Orlando City, Pareja split after long ongoing talks

The decision for Orlando City and longtime coach Oscar Pareja to mutually part ways didn’t happen in a matter of days — or even weeks.Speaking publicly for the first time since the club’s Wednesday announcement, Lions general manager and sporting director Ricardo Moreira said Thursday that ongoing conversations with Pareja — dating back to last season — ultimately led to the split after a disappointing run of results.“Are those results and stretches of games that we had last year part of the conversation? For sure,” Moreira said. “What weight we put on that is different, but we’re here to win every game.”Orlando City opened the 2026 MLS regular season with three straight losses. And last season, a 1-6-3 finish over its final 10 matches across all competitions saw the Lions slide down the Eastern Conference standings.Orlando still reached the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year, but was routed in the wild-card match against Chicago.“This is a high-performance club. We expect results,” Moreira said. “We’re in a league and a club that’s in a position now where the expectations are a little different than they were when we arrived.”Moreira said the conversations intensified in recent weeks as the club evaluated its long-term direction.“Ongoing conversations that started in the last few weeks — we were thinking about the future in a different way,” Moreira said. “We were going in a different direction. Maybe we didn’t share the long-term vision for the club, and then we agreed that this was the right time for us to make a change and to put the team in a position to go back to its winning ways.”Moreira also acknowledged philosophical differences with Pareja.“Maybe sometimes we saw the game in different ways and different philosophies, but not in a contentious way,” he said. “I think it’s natural that leadership has some different views on the team, on the game and player assessment. In my position, I want to support the head coach to put the team in the best position possible to play a version of soccer.”Who is Perelman?Martin Perelman, 40, was named interim head coach following Pareja’s departure.The Argentine was hired by Moreira in 2022 to lead Orlando City B in its inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season. By 2024, Perelman was promoted to the first-team staff as Pareja’s assistant.Moreira credited Perelman’s player-development track record with OCB and pointed to his preference for an attacking style — a contrast to how Pareja often set up his teams.“For now, we’re giving our full support to our interim coach,” Moreira said. “We’re focused on giving the team the support it needs to go and get points right now. We have a very difficult stretch of games ahead of us. So for now, the focus is to support the team and for our team to achieve results. Then we’ll assess what needs to be assessed in due time.”Moreira also didn’t rule out a full coaching search.“We’re open and ready for both scenarios,” he said. “If there’s a coaching search, I would assume that, depending on how things go, Martin will be considered — but it’s something that we’re going to assess in due time.”Roster improvementsDespite the winless start, Moreira said he believes the current roster is good enough to compete.“We believe we have a strong roster. We believe that the roster should definitely not be at the bottom of the league,” he said. “I think there’s space for more. We’ve had three U-22s that have a lot of pedigree and a high ceiling, and we added three MLS veterans as well. We believe the construction of the roster is good. We’re expecting more, and we believe there’s space for us to grow and get results in the upcoming games.”Whether that means adding depth up top or signing a third Designated Player — something he referenced before the season — Moreira said those options remain on the table.“We’re still looking to bring a DP. We’re still looking to reinforce the roster either in this transfer window or in the summer,” Moreira said. “There are ongoing assessments on the roster, and we’re looking to make the roster even stronger.”Asked whether the reported Antoine Griezmann transfer had any bearing on the coaching situation, Moreira deflected, reiterating that the decision stemmed from weeks of discussions and evaluations with Pareja about the club’s future.What comes next?Perelman’s first task will be to steady the Lions, starting Saturday when Orlando City hosts CF Montréal at Inter&Co Stadium.“What is a successful season for us? There are a lot of small wins throughout a season, throughout soccer operations,” Moreira said. “But I’m not going to deny the fact that we want to compete for trophies and for championships.”He added: “A successful season for us is to put the team year after year in a better position to win. Maybe last year we were not in the best position to win the trophy, different from 2024 and 2023. So when I look ahead, that’s my job and my responsibility, that’s the head coach’s responsibility, and that’s the players’ responsibility as well.”Mike Gramajo is an Assignment Editor and Sportswriter at WESH 2, who has covered the Orlando soccer scene since 2012. You can follow his coverage over on X and Instagram.

