Orlando City experiences up, down swings typical of expansion season

Author:
Brian Straus
Publish date:
May 21, 2015

Listening to a mashup of Adrian Heath’s remarks after Orlando City’s past two games may result in whiplash. The emotional swing is palpable, almost violent. Combined, his comments certainly illustrate the agony and ecstasy of an expansion season.

Last week, Orlando was leading Eastern Conference power D.C. United by a goal when a 67th-minute hamstring injury forced Aurélien Collin from the field. D.C. drew level in the 70th and eight minutes later, scored the winner.

Heath seethed outside the visitors' locker room at RFK Stadium.

“It doesn’t help losing Aurélien. But if people do their job, pick up people they should be marking, then we might be OK. I’m fed up with going through this,” he told reporters. “People don’t do their job properly … we can’t keep killing ourselves. We shoot ourselves in the foot every week.”

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Four days later, fielding a lineup featuring three new starters, Orlando dismantled the visiting LA Galaxy, 4-0.

The reigning champs were missing Robbie Keane and Omar Gonzalez, among others, but that hardly mattered to the 40,000-plus fans at the Citrus Bowl. And it didn’t seem to bother Heath, who was eager—perhaps desperate—to see a 90-minute performance and the club’s first home MLS win.

“I’m delighted for everybody connected with the club, especially the supporters, who’ve been incredible for us,” he said Sunday. “After that, I’m just really pleased because they’ve been working so hard. They had a few kicks in the teeth the past few weeks … It all bodes well for us. I think it’s been a great night of work.”

Orlando City (3-5-3), which plays at the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday, has tied two games after scoring in the 90th minute or later and lost two games after conceding in the 90th minute or later. It’s dealt with a surreal spate of injuries, most notably to promising winger Kevin Molino, who’s lost for the season with an ACL tear. It’s already lost more matches this year than in any of its four complete regular season campaigns in the third-tier USL. And it’s drawing more than 37,000 fans per game.

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It’s been a spring of promise and perspective, during which Heath and Orlando City’s USL holdovers—inside the club and in the stands—have had to deal with losing, the ups and downs of the expansion learning curve and the trial and error of building a competitive top-tier team. Speaking to SI.com shortly before embarking on that D.C./LA roller coaster, Heath acknowledged the degree of difficulty. But the former Everton and Burnley star, who won two English league titles, an FA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup as a player, remains convinced that a few bounces and a couple tweaks are all that separates Orlando from a playoff berth.

The 2009 Seattle Sounders are the only one of MLS’ nine 21st-century expansion teams to make the playoffs in its first season.

“When I look at the body of work from the start to where we are now, there’s a lot of pleasing aspects to it,” Heath said, adding that a late April loss to Toronto FC was the only game in which Orlando wasn’t competitive.

“People in our club, not only on the outside, they’ve been used to every Monday morning at the staff meeting talking about another easy win and the crowd was really good–9,000 against Harrisburg—and everything’s looking rosy. It’s been a bit of a culture shock for a lot of people. But there are teams that are .500 that can make the playoffs. So you can win as many as you lose and you’re still in with a shout.”

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Orlando and its expansion counterpart, New York City FC (1-6-4), launched to considerable fanfare but now are feeling the weight of expectations.

There’s a long, long way to go, but at the moment, NYCFC is on pace to post the worst first-year record since Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA entered the league in 2005. Before the LA win, Orlando was near the bottom as well.

The improvement at the top of many MLS rosters, along with the difficulty in building depth (which also impacts the quality of the expansion draft), arguably has made winning early harder than ever. Chemistry takes time to develop, and not every player is capable of taking the next step.

Without being asked, Heath brought up NYCFC coach Jason Kreis’ poignant comments following his team’s May 3 loss to Seattle.

Kreis said, “I guess I didn’t realize it would be this difficult. Maybe I forgot how very hard it is to build a team in this league and have success on a consistent basis.”

Said Heath, “I thought it was interesting. That’s from somebody who’s spent all his career in MLS—played all his career here and coached here. For me the fact that it was somebody else saying it…”

It means the struggle is real.

“What has been an Achilles heel and something we have to address is we make a mistake that proves really costly nearly every game. Really cheap turnovers—bad errors which are individual mistakes. We have a young team, but we can’t keep doing it,” Heath said.

He’s right. Orlando is young. There are several ways to build an expansion team. One is to sign a lot of older, more experienced MLS vets who know what it takes to win. They’re more likely to avoid a younger player’s missteps and inconsistency. But that sort of roster would require an overhaul sooner rather than later, and that’s not the route Heath and City GM Paul McDonough chose to follow.

