Inaugural Adrian Heath Show Recap: Goodbye New York, Hello Houston

UPDATE: You can hear last night's coach's show here.

On Tuesday night Real Radio 104.1 broadcasted the inaugural Orlando City Coach's Show with Adrian Heath. Presented by Orlando City radio play-by-play man Tom Traxler, Heath was also joined by Rollins College coach Keith Buckley at Harry Buffalo in downtown Orlando.

Much of the show was spent recapping the team’s 1-1 draw with New York City FC from Sunday evening and the three yellow cards for simulation. Heath said he felt that the referee, Alan Kelly, was harsh by brandishing the cards. The head coach mentioned that Kevin Molino was pushed prior to his fall to the Citrus Bowl turf and that Cristian Higuita was tripped on his, which should’ve been a penalty.

Following the team's inaugural MLS game, the club released video of captain Kaká speaking pregame to his teammates. Heath said that he likes to give a player the floor before they take the field, letting the team know about 20 minutes beforehand who will be speaking. He felt that for the first game it was only appropriate to have it be the team's captain and star midfielder.

Heath also praised the support of the 62,510 fans that filled the Citrus Bowl Sunday evening. He stated that when the team arrived at the stadium via bus from the club's downtown offices, they were surprised and pleased by the reception that greeted them.

It was a special day for the club's academy players, who had the opportunity to be on the field during pregame festivities. Heath had the opportunity to play for his local club in his younger days and spoke about how these kids are seeing that the opportunity is there for them to play for their local club. The development academy has been an emphasis at the club since its launch and Heath said he's pleased that "the kid wants to be a professional so much and he can do it here."

Looking forward to Friday night’s game in Houston, Heath said he’ll watch their previous game, against Columbus Crew SC, in full tomorrow. He was impressed by Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric who kept them in the game Saturday night.

Heath expects the Dynamo to play a 4-4-1-1, with four in the back, four tight in the midfield, one up front, and one tight underneath. The one question about the Dynamo yet to be answered is whether Boniek Garcia will play wide or behind the striker. Either way, Heath emphasized that the Lions have to refocus on Friday night due to the quick turnaround.

Heath will be matching up Friday night with a longtime friend in Scotsman Owen Coyle. A frequent visitor to Orlando, Coyle loves the United States and is well aware of MLS. As a former coach in Texas, Heath mentioned that he helped Coyle connect with the Dynamo, as Coyle was very interested in the job.

As for the rest of the league, Heath also kept an eye on future opponents. He said the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders, two of the league’s best teams last season, were impressive. He was also impressed by two of the Canadian clubs that matched up Saturday in Vancouver and Toronto.

When asked about league travel, Heath admitted that it can cause problems for a team. The long distance and disruptive scheduling make playing on the road a true challenge in MLS. While this trip won't be very disruptive, as the team can train at home and arrive late in Houston, Heath expects the Lions to leave two days early for games out west.

The Orlando City Coach's Show with Adrian Heath will be a weekly program that will be broadcast on Real Radio 104.1 each Tuesday from 8-9 p.m.