Lions looking to build on successful ’20 season
Team holds 3 picks in Thursday’s portion of 2021 SuperDraft
Orlando City will look to build on its successful 2020 season with new additions selected in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday. It’s the first opportunity for the team to add players this year.
The Lions hold three picks — two low first-rounders (Nos. 19 and 22) and one second-rounder (No. 49) — during Thursday’s portion of the draft.
Here’s what to know about the process and a look at the Lions’ needs heading into the process:
How to watch
The first round of the MLS SuperDraft will be livestreamed on MLSSoccer.com at 2 p.m. on Thursday. The remainder of the draft selections will be announced through social media and the league website.
Why does it matter?
The MLS SuperDraft isn’t as
much of a make-or-break acquisition mechanism as most drafts are in other American leagues such as the NFL or NBA.
Teams with burgeoning homegrown systems such as the Philadelphia Union can afford to trade away all their draft picks every year thanks to their internal talent pipeline.
But the Lions have been one of the most effective teams in the draft during the past three years. They used the sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft to select striker Chris Mueller, who burst onto the scene as a leading scorer and fan favorite.
In 2020, the Lions picked up Daryl Dike with the No. 3 overall pick, adding a soonto-be star who transformed the team’s attack throughout his rookie season.
Other additions — such as Kamal Miller and Joey DeZart — have added valuable depth to the Orlando City roster.
Who do the Lions need?
For the first time in a long time, Orlando City will enter the 2021 season without fans clamoring for a new striker. Between the addition of Matheus Aiás and the breakout success of Dike last year, the striker position is essentially locked down for the Lions.
The team could use additional attacking depth to supplement Mauricio
Pereyra in the midfield and Nani on the left wing, particularly if the 2021 schedule takes on the same breakneck pace as last season.
But the main need for the Lions is on the defensive end of the ball. First priority: left back.
Starting left back João Moutinho is one of the top defenders in the league when he’s healthy, but he hasn’t been able to play through an entire season during his three-year career.
The Lions relied heavily on Kamal Miller for coverage during the latter half of the 2020 season when Moutinho was injured. However, Miller’s departure in the 2020 expansion draft left the Lions thin at the position.
Orlando City could also use a backup goalkeeper.
The Lions enjoyed depth at the position last season with veteran Brian Rowe backing up star Pedro Gallese, but despite entering contract negotiations after the season, Rowe has yet to re-sign as a free agent.
The draft might not be the best place to lock down a top-level defender to fulfill left-back depth. Miller was particularly strong as a high second-round pick in 2019, but with cap space opened up from last year’s roster, the Lions might be better served signing another free agent to the position.
Goalkeepers often fall lower, and the Lions could snap up a promising young keeper at the end of the first round.
It would require the team to elevate homegrown keeper Mason Stajduhar to the backup role behind Gallese, giving him more of a challenge.
Current Orlando City roster:
Goalkeepers (2): Mason Stajduhar, Pedro Gallese
Defenders (8): Antonio Carlos, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, João Moutinho, Ruan, Kyle Smith, Michael Halliday
Midfielders (9): Mauricio Pereyra, Andrés Perea, Joey DeZart, Jordan Bender, David Loera, Sebas Méndez, Nani, Uri Rosell, Júnior Urso
Forwards (6): Alexander Alvarado, Benji Michel, Tesho Akindele, Daryl Dike, Matheus Aiás, Chris Mueller