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There’s MLS experience in Orlando, of course, starting with Collin, Brek Shea, Amobi Okugo and goalkeepers Donovan Ricketts and Tally Hall. But they’re surrounded by foreign newcomers and newer pros. Alongside Kaká, the league’s highest-paid player, are designated players Bryan Róchez, 20, and Carlos Rivas, 21. Of the 14 City field players who’ve appeared in at least five games, five are 21 or under and nine are 25 or younger.

“I think that we are a club that has consistently wanted to bring young players in to improve them and keep them in the club. Steven Gerrard will be a success [with LA], make no mistake. Robbie Keane, even Kaká, they’ve come for the right reasons. From our point of view, we want to bring in younger ones with Kaká and improve them here,” Heath said. “They could be with us six, seven years, or if they materialize the way we hope they’re going to, they could be assets to move on to replenish the club as we’re going on. We don’t feel as though it’s dead money. There’s money that’s been put into players we feel will make us money down the road or will stay with us and play in our team and make us better.”

That’s taking the long view, and it requires patience. And it means injuries and national team call-ups—Orlando could lose three players to the U-20 World Cup, and another trio to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Kaká is an alternate on Brazil’s Copa América squad.

Heath said the injury glut was a coincidence, but it’s forced him to improvise. In 11 MLS matches, Orlando has used nine starting lineups. Twice, Heath had to bring fewer than 18 players to a road match. In Washington, for example, he was missing the suspended Okugo, the injured Seb Hines and Tommy Redding and Conor Donovan, who was with the U-20s. And that was just on defense. Nineteen-year-old Harrison Heath, the coach’s son, started in midfield and when Collin went down, the only option was Tyler Turner, another 19-year-old who’d never played center back. The match inevitably turned.

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Heath said he thinks his team has played some good soccer. Kaká has shown flashes of brilliance and his players often move the ball well (no MLS team has suffered more fouls and City is fifth in corner kicks—both signs of threatening possession). But the manager admitted that additional savvy, or “bouncebackability”, would help.

“Hopefully we can tweak the roster a little bit moving forward over the next couple of months. It’ll probably be a couple more experienced players,” he said.

The club has been linked to Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, whose contract expires in the summer of 2016. He’s scored eight goals in 32 appearances this season for Real Madrid.

“People at our club spoke to his people and I think where that goes, obviously he [played last week] in the Champions League semifinal, so that puts in perspective what we’re talking about,” Heath said. “I don’t think there’s a team, an ambitious club in MLS, who wouldn’t be interested in talking to Chicharito. I’d put us in that mix.”

There is no questioning Orlando’s ambition. And that can buoy morale in tough times. Expansion seasons are hard. They should be hard. It wouldn’t say much for the competition if they weren’t. Heath said he embraces that reality and that he prefers the pressure. He wants the club’s fans to demand success and he wants to feel like the results matter.

“I’ll have this every day of the week,” he said.

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The key, then, is to balance that ambition with realism and patience.

Collin knows what it takes to build a champion. He joined Sporting Kansas City in 2011, when the club returned to the playoffs after a two-year absence.

The following season, SKC won the U.S. Open Cup. Then in 2013, it lifted the MLS Cup. Collin was named MVP of the final.

“Especially from Kansas City, where everything is very professional, the fans are amazing, stadium amazing, training center great, and then I came to Orlando to sign in December. The owner told me, Phil [Rawlins], ‘This is the first year. We’re making everything we can to make the best of it but it’s going to be the first year so be prepared if there are some things that are not as good as Kansas City.' But everything is better,” Collin said, lauding everything from the club's facilities to its ambition to attract players and fans from across South America and Europe.

“We’re a new team. An expansion team. But we have a lot of great talent. All the young guys, they’re a great generation. Of course, we showed our youngness in the first games, but at the end of the day we’re almost better than any team we’ve played against,” he continued. “We know what we have, what we have to focus on, and that’s it.”

GALLERY: Critiquing every MLS team's uniforms

Critiquing every MLS uniform, head to toe

New York City FC

New York City FC took some heat for its sky blue home shirt, which looks a whole lot like the one worn by parent/sister club Manchester City. But an homage was inevitable, and NYCFC has differentiated itself from MCFC, and the rest of MLS, with the white shorts and socks. It’s a sharp look. The away kit, highlighted by a flash of orange (from the city flag) at the neck and five stripes you can barely see that "represent the five boroughs of New York City," is lazy. With a blank template, NYCFC should’ve come up with something other than the mono-black already worn in D.C. and Columbus.

LA Galaxy

After several overhauls—LA wore black and teal, then teal and yellow, then yellow and green—the Galaxy’s white and blue brand has taken root. Three championships in four years certainly help. The sash on the home uniform, re-introduced in 2012, has quickly become iconic, and, along with the socks, helps make this all-white kit stand out. The new secondary set maintains the same feel as its recent predecessors. The yellow accents look sharp, but we can’t help but feel a white or yellow sash would tie the uniforms and brand together.

