Who is Mazatlán’s new coach?
After the departure of the Argentine coach Rubén Omar Romano, the Cañoneros’ bench appears to be occupied again.
After a couple of years of questionable performances, Mazatlán’s board of directors have decided that a change of direction is needed. And apparently, the restructuring of the team will have to start from the top. The first to go was coach Rubén Omar Romano, who was handed his notice earlier this week. The club has since contacted several coaches in their search to find a replacement to take charge of the team.
It has emerged that the candidate who Mazatlán have decided on is Spanish coach Ismael Rescalvo. The 41-year-old has over 10 years of experience as a technical director, having held posts at Envigado, Independiente Medellín, Independiente, Emelec and the Strongest. He is expected to arrive in Sinaloa with the firm conviction of building a new team - one which will be able to battle for the championship.
The club is hopeful that they can reach an agreement so that Rescalvo can break ties with his current club The Strongest. Rescalvo took charge of the Bolivian side at the start of the New Year. They currently top the Bolivian Primera División table unbeaten after nine games. Mazatlán aim to secure his services in the next few hours so that the Spanish coach can start working on the planning for the Apertura 2023.
Experienced coach
As a footballer, Rescalvo spent most of his career with LaLiga side Levante. The Granotas also gave him the opportunity to debut as coach when his playing career was cut short by injury at 28 - first with the youth teams, then in the lower categories. In January 2018 he moved to South America to take the reins of Independiente Medellín (Colombia); then worked at Independiente del Valle, Emelec (both in Ecuador ) and more recently, The Strongest, with whom he has enjoyed the most success. His side is are currently second in their Copa Libertadores group and top the league with 23 points.
Once appointed, Rescalvo would be tasked with a radical revamp of Los Cañoneros’ first team squad. This week, several players left the club, including: Marco Fabián, Enrique Cedillo, Luis Quintana, Oswaldo Alanís, Ariel Nahuelpán and Nicolás Vikonis, among others.
The other downside of Mazatlán’s disappointing campaign was the fine they picked up for finishing in the last three places in the general table, the Perla del Pacífico team must pay 33 million pesos - an amount they hope they will not have to pay again.