Lions leave pitch for golf course
What did Orlando City’s players do Wednesday to get ready for their regular-season finale? They went to a golf course, but not just any golf course. Carlos Rivas, right, and the Lions played FootGolf — a combination of golf and soccer — at the Windermere Country Club. It provided a nice break for the team, which plays at Philadelphia on Sunday needing a miracle to make the postseason.
Orlando City winger Carlos Rivas ripped a curling ball with the outside of his left foot on Tuesday morning that swung around impediments and landed remarkably on target.
It wasn’t a pass on the training ground, however, nor were there any defenders involved. Rivas, rather, had curled a soccer ball around a tree and to within three feet of the cup during a round of FootGolf with his teammates at Windermere Country Club.
The activity provided players a nice break from the training ground in the final week of practice before the team’s regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Union.
“We’ve done it in the past different things, like golf or paintball-type things. I just think it’s really good,” Lions coach Adrian Heath said. “We’ve been together a long time, it’s virtually the last week and with having the extra day, it made perfect timing. We’ve got a lot of guys carrying knocks and bruises and it’s just a good way to get them out of the way of [further injuring themselves.] As you can see, it’s great for the group, the camaraderie and the team spirit.”
Players were split into teams of four and paired off on the course. The day brought its fair share of missed “putts” and good shots — including Rivas curling kick around a tree and an eagle from Brek Shea when he played a long distance shot off a hill that rolled down into the cup.
The day also included fun trash talk and ribbing between teammates.
“As you saw I won our foursome, so it was quite easy for me,” Harrison Heath said. “I had Corey [Ashe], Kaká and Lewis [Neal] as teammates, and Lewis and Kaká struggled from old age. Couldn’t quite get the ball up there. Corey did quite well, but I’ll have to have a word with Lewis and Ricky about their strengths.”
The title was taken home by a team that included Adrian Winter, Shea, assistant coach Mark Watson and Pedro Ribeiro, who finished one stroke ahead of David Mateos, Eric Avila, Aurélien Collin and fitness coach David McKay.