Cusco FC changes the manager for the second time this year. At the end of March, Argentinian Miguel Rondelli left for FBC Melgar, after a disappointing start of the season, with a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats, which rendered Cusco FC in 10th place (out of 18) after 8 rounds. However, Rondelli was not sacked, and there was hope for a revival, given the experience with the same Rondelli in the previous two seasons (2024 and 2025), when he led the club to better results towards the end of the season, finishing second in 2025. A very good offer from FBC Melgar saw Rondelli leaving, so Cusco FC brought Uruguayan Alejandro Orfila in.
Orfila only stayed for a couple of months (April and May, basically) and yesterday, 9 June, Cusco FC officially announced that he will leave. Rumours about his departure existed immediately after the end of Apertura, on 31 May. It is not exactly known why the club management was unhappy with Orfila. His tenure was marked by good results in the league: 5 wins, 2 draws, and 2 defeats, and Cusco FC climbed from 10th place to 6th place at the end of Apertura. He started with a sensational 3-1 win away at FBC Melgar, a ”revenge” on former manager Rondelli, now manager of FBC Melgar. In the last round, Cusco FC won 2-1 away at ADT Tarma, which is an excellent result. Of course, it was mathematically impossible for Cusco FC to win the Apertura (even if they had won all the matches), and the second place they had last year is also difficult to get. The only bad result (mainly from the perspective of the score) was the humiliating 8-0 defeat away at Alianza Lima, the winners of Apertura, which is by far the worst defeat ever in the history of the club (the previous ”record” was a 4-0 defeat).
Most likely, Orfila was sacked because of the bad results in Copa Libertadores. After many years, Cusco FC qualified directly in the group stage of Copa Libertadores, but were distributed in a very tough group, involving title holders CR Flamengo (of Brazil), Estudiantes La Plata (of Argentina), and Independiente Medellín (of Columbia), all three clubs with strong rosters. Cusco FC only managed one point in Copa Libertadores (a draw at home against Estudiantes, a match they had in hand), and classified last in their group. There was some disappointment with this ”result”, although Cusco FC were clearly the weakest team in this group. A comparison with city rivals Cienciano also worked against Orfila, as Cienciano had better results than Cusco FC both in the league and in Copa Sudamericana, and even Deportivo Garcilaso, the other city rivals, are close enough in the league table. For Cusco FC, it is very important to maintain their leading position among the clubs in the city of Cusco, and this ”competition” is not to be lost.
In the end, Alejandro Orfila and his associates left, and on the same day, 9 June, the club announced the arrival of the Spanish manager Javier Rabanal, along with his coaching staff. This move was probably discussed previously, as Rabanal had been sacked by Peruvian title holders Universitario de Deportes on 21 April. It is interesting to note that Rabanal has rather little experience as a head coach, as he was mainly an assistant coach throughout his career, reaching notoriously in this position at PSV Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, when Ruud van Nistelrooy was manager. As full manager, Javier Rabanal's best result is the 2025 title in Ecuador with Independiente del Valle, a club whom he also managed in Copa Libertadores last year to excellent results. Despite these accomplishments, Independiente del Valle sacked him at the end of the 2025 season, and he soon arrived in Peru, to take over managerial tasks at title holders Universitario de Deportes. Results were not as good as expected, and he had to leave in April, as mentioned.
Javier Rabanal, the new manager of Cusco FC. Photo source: ovacion.pe
It is difficult to say whether he will be the manager the club management and the fans expect him to be. His objective should be to win the Clausura or at least to classify in top 2 in the aggregate table, and therefore to get a place in the play-offs for the title. After the second place managed last year, one can only imagine that Cusco FC would like to move one step forward and win the title. This should be, at least in theory, the target for this year. It would be a very ambitious target, especially given the current circumstances, and the value of the players. Cusco FC roster this year is not very different from the one they had last year, when they finished second. However, Cusco FC as runners-up was quite an accomplishment. To win the title, one would need even better players, especially in some key positions. Therefore, it is not entirely up to the manager. It is also the task of the club management to provide the necessary players to achieve such ambitious goals. In my humble opinion, a classification among the top 4 in the aggregate table, and therefore another participation in the Copa Libertadores in the next year, would be a more feasible (and reachable) objective this season.
Javier Rabanal is accompanied by his coahcing staff, including Matías Farao (assistant manager), Ander Huete (methodological assistant), Franco Baravalle (physical trainer), Juan José Halty (goalkeepers' coach), and Mathias Almeida (video analyst).
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