Curtain falls on Solari Era at America; Vucetich in Rayados return

America fired Santiago Solari after the club’s horrendous 1-3-4 start has the perennial Liga MX title favorites in last place. He is the seventh coach sent to the guillotine this season.

Three reprieves from ownership turned out to be the limit. Solari coached each of the last three games with a “Win or your Fired!” ultimatum hanging over him. Wednesday’s draw was the last straw.

America has won just once in the past 13 games (1-5-7), as the Solari project saw the floor fall out from under it after a promising start. Across the Liga MX landscape, there is no doubt quite a bit of snickering that the proud (some might say arrogant) Aguilas are foundering in last place

The former Real Madrid manager guided America to the best record in the 2022 calendar year (his first two seasons on the job), finishing second in the Guardianes 2021 and first in the Apertura 2021. But both seasons ended in quarterfinals humiliation, particularly last season when bitter rivals UNAM knocked out the top seed as an 11 seed.

America, from Liga MX royalty to laughing stock

The 3-1 loss to the Pumas on Nov. 27 made it clear that America needed to tweak its roster. But GM Santiago Baños dropped the ball badly, failing to ink three priority targets.

Late acquisitions trickled in over the first month of the seaso, but the negative momentum was insuppressible and when “Los Azulcrema” lost their first three home games, the writing was on the wall.

Wednesday night’s draw at Estadio Azteca (by conceding a late penalty) made it clear that a change was necessary and hours later America announced its decision

There have been reports that the primary reason Solari survived three ultimatums is that the club was reluctant to buy out the Argentine’s contract. For now, Fernando Ortiz will step in as interim manager and he’ll likely remain in charge the rest of the Clausura 2022.

America ownership is hoping to swipe the wildly successful Nicolás Larcamón from Puebla this summer, but that would come at a hefty price, especially if Larcamón signs a contract extension before then.

There’ll be plenty of time to speculate about managerial odds but for now Aguilas fans will anxiously wait to see how The Winningest Team in Liga MX History responds to the adversity. There’s no time to sulk. The “Super Clásico” is just over a week away and the Chivas would like nothing better than to kick their rivals when they’re down.

But first, coach Ortiz and “Los Millonetas” have to travel to Monterrey to take on the Rayados, the team with the highest payroll in Liga MX.

Speaking of Monterrey …

Javier Aguirre is out and Víctor Manuel Vucetich now steps up to the plate in Monterrey. Again.

Vucetich held the reins during Monterrey’s 2009-2013 Glory Years. He led the Rayados to two Liga MX titles and three consecutive Concacaf Championships trophies, burnishing his “King Midas” nickname.

The 66-year-old coach has his work cut out for him as the talent-laden roster seems to have forgotten how to play. Monterrey has just one win this season, though the club has two games in hand (a pair of matches were postponed while the Rayados were in the UAE embarrassing themselves at the Club World Cup).

Vucetich most recently sat on the sidelines for Guadalajara, lasting just over a year and compiling a mediocre 17-17-11 record. He was fired on Sept. 19, 2021.

Monterrey GM Duilio Davino – whose job is said to be in jeopardy – hopes Vucetich can also repair the fracturing relationship with fans.

Twice, irate supporters confronted Rayados players and coaches demanding to know what for (first in the UAE, stopping the team bus in the parking lot after the shock loss to a short-handed Al Ahly of Egypt, and second when crowds last month stopped players driving out of the club’s training grounds to “shout encouragement”).

The first step to soothing the fans’ anger is beating America on Saturday night. That this normally high-powered lash is no more than a battle between last-place teams is astonishing.