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Orlando City Coach’s Show Recap: Adrian Heath Talks Columbus Crew, Looks Forward to Chicago Fire
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Tuesday night's Orlando City Coach's Show with Adrian Heath saw the Lions boss review Saturday night's draw with the Columbus Crew and look forward toward next week's trip to Chicago.
Columbus Crew
Heath was disappointed in the result against the 10-man Columbus Crew Saturday night. "To say we left a couple of points on the table would be an understatement," Heath stated. "We've thrown two away." He also stated that "Hopefully that doesn't hurt us down the road."
Heath said that the Crew started well and created trouble, but part of that was Orlando City’s doing. He said his team defended the box poorly on both goals. On the first goal, Heath noted that 6-foot-4 midfielder Tony Tchani got matched up with Orlando City’s 5-foot-8 right back Rafael Ramos, which was an obvious mismatch.
Overall, Heath said that the Lions need to defend better in the box, as that was a cause of both Crew goals. He felt his team got a foothold after the first Crew goal and got them out of their comfort zone. They started pressuring them in the final third. Heath said that it would've been an injustice if they hadn't taken something from the game.
After the game, Columbus head coach Greg Berhalter said that he would love to see these two teams play with 22 players on the field, saying it would be a really good game. He is referencing the fact that both games this season have had players sent off. Heath agreed with that statement.
14 Corners
Orlando City had 14 corners Saturday night, which is something noticed by Heath. He said that they had been working on crowding the goalkeeper, Steve Clark, on set pieces, but that they didn't crowd him as much on Saturday. He said they let Clark off the hook by not getting as many players around him as they should have. He said he likes getting the wide full backs as high as they can and that they created enough chances to win comfortably.
Federico Higuain Substitution
In the 19th minute, following Michael Parkhurst’s red card, Columbus’ number 10 Federico Higuain was substituted. Heath said he wasn’t surprised, because the Crew had done this before. While Higuain is one of the best number 10s in the league, the Crew needed more energy. Heath also stated that when a team is down to 10 men, they need “all hands to the pump.”
50-50 Balls
In the stat dealing with 50-50 balls, Crew were found to have won most of those balls. Heath said that when a team goes down a man, you expect that team to be a bit more desperate for those balls.
Kei Kamara's Goal
The second Crew goal by Kei Kamara was defended poorly according to Heath. Seb Hines moved up toward the ball too early, leaving Luke Boden in the difficult position of defending two players. Heath said you can’t leave a dangerous player like Kamara virtually unmarked.
Rivalry with Columbus
After two emotional games against Columbus, Heath was asked if there was now a rivalry between the two teams. "I like Greg Berhalter, their coach," was Heath's immediate response. Heath said they're one of the few teams in the league with an identity and they cause problems because of their possession and the way they play, which is similar to Orlando City. Because Columbus is so good, Heath quipped "I'd prefer a rivalry with somebody else."
Pedro Ribeiro's Return
Pedro Ribeiro returned to action as a substitute Saturday night, netting the equalizing goal. Heath said he’s worked really hard to get himself “fit and well.” He said the Brazilian has been working with Kaká’s personal fitness coach to get back and has looked “sharp as a tack.” Heath said Ribeiro looked dangerous Saturday night and “could’ve won the game for us.”
Carlos Rivas
Heath was very defensive of Carlos Rivas, who has taken quite a bit of criticism after struggling Saturday night. He said he was better and fitter than he had seen previously after Rivas suffered from some nagging injuries. He felt that Rivas was more of a threat.
As for the criticism, Heath said that it's easy for people to criticize the 20-year-old, but he's living in a new country, speaking a new language, and living a new way of life which is difficult. He told supporters to give him time as he has a great future and has great quality.
Heath also took the time to condemn Orlando City fans stating that they shouldn't be criticizing the players.
