KISSIMMEE – Several star players of the Florida Tropics kicked off their rivalry with the nearby Orlando SeaWolves early in anticipation of six regular season matchups between the Major Arena Soccer League Clubs.

Defenders Rafael Alves, Lucas Montelares and goalkeeper Hugo Silva all suited up for the Brazil Saturday, Nov. 10, in an international friendly against the SeaWolves, a new team in the MASL.

Orlando won the exhibition game, 3-2, in overtime. Silva, and former Tropics netminder Piotr Sliw – who signed as a free agent with Orlando in the offseason – were both outstanding in the contest, the first-ever game for Orlando at Silver Spurs Arena.

All three Tropics players will play key roles for Florida who open their third season in the MASL on Saturday, Dec. 1 when they host St. Louis in a 7:05 p.m. start at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

The Tropics and SeaWolves will meet six times as foes in the league's South Central Division this season. The first matchup comes Saturday, Dec. 29 in Lakeland.

The Tropics are offering a special “Rivalry Pack” of tickets for the Orlando showdowns. Tickets for all three home games at the RP Funding Center – Saturday, Dec. 29, Saturday, Jan. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 16 – are available for $29.95. They can be purchased by calling the Tropics office at 863-240-4131.

Florida will make their visits to Orlando on Saturday, March 2, Saturday, March 16 and the regular-season finale on Saturday, April 13. All six starts are 7:05 p.m.