Luis surez club Deportivo LSM names Apólito as coach
Deportivo LSM, the Uruguay Divisional C club tied to luis surez and Lionel Messi, replaced its coaching staff after a 3-2 home loss to Mar de Fondo. The club thanked Rafael Cánovas for leading the 2025 Divisional D title and promotion, then named Álvaro Apólito head coach with Andrés Suárez and Nathan Perla on staff.
The decision closes the club’s first coaching chapter in Uruguay’s lower divisions and resets the dugout with eight Torneo Final fixtures still to play.
Key Takeaways
- Rafael Cánovas, Carlos Valdez, and Mateo Paniceres left after the Mar de Fondo defeat.
- Cánovas guided Deportivo LSM’s Divisional D title and 2025 promotion to the C.
- Álvaro Apólito, a former Nacional forward, is the new head coach at age 37.
- Andrés Suárez is assistant coach and Nathan Perla is fitness coach.
- Apólito’s debut is away to Salto FC on Sunday at 15:00 local time.
Why did the luis surez club change coaches?
According to ESPN Deportes, Deportivo LSM lost 3-2 to Mar de Fondo in Primera Divisional C. Days later, the club said the technical staff led by Rafael Cánovas had left.
In a social-media statement, LSM thanked Cánovas and Valdez as “the first champions” of the club’s opening year, crediting them with the 2025 rise from Divisional D to C. The message also praised Mateo Paniceres’ work with the group.
In 2026, LSM finished third in Serie B of the Torneo Inicial with five wins, three draws, and one loss across nine dates. In the Torneo Final it had played nine of 17 rounds and sat on 13 points from three wins, four draws, and two defeats when the change was confirmed.
Who is Álvaro Apólito, the new Deportivo LSM coach?
El Observador reported that Apólito, born 16 February 1989 in Montevideo, takes over as the club’s second head coach. He arrives with Andrés Suárez as assistant and Nathan Perla as physical trainer.
As a player he was a forward who came through Nacional, debuted in the first team in 2008 under Gerardo Pelusso, and made four Primera appearances while winning the 2008/09 Uruguayan title. Later stops included Cerro, Brazil’s Juventude, Sud América, Huracán, Central Español, Huracán Buceo, and Villa Española, where he retired in 2019.
His coaching path began as an assistant: with Maximiliano Viera at Central Español in 2022, then at Uruguay Montevideo in 2023, and with Joaquín Boghossian at Deportivo Maldonado and Albion in 2024–2025.
Where does Deportivo LSM stand after the coaching change?
The side sits seventh in the Torneo Final with 13 points from nine matches, 10 behind leaders Sportivo Bella Italia (23 points). The Final winner earns promotion to the second division; second place enters a playoff.
Despite high-profile squad names such as Christian “Keke” Almeida, Mario Risso, and Rodrigo Amaral, LSM has not matched last year’s dominance in the tougher C division. Apólito’s first match is Sunday at 15:00 away to Salto FC at Estadio J.J. Vispo.
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