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Orlando City Coach’s Show Recap: Adrian Heath Reviews Columbus and Looks Ahead to Toronto

Published

12 years ago

April 22, 2015

Tuesday’s Orlando City Coach’s Show with Adrian Heath started off with a somber discussion of the news of the death of Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) women’s soccer coach Fitzgerald “Fidgi” Haig’s death Thursday of a heart attack. The 47-year-old native of Haiti had won a national championship at FIT as a player and had spent the past 10 years coaching the women’s team. Heath reiterated what many have said the past week about the kindness of the man and the enormous impact he had on the growth of soccer in central Florida.

Columbus Game

Heath said the Lions started Saturday night's game against the Columbus Crew "very sloppily" giving the Crew two or three chances which luckily they didn't convert. He said the team didn't start well and particularly struggled in clearing their lines. After watching the game twice, he did feel like Orlando City were the better team for 20-25 minutes during the first half. Heath felt the team could come back from the first goal if they could manage to hold the Crew scoreless for the remainder of the first half. But after the second goal it became "damage limitation."

Ramos Red Card

Heath said that Ramos' red card was very much of his immaturity. Ramos had been involved in a collision which Heath says probably should've been a foul but the "very emotional" player didn't handle the situation well. "What happened after, you basically just can't do. The way he went in he could've had a 5-6 game ban."

Heath argues that if you had gone to the ref and apologized for the incident, he may have gotten away with just a yellow. However, the fact that he ran away and ignored the incident, the referee had no choice to but show him red.

After Red Card

Ramos’ sending off changed the game. Now down a man, Heath decided to change formation to a 4-4-1 which he maintains was working well. Heath says that the plan was to take the time to let the Crew feel comfortable with the game and that “at some stage nearly always have chance.” However, after Columbus’ second goal by Justin Meram, it became an uphill battle. Prior to that goal, the team had been “starting to play our own game,” even down a man and Heath felt they could’ve gotten something from the game. But after the second goal it seemed hopeless. “From there I wanted the game to be over as soon as possible.”

Positive Takeaways

Despite the 3-0 defeat, all wasn't negative. Heath said there are always things you can take away from these types of defeats. For this team, it was a test of character as some players still believed they could get something out of the game. Heath was very pleased with how they kept playing for the full 90 minutes.

Some of the bright spots include Kevin Molino, who Heath points out as having an “excellent game.” He was also very pleased with Darwin Ceren’s performance, saying he “did some really good things.” An away trip to Columbus was always going to be a tall order and, down to 10 men, it was a nearly impossible task but the team showed commitment. Heath pointed out that these results happen and it’s how you respond to those results that matter.

Season Tickets Sold Out

With Vice President of Communications Lenny Santiago on hand, they announced that the club had succeeded in selling 14,000 season tickets. It was a milestone set a while back for the club and places them as one of four MLS clubs to have a waiting list. Santiago congratulated Vice President of Ticket Sales Chris Gallagher and his sales team and said this proves that the fans are committed to the team.

Attendance Figures

Another fact Santiago pointed out was that the club currently leads the league in attendance. And even without the opening day attendance of 62,358, the club sits second only behind the Seattle Sounders. Even opponents have higher attendance numbers when the Lions go on the road.

Heath says the club has been really well received when he talks to coaches around MLS, calling Orlando City a "breath of fresh air" for the league. He made sure to thank the 50-60 supporters who traveled to Columbus for Saturday night's game, calling the support "nothing short of amazing" and saying that it means a lot. He also promised that "over the next couple of months we'll give you plenty to shout about."

Unsung Players

The most unsung player this season has probably been central defender Seb Hines. Heath called him “terrifically important” and said he’s a great kid in the dressing room and very popular with the rest of the guys. He brings great experience to a young club and Heath maintains that the best is yet to come.

He also pointed out Amboi Okugo as an unsung player who does the dirty work, something Heath says is very important in a team. "It takes all sorts to make a team. You have 11 artists you wouldn't get very far. You have 11 laborers, not very enjoyable to watch. Put them all together somewhere, a mixture of everything, and you can make a team." The most important thing for these hard working, unsung players is to realize that's why they're in the team and that it's the coach's job to make sure they realize that.

