ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City SC on Wednesday named former MLS Coach of the Year Óscar Pareja as the club’s new head coach.
Pareja, 51, returns to the MLS from Club Tijuana of Liga MX, a stint that succeeded an accomplished and storied tenure at FC Dallas.
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The Lions will introduce Pareja on Thursday morning in a news conference at Exploria Stadium.
“Óscar is the perfect fit for the Orlando City organization, something I can say with confidence from our history of working together,” Orlando City SC EVP of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi said. “He possesses the talent and passion to help our club reach both its short term goals on the field and long-term plans for the organization. Óscar checked all the boxes we were looking to fill and his vision is aligned with the plans that we have as a club - to invest in and develop players at all levels of our pyramid to be both proud and successful when wearing the Orlando City crest.”
“I’m very excited to be returning to Major League Soccer and to be joining the Orlando City organization,” Pareja said in a statement. “The future of this Club is extremely bright, with so many opportunities to grow and succeed at all levels of the Club - from the new training facility to the world-class stadium and from the Development Academy all the way to the MLS side. Orlando is an incredible soccer city, with an especially passionate and dedicated fan base. I can’t wait to get started.”
Pareja spent five seasons as the head coach at FC Dallas, compilng a 78-49-43 record, featuring a 2016 season that included a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title, the MLS Supporters’ Shield and MLS Coach of the Year honors.
Under Pareja’s tenure, FC Dallas reached the postseason in four of five seasons.