Before we get knee deep into preseason story lines and depth chart controversies, I want to look back and give my Orlando City top 5 all time players.
The OCSC bandwagon will be full of soccer 'fans' who in the past have only tuned into the sport of soccer during the World Cup or to the random EPL game of the week on a saturday morning when nothing else was on television. Orlando City is full of season ticket supporters who would not be able to distinguish or know Rob Valentino from Sean Kelley if they were to run into them at the local CVS. And frankly good for them. Were it not for these new supporters, Orlando City would be destined to be another failed franchise. I don't begrudge our new supporters. I simply freely acknowledge that they missed out of four amazing seasons of soccer.
There are many of us however that have supported OCSC from day one. Well before there were billboards of Kaka on I-4 and advertisements of grown ass men in unicorn costumes marketing the team, some of us were at the Citrus Bowl watching the likes of Matt Luzunaris and Mechack Jerome play on a random Thursday night against teams like the Los Angeles Blues and Dayton Dutch.
I want to give recognition in my own small, feeble way to the five players who were my all-time favorite Orlando City players in our time in the USL.
(Honorable Mention: Dennis Chin, Jordany Alvarez, Sean Kelley, Lewis Neal, Erik Ustruck, James O'Conner, Adama Mbengue, Luke Boden)
#5 Kevin Molino - Kevin Molino is the only player on my top five list that will be joining the team in Major League Soccer in 2015. With 87 caps under his belt for the Lions, Molino has been staple for Orlando City Soccer from day one. Since 2011, I have long praised the talent of the speedy midfielder. For the longest time however despite the Trinidadian internationals wealth of skill, I felt that the Nike 'Lazy but Talented' phrase was particularly fitting for him. There were long periods of time in many matches where Kevin Molino would disappear as though he were Harry Houdini circa 1903. Molino became one of my all time favorite players just this past season when Orlando City signed him to a long term deal which guaranteed him an MLS contract in 2015 and beyond. That assurance which gave Molino the guarantee he was finally going to be playing in the top flight of American soccer was the fuel for this skilled and able footballer to finally start taking his game to that proverbial next level. Kevin Molino was by far the best player in USL in 2014. Great things lie ahead for this young man. I'm excited to see what he will do.
#4 Dom Dwyer - With only 17 appearances for OCSC under his name, Dom Dwyer is the player with by far the least number of caps to his name to have made my top five list. In those 17 appearances however Dwyer became arguably the most famous player to wear the purple during our time in the USL. His impact was immediate and astonishing. Scoring 22 goals in the 17 matches for the purple, including a memorable four goal performance in the 2013 USL finals to give Orlando City its second championship, Dom Dwyer became an instant legend for the Lions. Dom may not initially have wanted to come here on loan from Sporting KC but I think he will be the first one to now admit that may have been one of the biggest blessings of his professional career. Dom Fucking Dwyer. He literally scored whenever he wanted.
#3 Jamie Watson - Thru the end of 2013, Jamie Watson was as much a symbol of Orlando City Soccer as you could find in this town. Watson was the poster boy for OCSC as his face littered the city with marketing campaigns for those first few USL campaigns. With 60 caps for Orlando City, Watson became a fan favorite because of his work ethic on the pitch and his appreciation for the fans. While players like Molino would many times just give the supporters little more than a golf clap as he exited the pitch, Jamie Watson would go out of his way to show he appreciated the supporters. Watson's epic goal celebrations when he would run into the stands after scoring won't be forgotten anytime soon. His heart and hustle on the pitch was only surpassed by the charitable work he did throughout our community. Jamie Watson's speech in front of the Orange County Board of Commissioners was among the most moving in trying to convince local decision makers to approve funding for our stadium to be opened in 2016. His time in Orlando was surprisingly and abruptly cut short when depending who you ask, Watson requested to be traded away or was simply sent away by front office decision makers due to there being no room for Watson in our 2014 roster. I don't know what happened for sure nor frankly does it matter much at this point. What I do know is that any OCSC supporter that backed this club throughout the USL years has the upmost respect for Jamie Watson.
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| Four of the all time greats |
#2 Miguel Gallardo - You will be hard pressed to find a player more loved than Miguel Gallardo for Orlando City Soccer from 2011-2014. With 81 caps and an OCSC original here from the original days of the Austin Aztex, Gallardo was a stalwart presence at goal for Orlando City. Gallardo loved this club. Miguel had a cool presence about him that made him a great leader on the pitch and a phenomenal community representative for OCSC during our introductory years as a franchise. Miguel Gallardo was not perfect. He was very much flawed and at times committed errors that would leave your head scratching. With that said however, I would not have traded Miguel for any other keeper in the USL. He was an outstanding keeper. I selfishly wish he would have joined us in 2015. I wish him the best in Jacksonville.
#1 Rob Valentino - Rob Valentino exemplifies everything I love in a footballer. Valentino plays with heart, passion and never took shit from anyone. Rob was our captain. The importance to how big Valentino was to our franchise cannot be overstated. Anyone that followed Orlando City Soccer throughout the USL years no matter how new you were to the sport can tell you we played an attacking brand of soccer where we applied relentless pressure up the wings and moved the ball around in a beautiful symphony of fluidity. That style of play makes a team susceptible to quick counter attacks and little room for error in defense. Valentino was the crux of that backline. He would never allow himself to get pushed around and played with a laser like focus as though he were conducting heart surgery. He was quick to chew out one of his fellow defenders if they were out of position and held himself to such a high standard. In his 77 caps for Orlando City, Rob Valentino exemplified all the positive qualities I like to see in professional footballers.
