Finally, it’s official: Luis Mena will be the new head coach of the Chilean women’s national soccer team, known as La Roja femenina. The announcement came from the Chilean Football Federation (FFCh) on Monday, ending months of speculation on who would replace José Letelier, who resigned back in June after leading the team to a historic qualification to the Tokyo Olympics.
Mena, 49, brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously led the Chilean U-20 men’s national team as well as top-flight clubs like Palestino and Santiago Wanderers. He also won several titles with Colo-Colo as a player and has worked as an assistant coach in Argentina and Mexico.
According to the FFCh, Mena was chosen from a shortlist of five candidates after an extensive evaluation process that took into account their technical expertise and leadership skills, as well as their commitment to developing women’s soccer in Chile. In his first press conference as coach, Mena said he was “very excited and motivated” to take the reins of La Roja femenina and praised the team’s progress in recent years, saying that his main goal was to “keep growing together” and achieve “new challenges and objectives.”
This news is undoubtedly a positive development for women’s soccer in Chile, which has been gaining more visibility and recognition in recent times thanks to the success of the national team and the efforts of grassroots organizations and female players to promote the sport. With the Tokyo Olympics just around the corner and the qualifying campaign for the 2023 Women’s World Cup starting next year, Mena will have a big challenge ahead, but also a great opportunity to make a difference and inspire more young girls to pursue their dreams.
Quick Links