The adventure of Spanish coach Francisco Rodriguez in Liga MX lasted six matches before he was dismissed this Tuesday by the Santos Laguna board as a result of the terrible results in the first six matches of the Clausura 2026 tournament with only one point earned out of 18 possible.

Santos Laguna, Under the Spaniard's leadership, the team only managed a 2-2 draw with FC Juarez in Matchday 3, and the other five matches resulted in defeats: 1-3 against Necaxa in Matchday 1, 3-1 against Toluca in Matchday 2, 4-0 against Pumas UNAM in Matchday 4, 5-1 against Tigres in Matchday 5, and the final straw was the 1-2 home defeat against Mazatlan in Matchday 6. The decision was announced at a press conference by the team's president, Alejandro Irarragorri, who confirmed the dismissal of the Spanish coach as a result of the team's poor performance, compounded by the adverse results of the previous season under Ignacio Ambriz. Along with Rodriguez Vilchez's departure, the Director of Sporting Management, Braulio Rodriguez, also left his post as part of the restructuring being carried out by the top management of Grupo Orlegui, which controls Santos Laguna and... Atlas.

Accompanied by his son Aleco, the president of Santos Laguna explained the reasons for the decision to dismiss Francisco Rodriguez: “It has been a very difficult day, since Sunday, profoundly difficult, full of reflections on everything we have experienced and the suffering we see in our fans, which I share from the bottom of our hearts; we have nothing to reproach them for, on the contrary, we must recognize and share the pain they feel. on matchday seven of the Clausura 2026 tournament.

“In this new path and stage, we find someone who has been with the institution for a long time,"He was trained in Barcelona, ????played for the National Team,and has been with the youth academy since last summer. This is Omar Tapia, who will serve as interim manager for 11 matches," Aleco emphasized. The manager of the Comarca Lagunera team denied that the team's performance numbers are due to a lack of investment in reinforcements, especially considering the $18 million invested. He stated that a change of ideas and new projects are needed. "We had a group of warriors who fought every battle with everything they had; we can't be worried about every opponent, we must fight in every stadium we visit. That's what we've lost, and that's what we must face. These haven't been easy times, but we've come out on top in these battles, and today mediocrity ends. Anyone who isn't willing to represent what this land is all about has no place here. We have good players, but not a team; we're afraid, and anyone who isn't prepared to lose isn't prepared to win," he concluded.