Posted by: Erick | April 1, 2008 2:10 AM
April Fools?
Posted by: B.A. | April 1, 2008 2:10 AM
goff posted it March 31, but I think it's ok to refer to Sanchez as a fool on any day of the year.
Posted by: troy | April 1, 2008 5:37 AM
Minority opinion: I don't really care who coaches Mexico.
Maybe Sanchez will find a job after the first MLS bloodletting (Guilit?).
Posted by: I-270, Exit 1 | April 1, 2008 10:55 AM
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Posted by: fx6coss1e3 | April 28, 2008 7:18 AM
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Huh... and I was just starting to like that car commercial he's in.