MEXICO CITY, Mexico -- Tigres coach Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti has managed Liga MX clubs for 26 uninterrupted, consecutive seasons. The streak is Alex Ferguson-like if you happen to ignore the fact Ferretti has coached five teams in that span. The feat also speaks to his brilliance as a tactician, his work ethic and an uncanny ability to bring out the best in his teams repeatedly.
Since taking UNAM Pumas over in 1991, Ferretti has won six league titles including four with Tigres, the team he's coached since 2010. In fact, the only team that hasn't seen silverware pile up with the former midfielder is Morelia, a club he only guided for one year.
In all, Ferretti has 12 trophies across multiple competitions though his international record is significantly more modest than the domestic titles he's amassed. A single CONCACAF Champions Cup, won in 2003 with Toluca, is the Brazil-born coach's top result when guiding Mexican clubs in foreign competition.
Last night, before a stunned home crowd in Monterrey, Ferretti and his Tigres bowed out of the CONCACAF Champions League following a strong performance from MLS Cup champions Toronto FC over the two-legged tie.
Under Ferretti, Tigres has consistently underwhelmed in international competition, with the only exception being the 2015 Copa Libertadores campaign, where they reached the final against River Plate. Despite assembling one of the gaudiest rosters in Liga MX history, Ferretti has been reliably unable to deliver the goods outside of Mexico, falling flat every time he's ventured out of his comfort zone.
On Tuesday, Tigres' starting lineup featured French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, Chilean forward Eduardo Vargas, Mexican national teamers Javier Aquino, Hugo Ayala and Jesus Duenas as well as Argentina national team goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman: all of them would warrant "Designated Player" status in MLS should they decide to play there.
Off the bench came Jurgen Damm, another occasional El Tri player, while Enner Valencia, one of Liga MX's most expensive signings ever, remained on the bench throughout. The fact that Tigres was unable to secure the needed result is equal parts Toronto simply wanting it more, to borrow the cliche, and a lack of urgency imparted by Ferretti.
Repeatedly, Ferretti has said he doesn't value winning the CONCACAF title as much as he does winning the league though the excuse has lost luster recently given that Tigres' chief rival, Monterrey, has won the tournament three times since 2010, each time representing the region at the FIFA Club World Cup.
"It's clear we didn't reach an objective," said Ferretti on Tuesday night after his side's elimination. "I can say a thousand things but I know what will be said [in the media]." Ferretti also said he was "calm" after the game as he believed Tigres had been "very superior" to their opponent.
Candid as he may be, it appeared "Tuca" was coming around to the idea of winning an international title with Tigres. Last weekend, against Tijuana, he rested several starters in preparation of the second leg against the side from Canada. When Sebastian Giovinco curled a free-kick past Guzman at the Estadio Universitario, Ferretti was visibly upset knowing his team needed three goals to advance.
The loss had a similar effect on Ferretti's players. After an own goal in favor of Toronto opened scoring in Monterrey, Guzman picked the ball out of his net before launching it into the back of striker Jozy Altidore. Heated words between players on both sides became even more furious after Toronto jumped out to a 4-2 aggregate lead.
"Toronto is a serious team, well worked and with a lot of individual talent, like Giovinco. MLS keeps growing," tweeted former Mexico international Luis Roberto Alves on Wednesday in response to the result.
Overall, Tigres' loss put the exclamation point on a bad night for Liga MX as a whole. Club Tijuana also suffered elimination, succumbing against the New York Red Bulls: it means two of the three match-ups between Mexican and MLS teams have gone against the Latin American league. On Wednesday, the Seattle Sounders can make it a clean sweep as they visit Chivas with a one-goal advantage prior to the second leg.
However, Xolos can be forgiven due to their relative inexperience on the international stage, under a new coach and with a roster that is still getting to know each other. Chivas, despite their standing as one of Mexico's biggest clubs, is having one of its worst-ever seasons. A loss against Seattle wouldn't then be out of the question.
Yet there's really little justification for Tigres. Blessed with one of the most expensive rosters in the entirety of the Americas, and home-field advantage to boot, the team from Monterrey was unable to defeat a team that was considered a very worthy opponent but definitely not the favorite going into the second leg.
Coached by one of the all-time greats in Liga MX history, Tigres' exit from the CONCACAF Champions League adds to the persistent narrative that coach Ferretti is unable able to replicate the form his teams are often known for in domestic play. Whether it's a lack of interest, a consistent underestimation of his opposition, or quite simply an inability to obtain results - one thing is abundantly clear: until he wins one, Ferretti's failures at the continental level will remain a persistent stain on the coach's legacy.