Just call it the tie heard round the world. Brazilian star Kaká made an instant impression on the league in Sunday’s dramatic 1-1 finish with New York City FC, but it turns out there was just as much notice being taken elsewhere.
Orlando City’s big-name Designated Player was an instant hit with his late, late equalizer, and the reactions came in thick and fast on his special day from as far afield as Brazil and Europe.
“I had a lot of messages straight after the game, from family and friends everywhere,” Kaká explained during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “And a lot of them were very surprised by the atmosphere. They had just had a big game with Sao Paulo, but it was just 18,000 people. That’s big in Brazil, so for us to have 60,000, a lot of people wanted to ask what it was like.
“I had a lot of questions about that and I just said, ‘It was amazing, unbelievable’. But, for me, being part of an expansion team is different from anywhere else I have played. It is new but it is a big motivation for me.”
The team are slowly coming back to earth following a momentous debut and, after being the main focus of the offense last weekend, the Brazilian expects more from his teammates as they head to Houston on Friday (7 pm ET, UniMas, UDN, UnivisionDeportes.com).
His five shots – two on target – led the way in the battle of the expansion teams but Orlando striker Carlos Rivas also managed five attempts, and there will now be increasing focus on bringing other players into the offensive mix.
“Now we have some expectations after this first game,” Kaká explained. “We are working to get a better connection [with our attacking play] every day, every training session and I am sure the first win will arrive if we don’t put too much pressure on ourselves. With our team, we expect everybody can help to score, and I think we will see more from the players we have. This team is capable of scoring goals; even the defenders can score here.”
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Kaká admitted there had been nerves, excitement and even distractions in the build-up to the team’s first outing, heightened by the massive home crowd and international interest in the game.
“Sunday was very emotional,” he confirmed. “Now we just focus on what we have been doing in training during the week. My connection [in midfield] with Kevin Molino is getting better every day. He is a smart guy and can do a lot of things on the field, and I think we can work well and do a lot of good things together.”
