Leonardo Cuéllar

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cuéllar and the second or maternal family name is Rivera.

Leonardo Cuéllar
Cuéllar with Mexico as depicted in a Panini trading card
Personal information
Full name Leonardo Cuéllar Rivera
Date of birth (1952-01-14) 14 January 1952
Place of birth Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City, Mexico[1]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1][2]
Position Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1972–1979 UNAM
1979–1981 San Diego Sockers 57 (9)
1980–1981 San Diego Sockers (indoor) 2 (0)
1981–1982 Atletas Campesinos
1982 San Jose Earthquakes 20 (0)
1982–1983 Golden Bay Earthquakes (indoor) 25 (3)
1983–1984 Golden Bay Earthquakes 51 (3)
International career
1973–1981 Mexico 40 (3)
Managerial career
1998–2016 Mexico women
2017–2021[3] América women
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Leonardo Cuéllar Rivera (born 14 January 1952) is a Mexican football manager and former player who last acted as the manager of América in the Liga MX Femenil.[4] He was the head coach of the Mexico women's national football team from 1998 to 2016.[5][6]

Playing career

Club

Cuéllar played for Pumas and Atletas Campesinos in Mexico.[7] He played in the NASL between 1979 and 1984 for the San Diego Sockers, San Jose Earthquakes and Golden Bay Earthquakes. He played for the Earthquakes during the NASL indoor seasons.

International

Cuéllar also represented the Mexico national football team 40 times, scoring 3 goals[8][9] and participated at the 1978 FIFA World Cup.[10]

Coaching

He was appointed as the Mexican Women's National Team's head coach in 1998. Cuéllar was in charge of improving the program and increasing its visibility overseas during his long 18-year tenure.[11] Under his guidance, Mexico made it to their first and only Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 and qualified for three FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999, 2011, and 2015. In 2010, he led Mexico to an incredible 2-1 victory over the United States during the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, one of his most notable coaching accomplishments. This upset is still regarded as one of the most important outcomes in the history of the women's game.[12]

During the early years of the professional Mexican women's league, Cuéllar transitioned into club management after his lengthy tenure with the national team. He was appointed Club America Femenil's first manager in February 2017. His influence was felt right away; during the Apertura 2018 tournament, he led the team to their first league championship by defeating Tigres UANL in a thrilling penalty shootout. Up until his resignation in March 2021, he led the "Águilas" for four years, continuously keeping them in the running for the playoffs.[13]

Cuéllar returned to his roots at Pumas UNAM, the team where he started his playing career, in the years after leaving Club América. When he assumed the position of Coordinator of Development for the women's division in 2022, he turned his attention to youth scouting and the sport's structural development. His nearly two decades of national service and his pioneering role in creating the professional infrastructure that contemporary Mexican female athletes compete in today define his coaching legacy.[14]

Personal life

He has an American-born son, Christopher Cuéllar, who has coached Mexico women at under-17 and under-20 levels.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b "Leonardo Cuellar Rivera". Liga MX (in Spanish). ligamx.net. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Leonardo Cuellar Rivera". Liga MX Femenil (in Spanish). ligafemenil.mx. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  3. ^ El Universal (27 March 2021). "Leo Cuéllar se va del América, tras perder el Clásico ante Chivas". El Universal. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Leonardo Cuellar, nuevo tecnico del America". El Universal. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  5. ^ Lewis, Michael (21 January 2012). "Mexico's Leonardo Cuellar Has Turned 'Las Tri' into a Global Power". Fox News. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  6. ^ Longman, Jere (10 June 1999). "SOCCER; Mexican World Cup Team Reaps Benefit of America's Special Export". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  7. ^ "1978-79 Season". Pumas. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  8. ^ Appearances for Mexico National Team - RSSSF
  9. ^ "Pre-Game Notes: U.S. WNT vs. Mexico - Oct. 21, 2005". U.S. Soccer Federation. 21 October 2005. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Leonardo Cuellar". FIFA. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Cuellar's reign as Mexico coach ends after 18 years – Equalizer Soccer". 5 April 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  12. ^ "Despite steps forward, Mexico still seeks support at Women's World Cup". SI. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  13. ^ Lewis, Michael (11 December 2016). "Mexico's Leonardo Cuellar Has Turned 'Las Tri' into a Global Power". Fox News. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Club América Femenil part ways with manager Leonardo Cuéllar". OneFootball. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  15. ^ Márquez Tizano, Rodrigo; Vilchis, Raúl (11 October 2016). "Christopher Cuéllar: el hombre detrás de la Sub-17 femenil" [Christopher Cuellar: the man behind the women's under-17 team] (in Spanish). VICE. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  16. ^ Luna Cruz, Édgar (13 August 2014). "México busca su pase en Sub-20" [Mexico seeks its pass in Under-20]. El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
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