The halfway point of the 2017 MLS season is nearly upon us. It has been an eventful 2017 and Orlando City are right where they need to be: fourth place in a tightly packed, highly competitive Eastern Conference.
At the beginning of the season, Lions Head Coach Jason Kreis made it clear that the goal for this team is to compete in the 2017 MLS Playoffs. Orlando City are on track to complete that goal but have no time to rest on their laurels. The Lions start a rigorous three game road trip tonight against defending MLS Cup Champions, the Seattle Sounders.
A road trip that features difficult matches in Seattle, Chicago, and then Salt Lake City will require Orlando City to be collectively on top of their game.
The team will be challenged both mentally and physically during this stretch of away fixtures. Orlando City’s team-first mentality and group togetherness become that much more important when facing this tedious travel schedule. Jason Kreis knows how crucial these aspects of the game are, especially at this point of the season.
“I think we’ve got a real nice group. We have a real nice chemistry amongst our guys. They genuinely like to be together and I like to be a part of the group as well,” Kreis explained after the team’s training session yesterday in Seattle. “Ultimately that’s what matters most when you go through the dog days of summer. Go through some down times, we need to stay together and I think the guys have done a great job of that so far.”
The Lions have seen some incredible highs this season but have also dropped points in matches that Kreis and the team will not be happy about. Still, Orlando City’s home record speaks for itself and the main priority has to be coming out of this road trip with points; which will be a tall task in Seattle.
The Sounders are currently riding a five-match winning streak in all competitions at Century Link Field, which is undoubtedly a difficult place to play. Defensive solidarity and quality in the final third will be critical for the Lions to come out Seattle with a positive result.
From an offensive standpoint, Orlando City played some of their best soccer of the season last weekend against Montreal. The midfield was combining well with forwards and plays were being made all over the attacking third. If Orlando City brings that same quality in attacking areas – and cleans up some things defensively – the points will be there for the taking tonight in Seattle.
