Orlando
Orlando City Media Day: Torres Learning the Ropes, Pareja Optimistic
Published
3 years agoon
By
Nicolas Vera
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Orlando City’s players and front office staff held a Media Day press conference on Monday to usher in the new season. OCSC Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi opened the table for media questions as Head Coach Oscar Pareja chimed in and answered several questions regarding Orlando City’s current form, offseason signings as well as Orlando Academy inquisitions.
“A Phenomenal Step”
With a stop-and-go offseason that saw many protagonists of Orlando City’s offense leave (Dike, Nani, Mueller). It was only a matter of time before Pareja and his staff pulled together some signings to bolster the squad. In that time, Orlando City has successfully landed Facundo Torres, Ercan Kara, and Cesar Araujo to fill in the gaps. It seems like there are two schools of thought in relation to transfer signings this offseason for the MLS. While some teams opt for the proven veteran talent (Chicago Fire, Toronto FC), other squads like Atlanta and Orlando City have doubled down on youthful impact signings with players that possess that ‘win now’ mentality.
No better player embodies that drive to win and hunger for success than Facundo Torres. Torres comes to Orlando with years worth of experience in the spotlight. Donning the number 10 for his boyhood club Peñarol last season in high-profile games in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, Torres had his most brilliant moments on the biggest stages. At 21, Facundo Torres has the world at his fingertips, and assimilating him into the first team has already gone splendid — according to him:
“It was something that worried me [integrating into a new group], but – to be honest, this group has been extraordinary. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I’ve been accepted as just another one of the team since the first day. I already knew Cesar since he came from Uruguay, I also spoke to Mauricio a bit before landing. Both of them I knew for a while, but when I landed I met with Pedro, Seba [Mendez], Andres [Perea] and Rodri [Schlegel].”
See the full press conference here.
Torres had nothing but positives to say about his integration into the team. A factor that was put into place expertly by Head Coach Oscar Pareja as he has worked meticulously to piece together an Orlando City side teeming with first-team International level players. Gallese with Peru, Mendez with Ecuador, and now Torres as a member of Uruguay. Orlando City’s many South American talents have helped Torres’ assimilation while also keeping the level of competition at practice at an all-time high.
Moreover, the city of Orlando has come out in droves to support the rising Uruguayan star. Just last week, former Orlando City legend Ricardo Kaka sent a message of support to Facundo Torres in hopes of galvanizing his footballing endeavors in 2022. The city of Orlando as well as the players and staff have taken to this new era with the best intentions. Given the right amount of time, Torres as well as the other newly adjusted signings at Orlando will make their presence felt this year.
When asked about the process of building a new team around young stars, Oscar Pareja noted that Orlando City has taken ‘a phenomenal step’ in the right direction by taking the time to group players with the characteristics that fit the mold of the team. Pareja noted that every piece of the puzzle has to do its part in order to reach the collective goal, which seems to be MLS Cup or bust. One thing is for sure, this Orlando City team is more pumped than ever to achieve their goals after a less than stellar 2021 regular season.
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Nicolas Vera is a sports and entertainment reporter for Florida National News. | sports@floridanationalnews.com
NFL
UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM
Published
4 months agoon
October 30, 2024By
Mike Brodsky
Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.
Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.
Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:
Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview
Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.
Florida
Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Published
11 months agoon
March 10, 2024By
Mike Brodsky
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)
The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.
This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.
Golf
Lydia Ko and Jeff McNeil win the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Published
1 year agoon
January 21, 2024By
Mike Brodsky
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Lake Nona resident, Lydia Ko, has won the 2024 Hilton Grand Vacations LPGA Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, while Mets All-Star Second Baseman, Jeff McNeil, has won the celebrities and amateurs competition. The four day tournament wrapped up Sunday. Ko takes home $225,000 of the $1.5 million prize pool, while baseball player McNeil wins $100,000 of the $500,000 designated for the athletes and entertainers.

Lydia Ko and Jeff McNeil win the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Sunday, January 21, 2024. Photo by Harry Castiblanco / Florida National News
Ko finished at -14, two strokes ahead of Alexa Pano. Defending champion, Brooke Henderson, finished third at ten under par. McNeil ended with 138 points using the Modified Stableford scoring system, in his first time competing in this tournament. Annika Sorenstam finished in second place amongst the celebrity golfers, with 136. Former Major League Baseball pitchers Derek Lowe and Mark Mulder tied for third place at 135.
The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions also announced today that they have extended their agreement with the LPGA to continue this tournament at Lake Nona for another five years, with a 65% increase in the prize pool money.
Stay tuned to Florida National News for more, and be sure to follow our Florida National News page on Facebook for more photos and videos from the tournament.
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