Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre has been fired as manager of Santos Laguna, the Liga MX side announced Monday.
The decision comes two days after a 2-1 defeat to Cruz Azul that saw Santos end the match with nine players following red cards in the 50th, 82nd and 84th minutes. De La Torre sat back after his side scored an early goal, with Cruz Azul ending the match with more than 70 percent of possession.
The loss was Santos' third of the season, but the Torreon side has just one victory in nine matches so far in the Apertura.
"After careful deliberation and review of the team’s current situation and recent results by Santos Laguna’s Sporting Committee this morning, we inform that the club has taken the decision to part ways with head coach Jose Manuel de la Torre," the club wrote in a news release.
De la Torre's successor, who is yet to be announced, will become the fifth manager for Santos since the start of the 2015 Apertura.
Pedro Caixinha abruptly left in August 2015 after taking the team to the Liga MX title the tournament before. The team has since struggled to return to those heights, and De La Torre makes way after 13 months in charge. Last tournament, the team came one draw short of setting a Liga MX record for most stalemates in a season, accumulating 11 draws to go with five wins and a defeat.
Santos Laguna becomes the third team to change managers this season after Pumas fired Francisco "Paco" Palencia and Javier Torrente resigned from his post at Leon.
