Throughout his NBA career,
Magic reserve point guard Shelvin Mack has been regarded as a player who has earned everything he has accomplished.
Cyle Larin was absent as Orlando City opened training camp Monday, continuing his push to play overseas rather than with the Lions during the 2018 season.
“First and foremost, Cyle is a contracted [Orlando City] player. He was supposed to be here. Whether or not there will be repercussions for not being here is a little above my pay grade,” Orlando City coach Kreis said Monday after the Lions’ first preseason workout. “We look at that situation and say he’s an MLS and Orlando City player until we hear differently.”
Larin and his agent have suggested in interviews that his contract expired at the end of the 2017 season and he should be free to pursue his dream of playing in Europe.
Turkish club Besiktas JK posted pictures of Larin on Twitter going through a medical exam Jan. 13 as part of contract negotiations. The club reportedly did not expect to pay a substantial transfer fee for Larin and was considering immediately loaning him out.
Orlando City has argued Larin signed an agreement acknowledg- ing he has two club option years remaining on his contract and they are valid. Orlando City has hired attorney Marcos Motta, who handled Neymar’s transfer negotiations and Paolo Guerrero’s doping case, to protect its rights.
After the Lions’ protest, Turkish media suggested Larin might personally pay his own transfer
fee. Now there are reports Larin is trying to join Olympiacos, a club that may be open to paying Orlando City a transfer fee.
While Orlando City pushes to protect its asset, the Lions have assembled a roster with firepower should Larin never return.
Striker Dom Dwyer signed a new contract and the club acquired forward Stéfano Pinho, who was a prolific goal scorer while competing in NASL. The Lions also added midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who led MLS in assists last season and should help correct Orlando City’s long-running difficulty finishing in the final third.
Dwyer’s deal
Kreis said it was a relief to lock in Dwyer for the coming years.
“We talk about all the things we had to do in the offseason. All the difficult work we had to get through, negotiations and how long these things take. … Dom falls in that category,” Kreis said. “It was a difficult negotiation and process that took us a long time. In the end, both sides are very happy. In my point of view, we wrapped up a player for multi years that we think will be a big piece moving forward.”
Dwyer, who was traded to Orlando City last summer from Sporting Kansas City, signed a new three-year deal with the Lions that was announced by the club on Jan. 3.
The striker said he’s glad the negotiations are over so he can concentrate on preparing for the 2018 season.
“It’s great. As a player you want to focus on playing,” said Dwyer. “Now I know I’m going to be here for a little while. I can just really help grow this club and hopefully have a good season.”
Dwyer trained apart from the club on Monday. The forward said he suffered a right hamstring strain two days before he was called up by the U.S. men’s national team on Jan. 8.
Since then, he’s slowly been recovering.
“Dom is a player we’re looking to build up in the next two weeks,” Kreis said. “He will not be involved in the training this week. He should start to be involved in all the on-field stuff next week. We believe by the second preseason game, he should be available for that.”
Dwyer hopes his whole family finds a home with the club.
He would love to see his wife, U.S. women’s national team forward Sydney Leroux, playing for the Orlando Pride. She spent last season with FC Kansas City, a club that folded. Now she is with the Utah Royals, an NWSL expansion side.
“I’m hopeful for that,” Dwyer said of Leroux possibly joining the Pride. “It will be very special for me to have my family here as well. For us to all be together, I think that would be good for the club. It’s her career and it’s something that’s not really in my control, but of course I can only hope for that.”
First day
A new-look Orlando City squad took the field Monday morning for the first day of preseason training camp.
“Obviously a lot of new faces eager to be here and super excited to be a part of Orlando City Soccer Club as are all of us,” Kreis said. “So real exciting and enthusiastic day. I couldn’t be more pleased for the tempo of the session and the commitment the guys showed today.”