Well, Raúl Alpízar barely had time to find his whistle before he found out his stint as interim manager would last a single game.
A week after the UNAM management structure nearly imploded, three-time Liga MX champ Antonio Mohamed has accepted the task of rebuilding the Pumas and he’ll take charge after Sunday’s match at cellar-dwelling Querétaro.
“Los felinos” fired coach Rafa Puente, Jr, on March 19 and within days the team vice president (Leopoldo Silva) and the general manager (Miguel Mejía Barón) submitted resignation letters.
That’s when Alpízar – the director of UNAM’s academy system – was anointed as interim manager to see out the season.
Pumas move quickly to limit the damage
The UNAM Board of Directors politely declined the resignations, urging the front office to stay in place. Silva and Mejía Barón didn’t waste any time, accelerating the managerial search and identifying “El Turco” rather quickly.
The decision to hire the 52-year-old Argentine went against the club philosophy announced with great fanfare ahead of the Clausura 2023: “Our head coach will have experience in the Pumas organization.” Puente fit that criteria, Mohamed does not.
The cash-strapped club obviously thinks it’s worth violating the fidelity pledge (Mohamed will be earning 5 times what Puente was paid, is bringing in four assistants and will be given a voice in the transfer window) and “El Turco” played the role of a loyal “universitario” at his introductory press conference, declaring “The Pumas are a Liga MX giant.”
The new manager went on to say “We’ve got the roster to compete; it is our job to get the best out of them. We can get the points necessary to grab a wildcard berth.”
Even so, some pure-blood Pumas felt betrayed. Legendary UNAM and El Tri star Manuel Negrete (he of the Best World Cup Goal Ever) criticized the decision: “(Mohamed) does not have the necessary Pumas DNA.”
With five games remaining, UNAM sits in 16th place (one spot above Sunday’s opponent, Querétaro) with 11 points from a 3-2-7 record. The Pumas are a sorry 2-1-3 at home, getting outscored 12-13 in their games at the CU.
León climbs into 2nd place
The Esmeraldas traveled to Mazatlán on Friday and came home with a 2-1 win thanks to a late goal by former Cañonero Brian Rubio.
The goal was set up by a spinning, slaloming rush into the box by right back Iván Moreno. In a crowd, Moreno knocked the ball to an unmarked Rubio and his one-timer rocketed past Ricardo Gutiérrez at his near post.
The contest was rescheduled from Matchday 1 and the 3 points earned on the road propelled “La Fiera” up the Liga MX table from fifth to second with 24 points.
Nicolás Larcamón next takes his men to Estadio Azteca for a date with third-place América (23 points) in a head-to-head battle against one of the four or five teams who are scrambling for a first-round playoff bye.