The new era of Orlando City B is taking shape.
Fernando Jose De Argila Irurita will be the third-division side’s head coach for its first season in the newly-renamed USL League One, the club announced on Wednesday. De Argila previously was the head coach and director of methodology at the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (S.I.M.A).
De Argila has been present for some of Orlando City’s first team training sessions this year – he and other S.I.M.A staff members were around during late August and early September.
“With his vast experience in the youth systems of FC Barcelona and as a head coach of various professional teams in Italy, Spain, and Greece, Fernando is the perfect fit for what we are striving to accomplish,” OCB general manager Mike Potempa said in a news release.
“His passion for football and extensive knowledge of our current methods of development at Montverde Academy will be extremely beneficial as we transition to USL DIII.”
OCB will serve as a bridge between Orlando City’s development academy, Potempa said in a previous interview with Pro Soccer USA. Orlando City’s development academy is partnered with S.I.M.A.
USL League One in August filed its sanctioning paperwork with the U.S. Soccer Federation with 10 founding members. The United Soccer League announced a sweeping rebrand at the end of September and changed the name of its third-division league from USL D3 to USL League 1. The second division league (formerly USL) is now USL Championship. The fourth-division Premier Development League is now USL League Two.
De Argila holds a UEFA “A” coaching license, a professional coaching license from the Argentine Football Association (AFA/CONMEBOL) and a goalkeeping instructional degree from the Royal Spanish Football Federation. He was previously the head coach of FC Barcelona’s youth academy and professional futsal program.
De Argila also previously worked in Italy and Greece.
He’s also multilingual and speaks fluent Spanish, Catalan, French, Italian and Portuguese, with “soccer-proficient” levels in English and Greek, according to the club.