Chivas USA confirmed the rumors this morning and announced that Jose Luis Sánchez Solá, or ‘El Chelis’, is now the new Head Coach of the Rojiblancos. After weeks of wild rumors regarding who would be the man to replace Robin Fraser, the club finally confirmed today what everyone expected and put Chivas USA fans minds at ease (for the time being) with the hiring of Chelis. Despite the lengthy delay in hiring a new coach, the Goats now have the vacant position filled and another year of rebuilding, or ‘work in progress’, starts now.
Sánchez Solá, 53, originally from the Mexican state of Puebla has spent his entire managerial career in Mexico taking charge at hometown club Puebla as well as Estudiantes Tecos and second division side Correcaminos UAT. He brings a wealth of experience to Chivas USA, and although he might be a MLS newcomer, he seemingly holds a good reputation amongst many of the fans who are excited about his arrival and what it signifies. In the official Chivas USA press release he outlined his initial plans:
“We are going to try to implement a more appealing style of soccer for our fans, without forgetting that we are a team that plays in the United States. We will look to appeal to both cultures while obtaining positive results for the club. I feel that Chivas USA, at some point, lost that flavor and technique with the ball that is emphasized in Mexico and Latin-America; we must re-establish that part and combine it with the MLS’ style of play.”
Becoming Chivas’ eighth manager in seven years he has challenge ahead of him and takes charge of a club that finished bottom of the Western Conference last year in another season to forget. His plan for a more ‘appealing’ style of soccer (with careful reference to ‘both cultures’) will certainly please the fans who endured another horrendous season. We witnessed some truly woeful performances/results this year but many supporters also finished the season confused about the direction of the club. Chelis might already be written off by many, going by the record of foreign coaches in MLS, but he does have more managerial experience than our previous coach. As always, we will just have to wait and see if this was the correct appointment but the most pleasing aspect of this is the fact that its’ been confirmed and we can now stop with all the rumors.
Now that Chivas USA has a head coach we can now stop fretting over our potential manger and start worrying about the potential targets he has in mind. With the draft on the horizon and a club to rebuild, its time to look forward to 2013.
(image courtesy of Noticias de Nuevo Laredo)
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