Miguel Herrera

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Herrera and the second or maternal family name is Aguirre.
Miguel Herrera
Herrera as Tijuana manager in 2016
Personal information
Full name Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre
Date of birth (1968-03-18) 18 March 1968 (age 57)
Place of birth Cuautepec de Hinojosa,
Hidalgo, Mexico[1]
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Position Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1986 Deportivo Neza ? (?)
1987–1988 UAG ? (?)
1988–1989 Santos Laguna 30 (4)
1989–1990 Atlante 36 (4)
1990–1991 Querétaro 30 (2)
1991–1995 Atlante 125 (9)
1995–1999 Toros Neza 109 (2)
1999–2000 Atlante 33 (0)
Total 380 (21)
International career
1993–1994 Mexico 14 (0)
Managerial career
2002–2004 Atlante
2004–2007 Monterrey
2008 Veracruz
2008–2010 Estudiantes Tecos
2010–2011 Atlante
2011–2013 América
2013–2015 Mexico
2015–2017 Tijuana
2017–2020 América
2021–2022 Tigres UANL
2023–2024 Tijuana
2025 Costa Rica
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Mexico (as a player)
Copa América
Runner-up 1993 Ecuador Team
Representing  Mexico (as manager)
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Winner 2015 United States-Canada
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre (born 18 March 1968), popularly referred to by his nickname "Piojo" (Spanish for "louse"),[3] is a Mexican professional football manager and former player.

As a player, Herrera represented six different clubs in Mexican football. He is primarily remembered for his time at Atlante, where he won a Primera División title, and Toros Neza, where he accumulated more than 100 appearances. On the international stage, he earned 14 caps for the Mexico national team and took part in the 1993 Copa América, where Mexico finished as runners-up.[4]

As a manager, Herrera has led seven clubs in Mexico, most notably Club América, where he won two league championships. He also guided the Mexico national team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In addition, Herrera has held the managerial post with Costa Rica.

Club career

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Herrera made his debut in 1985 with second division side Deportivo Neza. Originally a forward, he switched to playing as a defender after his move to Tecos UAG in 1987. Herrera made his debut in the Primera División on 22 May 1988, in a 2–0 victory over Atlas.[5] He transferred to Santos Laguna in 1988, making 30 appearances and scoring four goals. He had his first stint with Atlante in 1989, making 36 appearances and scoring four goals before moving to Querétaro in 1990. He again transferred to Atlante in 1991, and won his first league title during the 1992–93 season after defeating Monterrey in the finals by a 4–0 aggregate score after winning the first-leg 1–0 and the second 4–0. He would remain at the club until 1995, making 125 appearances and scoring nine goals. Herrera was then sold to Toros Neza, with whom he would play in his second league final during the "Verano '97" season, ultimately losing to Guadalajara by an aggregate score of 7–2. In 1999, Herrera returned to Atlante for a third time before officially retiring in 2000.

International career

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Herrera participated with the senior national team in the 1993 Copa América tournament held in Ecuador. Mexico went on to reach the final against Argentina, losing 1–2.

Herrera played in all of Mexico's matches during the qualifying stages for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, though he was omitted from the final squad list by coach Miguel Mejía Barón.[3]

Managerial career

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Atlante

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In 2002, two years after retiring, Herrera came back to coach his former club Atlante. He would remain manager for two years, but resigned in 2004 after failing to take Atlante to a final.

Monterrey

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For the Apertura 2004, Herrera was named head coach of Monterrey. He coincidentally faced his former club Atlante in the semifinals, with Monterrey advancing by an aggregate score of 7–3. He ultimately failed to make Monterrey champions, losing to UNAM in the final by an aggregate score of 3–1. He succeeded in taking Monterrey to another final in the Apertura 2005 tournament, but failed once more, this time losing to Toluca with an aggregate score of 6–3. Herrera would continue to be manager of Monterrey until the Apertura 2007 tournament, where his contract was terminated in September 2007 due to continuous poor form.[6]

Veracruz

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Prior to the Clausura 2008, Herrera was hired as manager of Veracruz after the resignation of Antonio Mohamed.[7] A stand-out victory for Herrera was a 4–0 home victory over Club América on 29 March 2008.[8] He was in charge of preventing Veracruz from being relegated to the Primera División A, though Veracruz were inevitably relegated. Herrera parted ways with the club in May 2008.[9]

Estudiantes Tecos

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Shortly after leaving Veracruz, Herrera was hired to manage a struggling Estudiantes Tecos midway into the Apertura 2008 tournament to replace José Luis Trejo.[10] He was fired on 6 September 2010 after Tecos suffered a 0–3 defeat against Guadalajara during a league match of the Apertura tournament.[11]

