Jaime Lozano could become Houston Dynamo's next coach

The Houston Dynamo are close to finalizing the arrival of coach Jaime Lozano to take the team's reins in 2022. The MLS side is looking for a coach for next season and could be very close to signing a deal with the Mexican.

Lozano coached the Mexican U-23 in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Lozano comes from a successful period with the Mexican U-23 national team, with which he won the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. After leaving the Tricolor, Lozano was waiting for an opportunity to lead a new project and Dynamo would give him the opportunity.

Lozano also has experience as a club coach, as he was on the bench of the Gallos Blancos del Querétaro, the Mexican side that gave him the opportunity to make his coaching debut.

According to reports from The Athletic's Sam Stejskal and Felipe Cardenas, the 43-year-old is the prime candidate to replace Tab Ramos on the bench. He would thus become the club's first signing since Pat Onstad arrived as general manager in November.

Last season, the Houston Dynamo finished as the worst team in the Western Conference after accruing only 30 points and only winning six games out of 34 games played. Lozano would face an important challenge in his short coaching career.

If the Houston Dynamo closes the deal, Lozano will join Gonzalo Pineda, Atlanta's United manager, being the only Mexican coaches in the MLS. 

Who is Jaime Lozano?

Jaime Lozano is a former Mexican soccer player and former head coach of Mexico's U21-23 national soccer team.

He is often referred to as "Jimmy" Lozano, however, he is also sometimes nicknamed "El Actor" because he was born into a family of actors. Lozano was a good left-footed free-kick taker.

He made his debut with Pumas UNAM in 1998, where he played until 2001, and then moved to Celaya. In 2002 he returned to Pumas UNAM where he won the Apertura and Clausura 2004 tournaments and the Santiago Bernabéu Trophy. He played in the FIFA Confederations Cup with Mexico.

For the 2005 Apertura, he was signed by Tigres UANL, becoming the most expensive player in the Mexican market that year. However, in 2007 he was cut from the first team, so he trained with the Tigres de Reynosa subsidiary club. 

Although he was approached with several offers, especially from Jaguares de Chiapas, Lozano always gave priority to Cruz Azul, as he always wanted to return to the country's capital, as he feels identified with that environment, as well as the fact that most of his friends and family live there.

He was later transferred to Monarcas Morelia where he played a few seasons and even scored a goal in the 2011 Clausura final against his former club Pumas, although they lost 3-2 on aggregate to the felines. In the 2012 Apertura he was loaned for 2 years to Pumas UNAM under Joaquín Del Olmo. After being fired, Lozano was not considered a starter in the Liga MX.

In 2013 he retired from soccer.