On Sunday, July 31st, Orlando City came out to Camping World Stadium to take on the New England Revolution, one of the teams Orlando is competing against for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The stadium flooded with fans cheering and banging on the drums, but tonight was about more than a path towards the playoffs-- it was about moving forward as a team under a new head coach.
Head Coach Jason Kreis’ first game couldn’t have gone much better. After a rough first half, the team came back from down 1-0 to win the game 3-1. With a goal by Cyle Larin in the 46th minute and two goals by Kevin Molino in the 64’ and 83’, the team proved to themselves and the fans that they are moving forward.
What changed at half time? When asked what he did to motivate the team, Kreis said, “I don’t think it was really about me. I think it was the players.” But Kreis did admit that he felt the biggest difference was pushing the ball forward. “Getting more numbers on the attack… that made better chances for us.”
Midfielder Kevin Molino, who scored two of the team’s three goals, admitted that players felt a need to prove themselves to the new coach. “All the players want to prove a point to Jason,” Molino said after the game. “Everybody wanted to prove a point out there today.”
Beyond earning the win, Kreis seemed satisfied with his team and the work that they are putting in during training and on the pitch. “It was a good week of work,” Kreis said after the game. “And a very good performance.”
Even though Kreis admitted that he didn’t feel the game was really about him, he said that he wanted to soak up every moment of his first match with the team. “I made it a point to really enjoy myself tonight, regardless of the result.”
Team Captain Kaká said that tonight was about starting a new chapter for Orlando City. “It’s a new chapter for this club,” Kaká said about Kreis’ arrival. “When we can start the chapter with a game like this it’s perfect.”
