Can ‘Tuca’ rebuild the sad-sack Cementeros and make them a contender?

As Cruz Azul interim manager Joaquin Moreno prepares his squad to face Atlas at Estadio Azteca on Wednesday night, the front office is finalizing the terms of a deal with Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti.

Universal Deportes is reporting that “Tuca” has been offered a three-year deal to take charge of the Cementeros though the fabled coach might not take the reins until next week.

In addition to the Matchday 7 game against the Zorros, Cruz Azul hosts FC Juárez (the most recent team Ferretti coached) on Saturday. So Cementeros fans might have to wait until the March 3 contest at Mazatlán FC to see “Tuca” stalk the touchline.

“La Máquina Azul” currently sits in 16th place with 4 points (1-1-4) and a –3 goal differential. Raúl Gutiérrez was fired after a 0-1-4 start and Moreno guided the Cementeros to a 3-1 win over Puebla on Friday.

Cementeros front office taking shape, too

In the midst of the 10-day coaching search, the team reportedly took a major step toward addressing the front office disarray that has plagued the team for over a year.

Oscar Pérez – a former star goalie for the Cementeros – was installed as general manager, or so it seems. 

The club has been plagued by a lack of direction upstairs for some time, a situation very similar to having too many cooks in the kitchen. And Cementeros fans have been getting served extremely spoiled broth for two seasons now.

So after interviewing quite a few worthy candidates – three-time Liga MX winner José Antonio de la Torre, two-time Liga MX winner Hugo Sánchez and another triple trophy-winning coach, Antonio Mohamed – Cruz Azul settled on the manager who has won the most Liga MX trophies in history (well, he’s tied with the legendary Ignacio Trelles with 7).

Ferretti has won Liga MX titles with three franchises – Guadalajara (1), UNAM (1) and Tigres (5). The Cementeros job will be the seventh different club he will have coached: Pumas (1991-1996 and 2006-2010); the Chivas (1996-2000); Tigres (2000-2003, 2006, and 2010-2021); Toluca (2003-2004); Morelia (2005); and, FC Juárez 2021-2022.

“Tuca” declined a new contract with FC Juárez after the Clausura 2022, a season that saw the Bravos finish in last place. So the Apertura 2022 was the first time since the summer of 1991 that Ferretti was not managing a Liga MX team.

The curmudgeonly manager is a demanding, no-nonsense coach who emphasizes defensive discipline, possession and an orderly attack. The Cementeros were one of the worst defenses in the league last season and have conceded 10 goals through seven matches thus far.

There will evidently be a familiar face on the bench alongside “Tuca.” Sports daily Record reports that Guillermo Vázquez will serve as Ferretti’s top assistant. “Memo” coached the Cementeros for three seasons about a decade ago, guiding Cruz Azul to the Clausura 2013 Final only to come up short against América.