LOS ANGELES --
Juan Carlos Osorio will lead Mexico into World Cup qualifying after reaching an agreement to take charge of the national team.
Osorio left his post at São Paulo in midweek and confirmed his intention to sign as Mexico boss after leaving his post. The 53-year-old Colombian traveled to Los Angeles to wrap up negotiations with Mexico's Football Federation (FMF). The two parties met in southern California on the eve of the CONCACAF Cup to finalize contractual terms.
Those negotiations yielded an agreement in principle to make him the fifth national team manager in just over two years, according to a release by the FMF just hours before the playoff against the United States (live, 8 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports GO).
Osorio will sign his new contract next week before his expected unveiling in a press conference in Mexico City on Wednesday.
The decision to appoint Osorio wraps up the protracted process of replacing Miguel Herrera as national team coach. Herrera exited after a conflict with a reporter in the wake of the CONCACAF Gold Cup victory this summer, but the FMF struggled to identify and sign a successor in the following weeks.
Tigres UANL boss Ricardo Ferretti rejected overtures to serve as the permanent boss, but he agreed to lead the team for four matches as interim manager while the FMF located a permanent manager. Ferretti is in charge of the side for the playoff against the United States at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.
Osorio joins Mexico after a brief stint at São Paulo. The former Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls boss enjoyed considerable success in his homeland with Once Caldas and Atlético Nacional before moving to Brazil earlier this year.
