Turco Mohamed wins Leagues Cup with Toluca, rules out River Plate move

Winning an international title is already cause for celebration. Doing it against the club you've loved your whole life, with your heart split on the bench, is a different story altogether. That's what Antonio "Turco" Mohamed went through as he lifted the Leagues Cup with Toluca after beating Monterrey 2-0 in the final, then sat down at the microphones minutes after the trophy ceremony to talk about two things: his future and his feelings.

Let's start with the future, because there had been plenty of noise in Mexico about it. A couple of weeks ago, reports circulated heavily that River Plate would be looking for a coach performing well in Liga MX, and Turco's name kept coming up on that list. With the title freshly in hand, Mohamed decided to shut down any speculation once and for all, making clear that his present and near future are with Toluca.

I'm very committed to the club. Whenever a season ends we sit down and evaluate things with the board. Right now I'm happy and excited about a great league tournament ahead, so we can fight for another title and put together a strong Intercontinental campaign. Anything else is off the table.Antonio Mohamed

The message is clear: no packed bags, no jump to Argentine soccer, at least not in the short term. The immediate goal is to fight for another league title and, come December, take on the challenge of the Intercontinental Cup, a stage few Mexican coaches have ever had the chance to reach.

"I'll always be a Rayado"

Then there's the other side of the story, the one everybody in Mexico already knew but that Turco himself had rarely spelled out so plainly. Mohamed has a long, deeply felt history with Monterrey, a club he once coached and remains emotionally tied to. That was exactly the team he had to face in the biggest final of the season, and he didn't hide how he felt about it: by his own admission, it was the last opponent he would have wanted to meet.

I'll always be a Rayado, that's never going to change. The last thing I wanted was to play against Monterrey, but fate sometimes puts this in front of you. People know how I feel about the club, they know my history there. Right now it's in good hands and growing. Monterrey has what it takes to reach another final, it's on a solid path.Antonio Mohamed

On the other side of the field, the loss left Matias Almeyda with the job of resetting his squad's mindset. "Pelado" has only been in charge of Rayados for three months and couldn't pull off a quick-fix title, so he asked his players to turn the page fast with an eye on the upcoming Clasico Regio.

It would be a big mistake to keep dwelling on the Leagues Cup, because that's over now. I talked with the team about accepting the result. We set out to reach the final and win it, but it didn't happen. You turn the page and close that chapter. Keep working, rest to get players back to full strength, and focus only on the league from here. We've got the Clasico coming up and we hope to be up to the task and give the fans something to celebrate.Matias Almeyda

Two very different speeches, the same night: Toluca celebrates with a Turco Mohamed who adds another trophy to his collection and reaffirms his commitment, while Monterrey already has its sights set on the next challenge to avoid dwelling on the bitter taste of this final.