Less than one calendar year removed from winning a league title, Santos Laguna sacked manager Daniel Guzman on Wednesday.

The move came as a surprise as Santos have reached the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, and Guzman had stressed the significance of that tournament. League results have not been what ownersip expected and ownership’s patience apparently gave out.

Guzman had juggled new faces and dealt with the loss of old ones but he was given no pass because of that. Santos have a 2-4-5 record this season and came off a 2-1 loss to Morelia on the weekend. Santos sit in fourth place in Group 1 on 11 points and seem too far back to make up ground on either Pachuca (23 points), Puebla (21) or Monterrey (18).

Internationally, Guzman has Santos in prime position to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League final. His efforts in cup have not been lessened by league play as Guzman has consistently sent out full-strength lineups against Montreal and Atlante in the knockout rounds.

Santos’ move came one day after Chivas and manager Efrain Flroes parted ways. Guzman is now the sixth manager to see the axe in Mexico this season.

Goal