Lothar Osiander facts for kids
Osiander in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | November 8, 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Munich, Germany | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1964–1965 | City College of San Francisco | ||
| 1966–1967 | University of San Francisco | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| California Surf (assistant) | |||
| –1985 | San Francisco Greek-Americans | ||
| 1986–1988 | United States | ||
| 1988–1992 | United States U23 | ||
| –1991 | San Francisco Bay Blackhawks (assistant) | ||
| 1992 | Palo Alto Firebirds | ||
| 1995 | Atlanta Ruckus | ||
| 1996–1997 | Los Angeles Galaxy | ||
| 1998–1999 | Tampa Bay Mutiny (assistant) | ||
| 1999 | Project 40 | ||
| 1999–2000 | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| –2007 | San Francisco Greek-Americans | ||
Lothar Osiander, born on November 8, 1939, is a famous German soccer coach. He has coached many important teams, including the U.S. national team and the Olympic teams. He also coached professional clubs like the Atlanta Ruckus, Los Angeles Galaxy, and San Jose Clash.
Contents
Early Life and Playing Career
Lothar Osiander moved to the United States with his family in 1958. They settled in the San Francisco area. He went to Mission High School.
College Soccer Success
After high school, Osiander attended the City College of San Francisco. Then he went to the University of San Francisco. There, he played on the men's soccer team. His coach was the legendary Steve Negoesco. In 1966, his team, the Dons, won the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. This was a huge achievement! Osiander graduated in 1968 with degrees in physical education and Spanish. He became a U.S. citizen in 1965.
Coaching Journey Begins
Osiander started his coaching career as an assistant. He worked with the California Surf team. This team was part of the North American Soccer League (NASL).
Coaching Semi-Pro Teams
Later, Osiander returned to San Francisco. He worked as a waiter at a local restaurant called Graziano's. At the same time, he played and coached in the city's competitive soccer leagues. In 1985, he coached a semi-pro club, the San Francisco Greek-Americans. They won the National Challenge Cup title. This was a big win for an amateur team!
Working with the U.S. Soccer Federation
By this time, Osiander was well-known in the national coaching scene. In 1974, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) hired him. He joined their coaching staff. Walter Chyzowych was the U.S. head coach then. Osiander traveled with Chyzowych's team. They put on coaching clinics across the country. Osiander became known as an excellent teacher and coach.
Olympic Committee Role
In 1978, the U.S. Olympic Committee started a National Sports Festival. They hired Osiander as the soccer coach for the West team. He continued in this role for the next ten years.
Coaching the U.S. National Team
In 1986, Osiander's success led to a big opportunity. Walter Chyzowych, now head of USSF, hired Osiander. He became the head coach of the U.S. national team. The team was rebuilding after not qualifying for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Road to the 1988 Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed countries outside Europe and South America to use their full national teams in the Olympics. So, Osiander focused on qualifying for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Dramatic Qualification Match
The qualification campaign started tough. Canada beat the U.S. 2–0 in the first game. The U.S. needed to win the next game 3–0 to advance. On May 30, 1987, Osiander's team played incredibly well. They shut out Canada and scored the three goals they needed! The U.S. then went undefeated in the next round. They beat Trinidad and El Salvador, scoring 13 goals to their opponents' 4. This earned them a spot in Seoul.
Olympic Performance
In the 1988 Olympics, the U.S. team had a record of one win, one tie, and one loss. They did not make it to the second round. On January 16, 1989, the USSF hired Bob Gansler as the new national team coach. Osiander had helped get the U.S. national team back on track. He also led the team through a successful first round of World Cup qualification. He had a record of 13 wins and 7 losses with the team in international matches.
Coaching U.S. Youth Teams
Even after leaving the senior national team in 1989, Osiander continued to coach. He coached the U.S. B Team and later the U.S. U-23 national team. The IOC decided to make the Olympic soccer tournament an U-23 competition.
Pan American Games Gold
In 1991, Osiander coached the U.S. U-23 team to a gold medal. This was at the Pan American Games in Cuba.
1992 Summer Olympics
That same year, Osiander began preparing the team for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. The team easily qualified and had high hopes. However, in their first Olympic match, Osiander decided not to play his leading scorer, Steve Snow. Snow had scored many goals for the team. Without him, the U.S. offense struggled and lost 2–1 to Italy. Osiander played Snow in the next two games. Snow scored in both, and the team had a win and a tie. But it wasn't enough, and the U.S. did not make the second round. The USSF president fired Osiander after the Olympics. This decision was largely because Osiander did not play Snow in the crucial game against Italy.
Return to Club Coaching
When he wasn't coaching, Osiander continued to work at Graziano's restaurant. He moved up from waiter to maître d'. However, in 1992, the restaurant was sold. The new owners let Osiander go.
Coaching Local Teams
Without his restaurant job, Osiander focused on coaching. He coached the Palo Alto Firebirds of the USISL. He had also been an assistant coach with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks before that team stopped playing in 1992. He continued to coach the San Francisco Greek-Americans. In 1994, he led the Greek-Americans to their second U.S. Open Cup title. This team is likely the last amateur or semi-pro team to win this national cup.
Professional Coaching Career
Since he no longer had a job at the restaurant or with the national team, Osiander became a full-time professional coach.
Atlanta Ruckus
In 1995, the new A-League team, the Atlanta Ruckus, hired Osiander as their first coach. Even though they finished fourth in the regular season, the Ruckus made it to the A-League championship series. They lost to the Seattle Sounders. For his great work, Osiander was named A-League Coach of the Year.
Los Angeles Galaxy
Osiander's success caught the attention of the new Major League Soccer (MLS) club, the Los Angeles Galaxy. They hired him as their first coach. The Galaxy started their first MLS season with an amazing 12 straight victories! They finished the season with 19 wins and 13 losses. The Galaxy reached the championship game but lost to Bruce Arena's D.C. United 3–2 in overtime. However, in 1997, the Galaxy started the season with only 3 wins and 9 losses. On June 10, 1997, the team fired Osiander.
Tampa Bay Mutiny and San Jose Clash
In January 1998, the Tampa Bay Mutiny hired Osiander as an assistant coach. In 1999, he left the Mutiny. He was then hired as head coach of the MLS Project 40 team. In September 1999, the San Jose Clash hired Osiander. He replaced Brian Quinn near the end of the 1999 season. Osiander led the Project 40 team into the United Soccer League playoffs. After they were eliminated, Osiander joined the Clash. He led them to a 2–1 record in his three games to finish the 1999 season. Despite this good start, Osiander's full season in 2000 was tough. The team had 7 wins, 17 losses, and 8 ties. On January 12, 2001, the Earthquakes fired Osiander.
Later Coaching Years
After leaving MLS, Osiander returned to coach the San Francisco Greek-Americans. He also coached local youth teams in the Bay Area. This included the U-17 Ballistic Boys, who won the 2003 State Cup as a U-16 team. He was also the head coach of San Ramon United, an U-17 team.
In 2007, the NSCAA gave Osiander the Walt Chyzowych Award. He was chosen to coach the U-16 Tri-Valley Boys for the 2009 season. He also temporarily coached the U-19 Tri-Valley Arsenal. This was Osiander's last known coaching position.
See also
In Spanish: Lothar Osiander para niños
