Club León’s manager resigned over the weekend, but will remain in charge

Leon’s board rejected Ariel Holan’s resignation after consecutive 3-0 losses.

The mood surrounding Club León when the Seattle Sounders come to town for Thursday’s Concacaf Champions League game should be ... interesting.

Following a second consecutive 3-0 loss — this time at home against Tigres UANL, on the heels of the Sounders loss last week — León’s manager, Ariel Holan, submitted his resignation to the board. The offer was rejected, however, and Holan was apparently back leading training on Monday.

While a bit surprising, the likely explanation is that Holan’s offer was more a sign of him accepting responsibility than a situation where he wanted out. Holan was hired a little less than a year ago and has enjoyed a good deal of success, leading León to the Leagues Cup title last year and then to the Liga MX final. After a slow start to this Clausura, León had seemingly righted their ship with five wins in six games prior to the Sounders loss.