The Orlando Pride
Orlando City clings to slim playoff hopes
can continue to build momentum toward a NWSL playoff appearance by beating the Boston Breakers today for their fifth straight win.
The gap between Orlando City and the bottom of the Eastern Conference is now almost as narrow as the club’s playoff chances.
There are only two teams below the Lions (8-11-7, 31 points) in the standings, and Orlando City will face one of them at Gillette Stadium at 7 tonight when the New England Revolution (8-12-5, 29 points) also will fight to stay alive as a postseason long shot.
“I think we’re both missing some players, right?” Lions coach Jason Kreis said a couple days before the match. “And so we go into this game, put our best foot forward, be-
lieve in all of our players and we see what happens. I think it’s going to be an interesting game. Both teams are basically do-ordie, I think.”
More so for Orlando City because the Revolution have a game in hand.
Knee injuries will keep Orlando centerback Jonathan Spector and New England midfielder Kelyn Rowe, who is tied for second on the team in assists with seven, out of the competition.
This match originally was scheduled in March but moved due to weather and it falls during an international window, so both teams will be missing significant players.
Orlando City is without leading scorer Cyle Larin and creative force Yoshimar Yotún, with Canada and Peru, respectively. New England is down two defenders, Je-Vaughn Watson of Jamaica and Antonio Delamea of Slovenia.
Kreis said there is no frustration over the timing of the game. He thinks the Lions are in a rhythm despite a seven-game winless streak and it’s beneficial to keep playing rather than have a week off like most other teams.
The game also kicks off a four-game road trip. Orlando City is 2-7-3 away from home this season. Conversely, New England is 8-2-2 at home.
“We need to, as I’ve been saying now for several weeks, we need to remove this feeling of this many games in a row, this many number on the road, this many games left, this many points left,” Kreis said. “For us now, it’s about this game in front of us and we need to do everything we can to take all three points.”
Without Larin, Kreis has the option of starting Dom Dwyer and Carlos Rivas up top as he did in last week’s 2-1 loss to Vancouver. He also said Giles Barnes is in the discussion for one of those roles.
Rivas said it doesn’t matter who starts there, they all feel comfortable playing alongside each other.
Orlando City’s issues this year largely stem from individual mistakes at the wrong moments. For Rivas, it’s been about holding onto the ball and making better shot choices. Known for his speed and power, Rivas is second on the team in goals scored with five, but he often struggles to control that power in matches and sends balls sailing into the stands.
“I try to shoot it on goal all the time,” Rivas said through a translator. “I work hard to try to make sure that I hit the goal as much as I can.
“We work really hard in training and during games to get the three points, but sometimes in games we make mistakes. We try to learn from them and hopefully we can stop making them so we can get results.”
Multiple players who have spent the majority of the season with Orlando City B also trained all week with the Lions and could get an opportunity to be part of the 18-man roster.
“For the boys who haven’t been playing and are working hard, this is their chance to go out there and stake their claim of being in the starting 11,” Barnes said. “We need points, so everyone has got to have a bit between their teeth and go out there and show exactly what we’re made of.”