Paraguay Hires Juan Carlos Osorio as New National Team Manager

Osorio was thought to be in frame for the U.S. men's national team job but will head to South America after leading Mexico in the World Cup.

New U.S. men's national team general manager Earnie Stewart has a number of ways to go to hire the manager for the 2022 World Cup cycle, but Juan Carlos Osorio is no longer one of them.

The former Mexico manager has been hired by Paraguay to take over its national team, its federation announced on Monday. Osorio was thought to be in frame for the U.S. job and was also reportedly in contention for the job in his native Colombia should Jose Pekerman not renew his contract with Los Cafeteros. Instead, Osorio is heading further south to Paraguay, which missed the 2018 World Cup and returns to competitive action in next summer's Copa America. 

Osorio has been hired through 2022 by Paraguay, which fell two points shy of fifth place (and a spot in the intercontinental playoff) in CONMEBOL's 2018 World Cup qualifying table.

⚪🔴 ¡Tenemos técnico para el operativo Qatar 2022! El colombiano Juan Carlos Osorio dirigirá a nuestros jugadores en el camino a la clasificación para el próximo Mundial. #Albirroja! #Oñondive #VamosParaguay 🇵🇾⚽https://t.co/FgA5SJTLBA pic.twitter.com/usJYP93mOP

— Selección Paraguaya (@Albirroja) September 3, 2018

Paraguay te espera profe!! #VamosParaguay 🇵🇾⚽ pic.twitter.com/YSdhLfePNU

— Selección Paraguaya (@Albirroja) September 3, 2018

Osorio had taken charge of Mexico in November 2015, following El Tri's Concacaf Cup playoff triumph over the United States. He sported a 33-10-9 record with Mexico in all competitions and oversaw Mexico's run to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup semifinals and 2018 World Cup round of 16, where El Tri fell for the seventh straight time. The highlights of his reign were Mexico's World Cup-opening win over defending champion Germany and curse-ending win over the USA in a World Cup qualifier in Columbus, while the lowlight came in the Copa America Centenario, where Mexico was humbled 7-0 by Chile in the quarterfinals.

Paraguay is in need of a rejuvenation. In the last two years, it has gone 5-12-0, and it has only played two matches in 2018, losing both.