Jaime Lozano came to the hot bench of the Mexican Soccer Team to bring the tricolor team to a successful conclusion in the Gold Cup after Argentine Diego Cocca was fired earlier this week.
The new tricolor strategist was officially presented at an exclusive event with those selected and their coaching staff, which the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) announced in a video on its Twitter account.
“It is an honor to be here in front of you. Always represent Mexico, and I was here many years ago (as a player), and I am convinced, first of all, of the great human group they are, and of the great generation of soccer players we have; they should be clear about that because otherwise, I wouldn’t be here,” said Lozano after being introduced by Ivar Sisniega, executive president of the FMF.
After accepting to relieve Cocca, Lozano moved to the team’s concentration in Houston after receiving the task of directing the regional tournament that begins this weekend after the resounding elimination in the semifinals of the League of Nations by a 3-0 win before the United States.
On Tuesday, June 20th, he arrived at the headquarters in the United States, on Wednesday he lived with the players, and on Thursday he is leading his first training session with the group that will face the Gold Cup, a contest in which they will debut on Sunday against Honduras; Haiti (Thursday, June 29) and Qatar (Sunday, July 2) will be the other two rivals in the first phase of the tricolors.
“I believe a lot in you, I believe a lot in your abilities and I also believe in myself and my coaching staff. I have no doubt that we are going to get ahead of this situation and others that come forward, ”said Lozano in his first speech to the players.
“I know that the moments have not been the best, but I also know that it is from these circumstances and these situations that the best life stories, and in this case, sports stories are forged. You have to have the ability to reinvent yourself first, you have to embrace the opportunities and very soon we have a new opportunity to make Mexico proud”.
For the 44-year-old coach, it will be his second experience at the helm of a national team, after having directed the Under 23 team that won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics held two years ago, losing to Brazil in an outstanding game, a group that led throughout your entire process.
Lozano has accumulated experience on the benches of Mexican football, debuting on February 1, 2017, with Gallos de Querétaro. Last year he was the head coach of Rayos de Necaxa during 32 games.
Juan Carlos Rodríguez, president of the FMF, announced after the dismissal of Cocca, that Lozano would take charge of the national team in an interim, that from the start he would only contemplate directing the Gold Cup that will be held in the United States.
Source: ESTO
