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NAME: Juan Carlos Osorio POSITION: Head Coach EXPERIENCE: Second season HOMETOWN: Santa Rosa del Cabal, Colombia |
After becoming the first coach in club history to guide New York to the MLS Cup Final, Juan Carlos Osorio returns for his second year as head coach. Osorio posted a 9-11-10 record in the 2008 regular season, leading the Red Bulls to their sixth-straight playoff appearance and 10th in 13 years by earning the eighth and final wild card spot. Under Osorio's guidance, the Red Bulls pulled off one of the biggest upsets in MLS Cup history when they knocked off two-time defending champion, the Houston Dynamo, 4-1, on aggregate, in the teams' Western Conference Semifinal Series. A week later, the Red Bulls earned their first Western Conference Championship and MLS Cup Final berth after beating Real Salt Lake, 1-0, on the road.
Osorio became the Red Bulls' head coach at a press conference in downtown Manhattan on Dec. 18, 2007. The Colombian, who served as an assistant coach/conditioning coach for two seasons for the franchise from 2000-01, returned after successful coaching stints for the Chicago Fire (MLS) and Club Deportivo Millonarios (Fútbol Profesional Colombiano).
Osorio came to New York after guiding Chicago in 2007 to a 6-3-6 record in 15 MLS matches and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Final. In that trip to the playoffs, Osorio led the Fire to a 3-2 aggregate goals win against Supporters' Shield winner, D.C. United, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Osorio joined the Fire as head coach on July 9, 2007, taking over for Dave Sarachan. Before Chicago, Osorio served as manager for Club Deportivo Millonarios, one of the most storied clubs in the Fútbol Profesional Colombiano in 2006-07. The Colombian native led the Bogotá based club to an 11-6-7 record during the 2007 Finalizacion (closing) season and a fourth place finish out of 18 teams in the Mustang Cup. Osorio's leadership helped Millonarios qualify for the 2006 Copa Sudamericana, one of the top club competitions in South America.
Prior to Millonarios, Osorio spent five years (2001-06) in the English Premier League (EPL) with Manchester City, starting as conditioning coach before being promoted to assistant coach. Before joining Manchester City, Osorio spent two seasons (2000-01) as assistant coach/conditioning coach in New York for the MetroStars.
Under head coach Octavio Zambrano, Osorio helped New York capture the 2000 Eastern Conference regular season title and qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs each season. Osorio began his coaching career as assistant coach/conditioning coach with the A-League Staten Island Vipers (1998-99).
Osorio's playing career included stints with the New York Fever (1996-97), New York Centaurs (1995-96), Brooklyn Italians (1994-95) and Staten Island Vipers as well as Deportivo Pereira (1982-84) of the Colombian First Division and Second Division Risaralda FC (1984). In 1982, he saw time with the Colombian Under-20 squad.
A native of Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia, Osorio holds an English Football Association "A" coaching license and a coaching certificate from the Royal Netherlands Football Association. He earned a B.A. in exercise science from Southern Connecticut State University in 1990 and holds a diploma in science and football from John Moores University in Liverpool, England.
Juan Carlos and his wife, Juliette, have two sons, Sergio and Sebastian.
