ORLANDO – Head coach Adrian Heath called it “validation.” Veteran midfielder Lewis Neal insisted it was “massive.” Teammate Luke Boden added that it was proof they were coming together as a unit. Brazilian star Kaká? He simply said it was “a big step.”
Orlando City SC extended their unbeaten streak to five games on Sunday, winning their second straight match by beating Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United 1-0 at the Citrus Bowl. The win propelled Orlando – which had been in eighth as recently as four weeks ago – into third in the East, trailing only United and the New England Revolution for conference supremacy.
Match-winner Kaká – who had his penalty kick saved by D.C.’s Bill Hamid before he headed home the rebound for his seventh goal of the year – was quick to highlight the significance of a result that evened Orlando’s inaugural season record to 5-5-5.
“It was a big step for us tonight,” he said. “We spoke this week about how important this game was for us in terms of our development and it was a great win.
“Maybe it was a little bit lucky on the goal as Bill Hamid beat me for the penalty kick but the ball bounced up nicely for me. But the important thing was how we could be focused at the end of the game. We stayed concentrated and we didn’t make key mistakes. It was a big step for the team.”
Heath was delighted with the way his team closed out a tight game against a tough opponent that had already beaten Orlando twice this year.
“I keep saying that this is what we are working for,” he said. “The players are getting to know each other better and the camaraderie is getting better by the minute.
“It’s hard to bring 23 players together and expect them to jell but it’s what we are seeing now. It shows how far we have come as a group. The lads dug in and put their bodies on the line and I am very pleased for them.”
Just as importantly, Heath believes Orlando are now gaining real momentum as they build towards their ambition of making the playoffs in their first year in MLS.
“We want to keep progressing now,” he said. “The players are holding each other accountable and there is a real desire to keep this run going. Lewis Neal was fantastic tonight in a central midfield role and I thought he gave us that edge in experience we might not have had before.
“It was definitely validation and an important step against an experienced team at the top of the league. There was a bit of pressure tonight because we wanted to maintain this run. We’ve given a good account of ourselves and now we want to keep it going, both in the US Open Cup in midweek and against Montreal next weekend.”
Neal was the surprise trump card in his central role instead of on the left, and helped key a dominant midfield performance alongside Cristian Higuita, Brek Shea and Eric Avila.
“It was a massive win,” Neal said. “If I am honest, we probably played them better last time but didn’t take our chances, but we got the small details right tonight and they were so important.
“It is important now that we go another five games without losing because a couple of defeats can bring you right back down in this league. But we are certainly going in the right direction. We are not the finished product yet, but we are slowly getting there and tonight was a statement that we are a genuine playoff-contending team.”
