It’s midway through May, which means Orlando City is halfway through one of the hardest months of their season.
The MLS schedule this month is relentless. With seven matches in five weeks, Orlando City has to use every tool at their disposal to ensure success. This is the month where the depth of the team is tested-- and where sometimes, stars end up on the bench.
When the Lions are playing three matches in eight or nine days, they don’t always want their star players in every starting lineup. The players’ bodies can only handle so much. Will Johnson, who served as the team captain while Kaká was injured, sat out the match against Toronto so that he would be fit for the match in Houston. Last night, both Carlos Rivas and Kaká found themselves in reserve, coming in during the second half when Orlando City needed an offensive boost.
It isn’t typical for the Lions to find players of this caliber, including their team captain, on the bench. But it becomes necessary when the team plays so many matches so close together.
“It's okay,” Kaká said after the team’s midweek match against San Jose. “I've been talking to Jason [Kreis] a lot about that because there are a lot of games during the season and he's trying to put everything on the field to play and for every player to feel important, so this is something that I think is good for the group and everybody can be ready for the games and for me it's not a problem. Of course, I want to play every game, but with common sense, I think we can decide for the best of Orlando City.”
The idea of ‘togetherness’ has been prominent in Orlando City’s conversation about identity this year. It showed on the field against San Jose, as it does in many of the team’s matches. Part of that togetherness is giving everyone the opportunity to contribute and step up. That mentality isn’t a luxury for the Lions-- it is necessary to their success. When every player is game ready-- and when Kreis knows which players he has at his disposal-- the coaches are better able to create the best starting lineup possible, and in turn, give the best performance in difficult situations.
Orlando City isn’t about the stars. It never has been. So, while Kaká or Rivas or Johnson might not start or even appear in every match, the team will find success. Not because of the big names, but because of the eleven fit players that Kreis puts on the pitch.
