Mergen Orazov
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mergen Guwançmyradowiç Orazow[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 February 1988[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Bekrewe, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dainava (manager) | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 2021–2022 | Ahal | ||
| 2023–2025 | Turkmenistan | ||
| 2025– | Dainava | ||
Mergen Guvanchmyradovich Orazov[3] (Turkmen: Mergen Guwançmyradowiç Orazow)[4] is a Turkmenistani football manager who manages the DFK Dainava in Lithuanian A Lyga.[5][6] Orazov is a UEFA Pro License coach.[7][8] He is former professional footballer and futsal player.
Career
[edit | edit source]Early years
[edit | edit source]Orazov was born in Bekrewe, now part of Ashgabat. Orazov began playing football at an early age and at seven years of age, he was enrolled in the Ak Guş football team.[9] At 16, he joined the youth team of Ashgabat's Nisa Aşgabat. Soon he began to be involved in the game and for the main team of the club. After graduating from high school, however, he enrolled at the Pennsylvania State University and went to the United States.[10]
Soccer playing career
[edit | edit source]In 2005, Orazow joined Penn State Nittany Lions in the United States.[11][12]
Futsal playing career
[edit | edit source]Upon his return to Turkmenistan, Orazow took up professional futsal. As a member of the club Arvana Ashgabat he became the champion of Turkmenistan five times.
International futsal career
[edit | edit source]Five times he played for the Turkmenistan national futsal team in the final tournaments of the AFC Futsal Championship.
Futsal coaching career
[edit | edit source]After concluding his professional playing career, Mergen Orazov became the head coach of the futsal club Köpetdag. Under his leadership, the team achieved notable success, winning the Turkmenistan Futsal Super League twice, including the 2020 season, in which he was also named Best Coach.[13][14]
In 2019, he also led Köpetdag to victory in the inaugural Turkmenistan Futsal Super Cup.[15][16]
Soccer coaching career
[edit | edit source]His coaching career began in Aşgabat, where he worked as an assistant at the football club FC Altyn Asyr. He later went on to manage the team FK Köpetdag Aşgabat.[17]
In 2021, he was appointed manager of Ahal, helping them win the league, their first league title.[18][19][20][21] Ahal also won the Turkmenistan Cup and the Football Federation of Turkmenistan Cup. He was named the best coach of Turkmenistan in 2022.
In 2023, he was appointed manager of Turkmenistan.[22][23][24][25]
On 24 June 2025, Lithuanian A Lyga club DFK Dainava announced the appointment of Mergen Orazov as their new head coach.[26] Later that day, he made his debut in an A Lyga match against FK Banga Gargždai (2:1),[27] leading DFK Dainava to their first victory of the 2025 season.[28][29]
Honours
[edit | edit source]Ahal
- Ýokary Liga: 2022[30]
- Turkmenistan Cup: 2022[31]
- Turkmenistan Football Federation Cup: 2022
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Graduated from Pennsylvania State University (US) with a degree in Business Management.
He speaks Turkmen, English[32] and Russian fluently.
References
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- ^ "Копетдаг" в драматичном матче выиграл первый Суперкубок Туркменистана по футзалу
- ^ Мерген Оразов: «У „Копетдага“ сегодня был очень достойный соперник»
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Mergen Orazov profile at A lyga
- Mergen Orazow at Global Sports Archive
- Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
- Living people
- Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer players
- Pennsylvania State University alumni
- Turkmenistan football managers
- Turkmenistan men's footballers
- Turkmenistan national football team managers
- Men's futsal players by nationality
- A Lyga managers
- 1988 births