ORLANDO, Fla. – Assistant coach Mark Watson will be the man in the spotlight for Orlando City SC's match at Sporting Kansas City on Sunday (3:30 pm ET; ESPN) with head coach Adrian Heath serving a one-game ban. But Lions fans could be forgiven for wondering about the man sitting next to him.
Bobby Murphy only joined Orlando as an assistant in January, but he has a much longer history with the team and is equally well placed to know Heath’s mindset and coaching ethos.
The Texan was Heath’s right-hand man when founding owner Phil Rawlins created the franchise in Austin in 2008, and was assistant coach of the Aztex for three years before the move to Central Florida.
But, with another job as Director of the Soccer Academy at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin – one of the largest residential soccer academies in the country – Murphy was not in a position to make the switch with Heath.
“There were a lot of perks that went with the job,” Murphy explained. “There was free housing, free food, and free tuition for my kids. My kids also loved Austin, they were happy and settled there, so I don’t know if I could have jumped right at it back then.
“It was still a bombshell decision when Phil announced that the team was moving, although I completely got why it was necessary from the business side of things, and he has certainly proved it was the right decision. It was heart-breaking when the team moved to Orlando at the time, though.”
Orlando was back in the market for an assistant coach after releasing Ian Fuller following the 2015 season and, happily, Murphy’s situation had changed.
“Two of my kids are now at college and my time at St. Stephen’s was coming to an end,” he said. “Living on campus and being out on the field [until] 10 pm five nights a week, I think I had done all I could.
“Adrian had been good enough to invite me to come down here in the summer to run part of training – sort of like having a long-distance relationship – so the time was now right. Watto [Mark Watson] has been really helpful in getting me up to speed on the league and the players, and I feel like the move has been pretty seamless.”
Like with much of what Orlando City does, the sense of ‘community’ and togetherness remains a key factor in the team’s strategy, even when the head coach is sidelined.
“Austin was very much a family atmosphere, and that is still the case here in Orlando,” Murphy observed. “I think Adrian fully trusts that he has my support and that this Sunday won’t be a problem for us in terms of maintaining what he wants to do.
“As far as I’m concerned, I couldn’t ask for a better place to be and I am really grateful for the opportunity. Hopefully we can also get the three points to finish the weekend off well.”
