For the second consecutive year, Orlando City’s Alumni team, spanning four generations of Orlando soccer, will take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies Alumni team. This Friday at 7:30, both teams will suit up at the Seminole Soccer Complex to play a full 90 minute match, all for a good cause benefiting the Orlando City Foundation.
Last year, three USL-era Orlando City veterans took the field to play with the Alumni team and this year, former goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo will join Anthony Pulis, Rob Valentino and Erik Ustruck to take on Tampa Bay.
“It’s something I’m sure that will grow as the years go on, but it was a good experience for the younger ones, like myself, Rob and Erik, to play in it with a bunch of the experienced guys that played for the original Orlando team,” Pulis said of the match. “We didn’t win the game, which was disappointing, but hopefully we can win this year.”
Orlando City vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies Alumni Game
Pulis, who played in 44 matches in his three years with Orlando City, has been the head coach of Orlando’s new USL team, Orlando City B, for the past two seasons. Valentino played 77 games in the back line, now serves under Pulis as his assistant with OCB. Erik Ustruck, who played 48 matches in his three year span in Orlando, now serves as the team administrator for the MLS side.
All three former USL players took the field for the full 90 minutes, with Valentino being the only one to get on the score sheet. As a defender by trade, he pushed forward late in the match and managed to score a brace, making it a bit of an atypical situation for the former center back.
“That’s a rare occasion, but it’s a good occasion that we get everybody from all the generations of soccer in central Florida, especially that played for Orlando,” Valentino said. “Whether it was with this club or the clubs in the past. It’s good for everyone to get together and hopefully, as time goes on, it can grow more and more and get some of the guys that played in USL back in town for some of these would be great.”
The newest addition to the Alumni roster, Miguel Gallardo, played 81 matches for the Lions over their entire four year span as a USL Pro team. Now as a member of Orlando City’s broadcast team, he can’t wait to get back on the pitch with his former teammates and relive some of the glory days.
“We shared so many awesome memories together and it’s going to be just a cool experience to share the field with them again,” Gallardo said. “Each one of us in a different role now, retired from the game on the field, but our hearts will never retire from the game. It’ll be great just to catch up with them, kick the ball a little bit and obviously, we never want to lose against the Rowdies. I heard last year it got pretty competitive and i’m expecting nothing different this year.”
With the match hosting these four most recent players for Orlando City, it’s important to note the players from the six other Orlando soccer teams that will be participating in this match, a fact that Anthony Pulis does not take for granted.
“I think it’s important that we recognize the people that worked so hard, both on and off the field in previous years to get the club to where it is right now.” Pulis said. “It’s very easy to think that this club’s only been here since 2015, when we were coming into MLS and obviously that’s not true. There’s a lot of people that have put in an enormous amount of work in the years previous. To be honest, I didn’t even realize when I moved here in 2012, that there was a club back in the ‘90s. The Steve Freeman’s, the Greg Brick’s, the guys like that. It’s just fantastic that we can all get together and celebrate the club in a game like this.”
The best part of this game is that it is being played for a good cause. Tickets are only $10 and all the proceeds go to the Orlando City Foundation. Get your tickets here.
