Trionfini, former Unión coordinator, joins a FIFA national team | OneFootball

Alejandro Trionfini, who served for three years—from 2014 to 2017—as the coach and general coordinator of all the youth divisions of Club Atlético Unión, debuted just a few days ago as part of the technical staff of a FIFA national team: in this case, the Dominican Republic. His debut was against Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay, a South American powerhouse, in a friendly match held in Malaysia.

«A night with a bitter taste due to the result but with good feelings last night at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A team that met several objectives of the plan and others where it was clear that the path is being followed to achieve them soon. Now it's time to analyze and evaluate, but undoubtedly knowing that growth is happening and that these are big steps towards a promising future. Go Dominican Republic,» wrote Alejandro Trionfini himself on his social media. Later, he posted a photo with Marcelo Bielsa, as the "Loco" was the coach of the Uruguay national team in this international encounter.

With "Loco" Bielsa. After the friendly between the Dominican Republic and Uruguay at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Alejandro Trionfini shared a conversation with Marcelo Bielsa.

Undoubtedly, a step forward for "Ale" in his career in the world of football. Alejandro Trionfini was the general coordinator of youth football at Unión from January 2014 to January 2017. Towards the end of his tenure, a statistical fact emerged that everyone praised: Unión fielded 7 starting players from the youth divisions and 4 substitutes in the First Division. It transitioned from being a buying club to a developing/selling club.

In December 2016, the AFA awarded the Fair Play prize to Unión's youth divisions. Additionally, he was the creator and organizer of the Pre AFA Tournament, which allows the three categories prior to AFA to compete in a tournament, significantly reducing the impact of transitioning from AFA to the League.

During the Trionfini era, Alejandro personally traveled across much of the country, carrying the club's banner and establishing relationships that facilitated the arrival of players, many of whom he personally brought (such as Calderón, Tablada, Mariano Gómez), frequent friendlies with Youth National Teams, and praise from national football figures about the work being done in the youth divisions.

During that time—from 2014 to 2017—the club held annual training sessions for coaches and football staff, showcasing the "Unión Model."

«There was an integral group that was part of the daily program for each category (each division trained four hours a day), with psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, doctors, double positional shifts, and a preventive exercise program, which at that time reduced injuries in the youth divisions by 70 percent,» he recalls in an interview with El Litoral.

During those years, a library was founded in the Club's dormitory, and priority was given to the players' education: for two years, no player from the dormitory had to retake subjects. Attending First Division matches was part of the training, workshops on the Club's history were held; the relationship was direct and straightforward with the professional coaching staff. There was no relationship with agents or representatives with the Club's Coordination, and the constant struggle was for each player to have their place in the first team. When he left, on his personal Instagram, Emanuel Britez—the captain of Unión's professional team at that time—wrote on a black background: «We let go of the best Coordinator in Unión's history.»

During the Trionfini era, the youngest debut in history occurred with Nico Andereggen, the reserve revolution appeared as a team of young players training alongside the First Division. Three players went to the Under-15 National Team, Marcos Peano was a starter in the Under-17 World Cup in Chile, and Mauricio "Caramelo" Martínez went to the Olympics. During those times, the team always qualified for the Championship Zone, where the top four from each zone entered.

The dream of a kid. For any coach, coordinator, or PF, reaching a FIFA national team is a dream. For Alejandro Trionfini from Esperanza, it came true: he is part of the technical staff of the Dominican Republic National Team.

When and how did Alejandro Trionfini's exile begin, now in the FIFA technical staff of the Dominican Republic? «In February 2018, I came to the Dominican Republic. It was a private project by Alexis Pion, a strong businessman from Santo Domingo, who had the idea of creating a football club from scratch, with the demands of other regions: a synthetic grass field with state-of-the-art lighting; gym; rehabilitation rooms; video rooms; store; cafeteria and dining room; locker rooms, stands… all top-notch. The goal was for those who wanted another level of structures not to have to go to Europe or the United States. That project needed the sports aspect as its core. That's where I came in, contacted by an Argentine involved in football and residing here (Luis "Tata" Flores), and it culminated with the owner of the facilities hiring me in Argentina at the end of 2017. The offer was to create a club, from the formative stage, with a work philosophy and game idea. Everything from scratch, my way and with my convictions. Obviously, this attracted me: in March 2018, we started with just one player… just as it sounds…», Ale explained to El Litoral.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.