Sepp Blatter's Resignation
Earlier on Tuesday, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced that he’d be resigning his post just four days after being re-elected. Heath called it a “great day for the game” and said that hopefully the right person will take over for Blatter. He praised the fact that several FIFA officials have been brought to justice and stated that he felt that the decision to give Qatar the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” He said he didn’t mind the decision to give Russia the 2018 World Cup but that Qatar has no history of the game.
Future World Cup Hosts
Heath said that he felt Australia would be a good host for a future World Cup. He said that he believes Russia will keep the tournament in 2018 because they have history with the sport but that Qatar might not because they don't have much history with the sport. He also said that the United States could "handle it in a minute."
Stadium Funding
On Friday, Orlando City owner Flavio Augusto da Silva announced that the club would be rejecting all public funds and would finance the entirety of the new soccer-specific stadium themselves. After Adrian corrected host Tom Traxler who called it “the stadium” by stating “our home,” Orlando City Vice President of Communications Lenny Santiago took over. Santiago stated that no public money would be used, referencing the team’s average attendance of over 30,000 a game, which is second behind the Seattle Sounders. He said now they can “build a proper stadium, a proper home.” With the club owning the stadium, they can now provide the amenities and technology to create a better experience for fans. The stadium will now also provide property taxes for the city which can go to fund other programs.
Heath chimed in by saying that stadiums can be as iconic as the teams they hosts citing Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and Boston Garden. He said this is one of the best things that has ever happened to Orlando City.
Stadium Changes
When asked what changes Heath would like to see from the Citrus Bowl, he had a few ideas. Heath said he'd like to see tailor-made locker rooms and two or three more locker rooms, so Orlando City's wouldn't be used for other events. He'd like to see better coach's offices and staff offices, as well as a players lounge.
Something that Heath was adamant about was honoring past players that helped the club reach MLS. He said he'd like to see photos of ex-players like Miguel Gallardo, Rob Valentino, and Jamie Watson somewhere because they played a huge part in the team and they need a little piece of the stadium.
Comparison with Promoted English Teams
Heath was asked by an AFC Bournemouth fan how Orlando City would compare with the newly promoted English clubs Bournemouth, Watford, and Norwich City. Heath agreed with new Houston Dynamo coach, Owen Coyle, who said that MLS teams could compete in the Football League Championship, England’s second division. But Heath said that MLS clubs were not yet ready to compete in the Premier League due to the lack of squad depth.
How Strong Can MLS Get?
Heath said that within 10 years, he believes that MLS will be the third or fourth biggest league in the world. His reason was that people want to live in this country. He said that even before he came to America to coach, he'd thought about how he'd love to live in this country. Since the club's been in MLS, Heath said he's had several players tell him they'd love to play in Orlando. However, he reiterated that the club has to make sure they are getting players who want to come for the right reasons.
Goal Celebrations
Kaká had another memorable celebration Saturday night following his penalty as we climbed the capo stand to celebrate with fans. Heath said he's fine with Kaká's celebration but it depends on who is doing the celebrating. If a player who goes in for hard tackles, like Aurélien Collin, takes his shirt off and gets cautioned, he wouldn't like that because he has a greater chance of being sent off later on.
Goal Line Technology
There was a close play Saturday night where Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark caught the ball on the goal line. Heath said that he would like to see goal line technology (which has been instituted in several countries) and potentially replay at the 18-yard box. However, he said that he does not want any replay between the boxes.
Orlando City Soccercast
Last season, Heath made a weekly appearance on Orlando City SoccerCast with Tom Vann and Dennis Daniels, but this year he has yet to appear. Heath said he has not been asked yet and jokingly said he thought he'd been banned for something he said, but he hopes to be on soon.
Young Players
Heath was asked about young players like Harrison Heath, Tommy Redding, and Conor Donovan, and when they could see playing time. Heath said that the younger Heath is the closest, stating the Redding has had a rough start with injuries but that their time would come.
