O’Connor says team needs balance

Orlando City will be without both of its strikers this weekend when it takes on the New England Revolution on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

Dom Dwyer and Stéfano Pinho are the two players — on a squad of 30 — who’ve played as strikers for the Lions this season, which head coach James O’Connor said points to a bigger problem.

“I think, when you look at that, there’s maybe bigger things that we need to look at,” O’Connor said. “The balance of the squad needs to be a little bit different, I think, next year where we don’t have two players for such a key position. That presents a different challenge for us as a coaching staff this week.”

Star striker Dwyer (12 goals) is suspended due to yellow-card accumulation after he was booked in the seventh minute of the Lions’ 2-0 loss to FC Dallas on Saturday. O’Connor revealed before training on Wednesday that backup striker Pinho (2 goals in league play) is dealing with a quad injury that will keep him out at least 10 days.

O’Connor said the injury to Pinho is a bigger issue that he originally thought.

With Dwyer and Pinho out — and with three other players gone for international duty — O’Connor said he’s hoping the players are ready to seize the opportunities that will be available.

“Whether they’re younger guys or any guys, I think, when you look at the players that we have available, there’s going to be someone who’s not a striker that’s going to have to play there,” O’Connor said. “That’s what’s going to have to happen. Some of the guys were given some minutes again.

“I think the challenge for us is trying to come up with something