Mexico named Argentina’s Martino as coach

Mexico presented Argentine manager Gerardo Martino as the new coach of the national team on Monday, seeking to reach the football goal that has eluded them for more than three decades: the World Cup quarter-finals.

Martino, who has managed Barcelona and Atlanta United as well as the Argentine and Paraguayan national teams, announced he had accepted the job at a press conference in Mexico City, ending weeks of speculation that he had been tapped to succeed Colombia’s Juan Carlos Osorio.

The man nicknamed “Tata,” or papa, cut straight to the chase in discussing his mission for “El Tri”: end the “quarter-finals curse” that has dogged the team for the past seven World Cups.

“I’m getting onboard with the objective of playing in the fifth match of the World Cup. But before that, I want to put in place a system of play and a clear idea”, he said.