Ruben Omar Romano

Rubén Omar Romano Cachia (b. May 18, 1958 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine former soccer player and technical director who worked as an attacking midfielder. He is currently without a team.

Player

Features

As a player he was a brilliant left midfielder who stood out for his good ball handling, and his medium and long distance shots, being one of the best direct free kick takers who have played in Mexican soccer.

Career

He debuted as a player in 1978 with Club Atlético Huracán of Argentina. He emigrated to Mexican soccer in 1980 to join América. Later in 1981 he had a brief stint in the North American soccer league, and then returned to Mexico in 1982 with León. In 1984 he signed with Necaxa, and returned to Argentina in 1987 with Club San Lorenzo.

In 1988 he returned to Mexico to wear the Atlante shirt. Later, in 1990, she would play for Querétaro. In 1991 she returned to Atlante to have probably the best season of her career. The following year she signed up with Cruz Azul. In the Cemeteries she had a regular pace. In 1993 he was signed by the Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz and in 1994 he began his third stage with Atlante, where he finished his career.

Clubs

Club	Country	Year
Hurricane	Argentina	1978 - 1979
America	Mexico Mexico	1979 - 1981
Los Angeles Aztecs	United States	1981
León	Mexico Mexico	1981 - 1983
Necaxa	Mexico Mexico	1983 - 1984
Puebla	Mexico Mexico	1984 - 1985
San Lorenzo	Argentina	1987 - 1988
Necaxa	Mexico Mexico	1985 - 1987
Atlantean	Mexico Mexico	1988 - 1990
Querétaro	Mexico Mexico	1990 - 1991
Atlantean	Mexico Mexico	1991 - 1992
Blue Cross	Mexico Mexico	1992-1993
Veracruz	Mexico Mexico	1993 - 1994
Atlantean	Mexico Mexico	1994 - 1995

Technical Director

As a coach he has had very marked chiaroscuros. On the one hand, he holds the unenviable mark of directing 21 consecutive games without winning, but, on the other hand, he has led some of his teams to be general leaders and has played in four finals in Mexican soccer.

Rubén Omar Romano is characterized by his strong and demanding character in matches. A student at the Lavolpista School, he uses a style that is always purposeful and offensive in his game tactics. He is one of the most prestigious technical directors in Mexican soccer, because although he has not yet won any title, his teams have almost always been in the top positions and have been difficult to beat.

Atlético Celaya (1998-2000)

In 1998 he began his career directing the Atlético Celaya club, which he managed to save from relegation by playing pleasant football, faithful to his Lavolpista doctrine.

Tecos (2000-2001)

For Winter 2000 he would take the reins of the Tecos and during their first tournament in Zapopan the team was two points behind the Liguilla. Finally, in the following tournament, the team managed to finish in seventh place, accessing the playoffs where they eliminated the then champion Morelia, however the team would be eliminated in the quarterfinals by Santos de Torreón (who would ultimately be champion of that tournament). The coach would last until Winter 2001 where he was dismissed on Matchday 16, leaving the team in last place and for not letting Juan Carlos Leaño play.

Morelia 1st stage (2002-2004)

Later, on matchday 8 of Summer 2002, he would take the reins of Morelia, replacing Miguel Ángel Russo, whom he led to play in two Mexican soccer finals. However, he lost both, first against Toluca in the Apertura 2002 and then against Monterrey in the Clausura 2003.

Then would come a disappointing Apertura 2003 where he would not qualify for the league, finishing in thirteenth place before being dismissed after matchday 6 of Clausura 2004 with the team in last place with only 2 points.

Pachuca (2004)

After his time at Morelia, he took the reins of the Pachuca club for the 2004 Apertura, where in his only tournament with the Tuzos he qualified for the league by finishing in 3.er place and in which they were unfortunately eliminated in the quarterfinals by Monterrey with a 2-3 aggregate score, which is why he left office at the end tournament to lead Cruz Azul.

Blue Cross (2005)

In the Clausura 2005 he took command of Cruz Azul where in his first tournament he reached the semi-finals where they were eliminated by América with an aggregate of 2-6, then in the Apertura 2005 he would return to the team for matchday 10 and in which they reached the quarterfinals where they would be eliminated by Toluca, which is why he resigned from his position.

Atlas 1st stage (2006-2007)

For the Apertura 2006 he led the Atlas where both tournaments finished in 6.to place taking the team to the league in which they would be eliminated by América in both the Apertura and Clausura, then in the Apertura 2007 in which he only lasted 8 days in office with a disastrous start where he would only add one point and leaving the team in last place.

America (2008)

He was presented on February 19, 2008 to replace Daniel Brailovsky and in his debut he would win 2-1 against U. Católica in the Libertadores, however during his time at América he would have a disastrous streak of 9 consecutive games without winning in the league where he only recorded 8 defeats and one draw, he would finally be dismissed after losing at home against Flamengo 2-4 in the Copa Libertadores and with the team sunk in last place in the local tournament.

