It came out of the blue, but in Brazil rumors that former Brazilian national team manager Tite was being considered to coach MLS side Orlando City shocked many in the United States. The reality is that Orlando City has a coach and a successful one Ćscar Pareja.
Pareja has actually been a very successful coach in Major League Soccer, first with FC Dallas and now with Orlando City. Since 2019, Ćscar Pareja has led the club to a US Open Cup title and playoff appearances in all three of his seasons in charge.
Titeās name comes on the eve that Orlando City travel to Miami to play Inter Miami and Lionel Messi in the round of 32 of the Leagues Cup. The match is considered a rivalry in MLS circles and already fans have taken to building the match up when Orlando City supporters defaced a Lionel Messi mural in Miami.
Tite rumor is false according to Orlando City
On DSports local reporter Alonso Contreras claims the rumors of Tite coming to the Lions is false, Contreras had spoken to club officials and Orlando City has no idea how those rumors came about.
It is important to note that Ćscar Pareja is in the final year of his contract, and that Orlando City has deep ties to Brazil and Brazilian soccer through general manager Luiz Muzzi. Contreras did report that representatives of Orlando City are in Brazil but did not specify the reason.
While the club is stating the rumors are false and at this stage of the season where Orlando is in 5th in the MLS East and well on their way to a post season the likelihood of a change in 2023 seems remote, but given Parejaās contract year and a possible meeting of the minds, the information could have āslippedā.
