2019 Orlando City SC Season
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2019 Orlando City SC Season
The 2019 Orlando City SC season was the club's ninth season of existence in Orlando and fifth season in Major League Soccer, the top-flight league in the United States soccer league system. Alongside Major League Soccer, the club also competed in the U.S. Open Cup, reaching the semi-finals for the first time. Season review Pre-season During the offseason, Orlando City parted ways with General Manager Niki Budalić who had been at the club since January 2016 and held the role of GM for two years. He was replaced in the role by FC Dallas vice president of soccer operations Luiz Muzzi. The day after Budalić departed, the club announced that a total of nine players were out of contract, most notably captain Jonathon Spector marking the second consecutive season the team's captain had left following Kaká's retirement a year earlier. The club undertook its second major roster rebuild in as many years during James O'Connor's first winter transfer window in Orlando. By the end ...
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Orlando City SC
Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL Pro team of the same name. In doing so they became the first MLS team in Florida since Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny both folded following the 2001 season. The team plays in Downtown Orlando at Exploria Stadium, which it owns and operates. History On October 25, 2010, Phil Rawlins and his investor group of Orlando City Soccer Club, announced their intentions of joining Major League Soccer within the next three to five years. On February 28, 2011, Orlando City announced it met with commissioner Don Garber and league officials concerning expansion. Topics covered included the demographics of the Orlando marketplace, the local corporate and fan support for soccer, and developing a roadmap for a future MLS franchise in Orlando. Orl ...
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Jonathan Spector
Jonathan Michael Paul Spector (born March 1, 1986) is an American former soccer player who played as a defender. In his 16-year career playing first-team soccer he played over 400 games for club and country, and helped the United States win the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007. He earned 36 caps for the United States national team. He is now the Head of International Player Recruitment and Development for MLS side Atlanta United. Spector started his professional career in England when he was signed by Manchester United as a teenager, but rarely appeared for the club. He played on loan at Charlton Athletic, then in 2006 joined West Ham United, for whom he played over 100 games before he was released at the end of the 2010–11 season. He then spent five-and-a-half seasons with Birmingham City. Spector then played for MLS club Orlando City and had a short spell with Scottish club Hibernian. He retired as a player in 2019. Although he began playing as a striker during his youth career, ...
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Santiago Patiño
Santiago Patiño (born 10 March 1997) is a Colombian footballer who plays as a forward for San Antonio FC. Having played college soccer for the FIU Panthers, he was selected third overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by Orlando City. Club career Youth and college Patiño was born in Medellín, Colombia. When he was 9 years old, Patiño's parents split and he chose to live with his father, playing in the junior teams of the football clubs his father transferred to. When he was 12 years old, Patiño moved to Orlando, Florida with his mother where he played for Orlando City’s Development Academy and Freedom High School. He played college soccer at Florida International University from 2015 to 2018, scoring 37 goals in 69 matches. He was a three time All-Conference USA selection and named MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist in his junior year. Prior to his professional deal, Patiño spent the summer of 2016 in the NPSL with Kraze United and also played in the PDL with both S ...
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Homegrown Player Rule (Major League Soccer)
The Homegrown Player Rule is a Major League Soccer program that allows MLS teams to sign local players from their own development academies directly to MLS first team rosters. Before the creation of the rule in 2008, every player entering Major League Soccer would have to be assigned through one of the existing MLS player allocation processes, such as the MLS SuperDraft. MLS roster rules allow a team to sign players to contracts similar to Generation adidas contracts, which do not count against the MLS salary budget and may earn a much higher salary than the league minimum. MLS has since removed this wording from the roster rules. That means homegrown players will not count against the salary budget only if they are registered using supplemental roster slots, but will still count against the salary budget if they are registered using senior roster slots. There is, however, supplementary salary budget made by MLS only for homegrown players that are registered using senior roster sl ...
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Benji Michel
Benjamin Stanley "Benji" Michel (born October 23, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Primeira Liga club Arouca. Having played college soccer for the Portland Pilots, he was signed to a homegrown contract by Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer ahead of the 2019 season. Club career Youth and college Michel grew up in Orlando, Florida and played for the Orlando City U-18s, where he scored 25 goals for the U.S. Development Academy. While at Montverde, Michel helped the team build on a record 136-game unbeaten streak, which started in 2010. He played college soccer at the University of Portland from 2016 to 2018, scoring 31 goals in 53 matches. In his freshman year, Michel was named West Coast Conference (WCC) Freshman of the Year. In 2018, he was named to the USC All-American Second Team and was the first Pilot since 2002 to be named an All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. In May 2018, Michel featured twice for Portland Ti ...