Status of Aurélien Collin
Heath said that Aurélien Collin is fit and well after sustaining an injury on May 13 at D.C. United. Heath said that he has to make sure that players believe if they get in the team, they have a chance to stay in the team. Sean St. Ledger and Seb Hines, who have filled in for Collin, have done well in his absence. Heath said by easing him back in, they don’t have to push Collin. He also said he owes it to other players who have played well to allow them to stay in the team.
Playoff Chances
Heath once again stated that he believes they can make the playoffs. “Have we had a game where we haven’t been the better team, [other than the Toronto FC game]?” Heath asked. “I don’t think we have.” He also stated that once in the playoffs, he doesn’t think the other teams will look forward to playing them.
Jim Philips Question of the Week
For the weekly "Jim Philips Question of the Week", the radio host asked if offside calls tell a coach anything about his players. Heath said that they have to work with players staying onside. He singled out striker Cyle Larin, who Heath said takes a five second rest before getting back onside.
Previewing the Chicago Fire
On Saturday, the Lions will take on the Chicago Fire. Heath said that Orlando City assistant coach Mark Watson worked with Fire head coach Frank Yallop with the San Jose Earthquakes, and the two are quite close. He noted that the Fire have had a “revamp” of their team, overhauling the squad. He said they’ve brought pace into the team by adding David Accum and Kennedy Igboananike.
However, Shaun Maloney will be on international duty, which Heath said will help the Lions. Heath stated that this will be a critical game for the team, as both teams are looking for the final few playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Saturday night's game will be played at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois at 8:30 p.m.
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Reflecting on Eight Years with The Mane Land
A look back over my time with The Mane Land (so far).
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As of last week, I have been a contributor at The Mane Land for eight years. That’s longer than I’ve ever been at any of my actual jobs in my life. There are literally only a couple of people who have been with the site longer, but I’m still amazed at how long it’s been. This is not to say I’m going anywhere, but rather I wanted to take the opportunity to look back at the past eight years, and look ahead to the future.
Unlike some, I didn’t come to be a supporter of Orlando City until it was announced that the club was joining MLS. At the time, I was contemplating picking a club to follow in MLS, but being in Tallahassee, there were no nearby options at that time. I considered FC Dallas and D.C. United, given the two were geographically closer in proximity to me than any others. Fortunately, it was literally while I was considering my options that the announcement was made regarding Orlando City’s jump to MLS. It was an easy decision.
As I do in many aspects of my life, I immediately started researching my new club, which led me to the content being produced by The Mane Land. There was also an article on the site titled “Join The Mane Land Staff.” I had often over the years internally bemoaned that I rarely used my Bachelor’s degree in English, and the desire to write welled up in me so much that I emailed the staff.
In response, one of our former editors, Andrew Marcinko, contacted me and said “I think your voice would be a great fit on TML.” He asked me to submit a Fan Post (those went away with our presence on SBN), and then another piece for review. Following that, our founder and managing editor, Michael Citro, emailed me to welcome me to the staff. I had no idea at the time how big a part of my life this blog would become.
I started out writing Monday’s Lions Links — often one of the more difficult days to write — and a feature piece. It’s been many years gone by now, but there was a time when the feature piece was “Pride Pub,” an ongoing series that paired craft beer and good food based on Orlando City’s opponent. I can tell you that the research for that was very enjoyable, and I still use some of the recipes I found to this day.
Eventually, I started contributing more match coverage and analytical pieces. Staff came and went, but I never thought to leave since I was enjoying myself. Sometime after that, I was promoted to senior columnist, for which I’m grateful. I can without reservation say that I’m a better writer thanks to my time with the site, and from working with such excellent staff.
In November of 2016, Michael asked if I wanted to give co-hosting The Mane Land PawedCast a try. My first recording was for Episode 71. We just recorded Episode 354, and with the exception of maybe two or three episodes, I have been on every single one of 283 episodes over the last six plus years. Michael and I have spent a lot of time talking on and off the podcast over the years, and I’m proud of what we have produced and to call him my friend.
