Despite El Tri's international struggles this year, the Mexico football federation has decided to retain Jose Manuel 'Chepo' de la Torre as team manager.
The 47-year-old recently came under fire after El Tri dropped its Gold Cup semifinal match to Panama - the team's second loss in the tournament to the Panamanians -- and following the loss that saw Mexico fans boo the team off the field, many followers of the international squad began wondering whether or not 'Chepo' would coach the team again.
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Hoping to secure a spot in the 2014 World Cup, Mexico soccer officials had the tough task of deciding whether or not to retain the man who has been on the El Tri sideline since 2011 and even though there is still plenty of work to be done, federation president Justino Compean told ESPN FC recently that 'Chepo' is the national team's best option.
The team owners have been in conversation since Thursday and we aren't justifying the situation we are in, we don't like it but we all have the goal of qualifying for the World Cup.
There were loud voices that were not happy but in the end we joined together for the same objective, which is qualification. We invited the coach to be as transparent as possible.
We trust 'Chepo' and his coaching staff. Jose Manuel is the best option for the national team, there is time to remedy the poor results in the qualifier and reach the World Cup. The results will prove us right.
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While recent struggles on the offensive end have certainly plagued the team this year, El Tri currently sits third in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Hexagonal, a significant position since the top three teams in the group will automatically qualify for the upcoming Brazil games.
Sitting 3 points behind second place Costa Rica and 5 points behind recent the recent Gold Cup champion United States for the top spot, El Tri will resume its quest for the World Cup on Friday, September 6 with a crucial match-up against fourth place Honduras.
The Honduran nationals sit just one point back of Mexico and with the top three teams automatically advancing out of the group, the fourth place finisher will enter an Intercontinental Playoff against New Zealand in November to determine an additional Cup qualifier.
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Even though many loyal fans of El Tri may not totally agree with the retaining of the head coach, 'Chepo' de la Torre staying with the team may be the best thing since players such as Chicharito Hernandez, Jose Corona, Raul Jimenez and Pablo Barrera certainly don't need additional distractions as they continue their quest toward the World Cup.
For now, holding onto de la Torre is clearly the way to go, especially if he can be the guy to help turn around the once-promising El Tri squad.
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