Santos Laguna (2010-2011)

In 2010 he took the reins of Santos Laguna, which he led to play in two finals, but he lost them again and, curiously, against the same teams that had beaten him when he was in charge of Morelia: Toluca and Monterrey.

On February 20, 2011, he was dismissed from his position at the Santos club after making obscene signs to the club's fans after the defeat against Querétaro.

Atlas 2nd stage (2011)

Romano would return for a second stage to the Atlas team for the 2011 Apertura, in which he would only last in office for the first 8 Matchdays in which he was dismissed after the one-goal draw against San Luis and with the team in last place with only 4 points added.

Morelia 2nd stage (2012-2013)

For the Apertura 2012 he would return for a second stage in Morelia, during his first tournament he would finish in fifth place, accessing the group in which they were eliminated by América, after an irregular start in the Clausura 2013 where he would end up dismissed later of losing 1-0 to Pumas.

Puebla (2013-2014)

On August 14, 2013 he would take the reins of Puebla, replacing Manuel Lapuente, the only redeemable thing during his first two seasons was a 2-4 victory against Chivas on Matchday 6 of the 2013 Apertura.

On August 24, 2014, just one year after arriving in Puebla, when matchday 6 of the Apertura 2014 of the Liga MX ended, Puebla FC issued a statement confirming his departure as coach of the camotero team, with a balance of 1W-2E-3L in the tournament and leaves the club in penultimate place in the percentage, only above the recently promoted Leones Negros de la UdeG.

Tijuana (2015)

He was presented on May 28, 2015 as the new technical director of Club Tijuana ahead of the Apertura 2015 of Liga MX, after the poor performance that the club had in the last few days under the command of Daniel Guzmán. The club's objectives are clear: to have a competitive team and qualify for the Mexican soccer league.

On October 17, the Tijuana board dismissed him after a streak of 5 games without winning, accumulating 1 draw and 4 losses and leaving the team in sixteenth position. The game lost against América was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Atlas 3rd stage (2018)

It was presented on January 24, 2018, replacing José Guadalupe Cruz. During his third stage with the rojinegros they were not the most anticipated and in which he would only win 2 games against Cruz Azul and Puebla, finally on March 19 he would be dismissed again with the team in last place

Mazatlán FC (2023)

On February 6, 2023, Mazatlán FC announced Rubén Omar Romano as its new coach. At the end of the season, after only 2 wins and 10 losses he was dismissed from the team.

Clubs

Club	Country	Year
Athletic Celaya	Mexico Mexico	1998 - 2000
UAG Tecos	Mexico Mexico	2000 - 2001
Monarchs Morelia	Mexico Mexico	2002 - 2004
Pachuca	Mexico Mexico	2004
Blue Cross	Mexico Mexico	2005
Atlas	Mexico Mexico	2006 - 2007
America	Mexico Mexico	2008
Santos	Mexico Mexico	2010 - 2011
Atlas	Mexico Mexico	2011
Monarchs Morelia	Mexico Mexico	2012 - 2013
Puebla	Mexico Mexico	2013 - 2014
Tijuana	Mexico Mexico	2015
Atlas	Mexico Mexico	2018
Mazatlan FC	Mexico Mexico	2023

Kidnapping

Romano was kidnapped on July 19, 2005 in Xochimilco, in the south of Mexico City. AFI agents rescued him on September 21, 2005 in the Iztapalapa delegation, 65 days after the kidnapping and a federal judge formally began the trial against the five alleged kidnappers of the technical director.

The accused were José Luis Canchola Sánchez (who would have organized the kidnapping from prison), Omar Sandoval Orihuela, "El Chino"; Miguel Ángel Cruz Mercado, "El Mike"; Adolfo Cuauhtémoc Reyes Hinostroza, Omar Reyes Hinostroza, "El Tierno"; and María Alicia Hinostroza Xolalpa. The accused were held in the Federal Center for Social Rehabilitation Number 1, also known as the 'El Altiplano' Prison, and in the Santiaguito Prison in the municipality of Almoloya de Juárez, State of Mexico, according to the Attorney General's Office. General of the Republic (PGR) of Mexico. and was once again the director of Cruz Azul, the news was confirmed on June 2.

Finally, on May 13, 2019, Canchola Sánchez was sentenced to 31 years and 25 days in prison, plus a fine of six thousand 744 pesos, by the Second District Court in the State of Mexico, who declared him guilty for organized crime and illegal deprivation of liberty.

Some details that his wife gave in an interview are, for example: that he remained completely covered during the 65 days that the kidnapping lasted and that before they rescued him, they were going to transfer him to another gang of kidnappers.