One of the personal aspirations of Alejandro Pérez, technical director of Pumas Tabasco, in the Expansion League, is to lead in the highest professional football circuit. Although the category was created with the objective of developing young players to have greater opportunities in the First Division, it also involves a learning process for coaches and coaching staff.
In Liga MX of the Guardianes 2021 tournament, only one coach was given the opportunity to debut: former player Héctor Altamirano, with Querétaro. His previous experience as a coach was with Celaya in Ascenso MX and as assistant to Gustavo Matosas in the Costa Rican National Team. On the other hand, three technical directors were removed from the Expansion League: David Patiño, from Dorados, Ricardo Cadena, from Tapatío, and Humberto González, from Pumas Tabasco; the latter went on to direct the U-20 team of the University Club.
Alejandro Pérez replaced González in Tabasco. He joined the Expansion League because of his passion for sports and to give continuity to his career, as the promotion category was extinguished last year. Although he pointed out that Ascenso MX was very competitive, he considers that the main learning that Expansión gives him is to work with the dynamism and speed of the players, since the new rules favor working with soccer players 23 years of age and under. Its squad is the second youngest in the tournament, averaging 22.6 years.
Although Alejandro expresses that the Expansion League continues to be a showcase for technical directors, in his first season he failed to place any strategist in First. According to the information released by Enrique Bonilla, former president of Liga MX, the promotion was suspended for at least five years from the 2020 Guardianes tournament.
From 2018 to date, five coaches made their debut in the First Division and only Rafa Puente did so, winning the Ascent MX. The El Míster newsletter indicated that six out of 10 coaches who have taken over a Liga MX team in the last decade will never have another chance.
-From your perspective, why is it so difficult to see new faces of technical directors in the First Division?
“I think that what can go through the heads of the owners, sports directors, presidents is to dare to give the opportunity to a technician who may be going to make his debut, talking about directing on the highest circuit. A lot happens out there, to give the rookie the opportunity, “said Pérez.
Two agents of the company AmEro Sports Management, had the same opinion, they assured that it corresponds to a situation of risk reduction, the owners prefer to work with characters with proven experience and familiar with the league.
“The technicians already known as Vucetich, Ricardo Ferretti, Miguel Herrera, are types of great route, winners, with great experience, when they arrive at a team they have a high probability of being successful”, indicated Bernardo Núñez, partner in Eastern Europe for the representation agency AmEro Sports Management.
What other experience do you consider essential that new coaches should have before coaching in the first division?
“In order for you to manage a high-performance category, you would first have to have gone through initiation, basic forces, have directed the kids for one or two years to gain confidence. I think that’s the best way you can have a successful coaching career. It has also happened, as in the case of Tuca who retires from playing and for how many years has he been directing and is a very successful technical director, but I think they are the least to whom that happens ”.
Profile of Alejandro Pérez
• He was a footballer for Pumas between 1993 and 1999.
• He retired as a player in 2005 with Alacranes de Durango.
• In 2007 he began his career as part of the Pumas CCH coaching staff.
• Between 2010 and 2014, he was Guillermo Vázquez’s assistant in the Pumas first team, a process in which the team lifted the title of the 2011 Liga MX Clausura tournament.
• Had his first opportunity as head coach at Atlético Reynosa in the Premier League.
• In 2019 he was crowned champion of the Liga de Ascenso with Alebrijes de Oaxaca.
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