ORLANDO – Major League Soccer is drawing stars from around the globe, but there’s still only one man with international sway to the tune of 20 million Twitter followers: Orlando City SC’s Ricardo Kaka.
The Lions were all business during their first-ever MLS training session on Friday, but a few players still admitted to being a bit awestruck at playing next to the Brazilian. After all, many on the young Orlando side were barely teenagers when the Brazilian won the Ballon d’Or in 2007.
“It’s an unreal experience,” midfielder Harrison Heath, head coach Adrian Heath’s 18-year-old son, said. “We’ve known he was at the club for a long time, but then you get out there today and you turn around and Kaka’s behind you. It’s kind of mind-blowing that he’s there, and you’re training with him.”
The closest most of squad had previously been to the World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner was via a video game.
“He was on the cover when I first started playing FIFA,” USA Under-20 defender Tommy Redding said. “He was the player you played with in the [practice] arena.”
Meanwhile, the man who’ll track and harry as one of two anchors behind the Brazilian, former Philadelphia Union midfielder Amobi Okugo, was more focused on how his new teammate could help him improve his game.
Out of contract with the Union this offseason, Okugo flirted with his own move to Europe, but committed his future to the Lions after arriving via trade. The Orlando City hard sell to the 23-year-old? You can take a leap forward in your career right here, taking crib notes from Kaka along the way.
“He’s played with some of the best defensive midfielders, like [Gennaro] Gattuso, Xabi Alonso and Andrea Pirlo,” Okugo said. “It’s intimidating, but it’s a blessing to play with someone of his caliber. I’m hoping to learn a lot.”
And while intimidation gradually transitioned to excitement on the training pitch, at least one of the MLS veterans managed to poke a little fun at the hype surrounding their new teammate.
“I was joking with Danny Mwanga,” Tony Cascio said. “‘Kaka passed me that ball; that’s crazy!’”
“It’s pretty surreal,” he added. “At the same time, we’ve got to not be in too much shock and just play and have fun. That’s why we’re here.”
