View from the End Line: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I don’t know about you, but I am going nuts right now. Between travel for Thanksgiving, to travel for work, to the chaos that is the world football schedule this time of year, I cannot help but fester on the lack of news from Orlando City SC right now. To be honest though, this time of year is pretty dry, and it is perfectly normal for communications to go a bit silent, although for fans it’s a difficult silence to deal with.

In the last nine days, I have found myself in three time zones. In all three, I proudly displayed my loyalties for all to see by wearing Orlando City SC gear. Why would I even think to do such a thing? Because I can, and to be honest, it typically sparks some pretty good conversations with people who are both familiar with MLS, and those who have no idea. One thing stands out though, and that is the mass chaos that is the holiday season and the mad dash that clubs seem to have to publicly announce signings and rosters moves during the off-season, except the one I’m most interested in.

I have looked back through the historical records, trying to see if there is some rhyme or reason to the time frame that Orlando City chooses to make moves. The club has geerally been careful not to make its endeavors public. Nothing good ever comes from the release of information prior to contract ink being dry. Add to this the current lack of a head coach, and it gets to be a bit scary, but fear not. The new head coach will be announced in time, and by that I mean when it is appropriate for all parties involved. There is a good chance that all deals have done, parties have shaken hands, and everyone is just waiting for the final copies of the contract to be approved. In my mind, this new, yet unnamed individual, is also helping to make personnel decisions.

Putting aside the head coach search for a moment, here is what has occurred in previous seasons during the month of December:

• Dec. 9, 2018 OCSC announced the acquisition of Tesho Akindele.
• Dec. 18, 2017 OCSC acquired RJ Allen and Stefano Pinho.
• Dec. 13, 2016 OCSC acquired Donny Toia.
• Dec. 17, 2015 OCSC acquired Kevin Alston.

As you can see, Orlando City tends to announce a signing around mid-December. In fact, historically most of the movement from the club this time of year happens in late December, from around the 18th to the end of the year. This could happen again this off-season, or it could get somewhat delayed until the head coach is on board. This is yet to be determined. The front office seems to know exactly what it wants, and I would bet that the coaching vacancy will be filled with someone who will understand every move made to date.

Be patient Mane Landers, the announcements are coming. Taking a rough average of the dates listed above, we should start seeing announcements of new players joining the squad in about 12 days, plus or minus a day or so. The error bars may be a bit wider depending on when the club lets us know who the new coach will be. You might not want to introduce a new roster before you announce the new head coach, right? That would be somewhat counter-productive, right? That might be starting off the 2020 campaign already behind the power curve, right?