We recently added an Orlando Pride-specific podcast called Skopurp: An Orlando Pride PawedCast. For years we wanted to give the Pride the time and attention the club deserves. Now, it is a reality, but one that I ask you to listen to and share. I’ll even put out that although Michael and I are the current hosts, we merely consider ourselves stewards and are hoping to get others to come onboard and eventually take it to the next level.
When I started with The Mane Land, the site had just made the move from a free WordPress site to the SBNation network. It was a big deal, and for many years it was a good partnership. Of course that all came to an end not too long ago, and our blog went the independent route thanks to the incredibly generous support of our readers and listeners. In fact, if you want to be one of those supporting our efforts, please go to our Buy Me A Coffee site to become a member. The move has allowed a flexibility we didn’t have before, but I really want others to have the same sense of joy and accomplishment that I have as a member of our staff.
At one point we had nearly twice the staff that we do now, and as you know, many hands make light work. The opposite of that is also true. I genuinely believe that there must be others out there with the same passion for Orlando City as I have — with the same desire to have their voice heard, whether through the written word or on a podcast. I promise you there is an opportunity to contribute here with us. Our internal discussions are informative, engaging, and often funny. Please consider joining us, as I did eight years ago. I haven’t regretted it and I know you won’t either.
I want to thank all of those who contributed to The Mane Land over the years. There are many that I am still in touch with, though they are no longer a part of the staff. Of course, the current staff are a pleasure to work with, and I appreciate their dedication to what we are trying to do.
Finally, I want to thank the readers and listeners over the years. From those who regularly comment on our articles, to those that I’ve personally met at matches or even randomly on the street, you are a big reason that we do all of this. You are a big reason why I’ve been doing this for the better part of a decade. it is always a genuine pleasure hearing your thoughts or simply sharing a moment of joy together — U.S. Open Cup final, anyone?
So, thank you. I look forward to many more years of this journey together.
Orlando City
The Mane Land Announces Membership Program
Maximize your Mane Land experience with our new TML membership program while supporting our independent efforts.
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Hello, readers of The Mane Land and listeners of our podcasts. Before you start reading this, please note that the most important part of this post is at the end. So, don’t stop until you get to the bottom.
You may recall that when we left SBNation to become independent, we really weren’t sure the best way to go about that. Many of our readers and listeners generously offered to help us make that transition, but we still weren’t sure the best path forward, so we took a poll.
The poll was pretty much split down the middle between those who preferred a one-time, Kickstarter-style campaign (which we did, and those of you who stepped up to help completely blew us away!) and those who favored a Patreon-style, subscription-based membership with extra perks. In fact, the member subscriptions option got a few more votes in our poll.
The folks who took part in our GoFundMe fundraiser were fantastic and are now immortalized on this very site on the “Our Founders” page. But we had always planned to give folks the option to choose whichever method of support they preferred and we tried to communicate that throughout the process. It took a little longer than expected to get up and running, but our membership subscription program is now in place! (You may notice the fancy new banner ad about it on the home page, echoed below.)
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Part of that delay was thinking up something that didn’t encroach on the benefits we gave our Founders. Those folks helped us get started and deserve the exclusivity of the perks they got. The other part of the delay is that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. (However, for you guys, I’m willing to be cloned.)
We have utilized the popular Buy Me a Coffee platform to run this program. You can find the basics here. The Mane Land premium membership program includes three tiers of membership, as well as the option to click on the “Support” tab for those who just want to help us out whenever, without joining the program or adding any recurring “appointment-based” payments to their budgets. We love that feature of Buy Me a Coffee (or “Buy Us a Beer” in our case…you drink what you like).
For those who do choose to become members, we hope we have provided value and we are planning to add benefits along the way, in addition to providing special giveaways, events, etc. (more on that below). We have also provided subscription options — with monthly or annual memberships. The annual cost essentially gives you 12 months for the price of 10.