Brek Shea at Left Midfield?

During the fan question segment of the show, Heath was asked about left back Brek Shea playing left midfielder, where he has spent the majority of his career. “Not really,” Heath said about moving Shea. While the team has had injury problems with Lewis Neal and Carlos Rivas at the position, he likes Shea playing on the back line. However, if there is no other choice, Heath pointed out that he could put him in the midfield.

Formation Changes

When asked about people wanting to change formations, Heath stated that before (in the 4-2-3-1) there weren't enough forwards and now (in the 4-3-3) there are too many. You can't please everybody. However, Heath stated that his preferred formation is still the 4-2-3-1 and that if everyone is healthy they would return to it. He also pointed out that the formation isn't as important as everyone knowing their role and good formation can easily change throughout the game.

When asked about why he likes the 4-2-3-1 formation, Heath said that he can adjust the style during the game depending on the offensive or defensive needs. But the most important thing is that "we can get more players in the middle of the field where the ball is spent." He added that the ability to move players forward or backward is important because soccer is "a numbers game."

Injury Update

With several injured Orlando City players, Heath was asked about two specific ones in Sidney Rivera and Tally Hall. Rivera has been loaned to Louisville City FC but is in Orlando working on his recovery. Heath said Tuesday was the first day he’d been back on the training pitch in three weeks and he expects him to be ready to play in about 10 days.

Tally Hall is still working on his recovery after tearing his ACL late last season. Heath said Hall has joined training sessions and it's only a matter of time before he's back to full training. He been working hard with goalkeeping coach Marcos Machado and should be back in the next week or two.

Looking Ahead to Toronto FC

This coming Sunday night Orlando City will welcome Toronto FC to the Citrus Bowl. Heath said the players are excited about getting back home after playing the last two matches on the road. He said that he is fully aware of the need to give the home fans something to cheer about and that the team constantly talks about turning the Citrus Bowl into a fortress.

The key for Toronto FC Sunday night will likely be Italian midfielder/striker Sebastian Giovinco. As the most dangerous member of the Reds, Heath says that if they give him space around the 18, he will cause problems.

However, it’s not just Giovinco that the Lions will be concerned about. Heath also points out Michael Bradley, Benoît Cheyrou, and Jozy Alitdore as players to keep an eye on. While he says they might have to be patient, he’s confident the Lions can get a result out of the game.

Heath is very aware of the need to get a home result after dropping the last two games in the closing minutes. "I don't care if it comes off someone's backside and we win 1-0," Heath proclaimed. Toronto FC will be coming in under pressure after losing four straight, so Heath expects they'll play their most experienced team of guys who know how to perform under pressure.

Champions League Final

Finishing off the broadcast, the panel discussed the Montreal Impact on the eve of their first leg meeting with Club America in the CONCACAF Champions League Final. Heath stated that everybody in MLS is behind Montreal, informing the audience that he sent a message to the team and expected that other managers have as well. “Anything that shows the league in a good light is positive,” Heath noted. He also urged Orlando City fans to watch the match, as it is a “great advert” for soccer in this region.

For Orlando City, Heath hopes that his team will soon take part in the regional tournament. For the Lions, that path might be carved by the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Heath stated that, while some MLS clubs ignore the tournament, Orlando City won’t and that the club’s directors talk about taking the tournament seriously as well.

You can catch the Orlando City Coach's Show with Adrian Heath each Tuesday night on Real Radio 104.1. If you miss the show, they are posted afterward on the Real Radio website at realradio.fm.

Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 144: Gotham Rewind, Seattle Preview, and More

The Pride finished their home schedule with a loss to Gotham and hope to finish their road schedule with a win in Seattle.

Published

1 week ago

October 28, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Solai Washington running onto a ball behind the Gotham defense.

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.

Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More

The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.

Published

1 month ago

September 30, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Jacquie Ovalle dribbling toward the Bay FC defense.

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.

We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.

Here’s how Episode 140 went down:

0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.

20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.

33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 months ago

July 22, 2026

Michael Citro

Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Our most recent PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!