The 2012 Orlando City SC season was the club's second season of existence. It is City's second consecutive year in the third tier of American soccer, playing in the

USL Professional Division 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, pl ...

for their second season. In the 2011 season, Orlando City won the regular season and the playoffs. As of the 1 March 2012, there are approximately 3,500 season ticket holders for the 2012 season. They ended the season with winning the league title for the second consecutive year, but they lost in the Playoffs to the

Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. History ...

in the Semi-final 3–4.

Background

In October 2010, the Orlando Pro Soccer USL rights were purchased by Phil Rawlins, who moved the Austin Aztex organization to Orlando, and the team was announced on October 25, 2010. Rawlins has stated that he intends to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Orlando "within 3–5 years". Rawlins was able to bring international matches to the city in 2011 when Orlando played English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

sides

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...

and

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...

. Rawlins is President and majority owner and Adrian Heath is the manager.

Competitions

Friendlies

Orlando City originally agreed to play Nottingham Forest F.C. on July 21, 2012. However, this match was canceled when Forest sacked their manager,

Steve Cotterill Stephen John Cotterill (born 20 July 1964) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the manager of side Shrewsbury Town. Cotterill had a nine-year career as a footballer playing for Burton Albion, Wimbledon, ...

. The team also canceled a friendly with

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in th ...

, forgoing their American tour altogether.

WDW Pro Soccer Classic

USL Pro

''All times from this point on Eastern Daylight Time ( UTC−04:00)''

Results summary

Results

Standings

USL Pro Playoffs

U.S. Open Cup

As part of the new format for the U.S. Open Cup in 2012, Orlando City entered with the other U.S.-based teams from

USL Pro 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, pl ...

and the NASL in the second round. The first two rounds were drawn on May 1, 2012, and the third round was drawn on May 16, 2012.

Club

Roster

Squad information

* = Denotes players who were retained after the move of the

Austin Aztex FC Austin Aztex FC was an American professional soccer team based in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 2008, the team played in the USL First Division, and in the USL Division of the USSF D2 Pro League, the second tier of the American Soccer ...

organization to form Orlando City S.C.

Transfers

In

* Matt Luzunaris was signed on free transfer on December 4, 2011. The forward was originally loaned to the Lions by

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

for a few games during the 2011 season and scored two goals, including one in their friendly against Bolton Wanderers F.C. The 22-year-old native of

Margate, Florida Margate is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,712. Margate is part of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to 6,166,488 people in 2020. Margate was founded in the 195 ...

(near Fort Lauderdale), spent a year with UCF in 2007 before being signed to teams in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and spending three years there. *

James O'Connor James O'Connor may refer to: Politics and law * James O'Connor (Louisiana politician) (1870–1941), U.S Representative from Louisiana * James F. O'Connor (1878–1945), U.S Representative from Montana * James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor (1886–1 ...

was signed on free transfer on January 10, 2012. The

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

midfielder spent 15 years playing in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and most recently played for Sheffield Wednesday F.C. of

Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

. *

Anthony Pulis Anthony James Pulis (born 21 July 1984) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of Miami FC in the USL Championship. A journeyman for much of his career Pulis represented Portsmouth, Stoke City, Torquay Unit ...

was transferred from

Aldershot Town F.C. Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spring ...

on January 17, 2012. The Welsh midfielder has been loaned to various clubs throughout England. * John Rooney was signed to the team on January 26, 2012. The younger brother of

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while ...

, he is a Liverpool native and has played most recently with the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

of the

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. * Justin Clark was signed by Orlando City on April 4, 2012. The defender played for local

Rollins College Rollins College is a private college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs. It is Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institution. History Rollins Colle ...

where he was named the 2011 Defender of the Year for the

Sunshine State Conference The Sunshine State Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. All of its member institutions are located in the state of Florida, which is popularly ...

. * Kyle Davies was signed by Orlando City on April 5, 2012 after having been waived by

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

in November 2011. * Jhohan Obando was signed to a short-term contract in early April to serve as Kelley’s back-up during Gallardo's suspension from the red card he received in the championship game.USL Pro Champion Orlando City opens title defense on Saturday
(6 April 2012).

Central Florida News 13 News 13 (also officially known as Spectrum News 13 as of September 24, 2017) is an American cable news television channel owned by Charter Communications. The channel provides 24-hour rolling news coverage focused primarily on Central Florida, ...

