El Zurdo López, champion coach with América, has died.

▲ A legendary figure in Argentine soccer, Miguel Ángel López managed eight teams in the Mexican League. Photo by La Jornada

Alberto Aceves

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, p. a11

Miguel Ángel El Zurdo López, a legendary figure in Argentine soccer and one of the most remembered coaches in the history of Club América, died at the age of 83 in Barranquilla, Colombia, suffering from undisclosed health problems. For those who witnessed the Mexican soccer champion (1984 and 1985) and the 1992 CONCACAF Cup, the former left-footed defender who played for Independiente de Avellaneda was a man who transmitted toughness, discipline, and a seriousness in his work , one of those teachers disguised as a military colonel who forged the mystique of the Águilas on the fields of Coapa.

In a March 2020 post, Argentina's captain at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Diego Armando Maradona, described El Zurdo López as one of the best coaches he had in his career, a winner as a person and a player, four-time consecutive Copa América champion with Independiente (from 1972 to 1975), two Inter-American Cups, and once a world champion (in the 1973 Intercontinental Cup) . Regarding this idea that brings together what El Diego heard, read, and experienced in 1980 with Argentinos Juniors, others remember the way the Cordovan – born in Ticino on March 1, 1942 – led his training sessions.

El Zurdo combined that strong, steady leg style with the style that América defined in the 1980s. “I was 22 years old when Ángel Coca González took me to the club for a tryout,” former América player Ricardo Peláez, champion of the 1985 Prode, told La Jornada . “They put me on the back pitch with the kids my age, and suddenly El Zurdo López arrived, accompanied by Panchito Hernández. After watching the inter-squad match, he took Enrique Rodón and me to pitch 1 with the first team. 15 days went by, and he gave me the chance to make my debut. He was the one who spotted me. The rest is history.”

Players who talk about the Argentine repeat his nickname and surname like a creed. "He was a connoisseur of football, demanding, studious, and possessed of enormous human qualities ," says former World Cup player Cuauhtémoc Blanco, whom El Zurdo had play for América at 17. "Is there anyone better than him? " the former Águilas coach still asked in 2023 when recalling Blanco's career, having become not only one of the club's historical figures, but also one of the Mexican national team's. Retired in 2014, López moved to Barranquilla, where he managed Junior seven times and won the first division title nine years earlier.

In 2020, he suffered a heart attack that left lasting effects on his health. The last time he appeared in public was through a video published by former Uruguayan goalkeeper Sebastián Viera, in which El Zurdo , with his hair slicked back, was seen bedridden with limited mobility. His death pains me deeply , confesses Carlos Hermosillo, champion in the 1984-85 season with América, which the Argentine managed. He transmitted toughness and discipline, but deep down, he was a great human being and an extraordinary person. He treated me exceptionally well, he cared about me and my way of training. I have nothing but words of gratitude for his treatment. He was an old-school gentleman .

From 1977 to 2014, the former defender from Córdoba managed six different countries—Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, and Spain—almost always as a technical director. In addition to América, in the local league he took charge of Guadalajara (1989-91), Santos Laguna (1994-95 and 1997-98), Toluca (1996), León (1996), Atlético Celaya (2001), Puebla (2002), and San Luis (2009-10), a club where he also served as sporting director. “A great coach has passed away, but above all a friend with whom I shared moments at Independiente and América, the great Zurdo López,” briefly comments Daniel Brailovsky, a star with the Águilas in the 1980s.

Always wearing a suit and tie, López starred in one of the most memorable episodes of the 1995 rivalry between Independiente and River Plate: after the huge defeat of the Millonarios on penalties in a Copa Libertadores match, he took money out of his pocket to offer to the fourth official, Ángel Sánchez, when he called for a series of fouls on his players. The referee immediately sent him off, and he had to go to the locker room.

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, p. a11

Guillermo Ochoa, a goalkeeper with five World Cup titles with the Mexican national team, became the player with the most Gold Cup titles in his career on Sunday. With the final against the United States in Houston, he reached his sixth since 2009. If there's a difference between that time and now, the most significant is the playing time: despite his international experience, coach Javier Aguirre left the Portuguese AVS player on the bench and used Luis Ángel Malagón in his place for every match of the competition.

In a video posted on social media, Ochoa appears pensive, pacing in circles surrounded by thousands of fans at NRG Stadium in Houston, while his teammates celebrate winning their second World Cup title. At 39, the possibility of closing out his career at the 2026 World Cup, with his sixth international appearance, hasn't left his mind. "I'm not asking for anything to be handed to me; I'm still working at the highest level. It would be fantastic to reach another World Cup; we're just a year away. All I have left to do is enjoy being here ," he notes.

The former América player's most recent appearance in goal for El Tricolor was on November 15, 2024, in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals. Honduras defeated Aguirre's team 2-0 at the General Francisco Morazán Stadium. During the 13 subsequent matches—official and friendly— Basque Country used Malagón the majority of the time, in addition to giving opportunities to young players like Raúl Rangel. "The people who follow me know how dedicated I have been; I will continue to do so if given the opportunity. The World Cup would be the icing on the cake to close out my career ," he added.

Ochoa understands the guiding role he plays for the younger players, but he trusts in his experience to return to the starting lineup.

Since his move to Ajaccio in 2011, the goalkeeper, trained at América, has defended the goal for other European clubs, including Málaga, Granada (Spain), Standard Liège (Belgium), Unione Sportiva Salernitana (Italy), and AVS (Portugal). Faced with a lack of success and the constant pressure of fighting to avoid relegation, the experienced national team player believes his initial plans were different.

It's not easy to play for teams with a low budget , he admits. Of course, you expose yourself to these kinds of situations. I would have liked to compete for clubs that were fighting for titles and European championships, but we all know the difficulties I've had throughout my career to get there. Despite these situations, I haven't fallen off the wagon .

▲ The third stage of the Tour de France was won by Belgian rider Tim Merlier, and what seemed like a peaceful day, with no breakaways or attacks, turned into chaos with violent crashes. Photo Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, p. a11