Powers, Lions push to improve

ORLANDO CITY AT PORTLAND TIMBERS, SUNDAY, 8 P.M., FOX SPORTS 1

Orlando City midfielder Dillon Powers is trying to learn as much as he can every day.

Powers was traded from the Colorado Rapids to the Lions on Aug. 10 and has been working to adapt to a team constantly being adjusted because of injuries, disciplinary suspensions and a push to do whatever it takes to start winning more games.

He took a step forward when he earned a start in a new role and delivered steady play during Orlando City’s 3-3 draw with Atlanta United Saturday.

“I always knew it was going to be a process, just getting to know the ways of the team,” Powers said. “Getting to know the guys and the ins and outs of how they do things.

“But it has been nice to get some minutes and really just try to keep building. So I thought the last performance was a hard-fought road battle for us. A lot of teams would take that result going in, but we wanted to win the game. We didn’t get the points we wanted, but it’s something to build on, for sure.”

With several players out due to a range of issues, Orlando City coach Jason Kreis asked Powers to take on a defensive midfield role.

Powers was happy to get quality game minutes, but it required intense focus playing in a new defensive midfield spot.

“In that more defensive midfield role, it was kind of an experiment for me,” he said. “For not being too familiar with the role, I was happy enough with the performance. I think there’s a long way to go in the position, but I think it was something to build on just like the team result.”

While he’s eager to help Orlando City in any way, Powers acknowledged such movement can come at a price.

“It is important to have some flexibility in the lineup. It really helps the team. But it is a challenge when you don’t have that continuity,” he said. “You can’t make excuses. You have to find ways to win games and be ready. It’s the next man up.”

Orlando City is now closer to full strength, aside from Will Johnson serving a suspension while he faces a battery charge in connection with a domestic violence incident.

The Lions brought energy to the training field before flying to Portland Thursday ahead of the team’s road match against the Timbers Sunday.

Portland (12-10-8, 44 points) is in second place in the Western Conference table and a formidable foe, but Orlando City’s (9-12-8, 35 points) emphasis remains earning wins.

“There’s definitely been progress made,” Orlando City defender Scott Sutter said. “It’s not easy when you’ve had a bad run of games. I felt we put in some good performances when we weren’t winning games and we weren’t that far off.

“… Now we’re just trying to turn more of those into wins.”

Powers said he joined a team that is clearly talented and still fighting to deliver positive results.

“I think the last two games, we showed a lot of grit, a lot of resilience,” he said.”That’s what we’re going to need against Portland. They’re just like Atlanta and are a team that creates a lot of scoring opportunities. We need to be focused and we need to be ready. They’re very good, but like every team, they’re not without weakness.”

The Lions’ playoff hopes are slim at best, but the postseason odds don’t seem to have adversely impacted players’ approach to their work.

“The group has by no means given up,” Powers said. “We’re all competitors. We all still believe in ourselves. We’re just working to get better.”