ORLANDO, Fla. -- Adrian Heath was happy to hang on to a point as he admitted his Orlando City team were “tired and leggy” in the closing stages of their 0-0 draw with Philadelphia.
The Lions also lost another player to a serious injury – their fourth major victim of the season. Now they face a much harder route into the playoffs after failing to chalk up a home win ahead of the challenge of a run-in that features six road games in their final 10.
Debutant Conor Donovan – the team’s second-round SuperDraft pick – was the latest casualty, badly twisting his knee in only the 10th minute. The 19-year-old was only playing because of a knee injury that had ruled out regular centerback Seb Hines, and he left the Citrus Bowl on crutches ahead of an MRI on Monday that will decide if he can play again this year.
That left a hastily-reshuffled defense with another teenager, 18-year-old Tommy Redding, stepping in for his debut. Heath said was ultimately delighted to keep a clean sheet at the end of an eight-day spell featuring three games, including the midweek trip to Toronto.
“We looked very tired at the end, and I thought there was a chance we might lose in the last 10 minutes. I think the volume of games and the travel of late has caught up with us a bit," he admitted. "I was relieved to escape with a point and, ultimately, it might be a result that we both rue."
But Heath said he couldn't fault the players' effort. "They were leggy and running on fumes at the end," he said. "And my old coach used to say to me, ‘Never ever be disappointed with a point because at some stage that’s going to help you later in the season.’ That was a game we might have lost earlier in the season, so keeping a clean sheet was a huge plus.”
There were also some other positives for the Lions, with the mature performance from US U18 defender Redding, and a debut from new signing Adrian Winter as the Swiss midfielder logged almost 20 minutes after only one training session with his new teammates.
“I thought Tommy was very composed, very good on the ball,” Heath added. “He has hardly played any football this year and he is absolutely shattered now. It was certainly not ideal circumstances for him but he handled it very well.
“The fact we got some minutes out of Adrian was a huge plus. He gave us more energy and more threat in the final third. At the end of the next week he will also have a better idea of who he’s playing with – including their names – and will be all the better for it. He will be super for the way we play.”
Redding also came in for major praise from veteran keeper Tally Hall, who was called into action several times in the closing stages, but still singled out the young defender for the best save of the night, getting ahead of C.J. Sapong at the far post in the 71st minute to deny the predatory Union striker a clear strike on goal.
“I thought Tommy had a huge game for us,” Hall said. “His header there [to deny Sapong] was probably the biggest save of the game. He looked calm and composed and I can’t over-state how difficult it was to come into the game in that situation for 80 minutes."
The most important thing, Hall said, was that the Lions didn’t allow the other team to score. "I thought it was actually a good performance defensively as we had guys in there covering for each other and putting bodies on their players to deny clear opportunities," he continued. "It often became an easy save for me in the end, and there should be a lot of credit to go round.”
Hall also insisted there is still plenty to play for in the final 10 games.
“From here on, they are all difficult games,” he said. “Every single game is vital and you never count yourself out in this league. It is hugely important to go on to the next game and look to get something.”
