Former Mexico coach Miguel Herrera was officially presented as Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles manager on Tuesday night and said he hopes to lead the club, which finished 17th in the 18-team Liga MX during the 2015 Apertura regular season, to the Clausura 2016 title.
"We are here to be champions," Herrera told a news conference. "Our idea is to come into Tijuana to become champions. And to be champions, we can't just sneak into the playoffs. We have to have a strong presence. We want to be fighting at the top of the table."
Herrera had been out of work since being fired by the Mexican football federation (FMF) for a skirmish with a TV commentator the day after El Tri won the Gold Cup last July. He was hired by Xolos last month, but must wait until the end of the current Apertura season, which finishes this month, to be able to take charge of the team in official matches, according to Liga MX stipulations.
The 47-year-old was signed by Xolos president Jorgealberto Hank to a two-year contract, but Herrera said he will be looking for immediate results.
"Our goal is for the team to be in the top spots of the league," Herrera said of the club, which played in the second division until five years ago. "[Hank] and [Palou] have made sure that the team has a strong following in the city in a short period of time. They are well known by everyone because this is a fan base that is constantly supporting its team. And they have been able to become champions in a very short period of time.
"And we want for this team to once again fight in the top spots of the league table, for this team to be one of the main teams in the season and of course a title contender. That is our idea.
"That is what we come in here ready to work for. We want to add more stars to the shield, that is our objective and that is what we are committed to."
In 2013, Herrera led America to their first league title in eight years before the Mexico Federation hired him for his dynamic attitude to take over a national team on the brink of missing out on 2014 World Cup qualifying.
Xolos begin training this week and will play two friendlies on Dec. 14 and 20, followed by another against Morelia on Jan. 3. The Clausura season opens Jan. 8.
Herrera hinted that the club may add a few players from the United States.
"We have many Mexican-American players that draw plenty of attention in the United States. That will help our market grow in the United States and we want the border to become a problem but on the opposite side. We want the border [wait] to be longer coming down here," Herrera said.
Hank said the club will maintain their goals.
"We are here to facilitate and help them in anything they might need. We also want to commit them to what this institution is, what this fan base is, what this city and state is and the high expectations we all have. They will have our full support on the board of directors as well as from the fans and the media. The original contract was signed is for two years but we hope that it will be a lot longer than that."