PASADENA, Calif. – After his team clinched a last-minute 3-2 victory over the United States men's national team, Mexico coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti looked mellow and placid as ever. Though both sides clawed through an extra-time nail-biter, no signs of struggle were apparent.
“How do I feel?” Ferretti mused, at the post-game press conference. “I feel good. I feel calm – more content, naturally, than when I arrived.”
Nor did he have anything but congratulatory words for his opponents: “Above everything, I want to congratulate [US coach Jurgen] Klinsmann and his guys. They played a good game,” Ferretti said.
But as “good” as he perceived the game to be, he noted that as the USMNT tactical strategy unfolded, he found space for his side to maneuver, deciding to unrelentingly press the defense.
“The formation – I discussed with all the players, and we came to the conclusion that we needed to be a little more elemental in the U.S.' defensive zone,” he said. “That was our practical goal above all others.”
But no matter how successful that strategy – and how crucial this win – proved, Ferretti reiterated he held zero interest in returning to helm the Mexico national team moving forward.
“When I get back to [Liga MX club] Tigres, I’m not going to be any more or less of myself," Ferretti said. "I’m going to keep being a low-profile person. I’m too old [to return to the national team]. I can’t think that way. [Juan Carlos] Osorio is coming and he’s going to count on the support of all of us, and I hope from you, too.”
Ferretti continued on to praise the incoming Osorio, former MLS head coach of the Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls, who will take over the reins for Mexico.
“He’s already working," Ferretti said. "He’s watching the games and that’s part of his job. He’s a very studious person; very ethical, too, and he’s already making his conclusions.”
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