The Iron Lion Firm Video From Saturday..

Props to the firm….

The Iron Lion Firm shows up in force for the preseason opener…

Monday morning forward…

*Doug Garber will have an open door meeting with Orlando City supporters and fans this Thursday March 1st 12:30pm Mojo Cajun Bar And Grill.  Doors will open at 11:30a.m.

*Philadelphia Union captain Danny Califf discusses the game against Orlando City.

*The Orlando City Soccer page on Big Soccer has a thorough discussion thread on long term stadium options for the team.  It is a must read for hardcore fan of the Lions.  If I could have a beer with Phil Rawlins, one of the first questions I would ask him is what/if any discussions the team has had with the Tavistock Group.  Few people in this area know that this privately held investment group based here in Orlando owns Tottenham Hotspurs.  Considering that they own so much land out by Lake Nona and have had a history with MLS in their initial launch, i’m curious what if any discussions the team has had with the cash flush investment company.

* Check out the Reeves Army blog.  The blog focuses more on news and happenings that are occuring with Orlando City and soccer in Central Florida.  Informative site that is constantly updated. 

 

Who is Logan Emory?

The standout performance for Orlando City against the Philadelphia Union came from young defender Logan Emory.  His tenatious and dynamic play captured the attention and imagination of many fans last night.  

So who was this curly-haired young footballer that stood out in his opening game for the Lions? Could this be the beginning of ‘Logansanity’?

Born in Boise, Idaho, Emory was a prep standout who received a soccer scholarship to the University of Portland.  The University of Portland’s soccer program has an outstanding history with alumni including american internationals Kasey Keller, Coner Casey, Steve Cherundolo and Heath Pierce. At Portland, while he a good career, Logan also played for the Portland Timbers u23 team and in the USL Premier Development League. 

It has been in the last year however that Logan has started rasing eyebrows in the american soccer sphere with his quality of play.  After finishing  college in 2010, Emory signed a one year contract with the Puerto Rico Islanders, one of the most legendary american lower division teams.  In 2008, the Islanders made it all the way the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals, only to get beat by Cruz Azul of Mexico in penalty kicks in heartbreaking fashion. To this day, the 2008 Islanders semi-final run in the Champions has to be considered one of the greatest cinderella tournament runs in CONCACAF history. 

Logan logged the most minutes of any Islander player in his 2011 campaign as a rookie.  He was a key player for the 2011 Islanders that made it to the NASL semi-finals and won the Caribbean Football Union Championship. 

So now Logan Emory brings his talents to Orlando City after a breakout campaign with the Islanders.  At the age of 24, Logan is perhaps just now beginning to fully blossom as a football professional.  Under the tutelage of Adrian Heath, Logan’s best days may be yet to come.  I’m sure nothing would please Phil Rawlins more then this…

The bandwagon still has plenty of room…

Orlando City is currently in the process of finalizing the schedule for their summer friendlies for 2012. I have received inside word as to who our opponents might be, which out of respect for the team, I will not share who the possible three clubs are. Suffice to say however all three are English Premier League teams that will excite our core fan base. Unfortunately therein lays our problem. As successful as we have been, Orlando City has plenty of room to grow beyond our core group of supporters. Orlando City needs to look beyond the Sassenach to cultivate support.

Under the leadership of Phil Rawlins, Orlando City understandably has many connections with the EPL and the FA. As a direct result of these relationships, Orlando City has been able to bring players like Lewis Neal and John Rooney to play for the Lions. They have also been able to schedule blockbuster friendlies like Newcastle United, Bolton and a pending series of games against EPL opponents this upcoming summer. These are all without question positives for our club. These friendlies and acquisitions have fueled our core group of fans who are most all supporters of the EPL to different extents and are likely major fans of the sport in general. This ‘hardcore’ group of fans will be there regardless.

Orlando City however should not just look to motivate their core fans like myself with EPL friendlies throughout the summer. Management needs to think outside the box to cultivate new fans. What do I mean by this?

The Greater Central Florida region is full of soccer fans from around the world. They won’t just support Orlando City because they are a third tier soccer club that represents the region they now live. We need to give them a reason to come out. Bringing in teams from their native country or region could be the perfect opportunity to expose them to the amazing product we have all contributed in creating here in Orlando. Bringing in 2-3 EPL opponents this summer will excite our core hardcore fan base and English expatriates but unless we are playing against a big name opponent like an Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester (City or United) or Liverpool, we are doing little to cultivate and bring in new fans.

CF Monterrey of Mexico is arguably the most talented and one of the most popular teams in North America today. They are also a partner affiliate of Orlando City Soccer. The defending CONCACAF Club Champions are a squad loaded with world class players like Chilean Humberto Suazo and Mexican Ricardo Osorio. Bringing a club team like Monterrey would bring a whole new potential group of fans to the Citrus Bowl and expose them to the Orlando City Soccer. Our club is much better served bringing in teams like Chivas de Guadalajara of Mexico, Deportivo Cali of Columbia, Atletico Nacional of Columbia, FC Caracas of Venezuela or bringing a Brazilian squad like Flamengo FC. Those teams all play in countries with a huge population of individuals here in Central Florida. Let’s bring them into the proverbial tent to see what Orlando City Soccer is all about. Have them come see for themselves the quality of play our boys bring to the pitch. Have them hear the singing and chanting in the south end. Let them feel the organic, genuine soccer environment we as fans create. They will be hooked. All they need is a carrot to get them in the Citrus Bowl.

Phil Rawlins has done a phenomenal job. So much so, that individual like me are enthusiastically spreading the gospel of Orlando City Soccer throughout the Central Florida. We can still improve and strive to get the word about our club out there. Bringing in club teams from Latin America and beyond England will expose many others who otherwise would have never thought twice about coming to see Orlando City play…