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Sebas Méndez
Jhegson Sebastián "Sebas" Méndez Carabalí (born 26 April 1997) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club São Paulo and the Ecuador national team. Club career Independiente DV Méndez joined the Independiente del Valle academy in 2011. By 2014 he had been promoted to the club's B team and made his first-team debut on 7 March 2015 in a victory over L.D.U. Loja in the Serie A Primera Etapa. After two substitute appearances, Méndez was loaned to Cultural Leonesa in Spain, making one substitute appearance for the club on 29 November 2015. Upon his return to the club, Méndez had to wait until gameweek 15 of the 2016 season to play his next game, appearing as a substitute in a defeat to Fuerza Amarilla on 13 May 2016. He followed that up by playing the full 90 minutes in six of the final ten games of the Serie A Primera Etapa and a further 12 appearances in the Segunda Etapa as he cemented himself as a first-t ...
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Ecuador National Football Team
The Ecuador national football team ( es, Selección de fútbol de Ecuador) represents Ecuador in men's international football and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF). They joined FIFA in 1926 and CONMEBOL a year later. Discarding an invitation to participate in the inaugural FIFA World Cup held in Uruguay, Ecuador did not make their tournament debut until 2002. After finishing above Brazil and Uruguay in the standings, the qualifying campaign marked the emergence of several players, such as Agustín Delgado, Álex Aguinaga, Iván Hurtado, Ulises de la Cruz and Iván Kaviedes, who would set the stage for Ecuador's achievements in the next decade. Having reached the Round of 16 in a memorable 2006 World Cup campaign, they were expected to deliver at the 2007 Copa América but were eliminated in the group stage. Along with Venezuela, they have not won the continental tournament. ''La Tri''s best performance was fourth in 1959 and 1993, both times on home ...
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USL Championship
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer (Division I) in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The league is owned and operated by United Soccer League and was formed as result of the merger of their USL First (USL-1) and Second Divisions (USL-2), following the 2010 season which saw neither the USL-1 nor the North American Soccer League (NASL) receive Division II sanctioning from the USSF, resulting in the temporary USSF Division 2 Pro League. United Soccer Leagues stated that the merger would strengthen the league's position within the American professional soccer landscape through stability, commercial growth and the professional development of soccer in four main regions throughout the United States and Canada. Five U ...
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Kyle Smith (soccer, Born 1992)
Kyle Joseph Smith (born January 9, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Orlando City. Early life Personal Smith was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended high school at La Salle. Kyle played varsity soccer at La Salle for four years and was named to the Greater Catholic League South All League Second Team in 2008 and First Team in 2009. In 2009, he was named Greater Catholic League South soccer player of the year. College and youth Smith played four years of college soccer at Transylvania University between 2010 and 2013, scoring a total of 47 goals during his four years. As a Junior he set a Transylvania single season record with for both goals and points with 18 and 40 respectively. As a Senior Smith scored 18 goals with 8 assists earning Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive MVP during his final seasons. He left Transylvania as the team's all-time leading in goals, assists, and points. Afte ...
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Greg Ranjitsingh
Gregory Nicholas Ranjitsingh (born 18 July 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. Born in Canada, Ranjitsingh represents Trinidad and Tobago internationally. Ranjitsingh spent four years with Mercer University before joining Louisville City in March 2015. In August 2016, he became the first Louisville player to be called up for international play after the Trinidad and Tobago national team selected him for 2018 World Cup qualification. Early life Ranjitsingh was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada; a suburb of Toronto. His parents are of Indo-Caribbean descent, and he would make yearly trips to his father's home country Trinidad and Tobago. His mother is of Guyanese-Portuguese descent. College career Ranjitsingh played four years of college soccer at Mercer University between 2011 and 2014. During his Freshman year he was named the starting goalkeeper and made the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman team. By ...
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Louisville City FC
Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club was founded in 2014 after Orlando City's USL team franchise rights were relocated to Louisville and played their first USL season in 2015. After reaching the Eastern Conference finals of the USL playoffs in both its first two seasons, the club went on to win the 2017 USL Cup in only its third season of existence. In 2018, they repeated as champions, becoming the first team to win back-to-back USL Cup championships. In 2019, they became the first team in USL history to play in three consecutive USL Cup Finals, but they fell just shy of their third championship. History In early 2014, the owners of Orlando City's USL team, encouraged by minority owner Wayne Estopinal, met with city of Louisville offic ...
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Yoshimar Yotún
Víctor Yoshimar Yotún Flores (; born 7 April 1990) is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays for Peruvian Primera División club Sporting Cristal and the Peru national team. He can play as a left back, left winger, or defensive midfielder. Club career Early career Yotún first began by playing at the age of 7 in the youth academy Academia Deportiva Cantolao until the age of 12. Then he joined the youth divisions of Circolo Sportivo Italiano for two seasons. Then the following years he was in the youth divisions of Deportivo Real FC, alongside Manuel Tejada. In 2007, he transferred to one of Peru's largest clubs, Sporting Cristal, and played in their youth team. José Gálvez FBC In January 2008 he was loaned out to José Gálvez FBC for the 2008 Descentralizado season. There Yotún made his professional debut on 5 March 2008 in the Torneo Descentralizado in an away league match against Coronel Bolognesi FC. He entered the match in the 46th minute for Renzo Guevara ...
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