Orlando Metropolis introduced this afternoon the mortgage of Homegrown midfielder Wilfredo Rivera to Indy Eleven of the USL Championship for the rest of the 2022 season. The Lions retained the correct to recall Rivera at any time.

“Wilfredo frequently seems to enhance his recreation day in and time out, and we expect this mortgage is simply the following step in furthering his growth,” Orlando Metropolis Govt Vice President of Soccer Operations and Common Supervisor Luiz Muzzi mentioned in a membership press launch. “Wilfredo will have the ability to battle for more and more aggressive minutes over the course of this mortgage and we stay up for seeing how he progresses over this era.”

Rivera joined the Orlando Metropolis academy in 2018 from Jacksonville FC and initially performed with the membership’s U-16 facet. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native then joined Orlando Metropolis B for the 2020 USL League One season. On March 22, 2021, Rivera grew to become the ninth participant to signal a Homegrown Participant deal with the membership and the youngest (17 years, 5 months, eight days) since Tommy Redding (17 years, one month, 15 days) signed with the membership in 2014. The attacking midfielder signed a three-year contract with the membership with membership choices for the 2024 and 2025 MLS seasons.

Rivera is certainly one of six Homegrown Gamers on Orlando Metropolis’s 2022 roster, becoming a member of defenders Michael Halliday, Thomas Williams, and Alex Freeman, goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar, and ahead Benji Michel.

Rivera has spent a lot of the 2022 season with OCB, having but to make the bench for the primary group. He missed 4 video games earlier within the season as he was away on worldwide obligation with Puerto Rico, collaborating in Concacaf Nations League.

The 18-year-old performed in 15 video games in 2020, beginning every, and performed 1,256 minutes. He recorded three targets and one help. This season, Rivera has performed in 10 video games with 9 begins, accumulating one objective and three assists. In his two seasons with the Younger Lions, {the teenager} has made 25 appearances (24 begins) and performed 1,945 minutes, scoring 4 targets and recording 4 assists.

On the worldwide stage, Rivera has represented Puerto Rico at a number of ranges, scoring three targets.

What This Means for Orlando

Rivera has but to make a first-team look, and it appears unlikely that he’ll accomplish that this yr after the group signed Niko Gioacchini. Whereas Rivera may proceed taking part in for OCB, that’s a third-division group and the midfielder has been top-of-the-line gamers on the sector in every of his appearances.

Shifting to Indy Eleven, a USL Championship facet, permits Rivera to play within the second division as he continues his growth. Presumably, taking part in in opposition to higher competitors and older gamers will improve the 18-year-old’s growth as he continues to work his method towards a first-team spot.

As beforehand talked about, Rivera was unlikely to make a first-team look this yr so the transfer gained’t have an effect on Orlando Metropolis within the quick time period. Nevertheless, if Rivera continues to enhance taking part in in opposition to higher competitors, it may benefit the Lions sooner or later. OCB will miss certainly one of its higher play makers for the remainder of the MLS NEXT Professional season.