Lions toy with changing lineups
Answering a simple question — “Who are Orlando City's starting forwards?” — hasn’t been so simple the past couple of months.
A variety of combinations come to mind:
There was and
before entered the mix. Then, Larin and Dwyer, but sometimes Dwyer and Rivas. and have been thrown in there at times, too.
Add in the No. 10 position and it gets even more complicated.
The obvious answer is Kaká, but he sometimes is on the left side of the midfielder and
takes the central role, or, like last week, on the bench with Barnes starting.
Coach said he wanted to see one particular trio — Barnes, 29, as a No. 10 behind strikers Larin, 22, and Dwyer, 27 — play together Saturday against D.C. United, and he liked the energy and athleticism they brought. So did Barnes. “I think it went well,” Barnes said after training Wednesday. “The more we play together, everyone can see that it’s kind of coming to fruition. We’ve got a couple weeks of training together. … We’re all players that like to get forward and score goals, so it worked. Hopefully it goes the same again this weekend.”
The Lions travel to Atlanta for a 4 p.m. match Saturday, and it is likely Barnes will get his wish because Kaká is suspended due to yellow-card accumulation.
He wants to see his relationship with Larin and Dwyer grow in one way: more goals.
Barnes scored his third goal of the year in the 28th minute against D.C. and Dwyer assisted on a Larin goal in the 18th minute of the 2-1 victory.
“I’ve said many times that’s my preferred role; I think I play best there,” Barnes said. “I think stats prove I play best there as well, but ya know, when you've got one of the best players in the world to play in that position as well, it’s a tough one. So you just have to learn from him.
“Everyone is hungry: hungry to score goals, hungry to try to make the team better.” COMMENTARY
The difference between Barnes and Kaká — also known as Ricky — playing in that position is vast, according to Orlando City assistant coach
The technical staff wanted to see Barnes there because of the way he can run out of the pocket into spaces, Joseph said, something that has become necessary with how high opponents are playing their outside backs.
“So when you have three guys who can burst into those spaces, it helps stretch those centerbacks apart and gives you a little more fluidity,” Joseph explained. “I think when Ricky is on the field, he draws a lot of attention, so it gives us just a different look because defenders will go and be attracted to him and then you can easily find somebody else. The key to that is when they are going to Ricky that we’re able to play out of that quickly and find the other spaces.”
Orlando City’s captain took off to Brazil after the D.C. United match to be with his young son, who is undergoing a minor surgery.
Details of the surgery were not disclosed, but a spokesman for the club said it is not life-threatening. Orlando City decided to appeal red card, earned during stoppage time of the Lions’ 2-1 win against D.C. United over the weekend, but the MLS disciplinary committee rejected the appeal.
The official handed out the red card after United’s
held Hines from behind. Hines tried unsuccessfully to fight his way free before throwing Sam to the ground and ending his 2017 debut.
“When someone holds onto you for that long, you want to get them off,” Hines told the Sentinel after training Wednesday. “So I tolerated as much as I could and I just wanted to get him off my back. What the ref saw and how I felt were two different things.
“We have to accept it and move on. The club has stood by me and they made the appeal. The ref obviously saw it a different way from everyone around us, but you have to take it on the chin and move on.”
The league’s Independent Panel — a representative from the United States Soccer Federation, the Canadian Soccer Association and the Professional Referee Organization — rejected the club’s appeal, so Hines will serve his one-game suspension when the team travels to Atlanta United on Saturday.
MLS teams are allowed two unsuccessful appeals per year. Orlando City now has one remaining.
The league also issued an additional fine to Hines for failing to exit the field in a timely manner. After the call, Hines and other Orlando City players argued with the referee.
The disciplinary committee also issued fines to Orlando City, D.C. United and both coaches for violating the league's mass confrontation policy during extra time.