ORLANDO, Fla. — It has been a whirlwind few days for Orlando City SC and Interim Head Coach MartĂn Perelman.Â
Following the departure of long-time Head Coach Oscar Pareja on Wednesday, the club moved quickly to promote Perelman to the interim role. The Argentine has spent nearly five years embedded in the organization, first with Orlando City B before moving up to serve as an assistant on the first-team staff.Â
"The transition was, in a way, like a dream," Perelman said on Friday following training at Inter&Co Stadium. "Oscar is so generous. He's an amazing guy. And he takes care of all of us, myself, the players. He took care in the transition, not to hurt anything on the micro cycle, on the players, on everything. We took care of every detail. So we can say that even in a situation like this, the team is ready, and we had a proper week. It's amazing."
As Perelman steps into this new role with the club, he made sure to single out Club Owner and Chairman Mark Wilf, General Manager & Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira, and Pareja himself for the backing he has received.
"The support I have received in this transition was more than expected," he said. "I have been here for almost five years. My family, my children, grew in the city. I belong to this community, my family does, so I feel so proud to be here. It all wouldn't be possible without that support."
That sense of belonging has shaped how Perelman views the weight of what he's taking on. Over the past few seasons, Orlando City has won a U.S. Open Cup title in 2022, made a run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2024 and has made six straight playoff appearances. Those accomplishments, for him, hold a lot of bearing for the pedigree of the position.
"This club has a lot of prestige in this league," Perelman said. "We have been competing in a really strong manner. We grab that legacy, and we want to push it up. I'm not here to wait. The players cannot wait. This club cannot wait. This logo is too big."
On the field, Perelman has been known to deploy a more attacking style of play as he did with Orlando City B in 2022 and 2023. With that, however, he talked about preserving the identity that has defined the Lions in recent years.Â
"We will be pragmatic. We will have a lot of versatility," he said. "We will build this new team that will have a lot of similarities with the previous one, and some differences. This is normal. I will add my touch.
"The goal is to be able to compete in a way that will represent our community, our fans, our people, and little by little, that's the goal."
Perelman's biggest advantage coming into this role at this time is his familiarity, not just with the club's culture and system, but with the players themselves. Several of Orlando City's current Homegrown contributors came up through OCB under his watch, while he's worked with the entire roster as the assistant under Pareja the past two seasons.
"I'm not starting from zero. The team is not starting from zero," Perelman said. "So this is a big advantage for us."
Kickoff on Saturday is set for 7:30 p.m. ET via MLS on Apple TV.