. * Nick Sowers was signed by Orlando City on April 20, 2012. The midfielder joins fellow Rollins alumni Justin Clark and Dennis Chin. Sowers if from

Longwood, Florida Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,087 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Longwood is located at . According t ...

and played at

Lake Mary High School Lake Mary High School is a public high school located in Seminole County, Florida, operating under Seminole County Public Schools. It was opened in 1981. Campus Lake Mary High School was the fourth high school in Seminole County, opening for the ...

. Nick is currently on loan to

Orlando City U-23 Orlando City U-23 was an American soccer team based in Lake Mary, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the So ...

. *

Adama Mbengue Adama Mbengue (born 1 December 1993) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a left-back for French club Châteauroux. Career Club After being scouted in Senegal during his time with Orlando City Academy Affiliate, Sport Galaxy, Mb ...

was signed by Orlando City on June 21, 2012. The midfielder was promoted from

to Orlando City, becoming the first player from U-23 to be promoted to the pro squad. * Rodrigo López was signed by Orlando City on July 5, 2012. The midfielder has played most recently with the

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on the ...

of the

PDL PDL is an initialism for: Politics * Democratic Liberal Party (''Partidul Democrat Liberal''), a former political party in Romania *Labour Democratic Party (''Partito Democratico del Lavoro''), a former political party in Italy *Pole of Freedom ...

Out

Lawrence Olum Lawrence Olum (born 10 July 1984) is a Kenyan professional footballer who plays as a defender and midfielder. Career College and amateur Olum spent four years playing college soccer at Missouri Baptist University, earning NAIA honorable menti ...

was signed as a free agent in September 2011 by

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and ...

. The midfielder had 21 appearances with Orlando City in 2011 scoring 1 goal. * Jack Traynor signed with the Rochester Rhinos on November 28, 2011. Traynor logged 1,298 minutes in 17 appearances for Orlando City in 2011. *

Yordany Álvarez Yordany Álvarez Oropeza, also written as Yordanis Álvarez Oropesa, (born 24 May 1985) is a Cuban retired footballer. Club career Cuba Álvarez began his career in his native Cuba, playing with his hometown club FC Cienfuegos in the Campeon ...

was signed on a transfer from Orlando City in January 2012. At the end of the 2011 season, Álvarez joined

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...

on a loan agreement which included an option for Salt Lake to purchase Álvarez. *

Devorn Jorsling Devorn Jorsling (born 27 December 1983 in Morvant) is a Trinidadian footballer who currently plays for Defence Force. Club career Early career Jorsling played extensively in the TT Pro League, initially with W Connection and Caledonia AIA, ...

returned to Trinidad where he played for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

and

Caledonia AIA Morvant Caledonia United (formerly known as Caledonia AIA) is a professional football team in Trinidad and Tobago's top-level TT Pro League. It is based in Morvant; its home stadium is Hasely Crawford Stadium. History The Caledonia AIA Footba ...

. * Lewis Neal was signed by D.C. United on March 13, 2012 after having been on loan from Orlando City.D.C. United signs midfielder Lewis Neal
(14 March 2012). Potomac Soccer Wire. * Justin Fojo is no longer listed on the Orlando City Roster, after a move in 2012 to the Puerto Rico Islanders. * Demar Stewart is no longer listed on the Orlando City Roster

Loan in

* Jean Alexandre was loaned from the

on 7 June 2012, for a short-term loan for the next two games. on 6 July 2012, Alexandre re-joined Orlando City again for a short-term loan for the next two games which the two games will be against the

Los Angeles Blues Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the second tier USL Championship. The team plays its home games a ...

. On 23 July 2012, he returned again for the remainder of the

2012 USL Pro season The 2012 USL Pro season was the 26th season of third-division soccer in the United States, and the second season of USL Pro. The season started with 11 teams. FC New York self-relegated to the National Premier Soccer League prior to the release ...

. *

George Davis IV George Davis IV (born August 5, 1987) is the Director of the LouCity & Racing Foundation and an American former soccer player who previously played for Louisville City FC in the USL Championship. Early life Personal Davis was born in Dayton, Ohio ...

was loaned from the

in exchange for Maxwell Griffin, the loan will be through the end of the

Loan out

* Lewis Neal was on trial with

and released on 16 February 2012. * Lewis Neal was on trial with D.C. United. until D.C. United signed him on March 13, 2012 * Maxwell Griffin was on loan to

in exchange for

, the loan will be through the end of the

. * Jamie Watson is on loan to

Minnesota Stars FC Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to i ...

for the remainder of the 2012 NASL season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orlando City Soccer Club, Season 2012 2012 USL Pro season

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

American soccer clubs 2012 season 2012 in sports in Florida