Orlando Soccer Journal

Kaka leads Orlando City past Toronto FC

By MIKE GRAMAJO 

CHAMPIONSGATE - It was a tale of two halves, but it was the latter that spearheaded Orlando City to a win. 

After a lackluster first half, Brazilian star Ricardo Kaka scored a pair of goals as Orlando City defeated Toronto FC 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at the ChampionsGate Sports Fields. 

"Pleased with the performance," Orlando City coach Adrian Heath said. "The whole second-half we were very good at times. More importantly, the attitude of the players were a lot more competitive than we were the other day, which was the pleasing thing." 

Jonathan Osorio gave Toronto the early lead six minutes into the start of the game. Servando Carrasco's giveaway on the run of play connected with the Canadian international to strike the ball past Lions goalkeeper Joe Bendik.

The lead was short lived, however, when second-half substitute Kevin Molino found Kaka from close range to curl the ball into the net for the equalizer. Molino would help set up the second goal when he was fouled in the box in the 62nd minute, leaving Kaka to score from the spot for the eventual winner.

"I think we started the game really well," said Brek Shea, who played about 80 minutes. "I feel really comfortable at left back, I love getting forward obviously, it's more of my strengths, but obviously I have to do my defensive duties first and when the opportunity presents itself, I like to get forward. I  

Kaka lethal in final third

Kaka scored Orlando's two goals, and Adrian Heath said after the game he would consider having the Brazilian star play more up the field as the start of the season is two weeks away. 

"I think we need to get him higher up the field and around the danger area because he's very, very dangerous when he's in the box," Heath said. "With the addition of [Antonio] Nocerino, it's maybe something we have to look at." 

Nocerino is expected to join the Lions on Thursday before Saturday's friendly vs. Brazilian side Esporte Clube Bahia at the Citrus Bowl. Kaka scored nine goals last season for Orlando while playing mostly as a center attacking midfielder. 

Orlando City lineups

First-half XI: Joe Bendik; Brek Shea, David Mateos, Seb Hines, Rafael Ramos; Servando Carrasco, Darwin Cerén, Richie Laryea, Ricardo Kaká, Adrian Winter; Cyle Larin.

Second-half XI: Bendik, Shea, Mateos, Aurelien Collin, Ramos; Carrasco, Cerén, Winter, Kaká, Kevin Molino; Larin.

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Orlando City officially announce signing of Antonio Nocerino

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 Staff reports

After weeks of speculating whether Antonio Nocerino is coming to Central Florida or not, Orlando City SC officially announced his arrival to the City Beautiful on Thursday. 

The Italian midfielder will  join the Lions after almost six years with AC Milan of Serie A. Nocerino was teammates with Orlando City captain Ricardo Kaka, when they both played together at Milan during the 2013-14 Italian league season. 

“Antonio is a player that we really admire, who can be effective in a number of different positions, which gives us great depth,” Orlando City president Phil Rawlins said in a statement. “His vast experience in the Serie A will be invaluable for our team as we aim to make the MLS playoffs in 2016.”

Nocerino will join the Lions later this preseason after he gets all his Visa paperwork done. 

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, however, Orlando City sent targeted and general allocation money to DC United in exchange for the Italian midfielder's service. 

The Italian international will join a stacked Orlando City midfield which includes: Kaká (DP), Kevin Molino, Servando Carrasco, Darwin Ceren, Cristian Higuita, Harrison Heath (HGP), Pedro Ribeiro, Adrian Winter, Richie Laryea, Antonio Nocerino 

How do you think Nocerino will fit in the squad? Comment below. 

#OCThrowback | Cyle Larin scores hat-trick at Red Bull Arena

By MIKE GRAMAJO 

Who can't forget the night Cyle Larin scored a hat trick at Red Bull Arena on Sept. 25 to keep Orlando City's playoffs hopes alive. 

The Lions edged the New York Red Bulls 5-2 that Friday night, which resulted into being the third consecutive victory from a 5-game win streak late in the regular season. 

Larin finished the season with a team-high 17 goals, which was also an MLS record for most-goals scored by a rookie in a single season. 

The Canadian international is looking to avoid the infamous sophomore slump as he enters the 2016 MLS season. 

