Manchester City's Osorio Is Candidate to Coach DC United (W. Post, Goff)

He does have the Scum taint. He'll need a thorough delousing. Perhaps the same doctor who inspected Saddam will be available.

Also of note: Home opener April 3 @ RFK. Probably going to be on ABC at 4PM. Anyone know when Easter is next year?

Sachin

 

wow straight out of the premier league (never mind the recent poor form) and with MLS experience. this could be exciting.

 

Easter is April 11. So that's good.

This could be a good move: EPL credentials, US experience, and Latin American (would be MLS' first, right?).

BTW, why is the draft in Charlotte? I imagine someone knows something I don't.

 

Because it's now held at the NSCAA convention.

http://www.nscaa.com/convention/

 

Sounds like a GREAT candidate for coach. Wow, did that come out of the blue.

 

no, there have been a handfull of other latin/sa coaches in the mls... they just weren't very successful.

 

Some Metro reject is coaching at Real Madrid. I wonder if he left the Scum off his resume.

"No.. I was working with underpriveleged youth at that time, seriously!"

Sachin

 

Here is some information on Osorio.

http://www.mlsnet.com/content/00/met0114staff.html

"Osorio and Pollard are graduates of the strong NCAA II soccer program at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU).

Juan Carlos Osorio, 38, has previously served as assistant and conditioning coach for the Staten Island Vipers (98-99). A native of Risaralda, Colombia, Osorio holds a diploma in Science and Football from John Moores University (Liverpool, England), a UEFA "B" coaching license from the English Football Association, and a coaching certificate from the Royal Netherlands Football Association. He graduated from SCSU in 1990 with a B.A. in Exercise Science."

 

I guess an EPL assistant trumps an MLS assistant (Hamlett), but I think I would feel more secure if Osorio were in charge of something a bit more than fitness and conditioning for City. On the other hand, it would mean the immediate retirement of plump Marco.

Seriously, though, Reyna and other City players must see more in him than just a fitness coach, so he may very well be the right man for the job. Two year under Kevin Keegan has to help.

 

I'm not as impressed with the EPL credentials. I mean, I'm not trying to belittle them, but he's the fitness coach.

I'm sure he's picked up some Xs and Os, tactical knowledge and other coaching acumen whilst he's been in Manchester, but at the end of the day, his job is fitness and not tactical, technical or communicative, nor, that we know of, is he identifying talent.

His only time in MLS was an assistant to Octavio Zambrano, which doesn't exactly excite me. Granted, the MetroStars were competitive in his year and a half in MLS, but that isn't a whole lot.

Interesting, however, that he was once an assistant to Ray Reid (at Southern Connecticut), who is also rumored to be in the running for the DCU job.

Of all the names mentioned so far, I like Denis Hamlet the best, primarily because he has the most time in MLS as assistant coach and served under two very good MLS coaches.

 

I can't say I'm impressed with this candidate, as I'd prefer to see someone more involved as a tactician. Reyna's praise is probably explained by all the face time he gets with Osorio, considering his frequent injuries.

 

This is more than a little surprising to me, but he does appear to be intriguing. He has coaching experience both in MLS and in a top European league, he's South American but played collegiately here in the US, so he's a very nice blend of American, MLS, Latin and European. If he is named coach, I'd suggest having the doctor that scrubbed Petke cleanse him though, as not only did the scum come off, but it improved his play!

All that being said, I really don't know much about the guy, and have no idea whether he'd be a good coach or not, but like Nowak, he is quite intriguing.

-Digital

 

i found several nice comments about his work and how it fits in with the overall technical approach that keegan has.

the guy does have a degree from holland and uefa "b", so it is likely he does have training in tactical football. he seems to follow the dutch philosophy on training and integrates all conditioning work within competitive, game-type situtations.

he certainly seems to have a wealth of experience in a lot of different places. he comments on the City site that he prefers free-flowing football that relies on fast ball speed to switch sides and create advantage.

i guess any assistant is a crap shoot

 

Any one else not terribly excited about any of these canidates?

AS for Orsorio, maybe he'd be good, but the strength and conditioning part of that article gives me some pause. I'm not exactly qualified to make these decisions though.

 

First, as someone pointed out, there have been a number of MLS coaches with ties to South America. Oz, Cacho Cordoba (first coach in Miami), Ivo Wortmann (Brazilean but the last time I checked he was coaching first division ball in Argentina). Plus I think there have been a number who have served as team assistants for a year or so and then moved on.

