Before the match against the Philadelphia Union, Head Coach Jason Kreis spoke about opportunity and giving the players a chance to prove themselves in the final matches of the season. On Sunday, players didn’t give up-- and with two second half goals and a clean sheet, Orlando City earned the win.
Kreis was impressed with much of what he saw during Sunday’s match. The team had a total of twelve shots throughout the match, with two finding the back of the net. And the defensive performance gave Orlando City control of the match, maintaining the lead even when the Union managed to create good chances.
“Obviously I’m very pleased with the effort tonight,” Kreis said after the match. “Pleased that we got a shutout. Pleased that we got three points. It’s been my feeling for a while now that when the players and the team are fully committed to defend, we get results. When they are not fully committed to defend, we don’t get results. I think tonight we saw a concerted effort by them to do their best defensively and it’s nice to win a game.”
Kreis was pleased with the performances he saw on Sunday afternoon, but decisions will still need to be made going into the offseason. Players are competing to stick around as Kreis takes steps to mold a roster that will serve the team better next season. Still, Kreis knows that there is an existing foundation in Orlando and he has no desire to change that.
“I think there is definitely a foundation to be built around,” Kreis said. “I think there are some really, really talented players that are a big part of this club, have done a lot for this club, and given a lot for this club. We are looking to build around those types of players, and that experience is what you need. You can’t make wholesale changes and expect to improve. We need to work around our best and most important players to raise the level and raise the number of really good players to improve next year.”
Kreis will have one last opportunity to witness his team in action on Sunday, October 23rd, where Orlando City will play their final match of the season-- and their final match in Camping World Stadium-- against D.C United. Kickoff is at 4:00pm.
