Diego Cocca fired from Mexico men’s national soccer team

Head coach Diego Cocca was fired from the post of the Mexico men’s national soccer team on Monday following its 3-0 loss to the U.S. in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals earlier this week. 

“Thank you, Diego Cocca. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors,” the team said in its Twitter announcement of the change. 

Cocca only spent five months at the helm after getting hired in February.

Through seven games, he put up a 3-3-1 record and ended his tenure on a sour note with a third-place tournament finish on Sunday. 

The June 15 game against the U.S. was cut short by the referees due to homophobic chants coming from the Mexico fans. 

The entire coaching staff — along with Rodrigo Ares De Parga, the director of Mexico’s national teams –– was also let go. 

Jaime Lozano is slotting in as the new manager.

Lozano has spent the last three seasons as the head coach of Mexico’s U23 team, and led them to a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. 

Mexican Football Federation president Juan Carlos Rodríguez was appointed in May and addressed the media on Monday following the coaching decision. 

“Less than a month after I took over in search of a new future for Mexican football, I realized that we weren’t going to find it in our current state,” Rodríguez said, according to The Athletic. “Over the last week, I noticed many deficiencies in planning, logistics and management and a lack of leadership at many levels.” 

Cocca and his crew were brought on by previous FMF president Yon De Luisa before his resignation.

It seems the new front office is looking to go in a completely different direction. 

Lozano will get right to work with the group now as the Gold Cup starts for Mexico on June 25 with a match against Honduras.