How would you
Orlando City coach seeks solutions for team’s fatigue
define Orlando City’s play? Coach Jason Kreis acknowledges it’s all over the place — superior one game and then dismal the next.
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — A determined draw against the league’s reigning champion was followed by one of the worst defeats of the season.
A disheartening U.S. Open Cup loss to a secondtier team came right after grabbing four points in two games.
Orlando City’s performances have been all over the place recently, and coach Jason Kreis could only describe his team one way after a 4-0 loss Saturday night in Chicago.
“If I were to surmise our team right now, I think we’re schizophrenic,” Kreis said. “I think there’s games where we play really well and there’s games where you’re not sure who that team is out there.
“We’ve obviously had a few really poor performances where we’ve been shellacked. What remains constant in those performances, to me, is the lack of energy, the lack of running. It’s a very difficult game to play if you just don’t have the legs to run. This is an area that obviously we need to address.”
There is another pattern in those horrible losses, too: they tend to come the weekend after a mid-week match.
The Lions’ record for Wednesday MLS matches is
1-1-2. Their record for matches coming the weekend after a Wednesday night game, including the one that came after that midweek Open Cup loss, is 0-3-2.
Those three losses are also the worst defeats of the season: 4-0 in Houston on May 6; 3-0 May 21 to New York City FC, which was the Lions’ first loss at home; and 4-0 Saturday on the road against Chicago.
The latter was preceded by a Wednesday trip to Seattle, which included some last-minute travel changes.
Coaches and players lament the league’s scheduling and travel — teams fly commercial most of the time and frequently encounter long delays or layover issues — and regularly lobby for change, a point Kreis reiterated Saturday night.
“We’re changing time zones twice, you’re going three time zones there and going two time zones back — all these things have effects on bodies,” Kreis said.
“And, it is about time the league starts to pay attention to how they schedule teams because they put us at a competitive disadvantage. This is the second time against the same team that we’ve had to play them with three days rest where they get to come into the game entirely fresh.”
That pattern doesn’t hold for all teams, however. NYCFC came off a Wednesday night loss in Salt Lake City when it handed the Lions that beating.
The three teams above Orlando City in the Eastern Conference rankings, NYCFC, Chicago and No. 1 Toronto FC, all have winning records for games played the weekend after a midweek match.
However, Western Conference leader Sporting Kansas City struggles like Orlando City, with a 0-2-1 record in those situations.
“That’s the way it works in this league,” Lions midfielder Richie Laryea said of the scheduling. “I can’t really comment on that, but I feel like we came in with the right mentality. Maybe it was just the legs.”
Orlando City (7-6-5, 26 points) now has just one win in its past 11 MLS games. The Lions still are near the top of the table despite recent results, but they will need to find answers quickly to stay there.
The summer transfer window is rapidly approaching, opening July 10, and Kreis said the club does feel it needs to strengthen the group and “will look to do that.”
In the meantime, he hopes the stronger version of the Orlando City lineup comes out to play in their road trip to Real Salt Lake Friday.
Laryea’s debut
After developing mostly with Orlando City B since his 2016 signing, Laryea finally made his MLS debut Saturday night in the Lions’ staggering loss to Chicago.
“It feels good,” Laryea, 22, said despite the negative result. “Obviously it’s good to get minutes out there, it’s one of many more chances to come.”
With OCB, he has nine appearances for 729 minutes. He’s also scored three goals and has an assist for the United Soccer League side.
Laryea found out the morning of Orlando City’s game that he was going to be in the 18-man roster and said the coaching staff told him to “be ready.”
He subbed on for team captain Kaká and played 26 minutes.
“I was thankful and grateful for the opportunity,” he said.