Xolos Femenil: Andrea Rodebaugh Resigns as Head Coach
This Friday, the Tijuana Xolos announced that Andrea Rodebaugh would no longer be the head coach of the women’s team in order to pursue a high-profile job.
Rodebaugh will now be working for FIFA as the director of CONMEBOL and CONCACAF women’s soccer projects.
The 52-year-old manager had been in charge of Xolos Femenil since the team’s birth and seemed to be in for a long-term project at the institution. Rodebaugh had a great start with the border city team, leading them to the final of the Copa Liga MX Femenil in 2017.
However, once the Liga MX Femenil was officially formed, the team started to struggle heavily and has still yet to make the playoffs. In the 2017 Apertura, the Club Tijuana ladies lost five games, then lost seven in the 2018 Clausura, and 11 in this past season.
Rodebaugh had built a strong bond with the Xolos Femenil player, but maybe it was time for a change, given the team’s form. The Mexican coach had a few odd moments this past season as well as she missed a game to attend an awards ceremony and also forgot the score of a game right after it, during a press conference.
Still, Rodebaugh really can be considered one of the pioneers in Mexican women’s soccer and is very well respected in the world of women’s soccer. The Mexico City native will forever be a name associated with Xolos Femenil, and has already contributed a great deal in the progression and formation of plenty of the young players on Club Tijuana’s women’s team.
Solamente podemos decir ¡GRACIAS @arode8!
Te deseamos éxito en tu nueva etapa, Tijuana siempre será tu casa pic.twitter.com/vXVyhxIJpG— Xolos Femenil 🐕 (@XolosFemenil) December 22, 2018
It will be interesting to see who replaces Rodebaugh, but one of the names that immediately stands out is Rogelio Martinez, who nearly led Puebla to the playoffs last season. Martinez was controversially let go of his job after the season and was able to be successful with a Puebla team that was playing in its first-ever Liga MX Femenil tournament.
21 years old, born and raised in San Diego, roots from Tlaxcala, Mexico. Casual baseball, football and basketball fan but soccer is my true passion. Excited to bring you coverage of Club Tijuana for EVT!