Mexico fires manager Diego Cocca after humiliating 3-0 loss to USMNT

The Mexican Soccer Federation is again in need of a new national team skipper. On Monday, the organization announced that manager Diego Cocca had been fired.

That's a very friendly message about a distinctly unfriendly situation. Cocca's sacking comes several days after Mexico's loss to the USMNT, a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League. Mexico finished third overall, beating Panama 1-0, while the U.S. won it all after defeating Canada 2-0 on Sunday.

Cocca hadn't been in his position very long. He'd been manager for five months — all of seven matches — before he was fired. He was the replacement for Tata Martino, who was essentially fired by the Mexican Soccer Federation after crashing out of the group stage at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. That was Mexico's worst showing at the World Cup in nearly 30 years, and it came just a year after Martino lost the 2021 CONCACAF Nations League final and the CONCACAF Gold Cup — both to the United States. Cocca losing in such embarrassing fashion to the United States again was likely the final straw.

The decision to fire Cocca comes at a tough time for Mexico's national team. The CONCACAF Gold Cup is on the horizon, kicking off in six days. The federation appointed Jaime Lozano as interim manager, so he'll help shepherd the team for at least the Gold Cup.