Otto E. Orf II (born November 4, 1963) is a retired American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

who played professionally in the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...

and Major Indoor Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League. He played one game for the U.S. at the

1996 FIFA Futsal World Championship The 1996 FIFA Futsal World Championship was the third FIFA Futsal World Championship, the quadrennial international futsal championship contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It was held between 24 November an ...

Player

Orf first played soccer his sophomore year at Iroquois Central High School, trying out for goalkeeper because nobody else was interested in that position. By his senior season, he was the team MVP. Orf attended

SUNY Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

where he played both baseball and soccer. His baseball career ended with an elbow injury his sophomore season. In 1984, he left SUNY Buffalo before his senior season to turn professional with the

Buffalo Storm Buffalo Storm were an American professional soccer team. They played for one season (1984) in the USL, with home games at All-High Stadium. Players * Rudy Pikuzinski 1983-84 * Otto Orf 1984 * Carlos Salguero 1984 * Ernesto Buriano 1984 * Oscar P ...

of the

. The release by the Storm of their starting goalkeeper following financial difficulties brought about Orf signing on for $50 per week. In 1986, Orf signed with the

Columbus Capitals The Columbus Capitals were an indoor soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association. The club played its home games at the Columbus Convention Center from 1984–1986, then known as the Battelle Hall. ...

of the American Indoor Soccer Association. After one season in Columbus, he moved to the

Fort Wayne Flames The Fort Wayne Flames were an indoor soccer club based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association, playing home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum from 1986–1989. History The team was foun ...

for three seasons. He finished his Flames’ career with fifty-nine appearances and one goal. In addition to playing for the Flames, Orf backstopped the

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: *Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League *Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League *Toronto Azzurri B ...

of the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; french: Ligue canadienne de soccer — LCS) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (C ...

in 1987 and 1988. He also played in the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

in 1987 with

Toronto Italia The National Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997. Teams were primarily based in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The league was renamed to Canadian National Soccer League in 1993 following the folding ...

and later with Toronto Croatia. In April 1989, the San Diego Sockers of the Major Indoor Soccer League signed Orf. The AISA season had just ended and the Sockers were looking for a backup to Victor Nogueira after Zoltán Tóth went out injured. In 1989, Orf spent the summer playing for the

San Diego Nomads Nomads Soccer Club (formerly San Diego Nomads) is an American soccer club based in San Diego, California. From 1986 to 1990, the club fielded a professional senior team, but has since operated as an amateur and youth club. History The Nomads wer ...

of the

Western Soccer League Western Soccer Alliance was a professional soccer league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and Western Canada. The league began in 1985 as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. In 1986, it became the Western Soccer Alli ...

. In 1990, he played one last outdoor season, this time with the

Orlando Lions The Orlando Lions were an American soccer team from Orlando, Florida which existed from 1985 to 1996. Over the years, the Lions competed at both the amateur and professional levels including some seasons as an independent team. The Lions is a ni ...

of the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It ...

. In the fall of 1989, Orf signed with the Cleveland Crunch of the MISL. In 1992, the MISL collapsed and the Crunch moved to the National Professional Soccer League. In 2001, that league collapsed and the Crunch moved to the second Major Indoor Soccer League. In 2002, the Crunch became the Cleveland Force when it came under new team ownership. Orf played for Cleveland through all these changes in leagues and name before retiring in 2004.

Futsal

Orf earned eight caps with the

United States national futsal team The United States national futsal team represents the United States at international competitions. It is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and affiliated with CONCACAF. The U.S. Futsal Federation was founded in 1981 and the first ...

between 1996 and 2000. He played one game for the U.S. at the

Coach

In November and December 2004, Orf served as an interim coach for the Force when Omid Namazi was suspended for three games.

References

External links

MISL stats
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Orf, Otto Living people 1963 births Futsal goalkeepers American soccer coaches American soccer players American expatriate soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Canada American Indoor Soccer Association players American Professional Soccer League players Association football goalkeepers Buffalo Storm players Canadian National Soccer League players Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players Cleveland Crunch (original MISL) players Cleveland Crunch (NPSL) players Cleveland Force (2002–2005 MISL) players Expatriate soccer players in Canada Fort Wayne Flames players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) coaches National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Orlando Lions players People from Elma, New York Nomads Soccer Club players Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993) players Toronto Croatia players Toronto Italia players United Soccer League (1984–85) players Western Soccer Alliance players American men's futsal players