Lopez, Jim

Jim Lopez was born in Patricios Park , a district of Buenos Aires ^[1] . Initially, he was engaged in boxing, but there did not show high results. Jim, under pressure from his father’s criticism, decided to leave Argentina and in 1928 went to Brazil to continue his boxing career there. There he took the pseudonym "Jim Lopez" ^[1] . Jim Lopez boxed until the mid-1930s ^[2] , while the government of Jetulio Vargas issued a law according to which all professional boxing matches were banned in the country. Left without work, the Argentinean received a coaching education, after which he got a job as a coach of small clubs in the state of São Paulo ^{[1] [3]} . In 1947, he became a coach of the club “ Portuguesa Desportos ” ^[4] . In 1950, he became the head coach of Palmeiras , who spent 39 matches under his command. Under the leadership of the Argentine coach, the club won the Sao Paulo City Cup. But most importantly, he laid the foundation for the team, which in the same year, under the leadership of Ventura Cambona, won the state championship , and a year later the Rio Cup ^[5] . In 1952, the Argentinean again led the “Portuguese”, where he worked for two seasons, winning the tournament with the team Rio Sao Paulo ^{[6] [7]} .

In 1953, Jim Lopez led the club " São Paulo " ^[8] . The club under his leadership spent 109 matches (68 wins, 19 draws and 22 losses) ^[9] . The main achievement was the victory in the state championship in 1953 ^[10] . At the end of 1955, Jim Lopez led the club " Ponte Preta ." He was also the head coach of the team in 1958 ^{[11] [12]} . In the same year, Jim Lopez returned to Argentina, where he headed the local club for the first time. They became the Independiente . At the same time, he brought to the club, and throughout the country, a new scheme used in Brazil and at the World Cup : 4-2-4 ^[13] . In 1960, he became the head coach of River Plate , where he replaced Jose Maria Minel , who had worked at the club for 13 years ^[1] . The tough and authoritarian style of work of Jim Lopez did not appeal to the leaders of the team, and after 12 matches (3 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses) he was fired ^[1] . Jim Lopez returned to Brazil, where in August 1960 he became the head coach of Corinthians . The club under his leadership spent 26 matches (16 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses) ^[3] .

In 1962, Jim Lopez became the head coach of the Argentina national team ^[14] . Then he worked at the Rosario Central club. Under the guidance of a coach, the club held 54 matches, where it won 16 victories, tied 20 matches and lost 18. In 1964 and 1965, Lopez worked with Gimnasia and Esgrima ^[15] . Then he again worked at São Paulo ^[16] and at Desportos ^{[17] [18]} . In 1967, Jim Lopez became the head coach of the Argentine national team in the championship of South America . In the tournament, the team took second place, losing only to Uruguay ^{[19] [20]} . In the same year, the coach headed “ Los Andes ”, which in one season brought to Primera ^[21] . The next club Jim Lopez was " Colon ". Here, the coach again introduced a revolution in Argentine tactics: for the first time in the country he began to play according to the 4-4-2 pattern ^[22] . Club Jim Lopez led until 1968 ^[23] . In 1969, he briefly led Veles Sarsfield , with whom he reached the final of the friendly cup of the city of Buenos Aires ^[24] . In September 1969, in the 4th round of the national championship, Lopez became the head coach of the Newells Old Boys . In 1973, he was the head coach of the Portuguese Ollanensi ^[25] , and in 1976, the Juventus club.

• Rio Sao Paulo Tournament Winner: 1952
• São Paulo State Champion : 1953
• Carlos Dittborn Cup Winner: 1962