LAREDO, Texas -- The Laredo Heat have gotten the ball rolling on their 2011 campaign.
Front office officials met with Jose de Jesus “Chucho” Ramirez on Thursday about possibly consulting the team’s young athletes on training and lifestyle.
Ramirez was the head coach of the Mexico Under-17 World Cup champion in 2005 and is respected in professional soccer.
“We are talking about having a joint venture with the Heat, so that we can prepare the players in the same way that I did with the young men on the Mexican national team. The U20 national team played the Heat in 2008, so there has always been a sense of familiarity between us and Laredo soccer,” Ramirez said via a translator. “The whole idea is to train these players in a complete fashion. They already have talent, but we need to teach the values and respect and discipline, both on the field and off.”
The significance of the meeting carries implications that are directly related to Ramirez’s success on the pitch. He began as a talented footballer and seasoned into a stoic patroller of the sidelines. His successes, and lack of success throughout his career, whether it be with the various Mexican league teams like his most recent stop at Club America in 2008 or his tenure within the national team circuit, have chiseled his mind and perfected his protocol for victory.
“My major way of doing things is to not only attack the soccer aspect of things, but to actually try to work with each individual player and to work with them on how to reach the highest potential in all of life,” Ramirez said. “Individual and personalized communication is the key to our success.”
As the manager of the Under-17 Mexico team in 2005, Ramirez led the Mexican superstars of tomorrow to the only World Cup title in the history of Mexican soccer at any level. At the helm of that championship squad, Ramirez guided many of the world’s top footballers that are dominating professional soccer today.
“I value the (Cup) victory a lot. It was the product of all the hard work, but it most showed that the players that played for me and were champions are now successful by themselves all over the world,” Ramirez said. “That’s the best accomplishment for me.”
The English Premier League, arguably the most competitive professional soccer league in the world, lays claim to Carlos Vela – sharpshooting striker and the 2005 U17 World Cup’s Golden Boot recipient – while Spain’s La Liga features Giovanni dos Santos, the attacking midfielder that sealed Mexico’s 5-0 victory over the USA in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Although he wasn’t a member of the ’05 World Cup team, Ramirez also coached Manchester United’s phenom, Javier “Chicharito” Hérnandez.
“‘Chicharito,’ dos Santos, Vela, Héctor Moreno … all of the team members make me so proud,” Ramirez said. “There were maybe 14 of (his players) playing in (Wednesday’s) international friendly between Mexico and Bosnia-Herzegovina. I feel 'Chicharito' is the most complete player and shows Mexican values. I still have connections and text all of my former players to keep up with them.”
Ramirez was in town on Thursday to meet with team officials as a preliminary meeting that may potentially lead to his consultation with the team. Ramirez presented his proposal and outlined his plan to assist in training the Heat and preparing them to not only be fit on the pitch, but also in everyday life.
“We would like to see Mr. Ramirez help us in structuring our youth leagues all the way up to the Laredo Heat,” Heat President Shashi Vaswani said. “He will be working as a consultant to help us properly help our players reach the goals that they want to reach through his expertise. This was our first meeting and there will be more. We are currently talking about an agreement, and now we have to sit down with the plan he has devised. We both absolutely want to work together. Nothing is set in stone just yet, but the ball is rolling.”
There has been speculation that Ramirez’s role with the team may soon grow from a consulting role into the coaching position, but team officials shot down that notion, saying that current coach Israel Collazo’s job is secure. Collazo is said to be completely comfortable with Ramirez’s role and he embraces it, as the two know each other from their days within Mexican soccer.
For additional information on the Laredo Heat Soccer Club, please visit our website at www.laredoheatsc.com or call the Heat office at 723 – 4700.