USL Feature
Monday, April 2, 2012
Orlando City goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo certainly didn’t expect to watch his side win the 2011 USL PRO Championship from the tunnel behind one of the goals at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
The 27-year-old, though, wouldn’t change a thing from that night.
“If I could go back and change it I probably wouldn’t because we took the championship,” Gallardo said. “At the end of the day, that is the most important thing, but yeah, it was nerve-wracking. I was sitting under the tunnel and seeing all the chances that we missed, we could have won the game in regular time, and then we made a couple of mistakes in the back to give up a goal and make it even more interesting and nerve-wracking.”
Sean Kelley, whose saves in the penalty shootout won his side the championship, is an admirable goalkeeper, but it is Gallardo that in many ways became the face of the club in its first season in Orlando. Having been part of the club since its inception, playing in the PDL before becoming its first professional signing before the 2009 season, he was named captain before last season by Coach Adrian Heath.
Having seen the growth Gallardo has shown in the past four years, Heath said he fulfilled all of the characteristics that would make him want him as his captain.
“I think you look for somebody that; a) has experience; b) has a lot of respect with the rest of the boys and more importantly, I thought because he’d been with us from day one, we’ve been through quite a bit in three or four years, relocating and having to set up here, he’s made the sacrifice to come here,” Heath said. “He had a business going in Austin, he’s packed everything up to come here to Orlando to be a part of this club, and I felt that was the minimum we could do to repay him, because he’s very proud of the fact that he’s the captain of the team, he’s very proud that he’s club captain, and no-one does more off the field than Miguel as well, so that’s something that I felt he deserved.
“I don’t give the captain’s armband lightly. It comes with a responsibility for people to live up to that, and that’s what Miguel does.”
The admiration is mutual, with Gallardo saying that he has learned a lot from Heath not only about the game, but how to be a professional player. And while Heath speaks of the need to repay Gallardo for the dedication he’s shown not only to developing his game, but to the club overall, Gallardo believes he owes something to Heath and the Lions overall for the opportunity they’ve given him.
“Since the beginning they offered me an opportunity to play, and I’ve seen the organization grow from the beginning,” Gallardo said. “I’ve seen the changes every time, every year, they add positive things to the franchise. The team improves every year as well. I played a little bit in Mexico before I came here, and I started from the PDL here, and I’ve learned a lot from Adrian.
“He’s somebody that knows a lot about football, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s one of the best coaches in the country right now, so for me to stay with the organization knowing Adrian is the coach and he’s given me the trust every year to be the starter for his team, the only way I can repay that is playing the best that I can in the game.”
Gallardo certainly did that consistently last season. Named the 2011 USL PRO Goalkeeper of the Year, he and his defense allowed a league-low 16 goals in the regular season. The ability he’s shown has lived up to the promise he showed when Heath first got the opportunity to see him play.
Obviously at that particular time you’re never completely sure, but you can look at the raw materials that you have,” Heath said. “He’s an athletic boy, he’s a great kicker of the ball, he’s got good hands, but the other thing that he had, which I think is one of his biggest traits, is that he wanted to be a professional footballer, and he comes in every day, trains very hard, wants to get better, wants to learn and I look back now and he’s not only an integral part of the team on the field, but off the field.”
The goal now for Gallardo is to continue his improvement, and the level of leadership he has shown for the club this season. But with the way the club has welcomed its new players into the squad, Gallardo thinks the Lions have a chance to have another strong season both in USL PRO and the U.S. Open Cup.
“Yeah, we lost some important players, some very important pieces,” Gallardo said, “but I believe that with the talent that we have and especially the guys that came in, we’ve been trying to support them and make them feel at home, make them feel like family like we have with everybody else, so they can perform the best they can. I feel we have a very, very strong team, and I would be lying if I didn’t say I felt we were the favorite to win the championship.”