Rafael Puente Jr. leaves post as Pumas head coach

Rafael Puente Jr. has left his post as head coach of Pumas after a 2-0 home defeat to at the hands of Pachuca on Sunday, the latest in a poor run of results in the Liga MX Clausura 2023. Club chiefs stated that the former Atlas boss and the entirety of his backroom staff had moved on ‘by mutual consent’ and will now need to come up with a plan B to finish the tournament, which only has five matchdays remaining.

Pumas statement: Puente Jr. ‘mutually agrees’ to leave

A short statement issued by Club Universidad Nacional revealed the news late on Sunday, which came just a matter of hours after Puente Jr. had said in a press conference that it was irresponsible for anyone to say that the club had hit rock bottom.

“Club Universidad Nacional can confirm that Rafael Puente’s contract as head coach of the Pumas men’s first team has been terminated by mutual consent, as have those of his coaching staff.

“The club would like to thank them all for their hard work and professionalism, and wishes them success in their future projects”, the statement concludes.

Pumas’ dreadful recent Liga MX run

Pumas won two of their first three Clausura 2023 matches and lost just one of the first five. However, things quickly turned sour, with just one win in their last nine games, and six defeats in the last seven. That poor run of form leaves the club in 16th position in Liga MX with 11 points from 12 matches, ahead of only Querétaro and Mazatlán. They do, however, still have a chance of making the playoffs, as they are just a point behind Atlas, who occupy the final ‘Reclassification’ spot.