What's your favorite Cyle Larin moment from last season? Let us know in the comments below. 

For more follow us on Twitter @OSJSoccer.

Adrian Heath demands more after Orlando City tops Red Bulls

 By MIKE GRAMAJO 

CHAMPIONSGATE - Orlando City may have walked away with a victory over the New York Red Bulls, but Lions coach Adrian Heath was not all too pleased with the team's performance afterwards. 

Goals from Kaka, Adrian Winter and Pedro Ribeiro saw the Lions edge the Red Bulls 3-2 on Wednesday morning at the ChampionsGate Sports Complex. 

"As pleased as I was at Jacksonville, I thought today was very poor," Heath told reporters. "Our body language was poor from the beginning, didn't look like we were ready to come and play. I thought our second group was a little better, it looked like it meant something for the second group, and it did." 

There weren't any halftime changes for the Lions but as the game entered the second half, Orlando squared off against a second-team Red Bulls headlined by Mike Grella. It wasn't until Heath made a complete lineup change that saw Orlando City take more control of the game and eventually the result. 

"It was disappointing," added Heath. "Yeah, Orlando won 3-2, but that scoreline doesn't paint a true picture of what the game was. It just looked like [Red Bulls] wanted to win the game more than we did, and that shouldn't happen. The problem wasn't anything to do with fitness, it had to do with attitude. All in all, it's been probably a wasted day." 

While Heath mostly pointed at how poor the team played on Wednesday, the Orlando City bossman praised goalkeeper Joe Bendik, defender Rafael Ramos and midfielder Adrian Winter on their time on the pitch. 

Molino in action, notches assist

Kevin Molino's return to full fitness continued on Wednesday.

The Trinidad and Tobago international was part of the team's second team that was inserted into the field toward the latter part of the game. The 2014 USL MVP didn't find the net, but assisted in the game-winning goal that was scored by Ribeiro in the 80th minute. 

"He's only had 10-15 minutes, but he looks OK," said Heath. "We're just hoping we can get more minutes between now and the beginning of the season because bottom line is he's one of our best players." 

Molino is slowly coming back from an ACL tear that occurred last year during a friendly. The injury, which happened early in the MLS season, forced the midfielder to miss the entire 2015 season. 

More Lions action 

Orlando City B 1, Toronto FC 0

Buzz: Pierre Da Silva's goal in the sixth minute saw OCB (3-0, preseason) defeat Toronto. 

Second-half XI for OCB: Ridgers; Ellis-Hayden, Nitti, Callan-McFadden, Turner; Aguilera, Mendoza, Trialist, Da Silva; Cox, Eyang. - via The Mane Land 

(Orlando Soccer Journal staff photos)

Orlando City launches #FillTheBowlAgain campaign

(Courtesy of Orlando City Communications)

By MIKE GRAMAJO 

Almost one year after Orlando City Soccer Club packed the Citrus Bowl with 62,000 fans during its inaugural Major League Soccer game, the Lions announced on Tuesday they're aiming to do it again by launching the #FillTheBowlAgain campaign. 

“I can’t think of a more fitting way to kick off our farewell tour at the Citrus Bowl than by filling the stadium once again with our passionate and ardent supporters,” Club President and Founder Phil Rawlins said in a statement. “Current ticket sales are pacing ahead of 2015, and we are excited to show Real Salt Lake what it’s like to come to Orlando and face us at home." 

The Lions will play the 2016 MLS season at the Citrus Bowl before officially moving down the street to their new soccer-specific stadium, which is expected to be completed in 2017. Orlando City starts the season at home on March 6 against Real Salt Lake. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. 

The club also announced it has opened terrace seating ahead of its opener against Salt Lake. 

OCSC opened up their inaugural 2015 season at the Citrus Bowl on March 8, 2015 against New York City FC in front of an announced crowd of 62,510. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after Orlando City captain Kaka leveled the score in the final seconds of the game. 

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For more visit OSJSoccer.com and follow us on Twitter @OSJSoccer.

Orlando City notes: Away uniforms revealed, training news

By MIKE GRAMAJO 

Orlando City continued its push into the 2016 MLS regular season on Tuesday by revealing its away uniform during the team's open practice at the Citrus Bowl, which welcomed roughly 2,000 fans who braved temperatures in the low 50's.  

