ORLANDO, Fla. – Adrian Heath doesn’t have a second career as a magician, but he admits it may be time to pull a rabbit out of a hat as he takes his Orlando City SC team to Foxborough for the first time for a crucial showdown with the New England Revolution on Saturday.
Heath’s mantra when key players are missing is that it is an opportunity for someone else to step up, and that could not be more true this weekend as the head coach looks to build on last week’s home draw against the Chicago Fire without Kaká, Cyle Larin and Darwin Ceren.
The Lions have had to make do without their Brazilian star on two previous occasions this season, and did not fare well, losing 2-0 at home to FC Dallas and 4-1 at Toronto FC. Against the Texans, they were also minus Larin and Ceren and struggled to put a shot on target, and this week’s selection issue is compounded by the suspension of Colombian winger Carlos Rivas due to yellow card accumulation.
That quartet have accounted for 23 of City’s 33 goals this season, along with seven assists, which means Heath has to find a shape and lineup that effectively covers for 69 percent of his team’s attacking potential.
“In situations like this, sometimes it is the unlikely people who give you a lift,” Heath said. “We certainly have people waiting for their chance and we do get some new faces back as well.
“Tony Cascio will be available for the first time this season and Adrian Winter is desperate to give us something as well. Brek Shea may not quite be ready for this weekend but he is close and he is another one who could really help at the moment.”
Former Colorado and Houston midfielder Cascio has finally shaken off a back problem and was notably practicing with the strikers in training this week, while Winter is keen to make a positive impact after being forced into action as an emergency right back in his last two outings, culminating in two yellow cards for the Swiss midfielder.
Shea, who has been out with a sports hernia since June, is also raring to go, even if the team decides Saturday is a touch too soon to get him fully involved again.
Heath insists his formation is mostly decided at this stage, with just a few issues to be accounted for after their final training session. His main concern will be putting his most experienced players on the field, and—in light of the team’s recent red card flurry—keeping them there.
“I think in my mind we are pretty settled,” he confirmed. “We have a few things we might have to wait on, but Corey [Ashe] is going to be fine and there is a good chance Pedro [Ribeiro] will be playing. It is mainly a case of whatever system we come up with, can we do it to the best of our ability?
“If we can keep a full complement of players on the field that would help, too. Invariably when we get 11 on the field we give a good account of ourselves. It’s something we have spoken about and it’s just a question of not doing anything silly.”
The head coach is well aware the Revolution are a tough nut to crack at Gillette Stadium, but a wild card could be the grass that has been laid on the usual turf in preparation for Tuesday’s big US-Brazil friendly.
“It is going to be interesting to see what the surface will be like,” Heath added. “But it doesn’t really change anything for us. We will still take Brek on the merits of how he feels, not the surface and I don’t think there is anything New England can do to surprise us at this stage.
“Invariably you are going to get some chances, but they will be few and far between. We have to understand that and we have to be able to take them when they come along.”
