Rumors bolster Lions’ global brand
Orlando City coach
laughed as he walked past Lions general manager
and me on Tuesday after practice.
“The Chicharito shirt is over in the offices ready to go,” Heath said.
“Yeah, he’s on the same flight with ,” I replied.
“Now that he’s got his long-term visa,” Heath shouted back.
Yes, Orlando City is officially the new MLS team du jour in European transfer rumors. Put it up there along with the LA Galaxy, New York Red Bulls and New York City FC.
Why have the unsourced reports continually linked Orlando City with the big names in Europe — Italian striker
, Swedish superstar
and Mexican forward
in just the last few weeks alone? Well, the franchise has the financial resources, it has shown an ability to sign a big-name player in and Florida is a desirable destination.
For the record, Orlando City would be happy to accommodate the Mexican striker if he wanted to come to Orlando.
“That’s up to him,” McDonough said with a chuckle.
Realistically, it’s not the worst thing in the world for Orlando City to be linked with big-name players overseas — whether there is truth to it or not. The club hopes to become an identifiable brand around the world, and being a part of the transfer rumor circuit helps accomplish that goal.
And there’s no doubt Orlando City owner
has shown a willingness to open up his wallet.
“I think it’s good,” McDonough said. “It shows with Kaká being here and the city support we’ve had, the style we play, we’ve been shown [on TV] a couple times in England, that certainly helps. Flavio’s commitment to the club certainly doesn’t hurt with guys wanting to come. If guys want to come and we’re in the mix with New York and LA, we’ll take it. And I’ll take it to Flávio and we’ll talk about it as a group and we’ll see. If it makes sense for us, we’ll do it.”
Heath said he believes Florida is the perfect location for players from Europe who prefer a lowerkey vibe than New York City. Yes, Los Angeles is an option, but it’s an extra six- to seven-hour flight for the European players, Heath pointed out.
If Orlando City is going to add another big name player like Chicharito, the team would have to make some corresponding moves. The Lions already have three designated players: ,
and Kaká. MLS rules prohibit teams from having more than three designated players on the roster.
Chicharito would also come at a higher cost than Kaká. The Mexican’s transfer fee has been rumored around $11 million to $12 million; Kaká signed on a free transfer from AC Milan. Those are some big numbers.
Heath stopped well short of confirming any Chicharito rumors this week, but he certainly didn’t nix the excitement a player of that stature would be in MLS.
“I’m going to leave that to the powers that be who have to certainly pay the money; this one isn’t going to be cheap,” Heath said on his radio show Tuesday night. “Personally, if we could get him, it would be an unbelievable coup for our club. ... I know that if somebody like Chicharito said he was available and wanted to come to Orlando, I think our people would like to make it happen.”