ORLANDO – With no goals and just two assists in Orlando City SC’s last five games, some could say that an outside view is emerging that Kaká’s influence has waned since July’s MLS AT&T All-Star Game. Suddenly Orlando City SC’s Brazilian ace has become the center of a new guessing game: “What’s wrong with Kaká?”
On the face of it, the Lions’ main Designated Player has gone off the boil after producing nine goals through his first 18 games. He has also mustered just nine attempts on goal in the current dry spell, and only one of those on target, compared to a previous rate of almost three shots a game.
It’s led to just one win, one 0-0 draw, and three defeats by a combined 11-3. With the team in danger of slipping out of the playoff picture, it is easy to arrive at a conclusion that Kaká is somehow struggling.
But no one is buying that theory within the team, least of all the management and front office who are investing a hefty amount for his services.
“Something wrong with Kaká? Not from where I’m watching,” said team president and founding owner Phil Rawlin. “He’s had a bit of an ankle problem recently, which has limited his training, but he seems fine to me on the field. And, when you see how he works out every day with his fitness coach, how fit he is and his ability to last a full 90 minutes in the Florida heat, we don’t have any worries that there’s any let-up.”
It’s true Kaká has been limited on the training ground in the last couple of weeks, due to the the ankle knock that kept him out of Orlando’s 4-1 defeat at Toronto on Aug. 5. He also missed nearly a full week’s training with travel and media duties around the All-Star Game, when he scored once and chalked up an assist in MLS’ 2-1 defeat of Tottenham.
But the team has had more pressing worries than the form of its talismanic captain in their last three road trips, culminating in a 4-0 shellacking at Seattle last Sunday, when Obafemi Martins and new Sounders recruit Nelson Valdez ran riot.
“The defense is our prime concern,” admitted assistant coach Mark Watson. “When you’re conceding 13 goals in three games, that is the real root of the problem. We need to work on being more solid at the back first. There may be some individual issues through the team but, at the moment, our whole focus is on getting the team right. Obviously Seattle wasn’t a good performance in any way, but we’re not looking at it as anything to do with Kaká.”
Indeed, the defensive problems – especially with personnel – have kept the coaching staff working overtime since they returned from Washington state.
Newcomer David Mateos is still finding his feet among a fragile back four that has lacked regular right back Rafael Ramos for the past six games, while left back has also been something of a revolving door with Corey Ashe and Luke Boden taking turns.
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The absence of Ramos has created an instability on the right, with three different players combining to fill his role, hence head coach Adrian Heath looks forward to him returning for Orlando’s next match, Saturday at Toronto (4 pm ET; MLS LIVE in US, TSN in Canada).
“It’s a boost because of the way Rafa plays,” Heath said. “But not only that, his attitude is something I think a lot of our players can look at. He’s gone over the marker a few times. Call me old-fashioned, but I’d rather have that than me having to work people into a frenzy to play like that. We have conceded 13 goals in our last three away games, and you’re not winning many games when you concede that many. We are losing too easily at the moment. But we are still in it, and we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves.”
With Kaká not at training on Wednesday, there remains an unspoken concern that he may not be fully over the ankle issue, but he will be on the plane to Toronto and is expected to start the game.
“I think we will see Kaká at his best on Saturday,” Rawlins added. “When the stakes are highest, that usually brings the best out of him, and there’s no doubt we need him at the moment.”
