Wednesday night’s fixture against English side Stoke City was the first step of Jason Kreis’ tenure with Orlando City.
“Some good, some bad,” Kreis quipped about the 2-1 loss in a game featuring a lot of young talent on the Orlando side. “I was just pleased with the overall effort.”
With that match and extensive training days, City players are starting to learn the ways of Jason Kreis. It will take more time, which Kreis has been upfront about. But the vision he has laid out for the team under his watch is beginning to take shape.
“He just told us to go out and play,” said Hadji Berry, who had a breakout game against Stoke, scoring Orlando City’s lone goal. “Most important thing is defensive, that’s what we’ve been talking about these past few days.”
The defensive side has been a concern for City recently, so Kreis has made it very clear where his first priority lies.
Tickets | Orlando City vs. New England Revolution
“The focus for the week right now,” Kreis emphasized, “and over probably the next two weeks is going to be squarely placed on the defending side of things.”
Kreis’ impact on the team will be felt more and more each week, and was even evident in what he called a “training session” against Stoke, just two days after taking over.
This evaluation period is crucial for the Lions, and it seems to be going well for a team with its eyes and heart set on making the playoffs. Only three points out with fourteen games left on the season, Orlando City will take on the team sitting right above them on the table – the New England Revolution – in Kreis’ first MLS match at the helm.
