Juan Carlos Osorio

Juan Carlos Osorio Arbeláez (Spanish pronunciation: [xwaŋ ˈkaɾlos oˈsoɾjo aɾβeˈlaes]; born 8 June 1961) is a Colombian football manager and former footballer who is the current head coach of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Remo.

Osorio began his playing career with Deportivo Pereira in 1982, and went on to play for Brazilian club Internacional in 1984 before returning to his native Colombia a year later, ultimately retiring in 1987 at the age of 26 due to injury.

Nicknamed El Recreacionista (The Recreationist in Spanish) due to his unorthodox training methods, Osorio held various assistant coaching jobs before beginning his managerial career in 2006 with Millonarios, moving abroad the following year to manage Major League Soccer teams Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls, leading the latter to their first conference title in 2008. He managed Once Caldas in 2010 and led them to a league title, as well as managing Atlético Nacional in 2012 and winning numerous championships. In October 2015, he was named as manager of the Mexico national team, a post he held until July 2018.

Early life

After playing for Deportivo Pereira and Internacional, Osorio moved to the USA and represented University of New Haven's New Haven Chargers from 1985 to 1986. He graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 1990 with a B.A. in Exercise Science. Osorio also holds a diploma in Science and Football from Liverpool John Moores University, a UEFA "A" coaching license from the English FA, and a coaching certificate from the Royal Netherlands Football Association.