This weekend, Orlando City hits the road again to take on the Colorado Rapids in Denver on Saturday night. The Rapids are ranked #2 in the league, second only to FC Dallas in the Western Conference standings. This season, they have been a difficult team to take apart, but Orlando City feels confident that in this match, they can prove themselves.
“I think it comes at a really good time for us,” Head Coach Jason Kreis said after training on Thursday. “Represents probably our biggest challenge to date, but I think our guys are showing big improvement.”
Defensive midfielder Servando Carrasco knows that the Rapids are a strong defensive team, and that Orlando City will have to be ready to fight both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. “I think it’s a pretty good matchup,” Carrasco said. “One of the best offenses in the league verses one of the best defenses, so it should be a very good game.”
“It’s gonna be a pretty good test for us,” Carrasco said. “I think defensively they are a very good team. It’s not by chance that you’ve only given up 20 goals.”
While there has been talk about Orlando City’s run for the playoffs, Kreis and his team are focused on taking this game-by-game. “I’m much more interested in the details of the work we’re doing on the training field and see if it’s translating into the matches,” Kreis said. “If we get our stuff right, if we’re good at what we’re attempting to do, the results will follow.”
Still, the prospect of beating the second ranked team in the league is exciting for the players. It might just be the confidence boost that they need. “I think it could be massive,” Carrasco said. “It’s a huge challenge for us, and I think it’s a test that we’re ready for.”
“The goal is to get points,” Carrasco said. “So, we’re going to try to go out there and get a positive result.”
