The team led by the former River coach lost in the quarterfinals of Liga MX with a numerical advantage for much of the match
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Martín Demichelis stopped being the coach of Monterrey after the team's elimination in the quarterfinals of the Torneo Clausura MX 2025. Rayados fell 2-1 as visitors against Toluca in the second leg, and were eliminated by the away goals rule, as the aggregate ended tied 4-4.
Monterrey quedó afuera por gol de visitante
"This is very painful for the fans and for the institution. I repeat that we aspired to much more and the institution is for much more, the squad as well, but I will continue with the strength, the integrity that normally characterizes me, but there are things that don't depend on me," expressed the 44-year-old coach from Córdoba, after the defeat.
In the first leg, Monterrey had won 3-2, but Toluca tied the series and took advantage of their better position in the standings (1st with 37 points, while Rayados finished 7th) to seal their qualification to the next round.
Regarding the development of the match, Demichelis lamented his team's attitude at key moments: "It's difficult to explain what happened to us. We lacked more game control and a set-piece play took away our qualification. We played very well being eleven against eleven (Toluca suffered the expulsions of Heliño and Antonio Briseño in the first half). Then we lacked the emotional part for much of the game. When we made it 1-1, we didn't know how to play it again with ease or calmness. The difficult thing about soccer is playing easy."
Demichelis se lamentó por la eliminación de su equipo
Demichelis's Numbers at Monterrey
The Argentine coach arrived at Rayados in mid-2024, after his departure from River. During his time with the royal squad, Micho managed 43 matches, in which he achieved 20 victories, 11 draws, and 12 defeats.
Demichelis empezó bien, pero luego se fue desinflando
His main achievement in his short period as a coach was the runner-up position in the Apertura 2024, but his performance in the current tournament was not even a shadow of that achievement. The irregular results led him to miraculously qualify for the Liga MX play-offs, where he would end up losing to Toluca, being eliminated from the Concachampions in the round of 16 against the Vancouver Whitecaps, who defeated Inter Miami in the semis.
In addition to this, he had been having a bad relationship with Sergio Canales, the team's captain, and the royal squad's locker room seemed to be gradually letting go of his hand.
Next Stop: Club World Cup
Beyond the elimination, Monterrey has an important international appointment ahead, as they will participate in the Club World Cup in Group E, which they share with Inter, River and Urawa Red Diamonds.
With the departure of Martín Demichelis, the Mexican team will need to find a replacement in just over a month. To make matters worse, Rayados will not have any official commitments until the debut against Inter, so they will only be able to practice in training sessions and friendlies.
