MetroStars Assistant Coach/Conditioning Coach Juan Carlos Osorio has accepted an offer to join Kevin Keegan's staff in a similar capacity at Manchester City in the English First Division.

Osorio, 39, will remain with the MetroStars through June 16, when the team hosts the San Jose Earthquakes at Giants Stadium, before departing for Manchester City.

"This was a very hard decision for me, because of the strong feelings I have for the MetroStars, but this is an opportunity I could not pass up," said Osorio, who is in his second season with Octavio Zambrano's coaching staff. "This has been a very special place for me, and now I hope to go to Manchester City and do what I can to be part of more great things."

"Juan Carlos has been a valuable member of our coaching staff and our organization, and he will be missed as both a coach and a person," said MetroStars General Manager Nick Sakiewicz. "We know this was a tough decision for him, but we wish him nothing but the best."

A native of Risaralda, Colombia, Osorio holds a diploma in Science and Football from John Moores University (Liverpool, England), a UEFA "B" coaching license from the English Football Association, and a coaching certificate from the Royal Netherlands Football Association. He graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 1990 with a B.A. in Exercise Science.

Osorio has played midfield for the New York Fever (1996-97), New York Centaurs (1995-96), and Brooklyn Italians (1994-95). In Colombia, he played for Deportivo Pereira (1982-84), Risaralda F.C. (1984), and Plastiquimicas (1980-82). In 1982, he was a member of the Colombian Under-20 team that competed in a tournament in Ecuador.