Current Benefits
The current membership benefits depend on which level of support you choose — Homegrown Player, TAM Player, or Designated Player level. Each level includes all benefits from the lower tiers, with additional benefits for each higher level.
Homegrown Player: This is a basic set-it-and-forget-it level of support for The Mane Land, providing a way for our readers and podcast listeners to contribute to the success of TML‘s independence goals. We want to compensate our current volunteers, replace lost income of those who previously received small stipends from being part of the SBNation network, add photographers, attract new writers, and expand our coverage. Additionally, each Homegrown Player Level member will be recognized in a Lion Links column, which is still typically our most widely read post of each day and one of the top daily links columns among soccer sites. Homegrown Player Level members will also be included in any future prize drawings we have or events we host and may be subject to future benefits as they are added.
TAM Player: In addition to Homegrown Player benefits, TAM Players will receive a new weekly e-newsletter in their inbox (unless you opt out…some people hate email). These will be informal missives from myself, other TML writers, or a combination, discussing what’s on our mind regarding Orlando City, the Pride, OCB, or soccer in general. Think of it as an extra post from our site that may cover multiple topics. Additionally, you’ll get a 10% discount from our web shop items that we control (presently, that means everything except our listed MLS Shop items). We will definitely have more benefits coming for this level soon and will look for opportunities to include additional benefits as they become available.
Designated Player: This limited availability level of support includes all perks from the Homegrown and TAM levels, but it goes beyond. Your discount at our webshop (for items we control) will be 15% off. Additionally, we’ll send you Zoom links to watch us “make the doughnuts” whenever we record the podcast. This includes when we interview guests. You’ll see how the sausage is made behind the scenes and everything that we say, some of which will end up on the cutting room floor before the final podcast is sent out. This includes both The Mane Land PawedCast and SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast. And after two months of membership you can commission a bonus episode of either podcast simply by letting us know what topic you want us to cover. Think of this as an extended Ask Us Anything. We’ll do a whole show about your topic and you can even join us to discuss it if you wish.
The DP Level will certainly have additional benefits tacked on as we move forward. It is currently limited to 40 members but could be expanded slightly depending on demand and our Zoom attendance.
Future Benefits / Benefits Under Consideration
While we won’t be able to schedule these due to the random nature of items falling into our hands, there will be periodic prize giveaways in drawings that include all of our members, regardless of level. The catch is that you get one entry per level of support, meaning Homegrown Player Level members will get one entry per prize drawing, TAM Player Level members will get two entries per drawing, and Designated Player Level members get three entries for prize drawings. Some of the kinds of items we have come across in the past include match tickets, trinkets, posters, scarves, and so on.
We are planning to add a message board to our website, well…soon-ish is the word that comes to mind. The plan for the message board is to build our community and further the discussion about the club. As part of this, we’re planning an exclusive, members-only area of that message board that TAM and DP members can access. This will be a place our staff can share informational nuggets we can’t necessarily write stories about for various reasons and interact with our members on a daily basis.
Other things in the works include meet-and-greets/watch parties where you can chat with TML staff members and catch a road match with a bunch of like-minded Orlando City/Pride fans while we all cheer on the team together. There may also be other informal outings with one or more members of the staff, organized fantasy leagues, random Zoom calls for Q&A sessions, and perhaps even some organized group outings for Orlando City / Pride matches, national team games, etc.
The Most Important Part of This Post
Remember at the top of this post, when I said the most important part is at the bottom? Well, that seems like a long time ago, now, so it’s OK if you’ve already forgotten.
The most important part of our membership program is you. We want your feedback so we can make this program something that interests and excites you. We want to know what you like and dislike about this program. We want to know if there are some things we didn’t think of that interest you. If you like what we’re offering, tell us! If you hate what we’re offering, we want to know what you’d prefer instead or in addition. If you want to go drinking with Dave, we can probably arrange that, but it’ll be a unique tier and we’ll have to figure out the cost of that.
