Photo by Nelson Lucindo
The long inaugural MLS season may be starting to take its toll on expansion side Orlando City. Lacking energy and ingenuity, the Lions settled for a tepid 0-0 draw against a struggling Philadelphia Union squad on Saturday night, reaping just a single, meager point toward their playoff dream.
“We looked very, very tired towards the end,” Orlando coach Adrian Heath said afterwards. “It looked like the games we played of late, the travel, and the game we played on Wednesday night in Toronto had an effect on us.”
For a squad that prides itself on fitness —they train in one of the most difficult climates after all— “looking tired” is grossly out of character, but it speaks to the lack of depth on the squad. With six games squeezed into the month of August, including a difficult West Coast trip to Seattle, there will be little rest for the weary.
A key question in the weeks ahead will be whether Heath can finally field a consistent starting lineup. Lately, with injuries, player departures, and some sub par play, the gaffer has been forced to overhaul the starting XI from week to week. This week’s edition featured Darwin Ceren in an attacking role and Corey Ashe transplanted to right back.
Also included in the mix were two young defenders, Conor Donovan, and later, Tommy Redding, both players making their MLS debuts. With so many moving parts it’s little wonder Orlando City have been inconsistent of late. “Look at a lot of the players that we played tonight,” Heath pointed out. “A lot of them haven’t had a lot of minutes… And then we’ve got some that have had too many!”
Heath will be looking to some new faces to provide fresh legs and, paradoxically, stability. Adrian Winter, fresh off the plane from Switzerland, made his debut on Saturday and showed promise in the attacking midfield.
“We think he’ll suit the way that we play,” Heath said, “He’s experienced. He’s got a bit of pace. He can run with the ball. I think he’ll give more of an energy and more of a threat in the final third.”
Also, David Mateos, City’s newly signed Spanish center back, arrived in Orlando this week and will provide some much needed depth in a back line decimated by injury and the recent departure of Sean St Ledger.
With just ten games remaining on the schedule Orlando City currently find themselves on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoff picture. More ominously, two of the teams they’re racing to catch, Toronto and Montreal, each have multiple games in hand to their benefit. Time is running out for Orlando City to find consistent form. “We’re leaving ourselves with not a lot of room for error,” Heath posited with perhaps just a hint of understatement.
