Newly appointed head coach of two-time Jamaica Premier League champions Montego Bay United (MBU) Rudolfo Zapata is not promising any miracles as he takes over the St James-based club as the 2024-25 season approaches.

The 58-year-old Argentine, who has had extensive coaching experience in the Concacaf region as well as Africa and was recently the national coach of Fiji, arrived in the island on July 1. He replaces Brazilian Neider Dos Santos, who guided MBU to the verge of booking a place in the play-offs in their second season back in the Jamaica Premier League.

“In football there are no miracles and shortcuts, so it’s hard work, continuity and consistency,” Zapata told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday as he got ready to meet the squad on Friday for the first time.

He said it was not hard to accept the offer to coach MBU.

“When Chairman Yoni [Epstein] called me, I said yes,” he said. “I mean, for me, it’s a new challenge, I think I like the programme of Montego Bay. You know, he has new idea fresh ideas for Jamaica football.”

Zapata said he would not be starting without some knowledge of the team as he had watched videos of all the games last season, more than once.

“I watched all the games three times, so I know all of them,” he said. “I took notes about all of them. Montego Bay United finished strong last season and we keep the base of those players and I like it. So, after I saw the videos of the last season I think that there is good talent to work with.”

Zapata confirmed that the three Brazilian players who played for MBU last year would not be returning but said the management of the team, led by newly appointed General Manager Sunil Reid have been working on ensuring they get good players.

His job started even before he got to Jamaica as he had sent a preseason programme to the local-based assistant coaches and with the league expected to kick off in October, says they have enough time to work.

“We’re going to work morning and afternoon for one month — we have enough time,” he said. “Probably, we are going to work on the beach in the morning time and on the pitch in the afternoon.”

As an Argentinian, Zapata said his style of football was “building good from the back with short passes to progress on the field with pressing in the opponent half, good control, and finishing, but to try to build it from the back if we can.”

Zapata says a dynamic box to box midfielder and a fast striker are essential but says he needed to see the players first before deciding on a tactical system.

Zapata said his time working in Africa had prepared him for everything and anything, so playing on fields that are not up to the level of those in the top leagues was not that big a deal.

“Don’t forget that I am coming from Africa,” he reminded the Observer. “I coached in Nigeria, I coached in Botswana, I coached in South Africa, Kenya, and Rwanda. My last job was with Fiji’s national team as well. So, I know it’s not easy, but if you play good football, you are going to have more chances to win. So that was my main idea to play an attractive football to bring the supporters back to the stadium.”

The South American in him, however, demands effort.

“I grew up in Argentina and football is a very competitive environment,” he said. “So we want to win everything and I believe that if we play good football, we are going to have more chances. I mean, if you play well you have more chances to win. So I’m here to to transmit that winning mentality.”

He is not unaware of Concacaf football as Zapata spent more than a decade in the region honing his craft.

“I coached in the US more than 12 years,” he said. “I was head coach or the USA Olympic development programme. That programme is in charge of detecting young and developing young talent for the youth national team from the U14 to the U23 level. My job was to detect talent through the states of New York and New Jersey and also I worked in Canada a long time ago as well.”