The historic former Mexican player and current coach Gonzalo Pineda, who coached Atlanta United in Major League Soccer (MLS) and previously worked in Liga MX clubs such as Atlas, explained the profound differences between Mexican and U.S. soccer, highlighting that the main gap is in the stability of the technical projects.
According to Pineda, in MLS coaches receive much stronger backing from managers, who evaluate their work over the long term and with comprehensive metrics, not just based on immediate results. In contrast, in Mexico, media and fan pressure often determines a coach’s future with just a few bad results.
Evaluation by processes, not by results
Buzzy
“In the United States there are 34 games per season, while in Mexico there are only 17, so each loss weighs much more in the public perception,” said Gonzalo Pineda.
He added that in MLS, managers value elements such as the quality of training, work methodology, muscular injury management, collective performance and the team’s advanced statistics.
“In Mexico, on the other hand, the judgment is more influenced by what the press or the fans say. They analyze less the process and more the score,” Gonzalo pointed out.
Patience and time: the big differences
Gonzalo Pineda stressed that three years in MLS is hardly considered a medium-term project.
In Mexico, a coach rarely stays at the helm of a club for such a long period of time.
The problem is the lack of patience
Gonzalo Pineda
“In Atlanta I spent three years; today in Mexico there is hardly any coach who lasts that long. In MLS that is just the beginning of a process,” he explained.
For the strategist, this more patient and structured approach to MLS is helping U.S. soccer close the gap with Liga MX, which for decades has been dominant in the region.
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