Orlando City is looking
for the right starting back line that can start the majority of games this season.
Orlando City fielded 17 different combinations of a starting back four last year across a 34-game season.
That included just four times in which the Lions put out the same starting back four in back-to-back games, a trend that helps explain some of the struggles the Lions had defending in their expansion season.
The lack of consistency can be chalked up to a number of issues: injuries to players like Brek Shea and Seb Hines, international call-ups, yellow-and red-card suspensions and inconsistent performances.
Finding a starting back line that can start the majority of games this season is a massive
priority, but one that may not come immediately. Orlando City has four options at center back — MLS veteran Aurélien Collin, midseason acquisition David Mateos, English-American defender Hines and homegrown Tommy Redding — and there is no clear-cut answer as to who will hold down the starting job.
Asked about consistency at that position, the first name Heath mentioned was that of the unlikeliest starter: Redding, a 19-year-old with buckets of promise but just 87 minutes of MLS experience.
“I expect big things out of Tommy Redding this year,” Heath said.
“It was a like a year wasted through numerous things last year, but we expect him to step up this year. We expect him to be available to push the guys ahead of him. Tommy could be a starting center back for us.
“That’s how highly we rate him, but he’s got to push these guys.”
If Redding wants to break into the starting lineup, he’ll have to unseat three others with much more advanced résumés.
Collin is a three-time MLS All-Star with 135 career MLS regular-season appearances and 10 postseason starts while Mateos is a former Real Madrid player who has played in both the Europa League and Champions League.
Hines, who could be in play for a starting job, made more than 80 appearances at different levels in England, including the English Premier League.
Collin said the defenders’ familiarity with each other should help improve the performance off last year when Orlando City allowed 56 goals, two shy of the most in MLS.
“Last year we didn’t know each other and this year we begin from the first day knowing each other,” he said.
“So we’ve been growing faster and the more simple thing was getting back in shape. Physically I think now everyone is ready, so right now we can focus on strategy and tactics and make sure we arrive ready for the [first game].”