ORLANDO—It took Bryan Róchez all season to become an overnight hero.
His moment finally came this weekend, when Róchez scored the go-ahead goal in Orlando City’s 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City. It proved a cathartic moment for the 20-year-old Honduran – one of Orlando’s three Designated Player signings ahead of this inaugural MLS campaign – during a trying and sometimes painful baptism in MLS.
Finally earning a measure of on-field satisfaction, Róchez let loose with a memorable celebration, one dreamed up with Colombian midfielder Cristian Higuita.
“I was very happy, it was definitely something I was waiting for,” he said. “I hope with God that there are more to come. And it was a celebration planned with Cristian the day before the game. We called it “The Crocodile” after watching a program on TV, and that’s where it came from. And honestly, I think it looked very good at the game.”
Though it took this long to make his first MLS strike, Róchez insists the DP label hasn't been a burden.
“I don’t feel [under pressure] because of it,” Róchez added. “Everyone in the club has been terrific in supporting me and helping me adapt. And this includes the fans, who are always fantastic. And now I feel really good.
“I know what I am capable of, what I can give to the team and what I still need to give. I need to keep working daily with humility and with the confidence that my teammates and coaches give me. The last game I think I came in really good, and I have felt really good in the last two games now, so I hope to have an opportunity in the following games.”
Yet Sunday’s strike wasn’t actually his first goal for the club – just his first in league play.
In a May friendly against Brazilian side Ponte Preta, Róchez scored with a powerful header. He followed with his right foot against Premier League club West Brom in July.
But Róchez could not translate those performances into first-team traction, limited by a visa issue that stranded him in New Zealand for nearly a month. Traveling there with Honduras for the U-20 World Cup, Róchez ended up in visa limbo before he could return Stateside.
“The New Zealand situation had a big impact because, for a couple weeks, I had no soccer activities,” he said. “I had to try to stay fit just by working at the gym, all the while the team was developing an identity and players were getting to know one another.”
Said Orlando general manager Paul McDonough: “It was almost like he was starting back at square one in preseason terms. He was badly out of shape, and everyone had to work really hard to get him back to the level of fitness needed for MLS.”
Now, after successive appearances as an impact player off the bench, Róchez might well begin to compete with starter Cyle Larin for the center-forward role.
“When we first brought him in, after scouting him playing for Honduras and in their domestic league, what we saw was a good finisher in and around the box, someone who scored on a good ratio of chances,”McDonough said. “We are challenging him all the time on his fitness and mobility, and I think we are just starting to see the player we hoped to see.”
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The drawn-out process felt even longer for Róchez, who is still learning English and has a young family. His wife and 1-year-old son didn’t arrive until after he'd been in Florida for a month.
Róchez always planned to keep them close, and feels bleesed to now have both by his side. Grateful for team support, he credits his Hispanic teammates with helping to ease the transition off the pitch.
On the field, it took overcoming initial struggles with the demands of league play.
“The big difference [from Primera Division in Honduras] would be on the physical side,” Róchez said. “To start with, I wasn’t fully fit, but I am improving in that aspect and I think I am now at the same level as my teammates, so that would be the primary reason [why I struggled].
“It is also a lot different here [in cultural terms]. For me, it’s not just a league move, or a team move, but me and my family have left my country for the first time. But I’m happy the club has given me time to adapt and now we feel good about everything.”
