ORLANDO – Orlando City SC are heading into perhaps their biggest match of their inaugural season since their season-opening debut in front of more than 62,000 fans at the Citrus Bowl, and at a very good time.
The Lions are in their best form of the season – with two wins and two draws in their last four games – as they welcome to town league pace setters D.C. United for a Sunday match with major implications at the top end of the Eastern Conference table (7 pm ET, FOX Sports 1). A result against D.C. would mean Orlando are well on their way to competing for a spot in the postseason.
“Yes, now more than ever I think this is a playoff team,” Orlando star attacker Kaká said. “We are playing good, we have established an identity and this team can arrive in the playoffs.”
Orlando have already lost twice to the runaway Eastern Conference leaders – both by one-goal margins – but Kaká was in no mood to back down from his major preseason ambition to make the Lions title contenders.
“Last week’s win [at Chicago] was a big step for us,” he said. “We are happy now because the team is more consistent. We have gone four games without losing, so this shows that the team is going the right way. Now we know what is going to happen with the next step.
“For sure, Sunday is now a big game for us. I don’t know if we are going to win, but I do know we are going to put in a good game.”
The former AC Milan and Real Madrid star is also counting on Orlando’s familiarity with United from the two previous encounters paying off the third time around.
“It is good because we know already how they play,” Kaká said. “Every game is different, and I’m sure that will be the case on Sunday. And we hope the outcome will be different, too. But we do have some experience with D.C. United, and we just have to make sure we work on some of the details that cost us the game last time.”
Orlando’s depth will be challenged once more this weekend as they are without in-form striker Cyle Larin – who scored on his World Cup qualifying debut for Canada in a 2-0 win in Dominica on Thursday night – while Brek Shea will only rejoin the squad on Saturday after completing his return with the US national team from their two-game European tour.
Head coach Adrian Heath will evaluate Shea’s readiness for the United challenge and then decide if he will continue in his new-found role on the left side of midfield or if Carlos Rivas should get the start.
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El Salvador’s Darwin Ceren is also away on World Cup qualifying duty, and Amobi Okugo will step in for him alongside Cristian Higuita in the defensive midfield role. The only other question for Heath is at center back, with Seb Hines pushing for a return alongside Aurelien Collin after losing his place to Sean St Ledger at Chicago.
Fit-again Pedro Ribeiro will get the start in place of Larin, while City also have Designated Player Bryan Rochez back again after his spell in the U-20 World Cup with Honduras.
“Pedro is in good nick and looks like he is ready to go,” Heath confirmed. “But it’s also good to have Bryan back again. With Carlos also showing well recently, we certainly have some options.”
