Ahead of today's match against Orlando City SC, we spoke with Orlando Sentinel soccer reporter Alicia DelGallo to get her thoughts on the opposition. Coverage begins at 2:30pm on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340.
Jonathan Kaplan: Orlando City is in fifth place in the East but only four points off the lead, how would you assess the team’s early performances?
Alicia DelGallo:Consistency has been an issue, which isn’t surprising considering Orlando City had all its starters available for selection in only two games this season – the 4-1 win over Portland and last week’s draw against the New York Red Bulls.
Kaká also missed five games. So, it has been a frustrating but promising start to the season. Weaknesses have been exposed but the team has displayed the ability to adapt to many variations of the starting XI.
JK: How important has Kevin Molino’s return been to the Lions’ attack? Has that taken some of the pressure off Cyle Larin?
AD:I don’t think there was a single person in the stadium, outside of the opposing team, who wasn’t rooting for Molino when he scored his first goal of the season. Not only did he have to come back from an ACL injury, but he had to come back to huge expectations. Everyone remembered him as the USL MVP, the record-breaker who scored 20 goals for Orlando City. There was a lot of pressure to live up to that image he’d created before getting injured. So, you could see each game that passed without scoring weighed on him.
Kaká told me earlier in the year he had no doubt once Molino scored his first goal, he would be a scoring machine, and, so far, the captain was right. Molino’s return to the attack is probably the biggest reason Orlando City is sitting on a handful of draws instead of losses. I don’t think it has necessarily taken the pressure off Cyle Larin, if anything it has added motivation for the Canadian. What it has done, is made the Lions’ attack more dynamic. So far, you’ve seen teams really focusing on Larin when he has the ball – two defenders, the goalkeeper, all honed in on Larin. Now putting that much focus on Larin is a liability because Molino is right there, free and clear, with no hesitations.
So, I think he’s making the opposition think twice about how they approach the team defensively.
JK: Does Orlando City need to make major adjustments without Cristian Higuita suspended or are there similar players on the bench who can fill his role?
AD:No one can really replace Higuita in defensive midfield. He’s grown into such a brute force, and really changes the game when he’s on the field.
That being said, Orlando City won’t have to make any major adjustments to the shape or lineup without him. The Lions likely will drop Servando Carrasco in the gap; they’ve done it before. Carrasco isn’t the same type of player as Higuita, but he is extremely reliable and consistent, someone Orlando City coach Adrian Heath turns to a lot in high-pressure situations.
He’s also the one responsible for that incredible long ball delivered to Larin and Adrian Winter to tie the game in the final seconds of the Lions’ season-opener against Real Salt Lake.
JK:Since joining Orlando City last year, Servando Carrasco has 20 MLS appearances with three assists. How has he adjusted to his new club?
AD:Carrasco seems at home with Orlando City. Like I said above, he’s become someone the club can rely on, off the bench and when he’s called upon to start. Outside of the pitch, he’s also settled in the city with his wife, Alex Morgan, who is playing for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride. So, it seems to be an overall positive transition.
JK: What is one matchup you’ll be watching for this weekend?
AD:Dom Dwyer vs. Orlando City’s centerbacks. The centerback position has been a bit of a puzzle for the Lions this season, with Tommy Redding starting, Aurélien Collin being traded, David Mateos coming back from injury and then Redding getting benched the past two games.
Orlando City made it clear throughout the week how much respect they have for Dwyer, not to mention his connection to Orlando from USL days. It will be interesting to see how they deal with him.
