ORLANDO, Fla. – Adrian Heath has spent much of his first 11 weeks as an MLS head coach in repair mode, patching up his starting lineup from a series of injuries that have bordered on epidemic proportions, so it’s only fair he can now start to enjoy the other side of the equation as he prepares for Saturday’s clash with Columbus (7:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
The Orlando City SC head coach still has four of his squad away on international duty, three more out injured (including long-term victim Kevin Molino) and Brek Shea suspended following his red card at San Joes last Sunday, but he can finally relish the lifeblood of a coach’s decision-making: competition.
With Pedro Ribeiro, Lewis Neal and Aurelien Collin all back in training, Martin Paterson buzzing around the training ground with all the pent-up energy of a striker who’s sat out the first nine weeks of the campaign, and Carlos Rivas eager to make up for Shea’s absence, there is a fresh atmosphere of energy and eagerness around Heath’s squad.
And the coach is hoping that new-found competitive air will keep City’s recent revival on course against the team that is most set up to stop them—the identical 4-2-3-1 formation of the Crew.
“I think John Wooden said that a coach’s best friend is the substitute’s bench,” Heath observed. “And that’s what we’re starting to get here now. Players want to play, and having some competition is the best incentive to geeing everyone up.
“My old [Everton] boss Howard Kendall always used to say that he never dropped players but players drop themselves. If you don’t put in the work every day in training, then there’s someone who’s going to outwork you.”
Collin has shaken off the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the past two games, but may not be ready to go straight back into action with Seb Hines and Sean St. Ledger holding down the central defensive duties so well in his absence, but equally they know they cannot afford any let-down with the Frenchman waiting in the wings.
By the same token, main striker Cyle Larin is aware he has both Paterson and Ribeiro breathing down his neck, while Amobi Okugo and Neal are stoking up the competition in midfield.
“The most important thing for us is that we are getting a few experienced players back as well,” Heath added. “There is nothing worse than complacency but what we are now building up is the ideal scenario in that we have plenty of reason not to get complacent. It’s all up to the players themselves.”
While Heath is counting on the training ground dynamism transferring to the Citrus Bowl, he also knows he has to solve the tactical conundrum that Columbus present, especially after his team’s miserable 3-0 defeat at the MAPFRE Stadium on April 18, when they had Rafael Ramos sent off and looked like an expansion outfit for the first time this season.
“We are tweaking things a little bit for Saturday,” the head coach admitted. “Obviously the first thing is don’t make the silly mistakes around your own penalty area that proved costly last time, but if we can stop their supply line at source, that definitely helps.
“Columbus present a unique challenge because their set-up is the most like ours and they are the best pure footballing team in MLS to my mind. They are one of the few clubs I think has a real identity about the way they play, and we have to find a way around that.”
