Deportivo LSM fires coaching staff that won promotion, names Alvaro Apolito new manager

A 3-2 loss to Mar de Fondo was enough to prompt a major decision at Deportivo LSM. The Uruguayan club, the one that became widely known for carrying the names of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi on its rise through the lower divisions of Uruguayan soccer, fell this past Saturday in Primera Divisional C, and just two days later, on Monday, confirmed the departure of its entire coaching staff.

Out go Rafael Canovas, Carlos "Hormiga" Valdez and Mateo Paniceres, the trio that had led the club to its first landmark achievement: promotion from the D division to the C division in 2025. This was no ordinary coaching staff for the club. It was the one that had been there since day one.

The club itself handled the farewell with a statement on social media that made clear how much that achievement meant:

The Club wishes to communicate and give special thanks to the Coaching Staff that has accompanied and been a fundamental part of our first year of history. Rafael Canovas and Carlos Valdez were the first Champions in this institution's first year of existence, an achievement that earned us promotion and will remain etched in our history.Deportivo LSM

The message did not stop there. The club added another paragraph thanking the staff for their work behind the scenes, which was also included in the official statement:

We deeply appreciate the effort, commitment and dedication with which they took on every challenge. Their work was essential to building Deportivo LSM and laying the foundation for an identity that will keep growing over time.Deportivo LSM

Did the team's on field performance justify such a drastic change? The numbers, in fact, do not point to a disastrous run. In 2026, LSM had finished third in Serie B of the Torneo Inicial, with five wins, three draws and just one loss in nine matchdays. The Torneo Final had been closer: of the 17 matchdays, nine had been played, and the team had accumulated 13 points with three wins, four draws and two losses. Nothing catastrophic, but the club's board decided to make a clean break after the loss to Mar de Fondo.

Apolito, from the field to the bench

The announcement of the replacement came this Wednesday. The new coaching staff is made up of Alvaro Apolito as head coach, Andres Suaredz as assistant coach and Nathan Perla as fitness trainer.

Apolito is no stranger to the local soccer scene. Born on February 16, 1989, in Montevideo, he was a professional forward between 2008 and 2018 and came up through the youth ranks at Nacional, the club where he even made his first team debut: he played four matches between August 2008 and June 2009 under manager Gerardo Pelusso.

His coaching path began in 2022, always as an assistant in the top division. He first worked alongside Maximiliano Viera at Central Espanol, and later teamed up with Joaquin Boghossian, both at Deportivo Maldonado in 2024 and at Albion between 2024 and 2025. Now comes his jump to the top job, with the challenge of keeping Deportivo LSM in the division the club has just earned.