Orlando City and coach Oscar Pareja are parting ways after 3 losses to open the season

Orlando City and head coach Oscar Pareja have agreed to part ways just three games into the Major League Soccer season.

Orlando City is coming off a 5-0 loss to New York City FC on Saturday, the team's third straight defeat.

Pareja became head coach of Orlando ahead of the 2020 season. The team went to the playoffs in each year of his tenure and reached the semifinals in 2024.

Assistant coach Martín Perelman will take over as interim head coach.

“I want to thank Oscar for the dedication, leadership and professionalism he brought to our club,” Ricardo Moreira, Orlando's general manager and sporting director, said Wednesday in a statement. “He delivered one of the most significant moments in Orlando City’s history with the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and helped establish the competitive foundation that has propelled us forward, highlighted by our active club-record run of six straight playoffs appearances, which is currently the longest streak in MLS."

Pareja, who is from Colombia, had previous head coaching stints with FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids, as well as Liga MX's Tijuana.

He finishes his career at Orlando with a 103-72-66 record at the helm.

“Together, we shared moments that will stay with me forever," Pareja said about his time in Orlando. “While it is the right time for both me and the Club to move in new directions, I leave proud of the work we did and with deep appreciation for the people who made it possible.”

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer