Atlas FC fires José Guadalupe Cruz

Three tournaments, two matches, and it's over. José Guadalupe Cruz is no longer the coach of Atlas. The board announced in a statement that they had parted ways with "Profe" after the defeats against Pumas and León in the league tournament and another one against Veracruz in the Copa MX.

For now, Gerardo Espinoza will assume the position, who is the coach of the under-20 team and also worked as an assistant to Cruz in the first team until recently. However, it was decided last year that he would focus on lower categories.

Victor Manuel Vucetich and Eduardo Berizzo are two of the options to take over. Jorge Almirón was the favorite of the board for months, but the option of going to Spain and now assuming the challenge of Atlético Nacional is out of the table.

The possibility of saying goodbye did not arise overnight. After the elimination against Monterrey in the last tournament, there was an intention to terminate his contract. However, it was decided to bet on continuity because no agreement was reached with other options.

51 points in two tournaments, two playoff appearances, and a knockout phase in the Copa MX. The relationship with the fans was broken to the point that they demanded his departure during the team's last game at the Estadio Jalisco against Veracruz in the Copa.

#Comunicado
José Guadalupe Cruz ceases to be the Technical Director of Atlas FC. https://t.co/FKyzXbeev0 January 16, 2018

The coach joined Club Atlas in the Apertura 2016 with the goal of qualifying for the playoffs, a feat they achieved in the Clausura 2017 and Apertura 2017 tournaments, but without advancing beyond the Quarterfinals.

GPE