(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)
ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City SC forward Cyle Larin was arrested for a DUI charge on June 15. After missing three matches because of Major League Soccer’s inherent suspension for such off-the-field misconduct, wherein Larin had to travel to South Carolina for the league’s Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health program, Larin has returned to full participation with the Lions.
“Yeah, Cyle addressed the team before the session,” Lions head coach Jason Kreis said after training Tuesday, the team’s first of the week. “So it’s obviously nice to have him bac kand nice to see that he’s regretful about his actions, and, as we said before he left, once we take responsibility for our actions and apologize for that, then we forgive, and we move forward.”
While Larin was in South Carolina, Orlando City was not allowed contact with the 22-year-old. For first-year Lion Giles Barnes, having that kind of isolation is beneficial.
“You know, sometimes you need that little bit of alone time,” Barnes said after training Tuesday. “But, you know, we spoke as soon as he landed yesterday. He knows where he went wrong. It won’t happen again. And, as I said, he’s back working with a smile on his face.
“He spoke to everyone. Cyle’s a big gentleman. You know, as I said, he realizes he made a mistake. He apologized to the whole group. And, you know, we obviously don’t agree with what he did, but the way he’s handled himself and the way he’s conducted himself since he’s been back is a credit to him.”
Larin and Kreis spoke privately before the former left for South Carolina. Kreis thinks it’s a good policy that players and clubs can’t communicate when a player is completing these evaluations.
“I talked to him on a private level a couple of occasions before he left to go to South Carolina for the evaluation,” Kreis said. “But once he was there, you’re not allowed to speak to him actually, which I think is a good policy. Lets him focus on the job that they have in front of them. So wasn’t able to see him or talk to him until this morning.”
Larin returns at an opportune moment, as the Lions will travel to face Real Salt Lake, one of the worst teams in the league, on Friday to close out a three-game road stretch. So far, the Lions have yielded a 1-1 draw to the Seattle Sounders and a 4-0 losing result to the Chicago Fire in this road stretch.
“Looked pretty good,” Kreis said on Larin’s performance in training Tuesday. “Yeah, looked pretty good. Obviously he’s had a week of rest or 10 days of rest. He has some good energy, which is nice to see.”
Said Barnes on Larin’s return to training: “Good to see the big man back out there. Back smiling. Back working hard. He’s over there putting in a shift. He’s been away for a week or so. Obviously, he’s learned his lesson, and he just wants to come and contribute to the team.”
To add to City’s recent woes, though, forward Carlos Rivas went down with a bum ankle in the Chicago match. His status is currently day-to-day after an MRI was conducted early Monday, according to a report by the Orlando Sentinel’s Alicia DelGallo.
City’s matchup with RSL is at 9:30 p.m.
For more on Larin and his status for upcoming matches, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
