As Orlando City
Lions focus on finishing and new player
welcomes Dom Dwyer to the organization, it also has its sights set on Saturday’s rematch with Atlanta United.
Orlando City coach Jason Kreis wanted his players to feel themselves rifling shots at goal and to see balls splash into the back of the net.
So, the Lions worked heavily on finishing during Thursday’s training session as they welcomed a new player into the group for the first time and prepared for a rematch against Atlanta.
“Good, fresh,” Kreis said after training when asked how the guys looked.
He’s hoping they’ll get a boost of motivation, energy and competitive spirit with the addition of striker Dom Dwyer. There’s something about a mid-season acquisition — especially one that broke a league record with up to $1.6 million of allocation money heading to Sporting Kansas City — that can light up a locker room.
“Often times it does two things, it just raises the energy level of the group because you've got a guy who’s super, super happy to be here — that’s pretty evident — but then it raises the level of competition so the players know they better give everything they have and be on their best performances if they want to play,” Kreis said, speaking about the trade for the first time since its completion Tuesday. “What it’s really done is brought another headache to the coaching staff, which is what we need honestly.”
What he means is figuring out the lineup moving forward. Most of the year, Orlando City has operated in a 4-4-2 formation with Cyle Larin and Carlos Rivas up top. If either missed a match, Giles Barnes or Kaká filled the gap.
Dwyer will be available and likely will start Saturday’s game in Atlanta at Bobby Dodd Stadium. To paraphrase Orlando City CEO Alex Leitão: the club paid a lot for Dwyer, he’s an All-Star, a United States men’s national team player and a goal scorer — he's expected to play.
“I think the transition will be no problem for him whatsoever, and he’ll definitely bring something to us,” said defender Scott Sutter, who met Dwyer for the first time at breakfast with the team Thursday morning. “He’s raring to go, so I think we can look forward to a lot of good things from him.”
The easiest solution for this match since Dwyer will train just two days would be to plug him in next to Cyle Larin, the team’s goals leader, and have Rivas serve as a substitute. Then, the coaching staff could work on other options when there’s more time. Kreis seemed to suggest that is a likely scenario but also mentioned other possibilities.
“He’s a striker, so it will be one of the two spots up top,” Kreis said, pausing briefly before continuing, “If we play with two strikers. We may play with three. But, if we consider we're playing with two strikers, he’ll be one of the players considered. If we play with one, hot striker, he’d be one of the players considered for that role.”
With Kansas City, Dwyer played in a one-striker system, but Kreis noted that SKC also played their wingers very high, so at times it looked like the team had three up top.
“He hasn’t lacked for support or lacked for a combination of players around him, so I think it will be a pretty seamless fit,” Kreis said. “There's been a relationship established between Carlos and Cyle, which I think will look like a different relationship than it would between Dom and Cyle because Carlos does some different things than Dom would do, takes up some different spaces and causes some different questions of defenders. So, this would be a new look for us — if that’s the way we choose to go. We may choose to go with Dom and Carlos, um, or we may choose to continue on with how it’s been.”
Based on the team’s recent performances, the buzz around Dwyer’s arrival and how much the club gave up to get him, that last option seems unlikely.
Former Orlando City player Miguel Gallardo, who was a goalkeeper for the team during its USL days and was part of the 2011 and 2013 championship squads, is heading back to the soccer pitch — indoors. Gallardo now works for the club as part of the broadcast team, and this offseason he’ll join the Florida Tropics of the Major Arena Soccer League, according to a statement released by the league Thursday.
The MASL features 17 teams across the United States and Mexico. According to the release, Gallardo and former North American Soccer League player Rafael Alves will join the team for its second season, which kicks off in November, pending league approval and visa approval for Brazilian Alves.