(Thank you to Austin David for an audio recording of Jason Kreis. You can follow Austin at Twitter at @AustinDavid22.)
ORLANDO, Fla. – An ailing Orlando City SC is in the middle of both a four-game losing streak and a four-game road trip. Fortunately for the Lions, an opportunity to get back on track is at hand.
The Lions’ next competition will be outside of Major League Soccer, as they take on Miami United FC on Wednesday in Hialeah to start U.S. Open Cup play.
Though United are a National Premier Soccer League team, City head coach Jason Kreis is making sure his side doesn’t take them lightly. After all, the Lions fell to North American Soccer League side Miami FC 3-1 in their opening-round matchup of 2017 in what Kreis then called his “most disappointing night” since becoming Orlando City’s coach.
“It’s a team that I think is all about the respect that you give them,” Kreis said before training on Tuesday. “If we go into this match thinking that they’re not a full professional team, they’re not a first-division team, they’re not a second-division team, then they will hurt us, for sure…
“It’s a team that I think is pretty well tactically versed, as well. And so, for me, we need to respect this opponent; we need to do the right things.”
Midfielder Sacha Kljestan knows what it takes to have a deep run in the Open Cup. His New York Red Bulls finished in second place last season, ultimately losing to Sporting Kansas City 2-1 in the final.
For the first-year Lion, there’s a desire to advance in the Open Cup, but his experience shows success in that tournament can help teams in their respective regular-season schedules.
The Red Bulls started their Open Cup run with a 1-0 win over New York City FC on June 14, 2017, and went on to beat the Philadelphia Union, the New England Revolution and FC Cincinnati before facing SKC on Sept. 20, 2017. Between those dates, New York went 6-3-4 after starting the season 6-7-2.
The Red Bulls ultimately finished sixth in the East and were eliminated in the conference semifinals by the eventual champions, Toronto FC.
“Not only do we want to move on in the Open Cup, but we also wanna set ourselves up for some momentum to get wins back in the league,” Kljestan said before training on Tuesday. “So, you know, last year with the Red Bulls, we used our Open Cup run as the start of some momentum to push through the summer months, to continue our push for the playoffs in MLS, and I think they kind of went hand-in-hand.
“Ultimately, we lost in the final, but it was a great Open Cup run and a good catalyst for the rest of the season for us, so hopefully the same thing can be said for us this season.”
For midfielder-turned-right back Will Johnson, he’ll enjoy the atmosphere of playing games outside of MLS. His experience tells him that lower-division teams are excited to play MLS competition.
Johnson also knows, though, that the hierarchy of leagues doesn’t play a factor in games like this.
“They’re decent. We’ve watched video on them, and they’re no pushovers,” Johnson said before training Tuesday. “We’re gonna have to be sharp and ready, and the group that takes the field has to understand and learn from the past couple years that this is gonna be a tough match, and we need to be ready.”
City’s loss to a Miami side led by Stéfano Pinho last season led to their earliest exit in Open Cup play, as the Lions lost in their opening-round game for the first time in their history.
In 2015, City advanced to the quarterfinals after beating the Charleston Battery 4-4 (8-7) and Columbus Crew SC 2-0 in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively. The Lions ultimately lost to the Chicago Fire 3-1.
City’s Open Cup stint was one game shorter in 2016, as they opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Jacksonville Armada FC. That was followed by a 2-1 loss to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and and current Lion Victor “PC” Giro’s 120th-minute game-winner.
For Kreis, it’s a tournament he values with regard to its bearing on making the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Champions League.
“It’s an important tournament. I think, oftentimes, people misunderstand how important it can be,” Kreis said. “The fact of the matter is it’s the shortest path to make it to make it to the CONCACAF Champions League, which is becoming a really big deal–a big deal for everyone in MLS…
“So, this is the shortest and most direct route to that. And so we look at this as an opportunity. It’s also a chance to win a trophy, and we’re never gonna take that situation lightly.”
Kickoff with Miami United is Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Ted Hendricks Stadium.
For more on the Lions, as they prepare for another Open Cup run, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com, or you can tweet at him.