Here is a recap from Tuesday night: 

Molino is finding his groove

Adrian Heath said on Sunday that Kevin Molino was nearly back to 100 percent. On Tuesday, however, Molino practiced with the first team and even participated in the team's scrimmage. 

"You can see from the little bit he played tonight that he's certainly ready to play," said Heath. "It's just the case of us now, hopefully picking the right time for him. He's still a little bit short with his muscle strength on one leg, so once we get that back, it's a case of all systems go."

Kevin Molino suffered an ACL tear early last year, which saw the midfielder miss Orlando City's entire 2015 inaugural season in MLS.

"His injury is going to recover," added Heath. "I'm certainly not worried about his ability and what he can do on the field. He feels great, he has no pain, he has no swelling. Hopefully the next couple weeks go well for him."

Heath welcomes Armada rivalry 

Orlando City has had its fair share of in-state rivalries during its six years of existence. Adrian Heath is all about welcoming it in a respectful manner. 

The Lions will travel north of the peninsula when they take on NASL side Jacksonville Armada in a friendly on Saturday at Community First Park at 6 p.m. 

"We gotta play properly," said Heath on the Armada friendly. "We gotta treat the game with the respect, we gotta treat the opposition with the respect they deserve. I see they beat Philadelphia [Union] at the weekend, and I know certainly in this state, we're pretty much of a big scout for all the other teams." 

The game will mark the first time these two Florida teams meet, but it will also reunite Heath with two of his former players; Miguel Gallardo and Bryan Burke. 

"Them two are huge parts on what we did in the beginning," Heath said on seeing Gallardo and Burke. "Always great to see people who have contributed for us. It's always good to see couple of the guys who helped us to where we are today." 

If  you go

Individual Orlando City tickets for the 2016 season went on sale on Tuesday. For more, visit www.orlandocitysc.com/tix 

Report: Carlos Rivas and Cristian Higuita named to U-23 Colombian national team

By MIKE GRAMAJO 

Orlando City's Carlos Rivas and Cristian Higuita may possibly be on the road to Rio 2016. 

According to Colombian news outlet El Tiempo, the Colombian duo were named to the preliminary Colombian U-23 national team ahead of its back-to-back friendlies against Honduras on Feb. 23 and Feb. 27 in Houston and Miami. 

The Colombian U-23 team will play the United States U-23 national team in a two-legged Olympic play-off game.

The first leg will take place on March 25 in Barranquilla, Colombia. The second leg is scheduled for March 29 in Dallas, Texas. 

The winner of the tw0-legged playoff will qualify to play in the summer Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil later this summer. 

Rivas is currently nursing a hamstring injury and is expected to be out of action for at least 10 days, according to Orlando City coach Adrian Heath. 

LEAKED | Orlando City 2016 away kit

Staff reports

Orlando City fans finally got a chance to see how the 2016 away uniform will look like courtesy of Footy Headlines. 

Orlando Health will remain the priority kit sponsor with Adidas designing all of Major League Soccer team's uniforms. 

Below is the full leaked kit: 

What do you think of the leaked away kits? Share your comments below. 

 

Orlando City notes: Lions top Titans; newcomers impress

By MIKE GRAMAJO

MELBOURNE -- Playing in its first preseason game of the season, Orlando City SC claimed a 4-0 victory vs. Eastern Florida State College on Sunday at Titan Soccer Complex. 

Hadji Barry scored twice while Tyler Turner and Tony Rocha also found the net as the Lions secured a comfortable victory in their first preseason game of 2016.

"It's been a combination of a great week," said Orlando City bossman Adrian Heath. "We had a really great week down here, training has been superb. And we had a really good performance, I think the lads approached the game the right way." 

Richie Laryea, who was the No. 7 pick in January's MLS SuperDraft, orchestrated the first goal after connecting with Barry on a through-ball, leaving the former UCF Knight to score Orlando City's first preseason goal of 2016. 

Tony Rocha was part of the build up that led to the second goal after finding Rafael Ramos, who then crossed the ball to find Tyler Turner to head the ball toward the net. Barry secured his brace moments before halftime. Rocha scored the Lions' fourth goal in the second half after Pedro Ribeiro's back-heel pass found the former Austin Aztex player to slot the ball in the bottom corner of the net. 

