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It has now been 23 days since Chivas USA owner Jorge Vergara announced he would be revealing the team's head coach within 10 days. Rumors have been swirling, and there are a few more to be added to the mix.
Last week, Ives Galarcep reported that former U.S. Men's National Team coach Steve Sampson was a prime candidate for the job. Sampson is fluent in Spanish and was formerly the coach of the Costa Rican national team, so I suppose he has some understanding of the "Latin style" of soccer Vergara was talking about at the November 13 press conference.
Today, Galarcep added to that rumor by throwing in former Chivas USA player Ramon Ramirez as another top candidate for the job, even speculating that Ramirez and Sampson could join the coaching staff on a 1A and 1B basis, or something of the like. Sampson has extensive coaching experience, while Ramirez has none at the top level. Ramirez does, however, have links to both Chivas USA and Chivas de Guadalajara as a player, so I suppose that would make him an ideal bridge between teams.
Meanwhile, the Mexico-based press is circulating a rumor of their own, that Jose Luis Sanchez Sola, popularly known as "Chelis," is talking to Chivas about the Chivas USA job. From what I can find, the rumor originated with the @sancadilla twitter feed, which combines a mix of news, gossip, and humor, meaning I'm not sure how real this rumor is. But the ESPN Deportes crew is retweeting the heck out of it, so it is really making the rounds. Chelis has coached Puebla and Estudiantes Tecos in the Mexican first division, and recently finished a stint with second division side Correcaminos, where they lost in the Copa MX final to Dorados. Except for his stint with Puebla, and even that was rocky, he doesn't have a history of staying in one place for long, although he does have a decent reputation as an actual coach.
We'll see if there's any truth to any of these candidates, but for now, Chivas USA are still without a coach.
What do you think? Leave a comment below!