Miguel Herrera officially announced as new Tijuana Xolos manager
This Friday, Feb.10, 2023, the Tijuana Xolos officially announced that Miguel Herrera will be the new manager of the club. Herrera is a familiar face in Tijuana as he previously managed the border city side for three seasons from 2016 until May of 2017 before joining Club America.
“Piojo” enjoyed a really successful stint at Club Tijuana earning back-to-back first-place finishes for the Aztec Canines in the 2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura seasons. Herrera’s first season with Tijuana in the 2016 Clausura was not the best, finishing in 14th place with 18 points, but he progressed massively from that forgettable campaign.
Comienza una nueva era 🐕
¡Bienvenido de vuelta a la #TijuanaRojinegra, @MiguelHerreraDT! 🔴⚫️
— Xolos (@Xolos) February 10, 2023
The Mexican manager led Xolos to a first-place finish in the 2016 Apertura, but they were knocked out by rivals Leon in the quarterfinals. Tijuana’s Dayro Moreno led the Liga MX in scoring in that 2016 Apertura with 11 goals as the Colombian striker was a key component of Herrera’s team.
In his final season with Club Tijuana, “Piojo” led the Prehistoric Dogs to another first-place finish, and this time the border city club managed to reach the semifinals. The Xolos were able to defeat Monarcas Morelia in the quarterfinals of that season but fell to Tigres UANL, who would go on to reach the final against Chivas de Guadalajara.
Aviles Hurtado was one of the key components to that Tijuana team that reached the semifinals as he finished the regular season with eight goals and five assists. Since his initial stint at Club Tijuana, Miguel Herera has actually been stable, with only two managerial stints at Club America and Tigres UANL.
“Piojo’ enjoyed a successful second stint at Club America as Las Aguilas were able to win the 2018 Apertura, 2019 Clausura Copa MX, and the 2019 Campeon de Campeones with Herrera at the helm. With Tigres UANL, Herrera was not as successful as he was unable to win any trophies with a team that is always expected to win or at least reach the final stages.
The Mexican manager led Tigres to back-to-back semifinal berths in the 2021 Apertura and 2022 Clausura seasons. However, Herrera’s 2022 Apertura was very underwhelming as Tigres was knocked out in the quarterfinal stage of the competition by Pachuca, who would go on to win the league title.
Club Tijuana is currently in crisis mode to start the 2023 Clausura season, with no wins, a loss, and four draws in five games played. Ricardo Valino was sacked after these disml five games, and the interim manager for Friday night’s game agaisnt Atletico San Luis will be Cirilo Saucedo.
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“Piojo” will officially begin work with the club after this Friday night game, as his first game on the sidelines will be in Tijuana’s Week 7 clash against Liga MX giants Chivas, away from home. The Xolos’ main comcerns has been the lackluster offense that has only produced three goals from five games played in this 2023 Clausura campaign.
Lucas Cavallini is set to play this Friday as it will be interesting to see if the Canadian striker can be an integral part of Herrera’s team. Club Tijuana has plenty of potential with players like Cavallini, Lucas Rodriguez, Braian Romero, Fernando Valenzuela, and Joaquin Montecinos. Herrera has great potential to turn this season around for the border city team, as this is a promising time for Club Tijuana.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.