Club Atlético River Plate has appointed Leonardo Ponzio as their interim head coach. The club legend and former captain takes over following the departure of Eduardo Coudet.
Who is River Plate's new manager?
Leonardo Ponzio steps into a head coaching role for the first time in his career. The club icon, remembered for his part in the 2018 Copa Libertadores final in Madrid, will be assisted by Marcelo Escudero, who remains in charge of the Reserve team. Ponzio inherits a difficult situation, with the team eliminated from the Copa Argentina and the 2026 Copa Sudamericana. In the Liga Profesional, River Plate has gathered only 4 points from six matches, with one win, one draw, and four defeats. His first test will be this Sunday against Banfield. The current squad, which can be viewed on our squad page, needs an urgent improvement in attack, having scored just 4 goals in the tournament.
How did the Copa Sudamericana elimination happen?
River Plate exited the Copa Sudamericana in a dramatic penalty shootout against Colombia's Independiente Santa Fe. The second leg at the Monumental finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. Sebastián Driussi had opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, but Franco Fagúndez equalized from the penalty spot for the visitors in the 81st. The tie was decided on the eleventh penalty. Visiting goalkeeper Weimar Asprilla, who had come on due to an injury, saved a decisive spot-kick and then scored his own to seal an 8-7 final score. Asprilla later displayed a shirt with a biblical quote.
What is the current situation in the Liga Profesional?
The team sits in fourteenth place in the Liga Profesional table, 9 points behind leaders Argentinos Juniors. Their last result was a 2-2 home draw against Vélez Sarsfield on August 23rd. The need to start collecting three points is immediate to close the gap in the standings, which can be followed on our standings page. The next fixture is on September 6th, when River Plate hosts Independiente Rivadavia at the Monumental. This opponent is currently tenth, making the match a key opportunity to start a turnaround. The full schedule of upcoming matches is available on our fixtures page.
What is the impact of the coaching change?
The arrival of Ponzio aims to stabilize the team during a period of poor collective performance. The continental elimination also means the loss of a source of income from competition prizes for the club this year. For Independiente Santa Fe, reaching the Sudamericana quarter-finals meant a direct prize of 700,000 dollars from CONMEBOL, according to the financial detail published by Marca. River Plate's focus must now be entirely on recovery in the domestic championship. The squad faces a run of matches in September that could define their season. The team plays its next match on Sunday, September 6th at 19:00.