Chicago Fire

Of the four MLS teams with an all-red home uniform (that’s 20 percent of the league), the Fire were first. They’re the “Men in Red,” after all. But Chicago began veering away from its traditional look in 2012. First the famous white hoop became blue. Then last year, the blue expanded to the chest and shoulders. It doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t seem right, either. The new away kit is another all-white offering. But at least designers put a bit of thought into this one. The thin, light blue hoops on the shirt and socks, intended to reflect the design of the city flag, are a nice touch.

Montreal Impact

Montreal exemplifies MLS/Adidas’ fixation on tiny details rather than the impact (sorry) a uniform makes when viewed from more than three feet away, which is where most people watch a game. The new away kit features a tiny silver fleur-de-lis affixed to the back and more woven subtly into the fabric. But overall, it’s just another anonymous all-white uniform that mirrors the existing, plain blue primary set. The tragedy is that Montreal’s gorgeous blue-and-black striped alternate, which would be the only striped kit in MLS, is gathering dust. It should be the club’s primary.

D.C. United

D.C. United calls itself the “Black and Red,” but its uniform palette typically has ignored the latter. That’s been rectified with the club’s new secondary kit, which features a welcome splash of red on the traditional white jersey. The home uniform, which carries over from 2014, still looks unfinished without the white chest stripes that were dropped in 2008. If D.C. could find a way to re-introduce them, perhaps above the sponsor logo and behind the crest, it once again would boast one of the sport’s most distinctive designs.

Real Salt Lake

RSL stubbornly refuses to look great. It took a small step forward with its new secondary uniform, which now features two blue sleeves. It's too bad there isn’t even more of RSL’s beautiful claret, cobalt, and gold color scheme in the kit. The red home set carries over from 2014, making it six seasons since RSL abandoned the claret shirt, cobalt shorts/socks combo it wore when winning its only MLS title. The yellow chest stripe adds a little something extra, but RSL’s preference for an all-red kit similar to others around the league instead of a classy, one-of-a-kind look with championship pedigree is baffling.

Toronto FC

Toronto FC’s new home set could be the reddest uniform in the history of a league that loves red uniforms, which we suppose is noteworthy (guess Adidas insisted on the contrasting three stripes). Club management has focused on building a team capable of ending an eight-year playoff drought, likely leaving little time for kit design. The holdover secondary set is charcoal gray, which features in the TFC logo and is a unique uniform color in MLS. The hooped socks finish off a striking look and make us wish there was a bit more gray in the primary.

New England Revolution

ne-revolution-uniform — Courtesy of Major League Soccer

The Revs are Exhibit A for the effect a second color, even if it comes from something as mundane as a plain pair of shorts, has on a club’s brand. Long a believer in boring, N.E. last year overhauled its home blues with white shorts and hooped socks. It’s a classy yet instantly recognizable look. The image shake-up continued Tuesday with a new secondary kit inspired by the regional flag flown during the American Revolution. The red-and-white set is clunky and geometric, but it’s different, daring and local. Better to take a chance than look dull and anonymous.

Philadelphia Union

The Union got it right in 2010. The inaugural navy kit with the gold center stripe, reflecting the Philadelphia flag, was iconic. The gold-and-blue away set, a reversal of the primary, was one-of-a-kind. The holdover home uniform still looks great, although the sponsor’s logo wrecks the balance. But the new secondary is a disaster, a needless departure from the brand and an 10th all-white MLS kit. Once innovators, the Union are now followers. The “WE ARE ONE” collar slogan, the tiny snake below the neckline and the embossed stars on the front are lost in a sea of white.

Vancouver Whitecaps

The Vancouver Whitecaps new primary uniform is meant to be experienced up close. It’s slogan heavy. “Our All. Our Honour.” appears inside the neck and on the hip. “SINCE 1974” is on the back. The thin, diagonal pinstripes that featured on the previous home kit have been replaced by light blue shading designed to represent Vancouver’s water and mountains. It’s all a bit too subtle. The shirt will look nice with jeans, but in the end, Vancouver’s all-white kit—and the holdover mono-navy secondary—simply blends in.

Portland Timbers

Portland quietly switched crests, from a logo featuring its name to a simpler version focusing on the axe and chevrons (the old logo lives on elsewhere). Few teams wear a badge with no writing, but the Timbers can because they’ve built such a powerful brand. Only they could wear the new home set, a bold green-and-white offering anchored by the chevrons. They're a bit wide, and the yellow below the collar clutters the shirt, but it's impressive overall. The road kit, released in 2014, is everything a good one should be: distinctive, perhaps edgy, yet connected to the club. In this case, Rose City red.

