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Ferretti Has No Regrets Over Choice Of Roster
Pumas coach Ricardo "Tuca" Ferreti said his side may have done things differently in the CONCACAF Champions League had they been willing to spend millions of dollars.
Mar 5, 2009 2:11:46 AM
"We did what we could," Ferreti said.
Cruz Azul eliminated Pumas with a 1-0 win on Wednesday as la Maquina took the series with a 2-0 aggregate win.
Although the players may have done everything within their power to pull out a result, the coaching staff did not. Ferreti opted to rest regulars throughout the entire tournament, up to and including the quarterfinal round. When Pumas faced a fellow Mexican club that opted to use their best players, the result was predictably not in their favor.
Still, Ferreti was unapologetic about the club's decision to use the tournament as proving ground for their prospects.
"Since the start of the tournament, we had the idea that we would give young players an opportunity, players who hadn't played much during league play and reserves who may have a future with the first team," Ferreti said. "I believe that was the right decision and nobody here regrets anything."
Cruz Azul advanced the semifinals where la Maquina will meet Puerto Rico Islanders. Ferreti said his side could have advanced, but it likely would have been an expensive process.
"Perhaps it could have been different if we would have opened up the checkbook, spent 12 or 15 million dollars and demanded more," Ferreti said. "But we did not want to spend that kind of money. We bet on the youngsters and they are on their way to reaching the Primera Division."
Still, losing to Mexico City rivals Cruz Azul is never an easy thing, Ferreti said.
"We're upset because we did not manage to get through to the next round," he said. "Naturally we had made a goal of doing just that."
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