There are certain qualities that one expects in a team captain. Experience. Leadership. Courage. When a team as young as Orlando City takes the pitch, they need a captain who can point them in the right direction, who can help them make the right decision, and help give them confidence to take the big chances. For this team, that leader is Ricardo Kaká.
Kaká has been with Orlando City since 2014, and started playing with the club regularly when the team entered MLS in 2015. He brought to this club a wealth of experience from his years playing in big-name clubs such as Milan and Real Madrid, and helped guide the initial team through the hurdles and thrills of their first MLS season. Now, in his second year in the league, Kaká continues to serve that role as a leader both on and off the pitch. After earning a brace against New York City FC in Orlando City’s 2-1 victory on Sunday night, Head Coach Jason Kreis spoke of the importance of Kaká not only as a role model for the club, but as one of the team’s few allotted Designated Players.
“I feel very strongly about this point: in MLS you need your Designated Players to perform. In order for the team to do well, you need those players to do well. It doesn’t have anything to do with how much money they make, it is more about their designation and the slot they are taking in the roster. You are allowed so few special players so to speak, Designated Players, you really cannot afford to get those decisions wrong so those players need to perform,” Kreis said after the match. “In my point of view, since I have been here, [Kaká] has been performing. He is really working hard and really buying into the concepts that we’re trying to teach here, and leading by example. That is not just the performances and the matches. That’s day in and day out and the training sessions and that matters, big time.”
His role as a leader both on and off the pitch is crucial to the success of the team as a whole. When players need guidance, Kaká is there to lead them in the right direction. He doesn’t do the job by himself-- he has eight assists on the season, ranking 8th in MLS and #1 on the Orlando City roster. But he helps the players fulfill their potential on and off the pitch. “We asked many of the players to take on more of a vocal leadership, he was one of them. David Mateos was another,” Kreis said about Kaká. “We need more players to be vocal, to construct the players around them. To continue to encourage players in front of them, and both of those players [Kaká], Antonio in particular, has been doing a real nice job of that the past several weeks.”
For Kaká, he will do whatever it takes to help his team. If he does that by scoring goals, that works for him. “I am happy because I could help my team by effectively scoring and I am happy for that,” Kaká said after Sunday’s match. “The most important thing is that the team wins and every time I can help like this it’s perfect.”
Kaká’s role on the team will become increasingly important in the coming weeks, as the team seeks to get as many points as possible in their quest for the playoffs. After the win against New York City FC, it appears to he is ready to lead his team into battle.
“It means a lot for us because we won against one of the best teams in our conference. So it’s a very positive thing and we are confident coming into the next games,” Kaká said. “I think tonight we proved that we can achieve whatever we want. The team feels good and we will be confident for the next game.
