On Sunday, Orlando City will play its second game under Head Coach Jason Kreis against a recently shaken Seattle Sounders. The Sounders will play under Interim Head Coach Brian Schmetzer, a man new to the head coaching role after the Sounders parted ways with long time head coach Sigi Schmid. Some have brushed off the Sounders as an easy opponent, noting their poor record and low spot in conference and league rankings. But Kreis knows that on Sunday, anything can happen.
“Every team in this league represents a big challenge,” Kreis said after training on Wednesday. “We’re all very, very equal.” Forward Hadji Barry, who has recently found success starting with Orlando City, agreed with Kreis. “In this league, any team is capable of winning on any given day.”
Kreis hopes that Orlando City will come out in control of Sunday’s match. He believes that if the men focus on themselves and their skills, they will be able to dominate the field of play. “We should play to our strengths,” Kreis said. “We should really try to be perfect in our philosophy of play. And if we do that, we can force opponents to play to us.”
Tickets | Orlando City vs. Seattle Sounders - Sunday 7:00pm
But as important as tactics and skill are in any game, passion and drive inevitably decide the results of many matches. The Sounders will be looking to bounce back from a rough July and prove their potential to their interim head coach and to their fans. Orlando City will be looking to build off their success from this past weekend, but in order to do so, they will need to bring that same passion to the field. As Kreis said after training on Wednesday, “The big piece is which teams wants to win it more.”
Orlando City will take on the Seattle Sounders this Sunday, August 7th. Kickoff is at 7:00pm at Camping World Stadium.
