Who is Mexico coach? Diego Cocca record, clubs managed and trophies as El Tri eye 2026 World Cup
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Mexico are looking to shake off a disappointing showing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and head into a crucial 2026 World Cup cycle with more pep in their step.
The man charged with injecting that fresh dose of confidence is Diego Cocca, who is in the early stages of what the Mexican Federation (FMF) hopes will be a long and happy stay in charge.
Cocca took over for his Argentine compatriot Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, whose World Cup run fell short in Qatar, as El Tri were bounced in the group stage. They failed to qualify for the knockout round for the first time in nine tournament appearances, dating back 44 years.
While Cocca is seen as an able fixer, things haven’t exactly gone smoothly in his early days in charge. While he has yet to lose in five matches thus far, the results have been anything but impressive. He’s hoping to turn that around in the tournaments scheduled to be held in the summer of 2023. However, the problems that persisted under Martino have yet to truly disappear.
His time in charge started with a cagey 2-0 win over a Suriname side that they were expected to thrash, followed by a draw with Jamaica that left Mexico as the bottom seed in the Nations League final four.
El Tri then drew with the United States in the inaugural Continental Clasico before a friendly win over Guatemala and subsequent draw with Cameroon ushered in the summer fixture schedule.
Who is Mexico coach Diego Cocca?
Argentine manager Diego Cocca is currently the head coach of Mexico’s men’s national team. Hired in February of 2023, Cocca took over following the disappointing 2022 World Cup performance under Tata Martino.
The 51-year-old Cocca retired from a 26-year playing career in 2006, having spent time as a defender for River Plate, Atlas, Veracruz, and Queretaro among other clubs.
Cocca then began his managerial career in 2007 with Argentine lower-league club C.A.I. before he was hired by top-flight side Godoy Cruz. He bounced around jobs with multiple Argentine and Colombian sides, never lasting for more than a year, seeing time across two stints at Racing Club, plus a brief spell in Mexico with Santos Laguna.
Cocca eventually found his breakout gig at Liga MX side Atlas, whom he led in 2021 to the club’s first league trophy in 60 years. After repeating the feat a year later, Cocca departed Atlas for a spot with Tigres, but he was only there for a month before the Mexican national team came calling, and he couldn’t say no.
Overall, Cocca has managed 14 teams in 16 years, with a brief average duration of 322 days at those positions.
“I understand and respect a lot that the mentality in the US of valuing the long-term process,” Cocca told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I come from a place where what identifies me is my ability to quickly adapt to problems and challenges. The current problems in Mexico are very big and have been going on for many years. But it’s a profession where in order to have a long-term project, you have to get results.”
“I’m not looking for stability,” Cocca added. “I am looking for a challenge, and the challenge of the Mexican national team has no comparison.”
Why did Mexico hire Diego Cocca?
Mexico executive director Rodrigo Ares de Parga and sporting director Jaime Ordiales were tasked with picking the replacement for Gerardo Martino in the wake of the 2022 World Cup disappointment.
Cocca’s results with Atlas were the main reason for his hire, as he managed not only to build a winning side at a middling club and led them to a trophy, but he was able to sustain that success and win a second time, proving he can not only construct a successful team but then turn progress into sustained results.
However, there’s more to his link with Mexico than just his results on the field. Cocca’s time at Atlas and Santos Laguna saw him build a rapport with the Grupo Orlegi owners, who control both clubs. Orlegi was involved in the Mexico manager hiring process as part of a leadership committee built by De Parga and Ordiales.
A report by ESPN stated that Cocca got the job over consideration for former Mexico boss Miguel Herrera, Guillermo Almada, Ignacio Ambriz, Antonio Mohamed and Marcelo Bielsa.
How does Diego Cocca play? Style, tactics of new Mexico manager
Diego Cocca prefers a 3-5-2 formation, but he’s not married to that tactical setup, often configuring his side in a more traditional back four when he determines the situation merits a change.
Still, he expects a high work rate from his players, which has its positives and negatives. He often looks to play direct, and has no issue sitting back in an organized shape to defend en masse.
The key component of Cocca’s tactical setup is the high press, which he can trigger at various moments to apply pressure to an opponent. He often relies heavily on versatile players who can mix and match across the field in given moments, and while that can pair nicely with Mexico’s player pool, too much chopping and changing can lead to inconsistency.
“My way of thinking and seeing is that I have to build a style with the players that are there,” Cocca told Mediotiempo after his hire. “The talent of the Mexican soccer player is technique, possession, playing well and with that strength building a team that knows how to go through all aspects of the game Because the important thing is to get a result.”
Prior to his hire by Mexico, Cocca has previously spoken about his style of play, highlighting the importance of the high press:
“I like to press high and play in the opponent’s field,” Cocca said about his way of playing in September 2020 while in charge of Atlas. “[I like when] the opponent does not have the ball or have many scoring situations.”
What happened to Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino as Mexico coach?
While Tata Martino (above) is considered a top quality manager and one of the world’s best bosses, he couldn’t make it work with Mexico.
Martino was stubborn during his time in charge, repeatedly refusing to call in certain players he had decided were not fit to join the national team.
While this was well within his right as head coach, players like Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez were frozen out even as the side continued to misfire in front of goal, and ultimately it cost the team.
There were red flags for Mexico months prior to their disappointment at the World Cup, as El Tri just could not break down bunkered opponents, and were repeatedly hit on the counter. Martino never was able to fix the glaring issues in the side, and ultimately they bowed out of the 2022 FIFA tournament in the group stage, displaying the same problems they had for some time heading into the competition.