The Mexican football must replicate the Pachuca model

They’ve done it once again. Pachuca is in a new final, this time in Concacaf, just a few months after starting a complete restructuring.

After winning the Apertura 2022 title, the squad led by Almada completely disintegrated. This was largely due to offers and opportunities that arose for their players.

It’s worth mentioning that, from the starting 11 in that final against Toluca, only 2 players remain in the squad: Erick Sánchez and Gustavo Cabral.

The departure of Ustari, Murillo, Kevin Álvarez, Isais, Chávez, Víctor Guzmán, Renato Ibarra, Paulino de la Fuente, and Nico Ibañez represented a heavy blow for those from Hidalgo, as most of them were experienced and undisputed players for the Hidalgo team.

However, this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision, made solely with financial considerations in mind. Grupo Pachuca was clear that this restructuring should only happen when they were ready to begin with a new generation. The Tuza directive had been working on this generational change for many years.

Pachuca’s business model is quite simple to understand but quite challenging to execute. In simple terms: develop footballers and then sell them.

But it goes beyond that. Grupo Pachuca’s philosophy has been, for years, to bet on Mexican talent. And for that, it’s not enough to have good talent scouting and basic forces. Pachuca decided to go big a long time ago by investing in a Football University, where children and young people have lodging, food, education, and football. In short, everything necessary to become professionals. Quite a luxury, isn’t it?

To this tremendous competitive advantage, we must add that they have the best trainers in the country. Specialized and trained coaches to develop talent.

But the most important thing comes later, as there are young talents in every team, but trust and support, in very few.

Pachuca faced one of the most expensive and powerful squads on the continent in the Concacaf semifinals and did so trusting in their essence. Guillermo Almada ended the tie with 7 academy graduates on the field, averaging 21 years of age together

This data is truly unusual in Liga MX. Just to give you an idea, the youngest player on América’s team was Ramón Juárez, who is already over 22 years old.

That’s why I am totally against the versions that point to the quantity of foreigners as the main problem of Mexican football, because Pachuca is proving that this is not true.

The solution to Mexican football lies in the grassroots. In forming more and better players. In training and developing them so that they are prepared for the first division. In trusting them and giving them the opportunity, from the executive level to the coaching staff.

If Guillermo Almada trusts young players, it’s mainly because of his conviction and confidence in them, but also because behind him there’s a management that has made it clear that, even if results take time to materialize, confidence in his work will remain as long as the philosophy is respected.

If only half of the teams in Mexican football were to replicate – even moderately – this model, the story of our soccer would be very different.

The Tuzos still have to finish the job, but reaching where they are now, fighting for the playoffs and already in the Concacaf final, is a gigantic step in the restructuring of this project, which, don’t doubt it, in a couple of years, will start all over again.

Was Almada the right choice?

As a bonus to this brief opinion, it’s inevitable to ask ourselves the following question. Why didn’t Almada go to the national team after Gerardo Martino’s departure?

The answer is very simple: the interests and preferences of Mexican executives who only look out for individual interests and not the collective. A powerful group in our industry decided to bet on their candidate (Diego Cocca), resulting in a major failure.

Today, Jaime Lozano is in charge, and I sincerely hope he stays, as that would indicate things are going well. But it’s impossible not to go back to that moment when Mexico was looking for a coach and the ideal strategist to take the role was right here in our league. A coach capable of trusting Mexican youth and empowering them to face opponents who, on paper, are superior. Exactly what we needed.

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