NAPLES, Fla. — 'Lalo.' 'Captain.' Edward Delgado goes by several names.
Fans know him as the goalkeeper who helped lead FC Naples to its first-ever playoff game. To players and coaches, he's a friend.
WATCH: Go inside the locker room before FC Naples first-ever playoff game on Saturday:
Delgado grew up in a soccer family. His grandparents, father and siblings all played the sport, Delgado said.
"Kinda was born into it with the family," Delgado said. "Kickin' at the age I could probably walk."
Known by the nickname Lalo, Delgado is the team's captain. Delgado's teammates said he leads by example.
"It’s kind of a testament to how good Lalo is as a leader and captain," defender Brecc Evan said. "To be able to unite the group this far into the season we’re still finding success."
"Fantastic player to work with, fantastic human being," said goalie and coach Tony Halterman.
"He and I have gotten along so well this season, had a lot of good times on the field and off the field," Halterman said.
That's been especially important this season. FC Naples assembled a new roster from scratch. Both players and coaches told FOX 4 they weren't sure how the team would get along.
The coaching staff brought players together very early in the preseason, Lalo said. Since then, Delgado said FC Naples has been focused one goal: winning a championship.
Multiple players told FOX 4 that Delgado works to develop personal relationships with his teammates.
"Naturally that's always been the biggest obstacle we knew we had to get over, and kind of attack together, is building those relationships from the beginning," Delgado said
Now, the team isn't only winning games - it made history. FC Naples is the first USL League One expansion team with a home playoff game in its inaugural season.
"It's all part of the journey and it's something I would never take back," Delgado said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
