After a decade with FC Dallas as both a player and assistant coach, Oscar Pareja will leave the Metroplex for a position with the United States Under-17 national team with fellow Colombian Wilmer Cabrera.
Pareja played for FCD from 1998 through 2005 and in his 176-game career, scored 13 goals and had 52 assists. Following the 2005 season, when he retired as a player, he immediately became an assistant coach for the Hoops and held that position for the last two seasons.
FCD head coach Steve Morrow is clearly sad to see his top lieutenant depart, but at the same time, is happy for Pareja's new opportunity.
"It's a great opportunity and a good offer from US Soccer to move on to that situation," Morrow said. "We're very pleased for him and wish him and his family all the best. I've enjoyed working with Oscar as a player, teammate and as an assistant coach the last six years here in Dallas. We've had a great relationship in that time and we're sad to see him go. I'm happy that he has this opportunity to move onto something else."
For Pareja, the decision to leave Dallas was something that came about right after the Hoops were eliminated in the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs by eventual champ Houston.
"At the end of the season, I made a decision to step aside to fresh myself a little bit and to wait and see if there was another possibility," Pareja said. "I wanted to go somewhere else or find something else here in Dallas. I spoke with Steve (Morrow) and told him that was my desire. He understood that. But at the same time, I received an invitation from the (U.S. Soccer) Federation to go and work with the U-17 team.
"I considered that possibility and spoke with my family and friends," he continued. "I think it's a great opportunity for me to work with younger players and to impact American soccer in those divisions. It has been an honor playing and coaching for FC Dallas. Words can't describe how much it has meant to me. I'm proud to be part of this organization for all these years."
Among the potential candidates to replace Pareja is current FCD defender Bobby Rhine, who is the side's longest-tenured player with nine MLS seasons under his belt. His status for next season is uncertain and since he has played his entire career for the Hoops, it makes him a great candidate for the vacancy.
"I'm already thinking about it (the position)," Morrow said. "We've got the offseason now and I will want to sit down and interview a few people for that position. I'll take my time. We have a few months before we start preseason, so we don't have to rush into anything at the moment. I've certainly got some options and will look at all of those."
Having someone with close ties to FCD would be a big positive for Morrow but not a must-have among his criteria for Pareja's replacement.
"That's obviously a positive if we can get that, but it has to be the right person," Morrow said. "We don't want to force that situation. It's always good to have someone who knows the organization but I believe that we already have people in place here who know the team well and who will be part of the coaching staff next year anyway. I know what I'm looking for in terms of criteria for a new assistant coach and someone who knows both this team and this league would be helpful."
Pareja was known as a great conduit between Morrow and the Hoops' Latino players and for that reason, the FCD boss wouldn't rule out hiring someone with a similar background in his place.
"I'm certainly open to that," Morrow said. "I work well with Latin players. I'm starting to learn Spanish myself, so hopefully I can get by. It certainly doesn't have to be but I'm open to that."
For the now-former FCD assistant, the move boiled down to making himself a more well-rounded coach.
"I've been working for professional teams for a long time," Pareja said. "I played at that level in Colombia and also here. I know the system and MLS well. Then, I questioned myself because I know that in order to be a good coach, you need to learn other things, which includes working with kids and seeing how they are growing up with their habits and culture.
"I started doing that a few years ago. There was a gap between the professional level and the youth levels. We got players here from the U-17, U-20 and from college. That made me curious about the program. I knew it was a good opportunity to complete the circle."
Even though he realizes that this opportunity with the U-17s isn't the kind of position that comes along every day, Pareja's decision to leave FCD still wasn't an easy one.
"It's a hard decision," he admitted. "The relationships that I have with the players, the staff, the people in the office and everyone I have been working with are great. But that's the way the game goes. This is a professional environment, no different than the others, but it's time for me to move on. I leave behind all those good moments and all the people who helped me a lot. But that's part of life, the game and my career."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
