USL Feature
Thursday, September 1, 2011
By NICHOLAS MURRAY
Sometimes, you just end up where you’re supposed to be.
That’s certainly the way Orlando City defender Rob Valentino feels as he approaches the final game of his first season with the club. The USL PRO All-League First Team member and finalist for the league’s Defender of the Year award has become a fixture at center back for the Lions, who led the league in goals conceded with just 16 in 24 games during the regular season.
After spending the 2010 season in the USSF Division-2 Pro League, Valentino was approached by Orlando coach Adrian Heath about joining his side for the 2011 season. But Valentino had other options on the table, including from a club in Finland, and was also looking to try and return to Major League Soccer, where he had been a first-round draft pick by the New England Revolution in 2008 as a member of Generation adidas.
“I was panicking that he would get picked up [in Finland], but he rang me and said that it wasn’t what he wanted, the deal wasn’t what he wanted,” Heath said. “We had played him four times with Tampa, so we were aware what we were getting, and Paul Dalglish, who was the coach for Tampa, couldn’t speak highly enough about Rob not only as a player, but as a man. As much as I enjoy having him as a player, I enjoy him as much as a person. Good people make dressing rooms, and he’s a great guy, and he’s been absolutely magnificent.”
Joining Orlando during its preseason, Valentino quickly integrated himself into the squad, finding it easy to be accepted by what was already a tight-knit group.
“Sometimes it’s tough when you get to a new team,” Valentino said, “but these guys are good guys, when you’re around good people it’s not hard to fit in. You’ve just got to put your head down and keep working, and as long as you work hard I think this team’s willing to accept anyone.”
Valentino started on the opening day of the season, and remained a fixture, missing just four contests in the regular season. At 6-foot-3, Valentino is understandably strong in the air, but he’s also become adept with his feet, not only winning possession but distributing the ball forward into midfield and attack.
As Valentino’s experience has grown, so has the ability he is now showing, with Heath especially pleased with the way the 25-year-old has competed this season.
“When he defends the goal properly, when he heads everything that comes in his general direction, when he tackles and makes last-ditch tackles, he’s as good as anything outside MLS, and no disrespect, he’s better than some of the people in MLS,” Heath said. “That’s my opinion, I may be a bit biased, but I work with him every day and that’s why I have such a high opinion of him.”
Valentino is quick to credit his teammates for the success he has had, and certainly with six players selected to the USL PRO All-League teams there’s a lot of credit to go around for the Lions being in the USL PRO Championship Game this Saturday at the Florida Citrus Bowl against the Harrisburg City Islanders. But along with MVP Finalist Yordany Alvarez and Goalkeeper of the Year Finalist Miguel Gallardo, Valentino has been one of the backbones of the team’s success.
And with success comes a great deal of enjoyment in playing each game and working hard at each practice.
“As long as you’re winning, things are fun, you know?” Valentino said. “Everyone’s happy and as much as everyone wants to win a championship, we understand where it comes from, by putting in hard work on the practice field. We’re not satisfied with the games that we’ve won, we want more and we’re going to be ready so we can come out hard on Saturday.”
And with winning also comes attention. Heath believes Valentino and other members of his side have the ability to play in Major League Soccer, and certainly with the success the Lions have had this season there certainly might be teams in the top flight looking to bolster their squads for a late-season run this season or for next year’s campaign.
But even if that doesn’t happen, Valentino is certainly glad to be part of what Heath and owners Phil and Kay Rawlins are building in Orlando.
“Of course, you want to play at the highest level always and you want people to notice you and get recognition all the time, but it comes with the team doing well,” Valentino said. “It’s a team sport, not an individual sport, it’s all about coming into a team and getting on with a team. I think with the season we’ve had that recognition will come and maybe some MLS teams will look, maybe they won’t, but I’m at home with Adrian and Orlando City.”
Which is something that Heath, and the club as a whole, is thankful for.