Adrian Heath's Wild Ride: a Orlando City-RSL recap

I know I should have wrote a recap of the Orlando City-Real Salt Lake yesterday. But I was coming off a high. Though I wasn't at the game, I did stream it and almost broke my iPhone during the leap for joy I performed. It was one of the best comebacks that I had seen. To go down 0-2 and tie the game in 37 seconds was practically impossible. In fact it was as Real Salt Lake had a 99% chance to win the game as the game entered stoppage time. But time and time again we learn never to count out this Orlando City team. Never, in the words of chairman Phil Rawlins, leave early. Because you never know what this team will do. Orlando City may not be the best team in the MLS, yet, but the moniker of most exciting team to watch surely resides in Orlando. Oh and the team is just getting started. 

Who remembers that old Disney attraction Mr.Toad's Wild Ride? Well watching Orlando City play yesterday reminded of that. But instead of Mr.Toad we have Orlando City coach Adrian Heath's Wild Ride. When I first wrote my love letter to Orlando City, I really didn't get to talk about the manager. He is a man that has been with Orlando from the very start of the franchise. You have to remember how big of a legend Heath is in Europe. Go ask anyone on the blue side of Liverpool about Adrian Heath and they will sing his praises. Yet, he has remained with Orlando before they became the trendy team to root for. His style, while it does expose a few weaknesses within Orlando, gives the team the best chance to win. The tactics have provided some of the most entertaining matches that this Orlando City fan has ever experienced. I doubt that any other manager would find the success Heath has had in Orlando.

The epitome of this wild ride was on full display in Sunday. It all started with the news that star KaKa would be out of the game with a thigh injury. "Not again", ran through most City fans minds. The team had been riddled with injures last season which probably cost the team the playoffs last year. KaKa is also so critical to the success of the team, losing him put a damper on things from the get go. Despite that, Orlando came out attacking. Getting chance after chance on Real Salt Lake. Then in the 9th minute, City had a Cyle Larin goal waved off on a phantom offside call. Orlando kept attacking and as Real Salt Lake player Demar Phillips got his second yellow it appeared that City would put one into the back of the net. As Orlando had throughly dominated to that point. That would be typical for a normal soccer team, but Orlando is not not normal. It was RSL that would take the lead first on a penalty given in the 25th minute. Then Darwin Ceren would be given a red card in a poor tackle. So that left it at 10 men each. 

In the second half, Orlando kept dominating the game, yet conceded another goal in the 65th minute. It appeared that the opening day would be spoiled for Orlando City. A few of the 60,000 in the Citrus Bowl left the game. Oh but how they missed out. It started with rookie Hadji Barry igniting a spark and almost getting a goal on his first shot. Then in stoppage time, Cyle Larin pulled a goal back for a score of 2-1. No one saw what would happen next coming. On a lofted through ball, Canadian Messi would find teammate Adrian Winter as Winter would tie the game up. That tie felt like more of a win as the crowd celebrated. Just another day on Adrian Heath's Wild Ride. The question now becomes what is next for the Orlando fans. Whatever it is, it will be thrilling.