ORLANDO ā Adrian Heath admits Orlando City SC will have two different plans for their crucial showdown with Montreal Impact on Saturday (7:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE)ā all dependent on whether Didier Drogba plays.
The āWill he, wonāt he?ā nature of Drogbaās uncertainty over playing on the Citrus Bowl turf has ensured an element of mystery ahead of what will be the most significant game of the season for Orlando.
And Orlandoās head coach has had to adapt his own strategy for the two possibilities, while also weighing several different options among his own lineup.
āDrogba obviously brings a different problem than someone like [Dominic] Oduro would, and you would set up slightly differently in that case,ā Heath said. āWith him, they probably go 4-2-3-1, but if not, they might go 4-1-4-1, so we have to be ready either way. We certainly have a few things to decide on before 7:30 on Saturday night.
āIf it was the last game of the season, I think he probably would play, but they will do whatever is best for them and Drogba. If I was them, I would probably be thinking in terms of the next five or six games and possibly the playoffs rather than this one game, but ultimately I think this will boil down to how well we play on the day.ā
Orlandoās players are also in two minds about whether they want to see the powerful Ivory Coast striker on the field after his seven goals in six games for the Impact. US international Brek Shea is in the āNoā camp, while full back Rafael Ramos hopes Drogba is in the Montreal lineup.
āI hope he doesnāt play,ā Shea said. āThe guy is unbelievable. Heās been like that ever since Iāve been watching him. But you donāt focus on that. If he does play, weāll be ready for him. We are really confident right now after three straight wins.ā
Said Ramos: āItās good to play against these kind of guys. I like to play against the big names in football. It makes you a better player.ā
The different effects of Drogba could be felt along the left-hand side of the Lionsā lineup, with Heath having almost a full squad of players to call on, with the exception of the suspended Cristian Higuita, who will miss the game due to yellow card accumulation.
Orlando could play any of Luke Boden, Corey Ashe or Shea at left back, depending on whether they need to counter Drogbaās strength or Oduroās speed, while Carlos Rivas is also pushing for a starting role at left midfield after his huge contribution in last weekās 5-2 win at New York Red Bulls.
The City coach also has to decide between Lewis Neal and Adrian Winter on the other side of midfield, while midseason pickup Servando Carrasco is in line to replace Higuita alongside Darwin Ceren in the defensive midfield role.
The former Sporting Kansas City player has already started nine games in purple and Heath will have no hesitation in making it 10 on Saturday.
āIf you look at how many minutes Servando has played for us, it shows how important he has been,ā Heath said. āHe has made some important contributions for us since he came here so it has been a good move for us.ā
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However they lineup, Orlando will be playing in front of a big crowd and an expected playoff-like atmosphere. While Saturdayās attendance likely wonāt match their inaugural crowd of 62,510, there should still be a very large ā and vocal ā turnout.
āThis weekend is a huge game for us,ā Heath added. āIf we were to win and take the gap back to a point, it puts us in with a shout. Drogbaās obviously really given them a lift and the atmosphere at Stade Saputo has been incredible.
āBut this will be the Citrus Bowl, and Iām really looking forward to it. Whenever weāve asked our supporters to turn up and really get behind us, theyāve never let us down.ā