GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Former New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire coach Juan Carlos Osorio has been confirmed as the new coach of US forward DaMarcus Beasley and Puebla in the Mexican first division.
“It's official, the new coach of Puebla FC is Juan Carlos Osorio,” announced Puebla director Roberto Henaine. “Welcome to the institution.”
Osorio, 50, will leave his current post at first-division side Once Caldas in his native Colombia and take over at La Franja at the end of November.
Osorio arrived in MLS midway through the 2007 season and helped the Chicago Fire to a berth in the Eastern Conference Championship in his first season, but he moved on quickly. He unexpectedly signed on to coach the New York Red Bulls before the 2008 season, then led them to the franchise's first MLS Cup appearance the same year.
MLS success, however, didn´t last for Osorio. In 2009, the Red Bulls went on a 16-game winless streak and lost against Trinidad and Tobago's W Connection in the CONCACAF Champions League. Osorio was forced to resign and left MLS in August 2009.
Osorio was linked to the vacant Chivas USA job last December (which was eventually filled by Robin Fraser), but he reportedly turned the job down. He was then named the head coach of the Honduran national team in February 2011, but he reversed course when he learned the Honduras Football Federation would not allow him to coach Los Catrachos and Once Caldas simultaneously.
At Puebla, Osorio will have 29-year-old US international Beasley under his command. Beasley arrived at Puebla over the summer and consolidated himself as a regular under Puebla's ex-coach Sergio Bueno.
Beasley has also reemerged on the US scene under new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and appeared off the bench during the Americans’ 1-0 defeat to France on Nov. 11.
Tom Marshall can be reached at tom.marshall.mex@gmail.com.
