Eduardo 'El Chacho' Coudet is no longer the head coach of Club Atlético River Plate. His departure comes less than 24 hours after the team was eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana by Colombia's Independiente de Santa Fe in the round of 16.
The club announced the change via an official statement on Thursday. Coudet, who joined the Millonarios on March 3 of this year after resigning from Deportivo Alavés, managed a total of 27 matches. His record was 13 wins, 6 draws, and 8 defeats, with 36 goals scored and 22 conceded. Under his command, River Plate finished as runners-up in the 2026 Torneo Apertura and were also knocked out in the round of 32 of the Copa Argentina. Now, the team's only remaining objective for the season is the Argentine League, where they sit in 14th place with just 4 points from six games.
What led to Coudet's departure?
The final straw was the elimination from the Copa Sudamericana, the second most important continental competition in South America. The team from Núñez drew 1-1 on aggregate against Colombia's Independiente de Santa Fe and lost in a penalty shootout. This setback came on top of a very difficult start to the league season. River Plate has a record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 losses in the domestic championship, with only 4 goals scored and 6 conceded. Their last outing was a 2-2 draw against Vélez Sarsfield on August 23.
Pressure on Coudet was high and there were confrontations with some members of the squad. The team is 9 points behind the leaders, Argentinos Juniors, in the standings. With the Copa Sudamericana and the Copa Argentina out of reach, all attention is focused on recovering in the league, a task that now falls to a new coach.
Who takes over on an interim basis?
The club's leadership has entrusted the professional squad on a provisional basis to Leonardo Ponzio. The former captain and a major club figure in recent years, who won 17 titles over two cycles and twelve years as a player, will take charge. "Leonardo Ponzio will take over as interim coach of the professional squad and will lead training on Thursday afternoon," River Plate confirmed in its statement.
Ponzio will not be alone. He will be assisted on the bench by Marcelo Escudero and Christian Manfredi as field assistants. The interim physical trainers will be Cristian Segura and Nicolás Paolorossi. This is an internal staff that knows the club's identity and the current squad perfectly.
What is the immediate outlook for River Plate?
The challenge is enormous and urgent. The team needs to quickly find a better version of itself to climb the table. Their next fixture is on September 6, when they will host Independiente Rivadavia at the Monumental, a team currently tenth in the standings.
The window to turn things around in the Argentine League is open, but it is narrow. The task for the interim coaching staff will be to stabilize the team, restore confidence, and start picking up points immediately. All information on the team's performance can be followed on our stats page. The clear objective is to leave behind a streak of negative results and begin to close the gap with the teams at the top.
