Orlando City was hard at work in training this week as they prepared to travel to Colorado for their game this weekend against the Rapids. Over the course of the last three weeks, Orlando City has sought to implement the strategy of their new head coach, Jason Kreis.
“Jason has given us the blueprint of how he wants us to play, so now it’s up to us to really make it work,” Carrasco said after training on Thursday. “We defend as a group.”
José Aja, who made his MLS debut in Orlando City’s 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire this past weekend, agrees that Kreis’ strategy has been drilled into the players during training. “I think as a team we’re all obviously working on strengthening our defensive line,” Aja said. “It’s something that the players and the coaching staff will just keep hammering in, working on not letting those big goals go through.”
Orlando City’s defensive line has also been played by injuries recently, but Kreis is confident that the defensive players he has can step up to the plate. He mentioned Tony Rocha, who recently joined the MLS squad after playing for Orlando City B, as one such example. “Tony Rocha, a player who we acquired a few weeks ago from the B team, is a very, very capable player,” Kreis said. “We will hope to build off of that over the coming weeks and if he deserves his opportunities he’ll get them.”
Orlando City will face a defensive challenge against the Colorado Rapids this weekend. The Rapids have one of the best defenses in the league, allowing only 20 goals this season. While Orlando City’s offense will need to break through, the defense will also need to make sure Colorado doesn’t find the back of the net.
But Carrasco thinks that the defense is ready for the challenge. “I think we’ve seen a lot of positives in the last two or three games,” Carrasco said. “It’s gonna be a pretty good test for us.”
