Orlando City News Release -- www.orlandocitysoccer.com
Friday, February 8, 2013
ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando City kicks off the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic (PSC) against Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union at the Wide World of Sports Complex on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. The Lions will look to make a statement against clubs who play at the highest level of the American soccer pyramid.
“It’s a chance to show everyone [at the MLS level] that we can compete,” said Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath. “Our boys have been training hard and we go in the tournament expecting results.”
The tournament will be broken into two separate groups, with Orlando competing against the Union on Saturday night, Toronto FC on February 13th and Columbus Crew on February 16th. A final match will be played on the Disney Pro Soccer Classic Championship Day on February 23rd, with the opponent either Sporting Kansas City, D.C. United, the Montreal Impact or the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
The Union and Lions have met twice previously, with Orlando yet to fall to the MLS side. The first match against Philadelphia was Orlando’s first-ever back in February of 2011, with the Lions winning that match-up 1-0. City overcame an early deficit in the second meeting a year later, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw.
Orlando will be retaining a core of the 2012 regular season championship squad heading into the Disney tournament, including Goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo, leading scorer Dennis Chin and Defender Rob Valentino. The Lions will also be fielding four to five trialists brought on by Heath and Assistant Head Coach Ian Fuller.
Philadelphia comes into the Pro Soccer Classic with a retooled coaching staff and roster. Union Head Coach John Hackworth is a Florida native, graduating from Dunedin High while moving to play collegiately at Brevard College and Wake Forest University. Hackworth served as an assistant to former coach Peter Nowak before being promoted to head coach officially on August 30.