The decision for Orlando City and longtime coach Oscar Pareja to mutually part ways didn’t happen in a matter of days — or even weeks.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the club’s Wednesday announcement, Lions general manager and sporting director Ricardo Moreira said Thursday that ongoing conversations with Pareja — dating back to last season — ultimately led to the split after a disappointing run of results.

“Are those results and stretches of games that we had last year part of the conversation? For sure,” Moreira said. “What weight we put on that is different, but we’re here to win every game.”

Orlando City opened the 2026 MLS regular season with three straight losses. And last season, a 1-6-3 finish over its final 10 matches across all competitions saw the Lions slide down the Eastern Conference standings.

Orlando still reached the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year, but was routed in the wild-card match against Chicago.

“This is a high-performance club. We expect results,” Moreira said. “We’re in a league and a club that’s in a position now where the expectations are a little different than they were when we arrived.”

Moreira said the conversations intensified in recent weeks as the club evaluated its long-term direction.

“Ongoing conversations that started in the last few weeks — we were thinking about the future in a different way,” Moreira said. “We were going in a different direction. Maybe we didn’t share the long-term vision for the club, and then we agreed that this was the right time for us to make a change and to put the team in a position to go back to its winning ways.”

Moreira also acknowledged philosophical differences with Pareja.

“Maybe sometimes we saw the game in different ways and different philosophies, but not in a contentious way,” he said. “I think it’s natural that leadership has some different views on the team, on the game and player assessment. In my position, I want to support the head coach to put the team in the best position possible to play a version of soccer.”

Who is Perelman?

Martin Perelman, 40, was named interim head coach following Pareja’s departure.

The Argentine was hired by Moreira in 2022 to lead Orlando City B in its inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season. By 2024, Perelman was promoted to the first-team staff as Pareja’s assistant.

Moreira credited Perelman’s player-development track record with OCB and pointed to his preference for an attacking style — a contrast to how Pareja often set up his teams.

“For now, we’re giving our full support to our interim coach,” Moreira said. “We’re focused on giving the team the support it needs to go and get points right now. We have a very difficult stretch of games ahead of us. So for now, the focus is to support the team and for our team to achieve results. Then we’ll assess what needs to be assessed in due time.”

Moreira also didn’t rule out a full coaching search.

“We’re open and ready for both scenarios,” he said. “If there’s a coaching search, I would assume that, depending on how things go, Martin will be considered — but it’s something that we’re going to assess in due time.”

Roster improvements

Despite the winless start, Moreira said he believes the current roster is good enough to compete.

“We believe we have a strong roster. We believe that the roster should definitely not be at the bottom of the league,” he said. “I think there’s space for more. We’ve had three U-22s that have a lot of pedigree and a high ceiling, and we added three MLS veterans as well. We believe the construction of the roster is good. We’re expecting more, and we believe there’s space for us to grow and get results in the upcoming games.”

Whether that means adding depth up top or signing a third Designated Player — something he referenced before the season — Moreira said those options remain on the table.

“We’re still looking to bring a DP. We’re still looking to reinforce the roster either in this transfer window or in the summer,” Moreira said. “There are ongoing assessments on the roster, and we’re looking to make the roster even stronger.”

Asked whether the reported Antoine Griezmann transfer had any bearing on the coaching situation, Moreira deflected, reiterating that the decision stemmed from weeks of discussions and evaluations with Pareja about the club’s future.

What comes next?

Perelman’s first task will be to steady the Lions, starting Saturday when Orlando City hosts CF Montréal at Inter&Co Stadium.

“What is a successful season for us? There are a lot of small wins throughout a season, throughout soccer operations,” Moreira said. “But I’m not going to deny the fact that we want to compete for trophies and for championships.”

He added: “A successful season for us is to put the team year after year in a better position to win. Maybe last year we were not in the best position to win the trophy, different from 2024 and 2023. So when I look ahead, that’s my job and my responsibility, that’s the head coach’s responsibility, and that’s the players’ responsibility as well.”

Mike Gramajo is an Assignment Editor and Sportswriter at WESH 2, who has covered the Orlando soccer scene since 2012. You can follow his coverage over on X and Instagram.