\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe decision for Orlando City and longtime coach Oscar Pareja to mutually part ways didn\u2019t happen in a matter of days \u2014 or even weeks.Speaking publicly for the first time since the club\u2019s Wednesday announcement, Lions general manager and sporting director Ricardo Moreira said Thursday that ongoing conversations with Pareja \u2014 dating back to last season \u2014 ultimately led to the split after a disappointing run of results.\u201cAre those results and stretches of games that we had last year part of the conversation? For sure,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cWhat weight we put on that is different, but we\u2019re here to win every game.\u201dOrlando 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.\u201cThis is a high-performance club. We expect results,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cWe\u2019re in a league and a club that\u2019s in a position now where the expectations are a little different than they were when we arrived.\u201dMoreira said the conversations intensified in recent weeks as the club evaluated its long-term direction.\u201cOngoing conversations that started in the last few weeks \u2014 we were thinking about the future in a different way,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cWe were going in a different direction. Maybe we didn\u2019t 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.\u201dMoreira also acknowledged philosophical differences with Pareja.\u201cMaybe sometimes we saw the game in different ways and different philosophies, but not in a contentious way,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s 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.\u201dWho is Perelman?Martin Perelman, 40, was named interim head coach following Pareja\u2019s 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\u2019s assistant.Moreira credited Perelman\u2019s player-development track record with OCB and pointed to his preference for an attacking style \u2014 a contrast to how Pareja often set up his teams.\u201cFor now, we\u2019re giving our full support to our interim coach,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cWe\u2019re 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\u2019ll assess what needs to be assessed in due time.\u201dMoreira also didn\u2019t rule out a full coaching search.\u201cWe\u2019re open and ready for both scenarios,\u201d he said. \u201cIf there\u2019s a coaching search, I would assume that, depending on how things go, Martin will be considered \u2014 but it\u2019s something that we\u2019re going to assess in due time.\u201dRoster improvementsDespite the winless start, Moreira said he believes the current roster is good enough to compete.\u201cWe believe we have a strong roster. We believe that the roster should definitely not be at the bottom of the league,\u201d he said. \u201cI think there\u2019s space for more. We\u2019ve 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\u2019re expecting more, and we believe there\u2019s space for us to grow and get results in the upcoming games.\u201dWhether that means adding depth up top or signing a third Designated Player \u2014 something he referenced before the season \u2014 Moreira said those options remain on the table.\u201cWe\u2019re still looking to bring a DP. We\u2019re still looking to reinforce the roster either in this transfer window or in the summer,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cThere are ongoing assessments on the roster, and we\u2019re looking to make the roster even stronger.\u201dAsked 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\u2019s future.What comes next?Perelman\u2019s first task will be to steady the Lions, starting Saturday when Orlando City hosts CF Montr\u00e9al at Inter&Co Stadium.\u201cWhat is a successful season for us? There are a lot of small wins throughout a season, throughout soccer operations,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cBut I\u2019m not going to deny the fact that we want to compete for trophies and for championships.\u201dHe added: \u201cA 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\u2019s my job and my responsibility, that\u2019s the head coach\u2019s responsibility, and that\u2019s the players\u2019 responsibility as well.\u201dMike 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.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The decision for Orlando City and longtime coach Oscar Pareja to mutually part ways didn\u2019t happen in a matter of days \u2014 or even weeks.<\/p>\n
Speaking publicly for the first time since the club\u2019s Wednesday announcement, Lions general manager and sporting director Ricardo Moreira said Thursday that ongoing conversations with Pareja \u2014 dating back to last season \u2014 ultimately led to the split after a disappointing run of results.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre those results and stretches of games that we had last year part of the conversation? For sure,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cWhat weight we put on that is different, but we\u2019re here to win every game.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Orlando still reached the playoffs for a sixth consecutive year, but was routed in the wild-card match against Chicago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a high-performance club. We expect results,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cWe\u2019re in a league and a club that\u2019s in a position now where the expectations are a little different than they were when we arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moreira said the conversations intensified in recent weeks as the club evaluated its long-term direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cOngoing conversations that started in the last few weeks \u2014 we were thinking about the future in a different way,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cWe were going in a different direction. Maybe we didn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moreira also acknowledged philosophical differences with Pareja.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe sometimes we saw the game in different ways and different philosophies, but not in a contentious way,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who is Perelman?<\/p>\n
Martin Perelman, 40, was named interim head coach following Pareja\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s assistant.<\/p>\n
Moreira credited Perelman\u2019s player-development track record with OCB and pointed to his preference for an attacking style \u2014 a contrast to how Pareja often set up his teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now, we\u2019re giving our full support to our interim coach,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cWe\u2019re 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\u2019ll assess what needs to be assessed in due time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moreira also didn\u2019t rule out a full coaching search.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re open and ready for both scenarios,\u201d he said. \u201cIf there\u2019s a coaching search, I would assume that, depending on how things go, Martin will be considered \u2014 but it\u2019s something that we\u2019re going to assess in due time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roster improvements<\/p>\n
Despite the winless start, Moreira said he believes the current roster is good enough to compete.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe we have a strong roster. We believe that the roster should definitely not be at the bottom of the league,\u201d he said. \u201cI think there\u2019s space for more. We\u2019ve 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\u2019re expecting more, and we believe there\u2019s space for us to grow and get results in the upcoming games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether that means adding depth up top or signing a third Designated Player \u2014 something he referenced before the season \u2014 Moreira said those options remain on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still looking to bring a DP. We\u2019re still looking to reinforce the roster either in this transfer window or in the summer,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cThere are ongoing assessments on the roster, and we\u2019re looking to make the roster even stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
What comes next?<\/p>\n
Perelman\u2019s first task will be to steady the Lions, starting Saturday when Orlando City hosts CF Montr\u00e9al at Inter&Co Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is a successful season for us? There are a lot of small wins throughout a season, throughout soccer operations,\u201d Moreira said. \u201cBut I\u2019m not going to deny the fact that we want to compete for trophies and for championships.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cA 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\u2019s my job and my responsibility, that\u2019s the head coach\u2019s responsibility, and that\u2019s the players\u2019 responsibility as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 <\/a>and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t