Otto E. Orf II (born November 4, 1963) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the United Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League and National Professional Soccer League. He played one game for the U.S. at the 1996 FIFA Futsal World Championship.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Otto E. Orf II | ||
| Date of birth | November 4, 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Elma, New York, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1981–1983 | SUNY Buffalo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984 | Buffalo Storm | ||
| 1985–1986 | Columbus Capitals (indoor) | 8 | (0) |
| 1986–1989 | Fort Wayne Flames (indoor) | 59 | (1) |
| 1987–1988 | Toronto Blizzard | 3 | (0) |
| 1987 | Toronto Italia | ||
| 1989 | San Diego Sockers (indoor) | 3 | (0) |
| 1989 | San Diego Nomads | 1 | (0) |
| 1989–2004 | Cleveland Crunch/Force (indoor) | 344 | (7) |
| 1990 | Orlando Lions | ||
| International career | |||
| 1996–2000 | US Futsal | 8 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2004 | Cleveland Force (interim) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
editOrf first played soccer his sophomore year at Iroquois Central High School, trying out for goalkeeper because nobody else was interested in that position. By his senior season, he was the team MVP.[1] Orf attended SUNY Buffalo where he played both baseball and soccer. His baseball career ended with an elbow injury his sophomore season. In 1984, he left SUNY Buffalo before his senior season to turn professional with the Buffalo Storm of the United Soccer League. The release by the Storm of their starting goalkeeper following financial difficulties brought about Orf signing on for $50 per week. In 1986, Orf signed with the Columbus Capitals of the American Indoor Soccer Association. After one season in Columbus, he moved to the Fort Wayne Flames for three seasons. He finished his Flames’ career with fifty-nine appearances and one goal.[2] In addition to playing for the Flames, Orf backstopped the Toronto Blizzard of the Canadian Soccer League in 1987 and 1988. He also played in the National Soccer League in 1987 with Toronto Italia and later with Toronto Croatia.[3][4] In April 1989, the San Diego Sockers of the Major Indoor Soccer League signed Orf. The AISA season had just ended and the Sockers were looking for a backup to Victor Nogueira after Zoltán Tóth went out injured.[5] In 1989, Orf spent the summer playing for the San Diego Nomads of the Western Soccer League.[6] In 1990, he played one last outdoor season, this time with the Orlando Lions of the American Professional Soccer League.[7] In the fall of 1989, Orf signed with the Cleveland Crunch of the MISL. In 1992, the MISL collapsed and the Crunch moved to the National Professional Soccer League. In 2001, that league collapsed and the Crunch moved to the second Major Indoor Soccer League. In 2002, the Crunch became the Cleveland Force when it came under new team ownership. Orf played for Cleveland through all these changes in leagues and name before retiring in 2004.
Futsal career
editOrf earned eight caps with the United States national futsal team between 1996 and 2000.[8] He played one game for the U.S. at the 1996 FIFA Futsal World Championship.
Coaching career
editIn November and December 2004, Orf served as an interim coach for the Force when Omid Namazi was suspended for three games.
References
edit- ^ "They're Nuts Over Their Job : Socker Goalies Agree a Little Craziness Helps Them Survive". Los Angeles Times. 10 May 1989.
- ^ "Fort Wayne Flames". enotes.com.
- ^ "Local Scene". The Buffalo News. November 22, 1989. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ^ Da Costa, Norman (November 2, 1987). "Italia leads the way". Toronto Star. p. D8.
- ^ "Sockers' Toth Has Foot Surgery; Goalkeeper Signed". Los Angeles Times. 5 April 1989.
- ^ "1989 San Diego Nomads". a-leaguearchive.tripod.com.
- ^ "1990 Orlando Lions". a-leaguearchive.tripod.com.
- ^ "Futsal Planet: Otto Orf". futsalplanet.com.
External links
edit- MISL stats
- Otto Orf – FIFA competition record (archived)