Here are some more notes from Sunday's friendly: 

Rivas goes down at start of second half 

Orlando City coach Adrian Heath inserted a whole new squad in the second half, which included Colombian winger Carlos Rivas, but his season debut wouldn't last long. 

After eight minutes of play, Rivas went down clutching his left hamstring after making a run toward the ball. Rivas exited the game, and Rocha went back on to play at left wing. 

"As I said last year, there's still a lot more to come for Carlos Rivas," Heath said on Rivas. "We have not seen the best of him yet, hopefully it's not too bad. If it's only a small one, which we think it is, it's only about a week to 10 days." 

A timeline on the return of Rivas was not given, but other players that could fill-in the void at left wing are Brek Shea, Kevin Molino, and Tony Rocha among the few that Heath could select. 

Barry and Rocha among several that stood out

Making their debuts in the purple kit, Hadji Barry and Tony Rocha wasted no time in making their presence be felt on the field for the Lions. 

While Barry scored two goals in his first Orlando City preseason match, Tony Rocha was the only player that saw 82 minutes on the field. After an impressive first half in which he helped orchestrate Orlando's second goal, Rocha found the net in the second half. 

"Tony [Rocha] is a good player," said Heath. "I thought he played excellent. I [also] thought Mikey Ambrose was great, Richie Laryea and Hadji Barry were very, very lively. It's been a good day, and some of the younger guys have done well." 

Team chemistry was key, according to Rocha: "It's really well, what helped was the two weeks of preseason we had before this, so we have a lot of team chemistry, it seems like we've been playing for a while. It's nice to finally play with each other on the field." 

Among other standouts were  Richie Laryea, Tyler Turner, Tommy Redding, and Darwin Ceren.

Orlando City starting lineups vs. Eastern Florida 

Here is the Lions' first half XI: Joe Bendik; Seb Hines, Aurelien Collin, Rafael Ramos, Trialist, Mikey Ambrose, Cristian Higuita, Tyler Turner, Richie Laryea, Tony Rocha, Hadji Barry.

And here's how the Lions looked in the second half: Earl Edwards Jr.; Kevin Alston, David Mateos, Tommy Redding, Luke Boden; Harrison Heath, Servando Carrasco, Adrian Winter, Darwin Ceren, Carlos Rivas; Pedro Ribeiro.  

Final notes

Brek Shea was not present on Sunday, but according to Adrian Heath, the winger picked up a knock earlier this week. Heath suggested the team isn't going to rush his return, but emphasized it's a small issue. 

Heath on Kevin Molino's return: "He's nearly there. He's got a meeting with a specialist and the doctor this week. Hopefully, we'll have more good news about his progress. At this moment of time, it's not on my hands, it's in their hands." 

For more Orlando City news, follow @OSJSoccer. 

Orlando City and Antonio Nocerino talks fall through

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 By MIKE GRAMAJO

Orlando City Soccer Club's pursuit of Antonio Nocerino is over. 

According to the Washington Post, Major League Soccer has ordered Orlando City to end its ambitions of signing the AC Milan midfielder, also citing that DC United has "exclusive rights" in acquiring the Italian. 

The Lions expressed interest in the Milan midfielder earlier this week, sparking speculation that Nocerino was heading to the Sunshine State. 

The Post also reported that Orlando City's pursuit of Nocerino conflicts with league tampering rules. 

IAN FULLER JOINS MINNESOTA UNITED

Ian Fuller will now be an assistant coach at Minnesota United FC of the NASL, the Loons announced on Tuesday. 

“I’m thrilled to join an organization with a winning pedigree,” Fuller told Minnesota United's website. “I’ve gotten to know Manny Lagos and Carl Craig over the years and I’m excited to be working with two very talented coaches who have a lot of experience." 

Fuller, who served as an assistant coach at Orlando City under Adrian Heath, was let go from the Lions prior to the 2016 preseason. Fuller became full-time assistant coach with Orlando during the 2014 USL season. 

The move also unites Fuller with Jamie Watson, who played with Orlando City from 2010 until 2014. 

"We're getting the band back together," said Watson on his Twitter handle. "Couldn't be happier to have Ian Fuller with us at Minnesota United."