Second, this is (to quote D-tron) certainly intriguing. I too don't automatically confer superhero status just b/c someone is in the Premiership or La Liga or whatever as a coach. On the otherhand, he does sound like a great candidate. While his title now focuses on conditioning, let's not forget that he's still got a wealth of tactical and game experience. Besides, I'd need to know more about his responsibilities--after all, a Technical Director, Coach, Manager all don't mean the same here as they do there (where'ever "there" is depending upon the country).

My guess is that Payne did approach Ray Reid (the "high profile" college coach) and that Reid demurred but said "there is they guy I know you really need to talk to" and thus Osorio's name came up.

I'm less concerned about his tactical expertise b/c I think he's got it (the man played, assisted college, assisted in MLS and now has some involvement in the Premiership even if it's no more than carrying water bottles). I'm more concerned with his man management abilities. B/c American players have some quirky traits we bring to the field, that's sometimes a challenge for anyone who doesn't have lengthy roots in US soccer. It's also a big challenge for any assistant (b/c now you have to manage 24 or more personalities and demands and create a single team) since that's what they have little or no expertise in. I think that has always been Bruce Arena's biggest strength and part of Yallop's biggest asset (defining roles, communicating them clearly, getting everyone on the Quakes to believe in those roles and accept them and work for each other). And that is a lot more than just knowing X's and O's or knowing a lot about football or being a good judge of talent. And for that--man management--I haven't a clue as to how Osorio is (though I'd guess from Reyna's comments that his one on one communication and motivation skills are good).

As for the 3 confirmed candidates so far: (Nowak, Hamlett, Osorio), wow--what a diverse mix. A range of different nationalities and backgrounds and only Hamlett might fall into a "conventional" coaching candidate background. Even then, hiring an assistant who's had a stroke is sure a bit of a twist.

 

Kind of a no-win situation, right? I mean, people don't like him as a candidate because he has no head coaching experience, but how is he supposed to get head coaching experience unless someone gives him an opportunity?

I think things have turned out okay for a guy named Yallop, who's had just a little success with a team from San Jose. Wasn't that his first head coaching gig?

 

am i the only one who likes each one of our frontrunners???

after the hudson years, i want the most boring, clinical coach possible.

thats right. i want...

ben stein

 

What about this?

How about Osorio as the Head Coach and Nowak as Asst? I would really like that combo.

OFF TOPIC: By the way, Those of us in the far reaches of DC United Country (Lancaster, PA) are hearing exciting things about the Harrisburg City Islanders (new PDL or whatever) team ticket sales for next year. I would love to see a preseason game with DC, but I doubt that will happpen this year at least.

Please consider coming up I-83 to see a game or two on City Island, it will be a lot of fun!

 

I agree with Joe that the big question mark is people management skills. But I think we could do worse than someone who has been a trainer in the EPL. We NEED training badly. San Jose ran circles around us the second half of our games against them.

Whoever it is, I hope the decision comes quickly. This is a short off-season.

 

None of these candidates do much for me.

I'd like a guy that has proven he can build a winning tradition and has worked with adults.

College - fine.
A-League - fine.
Some Podunk Overseas league - fine.

Hiring assistants is a total crapshoot. You have to FULLY understand what their role in the organization is, and even then you never know how much of that is total resume padding/interview bull****.

Dennis Hamlett? Has anyone heard from Chicago players about this guy? I guess I have a hard time with him in particular. I just don't see where his coaching credentials are coming from. Yeah, he went to high school and college around here, but why is he a candidate? Because he's sat next to 2 good coaches? That doesn't mean he can run a team.

And, sorry, but the whole chicken/egg argument doesn't work for this Osario guy. I'm not too keen to provide this guy his first shot with MY team. Let him cut his teeth with an A-League team, or Second Division squad over in England. Jumping up to one of MLS's flagship teams is quite a leap.

 

Zambrano, Wortmann, Parreira, Clavijo.

 

Re: What about this?

...Or, if the City Islanders can make it far into the Open Cup rounds to meet up with DC. Just think...Ben Olsen comes back to his hometown to play against the City Islanders.

Those of us in the far reaches of DC United Country can only dream...

 

Guys. Paper credentials can only be taken so far. What coaching credentials did Steve Nicol have before he came to the Revs. Basically he was a player coach for an A league team.

Even in the premiership - you have guys like Chris Coleman who are in their mid 30s and have no formal coaching license/training managing a team in fourth place.

Just because his degree is in Excercise Science and his main job description at this point has been on the fitness end does not make him non-suited to be a head coach in MLS.

Look at the bright side. He has coached under Kevin Keegan - its not likely he is going to be a boring guy who prefers defensive tactics!