Return to Atlante

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In November 2010 it was announced that Herrera was hired as the new Atlante manager, returning to his former club following his first managerial stint in 2002.[12] Under his reign, Atlante finished fourth in the Clausura 2011, though they would be eliminated in the quarterfinals by Cruz Azul.[13] Atlante failed to qualify for the playoffs of the Apertura 2011, and Herrera did not renew his contract with the club. There were reports linking him with Club América as their new manager for the following season.[14]

América

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On 16 November 2011, Herrera was officially named manager of Club América.[15][16][17] In his first press conference, Herrera revealed he had signed a six-month contract, saying, "[i]f in six months I don't give results, I'll leave."[18] On 7 January 2012, América defeated Querétaro 2–0, which was Herrera's first official victory with América.[19] América finished the Clausura in third place and reached the semifinals, being eliminated by Monterrey by an aggregate score of 0–2.[20] On 14 May, Miguel Herrera was ratified as manager.[21] He led the club to a fourth-place finish the following Apertura, once again being eliminated at the semifinals stage following a 2–3 aggregate loss to Toluca.

On 26 May 2013, América won the eleventh league title in its history by defeating Cruz Azul 4–2 on penalties after a dramatic comeback from a 0–1 first leg loss to tie 2–2 on aggregate, and playing the second leg with ten men for over 105 minutes. It was Herrera's first title in his managerial career after losing his two previous finals while at Monterrey.[22]

The following Apertura, Herrera led América to another league final after topping the league table with 37 points, however they were defeated by León.[23] Midway through the tournament, Herrera was named interim coach of the Mexico national team; his assistant Álvaro Galindo coached América until Herrera's return in November. It was later announced that Herrera would take over as head coach of the Mexican team on a permanent basis.

Mexico national team

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Herrera with former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in 2014.

On 18 October 2013, Herrera was appointed interim head coach of the Mexico, replacing Víctor Manuel Vucetich to become the fourth national team coach within the span of a month.[24] He led El Tri to a 9–3 aggregate victory over New Zealand in the inter-confederation play-off to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. On 2 December, it was announced that Herrera would remain national team coach at least through the World Cup.[25]

At the World Cup, Mexico finished second in their group with 7 points, obtaining wins against Cameroon[26] and Croatia[27] and securing a scoreless draw against the host nation.[28] They faced the Netherlands in the round-of-16, where Mexico was controversially eliminated after succumbing to a 2–1 defeat.[29] On 3 December, he declared that his contract with the national team was renewed.[30] His performances for 2014 had the IFFHS rank him as the 7th best manager of the year.[31]

Mexico failed to make it past the group stage of the 2015 Copa América, only attaining two draws and one loss.[32] On 26 July 2015, Mexico won the CONCACAF Gold Cup after defeating Jamaica 3–1 in the final.[33] Two days later, Herrera was released as coach of the Mexico national team after an alleged physical altercation with TV Azteca announcer Christian Martinoli – who had been critical of Herrera – while the two waited in the TSA line at the Philadelphia International Airport.[34]

Tijuana

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On 2 November 2015, Herrera was named manager of Club Tijuana. He managed the club until May 2017, qualifying to the play-offs twice.

Return to América

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On 26 May 2017, Club América announced Herrera as their new manager.[35] He lost in his first official game as the club's manager, a 1–2 defeat to Querétaro in the Supercopa MX.[36] Six days later, América again lost to Querétaro, this time by a 0–1 scoreline, in their opening match of the Apertura tournament.[37] The following week, Herrera won his first league match in his second spell with América, defeating Pachuca 2–0 at Estadio Hidalgo.[38] Herrera led América to a third-place finish during the regular phase of the Apertura, however they were eliminated in the semifinals by Tigres UANL.[39] América also went out of the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League to Toronto FC in the semifinals.[40] The club finished the following Clausura tournament in second-place, and was again eliminated at the semifinal stage, this time losing to Santos Laguna by a 6–3 aggregate score.[41]

Herrera led América to another second-place finish in the 2018 Apertura, only suffering two defeats throughout the regular phase of the tournament, and went undefeated in the playoffs.[42] On 16 December, Herrera won his second league title – both with Club América – following a 2–0 aggregate victory over Cruz Azul in the finals.[43] He also led the team on a 17-game unbeaten streak en route to winning the championship, equaling the record set by the club under Mario Carrillo in 2005 when it won that year's Clausura.[44]

