The Paraguayan National Team has its new head coach, and the hiring takes one potential candidate off the list of possible hires for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Paraguay hired former Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio as their head coach on Monday. The Colombian had been linked with the USMNT job as well as his native Colombia.
Osorio parted ways with Mexico following their Round of 16 exit at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. El Tri opened with a huge victory over defending champs Germany, before also edging South Korea. Mexico’s World Cup ended their campaign on a sour note with losses to Sweden and Brazil.
The length of Osorio’s deal with encompass the 2019 Copa America and 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. He left El Tri with the best winning percentage of any head coach in the country’s history as well as the fifth-most wins.
Paraguay finished seventh in Conmebol’s most recent World Cup qualifying.
Good
Very bad sign that Osorio wasn’t even interviewed for the US NATs job. Actually embarrassing. In pretty much every regard, he would fit like a glove coaching the US squad. Very smart, experienced, knows the US pool, knows concacaf, speaks English, success at highest levels, lots experience. The only reason not to is that he was just coaching our arch rival. But who cares… he’s not actually Mexican and the World Cup is 4 years away… by then know should care that he coached a team that we were frankly not even in the seem league as this go around.
Sure thing Rob, he he. ?? (your inability to spell and form coherent sentences have it away)
Didn’t Mexico give him honorary citizenship? Do they take it back?
Wow. That’s brave of Osorio, or perhaps pigheaded. Almirón and who else? Still, I could understand if he wanted to stick it to the bigger, less grateful nations like the US and Mexico, and enjoy a quieter period out of the spotlight,. More power to him, albeit less charisma.
As for Berhalter, “Euro career” seems a bit overblown when he seems to have mainly languished in unknown Dutch clubs and the 2. Bundesliga in between one middling year at Palace and two years at the Galaxy. A job, yes, but his current form rests on the Crew, no? As pleasantly surprising as it and Zardes have been this year, it’s evidently a dead end thanks to the money-grabbing owner, and unsurprising if Berhalter is looking anxiously for a job next year. But does that make him the best candidate for the USMNT job, or only perhaps the most immediately available?
Yes, Martino is probably not interested, and why would he be when he already has a successful team in a glitzy stadium, ugly artificial turf here or there? Why would anyone sane and competent want the relatively thankless USMNT job?
I still think Klinsmann was to some extent underappreciated, and the US would now be lucky to attract anyone who really did have serious international experience. But it would be good if in the future that experience covered defense, not just offense.
Do you have an American manager with a better European career? He certainly wouldn’t have the contacts of say a Klinsmann but he would have an understanding of the demands on players playing in Europe and for USMNT. He captained both Cottbus and 1860 Munich which tells you the regard that his clubs had given the bias against American soccer players during that time. If you look at the three clubs above Columbus they certainly do more with less payroll compared to ATL and NYCFC, and he does not have the Academy or USL support that NYRB has.
Good for Osorio. And glad to see him off of the table. He acquitted himself well during his time with Mexico, I thought…. but I had no interest in him as USMNT coach. Good luck to him with Paraguay.
Seems increasingly more likely all the time that the next manager will come from MLS.
My choice is Berhalter (I don’t believe Martino is interested). Euro career, one of the more tactical American managers, liked and respected by his players, International team experience (part of our most successful WC squad) and not afraid to make the tough choices (trading Kamara, Finley).
+1
Agree. I think it’s down to Berhalter and Vermes. I think Martino is overrated in terms of his fit as US manager. Berhalter and Vermes are both deserving of a shot.
I find it interesting that the current in thing here is to dismiss Martino, who, in just his second year, has turned an expansion team into the team most likely to win the Supporter’s Shield. When he was first hired I wondered why someone with his pedigree would want to take an expansion team in a relatively lower league. The idea that he would prefer MLS to another international gig with a bunch of very promising youngsters strikes me as odd, to say the least. If I were in his position I would look back at my time in Atlanta with satisfaction at what I accomplished in a short time. I would think that taking a job, with probably a higher salary, having to do less work, and having the promise of future success by molding young players, as very attractive.
Because he has never expressed any interest in coaching for the USMNT, and he doesn’t play his young American talents that everyone but he seem to be excited about. He has continued to bring in South Americans and even Jamaican Romario Williams. 2nd if he wants to get back into International coaching he could have his pick of better jobs than the US even with its youth movement. Last, if he was looking to stay long term wouldn’t he learn English, I’m not trying sound xenophobic and he seems from his interviews to understand English, but if he wanted to stay long term?