Orlando City Captain Kaká Named to Brazil’s Preliminary 2015 Copa America Roster

While you were sleeping (unless you're something of a night owl or simply have more energy than I do at the end of a Monday), Orlando City captain Kaká was added to Brazil's preliminary roster for the 2015 Copa America. Orlando's star man worked his way back into his national team's picture over the last year with his play while with São Paulo.

Kaká was originally left off Dunga's Brazil squad on May 5, but was one of seven players just added. Final squads must be named by June 1, at which time they must be cut down to 23 players.

The Copa America, South America's biggest international tournament, will take place June 11 through July 4 in Chile and will qualify one of CONMEBOL's teams for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. The tournament is made up of 10 CONMEBOL nations and two invitees from CONCACAF — this year, Mexico and Jamaica.

What does this mean for Orlando City?

Well, potentially nothing. If Kaká doesn't make the final 23-man roster, he will continue on with the Lions, playing through the Major League Soccer schedule.

However, if Dunga decides he needs Kaká's experience, leadership and considerable talent on his team, he would likely be released to his national team at the beginning of June, potentially missing as many as five or six MLS matches, depending how much recovery time he needs after Brazil's run in Copa America.

With a deep run by Brazil, which is expected, Kaká would likely miss Orlando City matches against Chicago, D.C. United, Montreal, Colorado, and Real Salt Lake, during a crucial stretch of games. If Brazil reaches the final, and if Kaká is a regular in the lineup, he might also miss the FC Dallas match on July 11 after playing the tournament and traveling back to the U.S.

It would certainly be a blow to Orlando City’s expansion season if forced to play without their captain for an extended time, particularly given the fact that Brek Shea is likely to miss much of July while with the USMNT in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. That would be two straight months missing a star player, including some overlap.

It will be interesting to see if Dunga selects Kaká for his final squad.