Who's the Next Pastor for the "Sacred Flock"?

Winning a penalty kick shootout usually signifies a good thing, and for Mexican club side Chivas Rayadas de Guadalajara, it did. After Luis Michel's gamesmanship (bordering on unsportsmanslike conduct), Morelia's Hugo Droguett missed a penalty shot that sent Guadalajara into the coveted South American Club Championship La Copa Libertadores de America.

Those happy times almost seem like they occured a century ago. Unfortunately for Chivas fans and now for their just-fired-head coach Efrain Flores, it was just two short months ago. Since winning the Interliga 2009 Championship, Guadalajara have won just three matches in the domestic league and two matches in the Libertadores tournament.

As was expected after a weekend loss to relegation-battling Tigres, the wife of President Jorge Vergara, Angelica Fuentes, announced the firing of Efrain Flores. Flores had produced decent numbers while the manager of Chivas, but his teams always fell apart when it mattered most: the postseason.

Add to that the suspicion that there was unrest in the locker room, and suddenly, Club Guadalajara is a recipe for disaster. According to a report by Mediotiempo.com players were discouraged, disappointed, and downright angry because they felt slighted.

The younger players who have moved up the ranks from the inferior divisions who were getting opportunities to prove themselves now found themselves relegated to the Mexican second division.

Flores asked for reinforcements this season to attempt to do what no Mexican team has done: win the domestic title and the Libertadores title. He got what he asked for (read: strikers Carlos Ochoa and Jared Borgetti, outside midfielder and former Chivas USA player Francisco "Panchito" Mendoza, and defenders Sergio Amaury Ponce from Champion Toluca and Aaron Galindo from Eintracht Frankfurt).

Along with the reinforcements he wanted, Flores also got a "no excuse" card.

Flores' decision to abandon Guadalajara's policy of bringing up players from the lower divisions and not spending on reinforcements backfired. He created unrest in a once united clubhouse, and he got himself fired.

Now comes the biggest question: Who's the next brave man to take on the task of leading the "Sacred Flock" (as Chivas is known)? This next coach must not only be a well-prepared tactical specialist and psychologist, but he must also be a "yes man". It is no secret that working for Vergara is a lot like working for the NFL's Al Davis.

He is a man of little tolerance to shows of disloyalty and bad numbers. He wasted little time in sacking coaches such as Daniel Guzman, Chivas Legends Eduardo de la Torre, Benjamin Galindo, and Jose Manuel de la Torre, and the man who righted the Guadalajara ship Hans Westerhoff.

There are rumors saying it may be the son of Chivas Legend and member of the Legendary "Campeonisimo" Salvador Reyes, Jr. There are also indications that it may be another Guadalajara great "El Sheriff" Fernando Quirarte.

The third strongest possibility lies in Sergio Bueno. Whoever the new coach may be, he has a lot of work to do. All is not lost, but taking too long to name the new boss could cost Chivas not one but two tournaments.