Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja didn’t have much of an offseason.
For the Lions, although the 2021 season ended in disappointment following a 3-1 loss to Nashville SC in the first round of the MLS playoffs on Nov. 23, he only took a week off in the seven weeks that followed.
The other six weeks, Pareja has been preparing for his Orlando squad to return to the postseason for a third consecutive year.
“I’m very happy to be back working,” Pareja told the Orlando Sentinel after Tuesday’s SuperDraft. “I’m optimistic with a lot of enthusiasm, and now after resting for a bit you miss the competition.”
The short offseason did lead to turnover. A slew of players left the club.
Club captain Nani announced shortly after the 2021 season that he’d leave Orlando after three years. A fan favorite, Chris Mueller, signed a pre-contract last summer to join Scottish side Hibernian FC this year.
And Daryl Dike was sold to West Bromwich for a reported $9.5 million transfer – a club record fee for an outgoing transfer.
After visiting family, Pareja confirmed the club is actively working on signing new players.
“We’ve been working on which players to bring in. The brief time I was off, I had the opportunity to go to Medellín, Colombia, to visit my family, and now that I’ve been back, we’re finalizing plans for the preseason,” said Pareja, who’s entering his third year in charge of the Lions.
“And we’re [doing] everything we can regarding the signing of players, which isn’t easy during the pandemic, trying to reach the players who are going to come and represent the club.”
Pareja said it’s not easy replacing Dike, adding Orlando is a club that provides opportunities for players that have ambitions of playing one day in Europe.
While Orlando City is searching for a replacement No. 9, Pareja emphasized that the move has to be a precise one.
A player whose return to Orlando is pending is Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato, who missed a majority of last season because of a knee injury.
Pato, 32, originally signed a one-year deal prior to last season and has since then received a new offer – a deal Pareja is confident that will come to fruition soon.
“Hopefully,” said Pareja on the return of Pato. “There have been very positive conversations, but the most important part is not only coming into a full agreement but getting him in good physical shape.”
Orlando announced its first signing of the 2022 season with the arrival of 20-year-old Uruguayan midfielder César Araújo, who joined the Lions last Friday on a three-year contract with an option year for 2025 – the club’s first U-22 Initiative signing.
“César is a boy who is very mature for his age,” said Pareja. “He’s had a lot of competition in difficult leagues like the one in Uruguay and it gives us the opportunity to have a midfielder who can win balls and is generous on every effort, a team player. A player who will help us be aggressive in the middle and more collective effort.”
Another Uruguayan player Pareja confirmed the club is in talks with is Peñarol winger Facundo Torres – a deal that’s still not over the finish line, a source with knowledge of the information told the Sentinel.
“We know the interest the club has in the player and the interest the player has in coming to Orlando,” Pareja said about Torres. “At this moment, it’s better to be patient and quiet and wait for things to come.”
Players can start reporting to preseason camp as early as Sunday, but Pareja doesn’t expect to get his returning and new players going into full training until later in the week.
On Sunday and Monday, players will be occupied with their medicals.
There may be a delay in some players reporting to camp on time. Pareja anticipates that some players may be arriving late because of visa issues.
