Oscar Pareja was named the Orlando City Head Coach on December 4, 2019, joining the Lions from Club Tijuana of Liga MX, a stint that followed an accomplished tenure at FC Dallas of Major League Soccer.Â
Before his time in Mexico, Pareja spent five seasons at FC Dallas where he served as the head coach, working directly with Luiz Muzzi to build one of the premier development pyramids across MLS.
While at Dallas, he compiled a 78-49-43 record, including a 2016 season that saw Pareja earn MLS Coach of the Year honors following a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title and the MLS Supporters’ Shield. During his tenure, FC Dallas reached the postseason four out of five seasons. Prior to his time as Dallas’ head coach, the Medellin, Colombia native spent two seasons as the manager of the Colorado Rapids, reaching the playoffs in 2013.Â
Before serving at the helm, he spent a number of years working with the FC Dallas Academy, as well as an assistant on the first team staff. In the 2010-11 season, the same season that saw U.S. Soccer rank the FC Dallas Academy No. 1 in the nation, Pareja earned U-18 Academy Coach of the Year. Pareja also spent time coaching the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team from 2007-08.Â
On the pitch, Pareja played over 400 matches professionally in his native country of Colombia between Independiente Medellin and Deportivo Cali. Prior to the 1998 season, Pareja was allocated to the New England Revolution, but was traded to the Dallas Burn after 13 games where he would go on to play 170 matches, tallying 13 goals and 47 assists. On the international stage, Pareja totaled 11 caps for Colombia, scoring three goals and appearing in the 1991 Copa América.