On 5 February 2019, Herrera reached 100 wins in charge of Club América following a 3–1 victory over Necaxa in the Copa MX, becoming the third manager in the club's history after Jose Antonio Roca and Carlos Reinoso to reach that milestone.[45][46] On 11 April, América defeated FC Juárez 1–0 in the Clausura final of the Copa MX. This was Herrera's first cup title in his career, and his third title overall with Club América.[47]

On 21 December 2020, Herrera was dismissed from his position following the club's exit from the CONCACAF Champions League.[48]

Tigres UANL

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On 20 May 2021, Herrera was appointed manager of Tigres UANL, replacing Ricardo Ferretti.[49] On 9 November 2022, Herrera was dismissed from his job.[50]

Return to Tijuana

[edit]

On 10 February 2023, Club Tijuana announced Herrera as their new manager. On 30 April 2024, Tijuana and Herrera parted ways.[51]

Costa Rica

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On 7 January 2025, the Costa Rican Football Federation announced Herrera as the new manager of the national team.[52] On 20 November, Herrera was dismissed from his role following Costa Rica’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[53]

Managerial style

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Herrera is a known "Lavolpista",[54] a term used to describe coaches that follow the style and philosophy of Ricardo La Volpe, although Herrera has stated he isn't, arguing he incorporates footballing styles from various other coaches he has trained with.[55][56] Most of them use the 5–3–2 formation with fast wing-backs.[56] Herrera has been criticized for deploying a "pyrotechnic" style with offensive and direct game that sometimes leaves the defense vulnerable. He transferred over the formation from Club América to national level when he was made Mexico's manager.[57]

Managerial statistics

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As of 18 November 2025[58][59]
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L Win %
Atlante Mexico 20 February 2002 30 May 2004 97 38 31 28 039.18
Monterrey 2 June 2004 26 September 2007 127 51 32 44 040.16
Veracruz 30 January 2008 3 May 2008 15 4 5 6 026.67
Estudiantes Tecos 2 September 2008 6 September 2010 80 25 21 34 031.25
Atlante 23 November 2010 15 November 2011 36 13 8 15 036.11
América 16 November 2011 15 December 2013 102 55 23 24 053.92
Mexico 18 October 2013 28 July 2015 36 19 10 7 052.78
Tijuana 2 November 2015 21 May 2017 74 33 18 23 044.59
América 30 May 2017 21 December 2020 175 87 43 45 049.71
Tigres UANL 20 May 2021 9 November 2022 63 32 13 18 050.79
Tijuana 10 February 2023 30 April 2024 47 10 13 24 021.28
Costa Rica Costa Rica 7 January 2025 20 November 2025 15 7 6 2 046.67
Total 867 374 223 270 043.14

