FC Buffalo is proud to announce Ryan “Ozzy” Osborne as the fifth head coach in club history.
Osborne comes to Buffalo as a familiar face: Ozzy took Cleveland SC to the NPSL national semifinal in 2019 when he was named Midwest East Region Coach of the Year before CSC fell to eventual champion and full professional side Miami FC.
“I am really excited to be named the new head coach of FC Buffalo,” Osborne said. “I am keen to get started and hope to put a team together that the fans and the city can be proud of. I have wanted to get back into the NPSL for quite some time and I think that this is the perfect fit.
“FC Buffalo is a club that has tremendous fan support, is ambitious and one that I feel has only scratched the surface of its potential. My aim is to put a product on the field that we can all be proud of, one that plays with heart, intensity, and a desire to be the best.”
Osborne went 15-5-2 in two NPSL seasons with Cleveland, where he also served as associated head men’s soccer coach at Notre Dame College. He left Cleveland to accept the men’s head coach position at Mercyhurst, where the Lakers went 12-4-2 this Fall in his first full season at the helm. Six Lakers were honored as All-Conference members including one All-American, and the team posted a 3.53 GPA.
“Ozzy’s desire to lead FC Buffalo can inspire the club to new heights and he will be a tremendous asset to our community, someone I’ve grown to admire as a person as well as a coach” said co-owner Nick Mendola.
“We have great respect for what he’s accomplished inside the NPSL at a respected conference rival as well as outside of the league where he’s championed his players at multiple programs. He’s an exceptional tactician and trainer and has expressed exciting ideas for how he will build his staff and help not just FC Buffalo, but Buffalo soccer.”
Ozzy was born in Wakefield, England, and starred at Division-II power Charleston as a forward and midfielder. He’s grown his acumen at the other end of the pitch with an NSCAA level three goalkeeping diploma and holds a USSF ‘B’ license. He began his coaching career as a grad assistant Charleston before moving to Marietta College.
Coach Osborne will meet with returning players in the coming days while assembling a team for the 2022 NPSL season. All interested players should fill out the club’s interested player form here.
The club will be announcing its schedule as soon as possible.
