Orlando City B hires former U.S. Men’s National Team defender Oguchi Onyewu as Sporting Director ahead of its inaugural USL League One season set to begin in March 2019.
“We are delighted to directly involve someone of Oguchi’s stature into our next generation youth movement,” OCB General Manager Mike Potempa said. “Onyewu has played a vital role within the soccer community in the United States for the past 15 years, both at the club and country level. The experience and immediate professionalism Oguchi will bring to our project are essential traits we believe will only enhance the culture of our team in 2019 and beyond.”
Onyewu will report directly to Potempa. He will oversee daily technical operations and compliance, manage player relations and support recruitment efforts for OCB—the Club’s newest team serving at the top of its player development pyramid to bridge the gap between the Academy and the First Team in Major league Soccer (MLS).
Onyewu, 36, joins Orlando City B after retiring in 2017 from the Philadelphia Union in MLS. He began his illustrious playing career with FC Metz in France in 2002 and went on to make over 170 appearances for Standard Liège in the French Ligue 1 from 2004-09. Onyewu also played for Newcastle United FC (England), AC Milan (Italy), Sporting CP (Portugal) and Málaga CF (Spain).
The Olney, Md., native also scored six goals and earned 69 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team from 2004-14. Onyewu played at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups and helped the U.S. capture the 2007 Gold Cup championship. In 2006, Onyewu was named U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year.