Columbus Crew

The Crew released new home and away sets featuring the club’s revamped logo, a roundel that looks nice enough but makes sense only with a cheat sheet. The explanations (the ‘O’ for Ohio, the founding year, the checkerboard pattern found in flags waived by fans) certainly tie the club to Columbus more than the goofy construction workers did. As the Crew forge ahead, they’ll stay true to their sartorial tradition. The all-yellow primary is simple but elegant, and certainly recognizable. The mono black secondary could use a bit of flourish–why so subtle with the checkers? But it works and shouldn't be needed that often, anyway.

Orlando City SC

Orlando-city-uniform — Courtesy of Major League Soccer

The Lions’ love for purple is welcome in a league featuring so many similar looks. But it didn't result in creative inaugural kits. The home uniform features more up-close details, like “jacquard engineered banding…representing Orlando City’s transition to a new era” and even the club's old USL logo inside. The mono-white secondary has colored hoops on the waist and sleeves and includes more small symbols and slogans. But it’s still just another white set. The answer is obvious—swap the socks. The “Chelsea” look is underrated. White hosiery at home and purple on the road would make all the difference.

New York Red Bulls

The Red Bulls have company in New York so have set out to reinforce their tenuous connection to the market within the constraints of the club’s corporate brand. The only white-red-white team in the league, RBNY now must compete with NYCFC’s pale blue. The Red Bulls’ new home set doubles down on that contrast with red sleeves and “NEW YORK” emblazoned on the shirt’s lower left in a manner “mimicking the iconic New York skyline.” The “EST.1996” on the back collar reminds fans who was there (or nearby) first. The holdover secondary definitely is unique and is great in reasonable doses.

Houston Dynamo

Houston’s club motto is “Forever Orange,” and while that remains the cornerstone of the brand, the Dynamo typically add a wrinkle here and there to ensure we’re not beaten over the head with it. The new home uniform is a great example. The white shorts and checkered fade on the jersey add the right amount of contrast. On occasion, the Dynamo have worn monochrome both home and away. But there’s no need to do so, especially on the road. The balance in the primary kit and the immediately identifiable orange shorts with the secondary set showcase the Dynamo at their best.

Sporting Kansas City

Sporting-kc-uniform — Courtesy of Major League Soccer

From irrelevant to trendsetting, SKC has profited from one of the most successful sports rebrands in recent history. The club now must share light blue with NYCFC, but Sporting still stands out. The new home set is a departure form the bicolor “state line” uniform of 2013-14 and is anchored by a “fashion-forward window pane pattern” that’s almost as preppy as the recent argyle alternate kit. The secondary uniform is stunning. The hoops, which mirror the stripes on the club crest, highlight one of the most eye-catching sets in MLS history. It’ll be tough to see it go after this season.

FC Dallas

FCD’s kits are an example of a good idea, poorly executed. The club made an inspired decision to go with hoops when rebranding in 2005, but the jerseys always let them down. Unnecessary seams, plackets and panels always ruined the shirt. Dallas gave up last year and went with a boring all-red primary. But it stuck with the hoops on the new blue-and-white secondary, where the side panels and sleeves still disrupt the flow. Both blue and white shorts are an option. Our 2016 ideal: a primary jersey with seamless, sleek red and blue hoops. Unique and colorful, but less jarring. Make it happen.

Colorado Rapids

Another club that’s bounced from brand to brand (green-and-white, blue-and-black), the Rapids have settled in nicely with the unique but elegant burgundy-shirt, white-shorts combo. The sleeves, which mirror those worn by sister club Arsenal, add a subtle touch of flair. The new away uniform is a prime example of how a secondary kit can be tasteful and connect to a club’s brand. Last season’s mono blue state-flag set has evolved into a sharp gold-and-blue kit that maintains Colorado's colors and stands out from the crowd. We’re not fans of recolored badges—logos should be sacrosanct—but overall it’s a winner.

Seattle Sounders

The club that brought us rave green, cascade shale, super cyan and electricity has succumbed to the all-white virus. Seattle is one of five MLS clubs to adopt the look this season, ensuring half the league now embraces the white-out copout. The Sounders new away kit is especially devoid of any personality—a surprising choice for a club that has much of it. The new home set features a less cluttered shirt than in seasons past. It’s a template, but it’s a step up. The uniform also features blue shorts and socks for the first time. Here’s hoping we see it as often as possible.

San Jose Earthquakes

"Earthquakes" is an appropriate moniker for a club that’s experienced so much upheaval. While the new Avaya Stadium offers stability, the brand remains in flux. SJ’s '14 overhaul produced a beautiful blue-and-black primary kit that’s already a modern classic. But the logo, awkwardly anchored by “Quakes”—a nickname of a nickname—lacks gravitas. We liked the re-introduction of the NASL-era red, which inspired last year’s away kit. That’s been replaced by a new white secondary set (yes, another one). It lacks the creativity, individuality and ambition that should be associated with a Bay Area club on the rise.