Orlando City defender
Victor “PC” Giro was calm and confident in his first start for the Lions.
When Victor “PC” Giro stepped onto an MLS field for the first time on Wednesday night, he was more than prepared for the level of play.
Adjusting to his teammates’ language, however, took some time.
“English was the thing that I learned the most in this game,” the Brazilian defender said via a translator, laughing. “I had, you know, Servando [Carrasco] and Will [Johnson] in front of me. Luis [Gil] was also up there, so I needed to make sure I communi- cated with them.”
PC made the most of his first start for the Lions, moving up in the rotation so the team could rest traditional starters during a busy week. He assisted on midfielder Carlos Rivas’ late-game goal, catching the attention of the coaching staff.
“I thought he was really, really lively, really in great spots defensively for us most of the night and got forward well,” Orlando City coach Jason Kreis said. “The fact that he makes the assist on the goal, I think, is really important. It continues to show a little bit about the philosophy of how we want to play, that our outside backs can get so far advanced and have quality in the attacking third.”
While PC signed with Orlando City during the offseason, his name may already be familiar to fans.
Just over a year ago, he scored a game winner to knock the Lions out of the 2016 US Open Cup as a member of NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers. While he has only gotten on the field once this season, he has already impressed his teammates with his level of play.
“I thought he was brilliant. I really, really did,” defender Scott Sutter said. “I thought he might be a bit nervous, you know, at the beginning . . . . but he didn’t show that at all, you know. He just had confidence on the ball and it’s definitely an addition to the squad knowing that you’ve got two good players in that position for these trips that you can rotate.”
While playing in an MLS match for the first time is a big moment for any player, PC wasn’t worried when he found out the day before the San Jose game he would be starting.
“I was calm. I had been training a lot very hard in the sessions and I knew that I was ready for this opportunity,” he said. “Obviously it felt good. Also, the support of my teammates and the staff helped me be calm and confident.”
PC especially benefited from having a teammate who was going through the same situation. Defender Léo Pereira also made his MLS debut on Wednesday, starting beside PC. The two Brazilians enjoyed being able to communicate with each other throughout the game.
“Obviously, both of us speak Portuguese so it made it a lot easier for both of us to get our first start together,” PC said. “If it would’ve been another defender, I believe we would’ve done well too. But obviously being next to Léo, with the communication in Portuguese, it made it easier for us.”
With a solid performance in his first start, PC has reason to be confident. But his teammates know that the next step is consistently turning in strong play.
“PC was very good, obviously gets a nice assist on the goal,” midfielder Will Johnson said. “Now the challenge is, ‘OK, we’ve seen you can do it, so now you got to do it for us again and again and again because, ultimately, that’s what this is about .’… Now the challenge is there for them and the bar’s been set.”
“I was calm. I had been training a lot very hard in the sessions and I knew that I was ready for this opportunity.” Orlando City defender Victor “PC” Giro on his first start