UPDATE (Thursday, 10:55 am ET) — Orlando City B announced Thursday morning that former US international Oguchi Onyewu has been hired as the USL League One club's technical director.
Onyewu, 36, announced his retirement from playing in September. The center back spent the bulk of his 15-year career in Europe, with his longest stint coming with Belgian power Standard Liege. The D.C.-area native played one year in MLS, starting 22 games for the Philadelphia Union in 2017. He earned 69 career caps with the US men’s national team and played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.
“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 he will bring to our project are essential traits we believe will only enhance the culture of our team in 2019 and beyond.”
Orlando City B will compete in USL League One in 2019. The team played in USL in 2016 and 2017 before taking a one-year hiatus in 2018. Onyewu will focus on youth development, with players transitioning from the Orlando academy to OCB being one of his primary responsibilities. He will report to Potempa, who recently hired Fernando Jose De Argila as the team’s head coach.
