Jose Manuel de la Torre (pictured) was let go as Mexico's national team head coach in the early morning hours on September 7, 2013. (Photo: Mexsport)

MEXICO CITY – The Mexican Football Federation announced Saturday that it has relieved men’s national team head coach Jose Manuel de la Torre of his duties, following a 2-1 loss to Honduras in a World Cup Qualifying match just hours earlier.

Luis Fernando Tena, de la Torre’s assistant, was installed as the new head coach and the other members of the technical staff were retained.  The 55-year-old Tena managed Mexico to the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament title and, then, to the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Football Tournament in London.

De la Torre had successful spells with club sides Guadalajara and Toluca, before being named head coach of the national team in 2010.  He made his debut in a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in February 2011 and guided Mexico to its sixth CONCACAF Gold Cup title later that same year.

After going 6-0-0 in the third round of qualifying for Brazil 2014, Mexico has found the CONCACAF Hexagonal more testing.  It has only one win in seven games and, after the loss to Honduras, is in fourth place with eight points – one more than Panama.  The top three teams at the end of the round will automatically progress to the World Cup finals, while the fourth-place finisher will meet Oceania winner New Zealand in an Intercontinental Playoff.

Mexico, which last missed out on a World Cup in 1990, will play at the United States on Tuesday.