Miguel Herrera out as Mexican national soccer coach

Miguel Herrera was fired Tuesday as coach of the Mexican national team, less than two days after leading the squad to the CONCACAF Gold Cup title.

Herrera’s dismissal was announced Tuesday afternoon at a Mexican soccer federation news conference in Mexico City.

“I’ve made the decision to take the position away from Miguel Herrera,” said Decio de Maria, president of the federation. “We got together with Miguel, along with other federation colleagues. We talked a lot. Miguel understands this decision.”

There was no immediate announcement of a replacement but whoever gets the job will be the team’s fifth coach in less than two years. Mexico faces an Oct. 9 playoff with the U.S. at the Rose Bowl to determine the region’s entrant in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. A month after that, Mexico will begin qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.

The dismissal of Herrera, who rescued Mexico’s World Cup plans after taking over during a disastrous qualifying campaign in the fall of 2013, came after he reportedly punched a TV Azteca reporter at Philadelphia International Airport before boarding a flight home from the Gold Cup tournament.

The reporter, Christian Martinoli, accused Herrera of hitting him in the neck. Martinoli has been a tough critic of Herrera, as have many Mexican fans and pundits disappointed with the team’s play.

Herrera, 47, a former national team defender, was 19-7-10 in 36 games as coach, including two victories over New Zealand in a playoff for the final berth in the 2014 World Cup field. Mexico advanced out of group play in Brazil for a sixth consecutive World Cup.