Player Honours

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Atlante

Mexico

Managerial Honours

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América

Mexico

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Un técnico de carácter va al rescate de la Selección de México". Nacion.com. October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre". Liga MX.
  3. ^ a b "Herrera: I'm right in the firing line". FIFA.com. FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  4. ^ "Conoce la faceta de Miguel Herrera come jugador". Terra Networks. November 2011.
  5. ^ "Diez cosas que no sabías del "Piojo" Herrera". publimetro.com.mx. Publisport. October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  6. ^ "Miguel Herrera deja al Monterrey". El Siglo de Torreón. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
  7. ^ "Veracruz presenta a Miguel Herrera". Orizaba en Red. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  8. ^ "En caída libre el América; Los golea Veracruz 4–0". El Universal. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
  9. ^ "Finaliza Veracruz relación laboral con Miguel Herrera". El Siglo de Torreón. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  10. ^ "Tecos replace Trejo with Herrera". ESPN Star. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  11. ^ "Miguel Herrera es cesado como entrenador de Estudiantes Tecos". CNN Mexico. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  12. ^ French, Scott (24 November 2010)."Atlante tags Miguel Herrera to 'get out of this mess'". ESPN Los Angeles. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  13. ^ "Atlante eliminado de la liguilla". Potros de Atlante. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  14. ^ "Se va Miguel Herrera del Atlante". El Punto Crítico. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  15. ^ "America hires Miguel Hererra as their new coach". Fox Sports. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  16. ^ "Miguel Herrera llega al América". El Universal. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  17. ^ "Miguel Herrera es el técnico del América". ESPN Deportes. November 15, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  18. ^ "Miguel Herrera, DT del América". Oem. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  19. ^ "Quéretaro 0–2 América... Inician con triunfo la nueva era". Medio Tiempo. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  20. ^ "Monterrey(2)2–0(0) América...Rayados, primer finalista". Medio Tiempo. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  21. ^ "Ratifican a Miguel Herrera como técnico del América". Excélsior. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  22. ^ "¡América es Campeón de la Liga MX!". Clubamerica.com.mx. Club América. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  23. ^ McCarthy, Kyle. "Club Leon win sixth Primera title". Fox Sports. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  24. ^ "Mexico Fires Another Coach, Fourth One in Two Months". The New York Times. October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  25. ^ "Herrera named Mexico head coach through 2014 World Cup". soccerbyives. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  26. ^ Keh, Andrew. "Mexico 1, Cameroon 0: In a Downpour, Mexico Keeps Calm to Edge Cameroon". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  27. ^ "Mexico booked a last-16 tie against the Netherlands after knocking Croatia out of the 2014 Fifa World Cup". BBC Sport. June 23, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  28. ^ "Brazil 0-0 Mexico: Seleccao held in stalemate". Goal.com. June 17, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  29. ^ Borden, Sam (June 29, 2014). "Dutch Mount Dramatic Rally With Theatrical Fall". New York Times Online. nytimes.com. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  30. ^ "Miguel Herrera le apunta a los títulos". El Informador. December 4, 2014.
  31. ^ "Herrera, séptimo mejor DT de Selecciones". January 23, 2015.
  32. ^ "México fracasa en la Copa América". June 19, 2015.
  33. ^ "Mexico 3 Jamaica 1". BBC Sport. July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  34. ^ Hill, Tim (July 28, 2015). "Mexico coach Miguel Herrera fired after fight with journalist". The Guardian. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  35. ^ "Ex-Mexico boss Miguel Herrera returns to Club America". ESPN FC. May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  36. ^ "¡Canta el Gallo! Querétaro se lleva la SuperCopa MX". Esto (in Spanish). Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  37. ^ "Querétaro empaña el debut de 'Piojo' Herrera en el América". Economíahoy.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  38. ^ "Las Águilas retomaron el vuelo y vencieron 2-0 a Pachuca" (in Spanish). Univision. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  39. ^ "Tigres elimina al América y se mete a la Final". AS.com (in Spanish). Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  40. ^ "Club America 1, Toronto FC 1 : 2018 Concacaf Champions League Recap". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  41. ^ "¿Cuál remontada? América ni siquiera ganó la Vuelta; Santos es finalista". MedioTiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  42. ^ "El camino del campeón América". La Afición (in Spanish). Milenio. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  43. ^ Tolmich, Ryan. "Club America top Cruz Azul to claim Liga MX Apertura crown". Goal.com. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  44. ^ "América de Piojo iguala marca invicta de Carrillo en el 2005" (in Spanish). Diario Récord. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  45. ^ "Miguel Herrera llega a 100 victorias con el América" (in Spanish). Club América. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  46. ^ "Miguel Herrera consigue su victoria 100 con el América". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  47. ^ "Los títulos de Miguel Herrera con Club América". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  48. ^ "Club America sack Herrera in aftermath of CONCACAF Champions League exit". Goal. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  49. ^ "¡Bienvenido, Miguel Herrera, a Tigres!". Tigres UANL. May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  50. ^ "Comunicado a nuestra afición" (in Spanish). Tigres UANL. November 9, 2022.
  51. ^ "Former Mexico coach Miguel Herrera out at Tijuana". ESPN. May 1, 2024.
  52. ^ "Costa Rica hires former Mexico coach Miguel Herrera". ESPN. January 7, 2025.
  53. ^ "Oficial: Costa Rica despidió a Miguel Herrera después de la peor eliminatoria reciente". ESPN Mexico. November 20, 2025.
  54. ^ Pérez, Carlos Alberto (April 25, 2020). "Los entrenadores que pertenecen a la escuela Lavolpista". 90 Min (in Spanish).
  55. ^ "No soy Lavolpista: Miguel Herrera". Medio Tiempo (in Spanish). October 2, 2009.
  56. ^ a b Reséndiz, Graciela (April 20, 2019). "Miguel Herrera no se declara lavolpista". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish).
  57. ^ Tighe, Sam. "Tighe's 2014 World Cup Tactics Board: Analysing Miguel Herrera's Mexico". Bleacher Report.
  58. ^ El "Piojo" promete unir, ganar, gustar y ser campeones :: El Informador. Informador.com.mx (2011-11-17). Retrieved on 2015-12-02.
  59. ^ Miguel Herrera dijo adiós al América – Futbol – México. mediotiempo.com. Retrieved on 2015-12-02.
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