Should He Stay or Should He Go? Mexico Have to Decide over Juan Carlos Osorio

Juan Carlos Osorio, a coach known for keeping his players guessing over team selection, now finds himself waiting to find out what the future holds for him with Mexico.

The Colombian finds himself on a suddenly hot seat after Saturday's embarrassing Copa America Centenario exit in Santa Clara, California.

Losing in the quarter-finals to Chile—the 2015 champions—was hardly an upset, but to go down 7-0 was a huge shock.

The automatic reaction to such a heavy defeat is to look for a scapegoat.

The players are far from blameless, but turning on them is not going to necessarily result in a change for the better. The majority of them are going to be representing their country the next time El Tri are in action.

The coach, however, is much easier to replace. Finding better players takes years of development, making a change at the helm is a quick and easy process.

To his credit, Osorio accepted responsibility for the dreadful result.

Per Reuters (h/t the Daily Mail), he said in his post-match press conference: "What happened today was shameful, a football accident, it was a very poor performance and I offer my apologies to everyone and all the Mexico fans.

"I got it all wrong, I erred in my choices for the squad, I assume that responsibility, none of our players were at their best."

Now, Osorio, like Mexico's fans, is waiting to see what happens next.

If the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) feels someone should pay for what happened at Levi's Stadium, it's clear who would top their hit list.

As Ryan Rosenblatt of Fox Sports pointed out, the governing body are not afraid to make a change:

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Keep in mind, this is a team that went through three managers in two months in 2013. They fire managers like it's their way to blow off steam, but only after dramatic deliberation, consternation and rumour mongering, and then they apply all of that to hiring their new manager. It's not all too surprising considering the federation is run by the Liga MX owners, who have their own club and business priorities that sometimes conflict with the national team's best interests.

"

What the federation should do is look at Osorio's work as a whole, rather than just the 90-minute horror show against Chile.

Before the game at the weekend, the 55-year-old had a 9-1 record in charge. Mexico had conceded two goals in that 10-game run, then contrived to leak five in one half at the Copa.

Still, they sit at the top of their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group with a perfect record.

Those nine wins under Osorio were not always against strong opposition, but they did open their Copa campaign with a 3-1 triumph over Uruguay. There was also a 1-0 friendly win over Chile at the start of June.

Osorio's teams—however he sets them up—are set up to play an aggressive style of football.

He explained his philosophy in an interview with FIFA.com not long after taking the role: "In terms of my vision of the game, I identify myself with coaches who like to take the initiative in games, who have an attacking mindset and want to take the opposition on."

AFP/Getty Images

Taking initiative is a great plan, but better opponents can turn that aggressiveness against you. Chile were ruthless, exploiting the space on offer to expose a Mexico defence that received little protection from their colleagues in front of them.

Yet the manner of their Copa exit could be used as a turning point for both Mexico and their current coach.

Osorio used 22 players from his 23-man squad during the tournament, including all three goalkeepers. He chopped and changed personnel in such a manner that you wondered if he was picking his XI by playing pin the name on the team sheet.

While experimenting is acceptable, even welcomed, in games against Canada, El Salvador and Senegal, it is not advisable at major tournaments. Pragmatism has its place in international football.

The players could easily have turned against him, considering the uncertainty over their places. Instead, they have spoken out in support of their boss.

According to Tom Marshall of ESPN FC, Javier Hernandez said after the defeat: "[We have to] support him as we have. Every group I've been with in the national team has supported [the coach] and we are with [Osorio], as always."

Rafael Marquez also backed Osorio: "We ask for the vote of confidence; he convinced of us many things and we give him our support."

The veteran defender's Copa campaign rather summed up Osorio's odd approach to selection. He started Mexico's opening two fixtures, and was particularly impressive against Uruguay, yet he was completely overlooked for the clash with Chile.

He could have stuck the boot in after being left out, but he offered a vote of confidence instead.

According to Marshall on Twitter, the FMF plan to let the dust completely settle before making any decisions:

Osorio—who once resigned from his role at Mexican club Puebla after just over four months in charge—has a record with El Tri that suggests he deserves a chance to continue in his role.

However, a 7-0 drubbing will make people quickly forget about what happened in the past.

Had they lost a close game to La Roja, would Osorio's position be questioned in the same way? Probably not. Yet if he is shown the door, he will have no one to blame but himself.