FC Juarez make splash hire with Tuca Ferretti as next head coach

JUAREZ, Mexico - After a bottom third finish in the LIGA MX standings, FC Juarez have put Mexican soccer on notice with their new head coach. They are not messing around.

FC Juarez introduced Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti as their next coach on Thursday, bringing one of top managers in the western hemisphere to the Mexican border city.

Ferretti comes to Juarez with incredible pedigree, having spent the last ten seasons as manager of MX club Tigres UANL in addition to stints as interim manager of the Mexican National Team.

Since taking over Tigres in 2010, Ferretti has led the club to five different Liga MX titles, three Campeon de Campeones trophies, and most recently a CONCACAF Champions League title. The CONCACAF Champions League is an annual continental tournament pitting the top teams in North America.

As an "interim" manager of the Mexican National Team, Ferretti led "El Tri" to the CONCACAF Gold Cup trophy in 2015.

A native of Brazil, Ferretti is one of just two managers in Mexican soccer history to manage 1,000 league matches.

The hire represents a major investment by FC Juarez ownership group MountainStar Sports, who also own USL club El Paso Locomotive FC and the El Paso Chihuahuas of Triple AAA baseball.

Under MountainStar's watch, professional soccer in Juarez has tried to establish itself as one of the top in all of Mexico. In 2019, FC Juarez was promoted to LIGA MX (top flight of Mexican soccer) from second division Ascenso MX.

In addition to "Tuca," FC Juarez also announced the hire of Miguel Angel Garza as Executive President of Football Operations. Garza also comes to FC Juarez from Tigres UANL, where he worked directly with Ferretti to build the club into the juggernaut it is today.

Ferretti will replace Luis Fernando Tena, who lasted just one season as head coach of "Los Bravos."