Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio may feel like much of the country is against him, but he has a notable ally in Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.
After video emerged of a number of fans gathered at the Mexico City airport to greet Osorio with cries of "Osorio out" and a few saying things like, "Go back to your country," after the team's Gold Cup semifinal exit, Mexico's all-time leading goalscorer posted a long message on Twitter supporting the embattled coach.
"It’s incredible. I’m speechless after seeing the video with Profe Osorio’s arrival to Mexico. It made me embarrassed, it made me angry and most of all it made me very sad," Chicharito wrote. "Maybe I’m going to regret what I’m going to say but many other managers, who behaved worse and had similar results, haven’t been received like this. And this coach, with human integrity and clear and strong statistics is received like this."
The forward, recently announced at West Ham, continues to say that Mexico has a lot to learn if its citizens are reacting in that way to a sporting disappointment. He then goes into a prose-like passage, beginning each sentence with "Animo Profe," which roughly translates to "Head up, coach."
In his letter Chicharito reminds Osorio that he, along with players like Rafa Marquez and Hugo Sanchez, both as a player and a coach, also have been the target of criticism from Mexican fans and media. He closes the letter saying that the majority Mexican people want to get better in a number of disciplines and as a country and that he understands Osorio shares this vision.
"I know that you want the same for our country, even coming from another one," he wrote.
Despite the Mexican federation's reputation for keeping coaches on a short leash, both FMF president Decio de Maria and general secretary Guillermo Cantu have recently spoken in support of Osorio continuing to lead Mexico through the 2018 World Cup.
The Colombian tactician will, however, miss the team's next World Cup qualification match against Panama, serving the last match of his six-game suspension from FIFA for his actions toward the fourth official in the third-place game at the Confederations Cup.