“It was always gonna be that a massive defensive effort would be needed against a team with such dangerous players that play in such a dynamic way,” Head Coach Jason Kreis said after the match. “We knew we would have to defend well.”
On Sunday afternoon, the Lions did just that.
Earning their second shutout of the year, the Lions managed to shut down some of the best offensive talent in the league-- including Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sacha Kljestan. After tonight’s match, the team has earned 9 out of 9 points at home and only allowed one goal in three matches. Tonight’s performance was yet another credit to the defensive line Kreis put together in the offseason.
Jonathan Spector and Tommy Redding had notable performances tonight. Redding made his first start for the first team this season, having missed most of the preseason at the U-20 CONCACAF Championship. After taking home gold, Redding returned and trained with the team. He made an appearance for OCB a few games back before appearing in tonight’s match.
“I think it was a solid performance, and he’s showing us through the training sessions, the work he’s done in the preseason, his performances with the under 20s, and the match he played with OCB a few weeks back that he’s becoming a more experienced and composed player,” Kreis said. “He still has a long way to go. For me, I think the potential of Tommy Redding is absolutely sky high, and he’s not even scraping it yet.”
“I think it shows that guys are ready,” Servando Carrasco said. “It’s no surprise to me that Tommy [Redding] came in and had a fantastic game. Tommy shows that every day in practice.”
Fellow center back Jonathan Spector also had a stellar performance tonight, including a sliding goal line clearance in the 12th minute.
“I would say he’s critical. Absolutely critical. We’ve played four matches now and I think he’s been outstanding in all four,” Kreis said. “He’s a very consistent performer who is leading the backline and is exactly what we went into the offseason looking for. So, I’m really, really pleased that I think we got that one right.”
Tonight also featured the faces of two Orlando City newcomers-- Scott Sutter and Luis Gil. Gil’s versatility as a midfielder gave Kreis the confidence to put him in during the last minutes of the match. Sutter earned his first start after appearing in the last 20 minutes of the Columbus match last week.
“It’s what’s happened over the couple of weeks. It’s also what we scouted,” Kreis said. “And what we know about Scott [Sutter] is that he is a very capable player. This atmosphere and this match wasn’t gonna be a big thing for him, he’s been there and done that. So, I didn’t have any hesitation to put him in the starting lineup.”
Jonathan Spector summed it up well after the match.
“I think it’s pleasing to get the results we’re getting,” Spector said. “Defensively, I think we’ve been great. We’ve done really well. And that’s not just the back four: that’s a commitment from all eleven players.”