No idea is too crazy to suggest, even if it’s too insane for us to actually offer. Let us know what you want from your subscription and we’ll see if that’s something we can do. We’ll make it easy for you by putting the form right here below this post, which is now concluded.
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Welcome Home!
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Where do I even start? When we were told in January that SBNation was pulling its support of The Mane Land and other MLS and NHL blogs — and many podcasts — I was devastated. The site had become my new baby in September of 2014 and after eight and a half years, I wasn’t ready to let it go.
I was in a pickle. I couldn’t afford to lose the monthly stipend I had been getting from SBNation to manage the site and provide a steady stream of content. It wasn’t that it was a huge monthly sum, but it mostly covered my car payment. That car was purchased when my salary was higher. The pandemic hit my day job like it did to many, and after a four-month layoff, I got my old job back but not at the same rate. So, imagine taking a pay decrease at work and then, on top of that, losing the amount you spend per month on your car payment. There was simply no way to launch The Mane Land independently, I thought, because I simply couldn’t cover the startup costs. Even with some generous offers from the staff to pitch in, there simply wasn’t a way.
Once we took the news public, there was an outpouring of support on social media. We appreciated both the pledges to help out that we got from the community and the signal boosting that the national media gave blogs like ours. Those national folks rely on local reporting for background.
Encouraged by this outpouring of public support, I met with the TML staff and we threw some ideas around. We polled our Twitter followers to see how our community would prefer to show their support. We got pretty close to a 50/50 split between those who wanted to provide a one-time donation via a Kickstarter or GoFundMe crowdsourcing effort, and those who would prefer some sort of premium subscription add-on service like Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee.
We didn’t get a lot of responses to that poll, but we decided as a group that since the results were so similar, we would offer both and let the public choose one path, the other, or even both. (Stay tuned for news soon-ish on the premium subscription level, but rest assured, everything you’ve been getting for free at TML will remain free!)
I was, admittedly, skeptical that we could raise enough startup money to create a private business, pay for hosting a new site and two podcasts (having long wanted to give the Orlando Pride their own unique show), registering a domain, paying for some design work and consulting, and any unexpected expenses that might come up. However, I thought we’d at least give it a try.
Then the amazing Orlando City, Orlando Pride, and TML community got involved. You guys pushed us past our bare minimum goal in just four and a half hours when our fundraiser went live on March 1. We reset our goal and you met that by midnight. We reset our goal again, to the dream total we discussed on our initial staff Zoom chat and you met that by that first weekend.
Stunned. Humbled. Amazed. Touched. All of these words apply to how that made us feel, but they don’t quite cover it. I think we all felt an enormous responsibility, as well. We felt a mandate to provide you the best site and the best coverage we can.
We got everything we needed to run the site for two years, even if we don’t earn a penny after our launch — and we plan to try, via advertising, a Patreon (or similar) program, an online shop, affiliate links, and anything else we can think of. But we decided to leave the GoFundMe open through the end of March, just in case there were folks who wanted to contribute but needed to wait for payday, or if more people wanted to become founding members of this new site.
Now, here we are. You guys did this. We’re here because of you. And this site isn’t quite what it will become. I’m still learning my way around WordPress, after being away from it for years. There’s more to build, and some of the things you’re seeing on this site now will be improved in the future. We’ll continue to tweak it, add things, and upgrade as we go.
For now, I just want to welcome you to your new online home. On behalf of our entire staff, I thank our founding members, who are now immortalized on this site in our founders section. If you weren’t able to contribute to our transition from SBNation’s network to an autonomous and independent, new version of The Mane Land, you can thank the folks on our founders page, because without them, we wouldn’t be here. And if you still want to help out, we’ve got more things on the way.
Vamos.
Michael Citro
Managing Editor
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