The Mexico Football Federation (FMF) has officially fired general sporting director Gerardo Torrado, sporting director of national teams Ignacio Hierro, and men's Under-20 team coach Luis Perez. Through a restructuring of the FMF, women's senior national team coach Monica Vergara will be evaluated by new management.
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Officially announced on Wednesday in a news conference with FMF president Yon de Luisa, the dismissals follow a recent disappointing run of form for the women's senior national team and the men's U20 team.
"The results obtained in recent weeks by the men's U20 team and the senior women's national team, which signified a heavy blow to Mexican soccer, and above all, for our fans, forces us to act," said De Luisa.
The FMF president stated that new hires will be made public in the "following days."
Perez and the men's U20 squad stumbled out in the quarterfinal stage of a CONCACAF qualifying tournament in June, leaving them without a place in the 2023 U20 World Cup and 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Vergara's squad failed to qualify for the 2023 Women's World Cup after three losses as hosts at the CONCACAF W Championship left them without a single goal or point in the group stage. It will be the second straight World Cup tournament that El Tri Femenil will miss, as the team was expected to contend for one of the four World Cup qualifying spots this month. It also leaves them without a chance to qualify for Paris 2024.
Nonetheless, a restructuring will decide Vergara's fate. Along with a new men's sporting director of national teams, the FMF will also create a director role exclusive to dealing with Mexico's women's national teams. According to De Luisa, the new leadership on the women's side will "make an evaluation and determine the actions to follow."
Following Monday's 1-0 defeat to the United States at Estadio Universitario, Vergara said: "I'm not a person that gives up on things. Evidently, I'm going to be evaluated ... If the cycle finishes here, it's been a spectacular ride."
De Luisa noted in the news conference that the latest decisions will not impact Mexico's senior men's coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino.
Earlier this year, the men's side booked its spot for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Martino's squad will face Argentina, Poland, and Saudi Arabia in group stage action.