ORLANDO, Fla. – Ask any Orlando City SC player or coach about the team’s loss to Atlanta United FC on May 13, and they’ll likely brush it off as just another game. That’s the attitude the Lions have taken after a 2-1 defeat that broke their record six-game win streak.
After all, though, that’s exactly what it was: just another game. For center back Amro Tarek and midfielder Oriol “Uri” Rosell alike, they are experienced-enough players to know that a team on any winning streak has to lose eventually.
“Okay, of course, we wanted to break the record, to have a lot of games–win streak, like, more than six, but you can’t win all the games,” Tarek said before training on May 16. “So, we forgot about last game. Now we are very focused on the next game because it’s very important, so we keep winning, and we could make another win streak.”
Now, the the Lions’ attention quickly turns to Toronto FC and a Friday-night road match just five days after their last game. City will play on shortened preparation, as the team was only able to squeeze in one full training on May 16. Players had the day off on May 14, and only players who did not play against Atlanta trained on May 15.
Despite the quick turnaround, Rosell, who played a season-high 45 minutes against Atlanta, believes the Lions are ready to play right away, again.
“I think we are ready. It’s true, as you said, that we don’t have too much time to get recovered and to talk about tactics, but, at the end, I think we have a great people, a great team,” Rosell said before training on May 16. “We are looking forward to play and do our best.”
This won’t be the first time Orlando City has played a Sunday home game and then a Friday road match. On April 8, the Lions completed a 3-2 comeback over the Portland Timbers, scoring three goals in the final 10 minutes. City followed that with a 2-0, shutout performance of the Philadelphia Union on the road.
Lions boss Jason Kreis is looking forward to a repeat performance in Toronto, as he sees this kind of scheduling as significant to the summer part of his team’s schedule.
“I think it’s important because, in June, we’re gonna have a ton of games with Open Cup coming, as well,” Kreis said before training on May 16. “And, as we go through the season, we know we’re gonna have multiple times where we’re playing three times in a week.
“So it’s important to see how our guys can react to a little bit of a shorter turnaround. Last time we did it, we did quite well.”
As for City’s depth, Kreis said he liked what he saw in training with the auxiliary units. He knows their depth will be valuable when the 2018 U.S. Open Cup begins for City and other Major League Soccer teams in early June.
Last season, current Lions forward Stéfano Pinho torched Orlando City with a hat-trick under Miami FC colors. That propelled the North American Soccer League side over City 3-1, eliminating the Lions in their first match of the tournament.
“Really, this week, being as short as it is, we’re not gonna get much training,” Kreis said before training on May 16. “But the guys that did train [on May 15] trained quite well. So I always like to see that.
“Any time you come from a loss and a little bit of a depressing situation, as a coach, you want to see your players train hard, and that’s what they did yesterday. So, very appreciative of that.”
City and Toronto kick off Friday night at 8 p.m. at BMO Field.
For more on the Lions, as they look to start a new win streak in Canada, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.
