“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.”
This well-known proverb popularized by writer W.E. Hickson is plastered on classroom walls and present – in some form – in every motivational pamphlet.
Coach Adrian Heath has adopted this motto when challenging his players to step up in every single moment of a match, because you never know when that opportunity to make the difference between winning and losing will come.
“The lads have to keep believing,” Heath said after Saturday night’s dramatic 3-2 win over Toronto FC. “It’s not easy to keep making… 50, 60 yard runs like Adrian [Winter] does to keep getting in the box and nothing happens for you, but the minute that you don’t do that, then you don’t get your opportunity.”
On Saturday night in Camping World Stadium, City had opportunity after opportunity to put Toronto away, but kept coming up short. Crosses were slightly off and shots narrowly missed finding the back of the net, no doubt a frustration to the players. Well, Midfielder Adrian Winter got his due, scoring in the 83rd minute to give his side the 2-1 advantage, a testament to Heath’s philosophy.
The visiting team would net an equalizer in the 90th minute. But yet again, Orlando players knew they had to keep pressing for that one shot to come. And by being aggressive in the box, the Lions were awarded a penalty kick, which team captain Kaká netted for the game-winner in the 100th minute of play.
Tickets: Orlando City take on Fort Lauderdale in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday Night
“I spoke to Dominic Kinnear [coach of the San Jose Earthquakes], last week and he always says that ‘if you’re in the game, you always get a chance,’” Heath relayed to the media after the match. “You always get a chance around the corner and sometimes it’s been really good play and sometimes it’s because of defending, but you do get opportunities.”
“That’s the nature of this league,” he added.
The nature of the league played into Orlando City’s hands Saturday night as they walked away with a win and the three points that come along with it, keeping them in position for a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference.
