ORLANDO – It could probably be said that Adrian Heath was facing the biggest challenge of his career.
Transitioning Orlando City SC from USL to MLS translated into just one win in their first six games and a bit of soul searching over the team’s identity and lack of goals. It was uncharted waters for a coach who has had no shortage of successes in the past – three USL regular-season table-topping performances, two championships in four seasons and a run to the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup.
But now, as he looks back over the first 16 games of his MLS coaching career, Heath is once again treading on familiar ground.
Heath’s men have emerged with solid postseason credentials on the back of a six-game unbeaten run – three league wins after besting Eastern Conference-leading D.C. United last weekend, two draws and a US Open Cup victory on penalties – to gain some serious momentum as they bid to keep the streak going at the Montreal Impact on Saturday (8 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
“The one thing that makes the difference is wins,” Heath explained. “The players start to believe more and more of what you are telling them when you win. They buy into the philosophy, and they want to keep it going.
“One of the things we have stopped doing is shooting ourselves in the foot, which we’ve done numerous times. Every time we made a mistake, it seems we got punished for it. Recently, when we do make a mistake, we’re getting away with it. Sometimes that’s more luck than judgment, but I like to think it’s called coaching.”
Heath echoed comments from his expansion counterpart, New York City’s Jason Kreis, about the challenges of being a head coach of a first-year team in today’s ultra-competitive MLS.
“We’ve heard Jason say it already, and it’s absolutely true,” Heath said. “It is harder than people think, getting everybody on the same page in such a short period of time and getting them to know their responsibilities and roles in the team set-up.
“It takes time for 23 players to gel, but that’s what we’re seeing now. The team’s growing in front of our eyes. Is it perfect? No, not by any means, but we have come a long way in the last five to six weeks, and the players are keen to keep it going.”
At the start, it was baptism by fire for Heath.
It took six attempts to chalk up the team’s first home win, despite some of the most fervent support in the league; there was an early season injury epidemic that included losing influential midfielder Kevin Molino for the year, and there have been red cards for Aurelien Collin, Rafael Ramos and Brek Shea.
Yet through all the trials and tribulations, the former Everton and Stoke City star has stuck by his soccer philosophy of maintaining possession and pressing the opposition in their half of the field. He has produced game-winning performances from other teams’ castoffs – notably Pedro Ribeiro, Eric Avila and Lewis Neal – and encouraged his younger players to express themselves.
Each of Ramos, Cristian Higuita, Darwin Ceren and Cyle Larin have caught the eye more than once, and, while there are still likely to be setbacks and missteps this season, Heath is delighted for his players as much as anything.
“I see the work they put in on a daily basis,” he said. “This is a dedicated, hard-working bunch who are keenly supportive of each other. When one guy does well, everybody else is pleased for him, and there are no egos in this squad.
“They know what it takes to get into the team, and everyone is dedicated to that aim. Even someone like Kaká takes nothing for granted. He puts in the same shift in training that everyone else does, and on the pitch, he is a dream. No one works harder, and he has taken more and more upon himself as the season has gone on.”
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In many ways, the big-name Brazilian has been Orlando’s on-field coach, making it his job to find ways to unlock defenses and leading the way with seven goals, four from the penalty spot.
“I think we’re still getting to know more about Kaká,” Heath said. “We’re learning what he’s capable of and, suddenly, the chemistry within the group is getting a lot, lot better. They’re really getting to know each other.”
With Kaká, Larin, Ceren and Shea back in the lineup for Montreal, Heath can finally feel confident his team is capable of fulfilling its preseason mission to reach the playoffs, something veteran midfielder Neal can confirm.
“We’re slowly getting in that direction,” Neal said. “Last week’s win over D.C. United was a bit of a statement that we are a genuine playoff contending team, and we firmly believe that.”
