ORLANDO, Fla. - If Orlando City SC have a turning point in their season, it may well turn out to be the week of Jason Kreis’ arrival, but not because of the appointment of the new head coach.
Instead, it could be the halftime intervention of interim head coach Bobby Murphy during this past weekend's 2-2 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps, as the Lions were at the point of imploding as they faced a third crippling defeat in four games.
Last Saturday, the wounded Lions had taken a deserved early lead on the road against the Whitecaps but then saw a couple of familiar defensive frailties undo all their good work in the space of eight minutes just before the interval.
That caused some serious locker room disputes as a team shorn of its long-time head coach temporarily lost control. For Murphy, in charge for only the third game following the departure of Adrian Heath, it was make-or-break time.
“We had a group that was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” said Murphy. “They were tired of giving up cheap goals and silly things, and then we gave up a silly goal at Vancouver and at halftime it all kicked off.
“That was the biggest challenge of my time in charge: At halftime, getting them calmed down, moving past the mistakes, recognizing the mistakes and moving beyond them. Coming out and getting the [equalizing] goal early really helped us and I thought for long stretches we were really great. I just wanted them to believe they could do it.”
The team’s Mr. Reliable, goalkeeper Joe Bendik, pointed to the Vancouver game as a potential turning point in this year’s campaign.
“I think we were just pissed off, to be honest,” he admitted. “After the New York defeat, and with everything that was going on within the club, I think everything just came out against Vancouver.
"In the end, there was a lot of energy, a lot of pride, and a lot of passion to try to turn things around. Even though we are already close to a playoff spot, now we need to make a real push for it.”
Murphy admitted that it has been a strange week preparing the team for a game with Kreis already in town but not yet coaching this weekend. Murphy added, however, that Kreis has already played a positive role in preparation ahead of this Saturday's road game with Columbus Crew SC (7:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
“Jason deserves a lot of credit for coming in, being encouraging and letting me do my thing with the team, knowing that I’ve got a job to do on Saturday and being supportive.” said Murphy, who will return to an assistant role when Kreis takes over fully. “I think the meeting he had with the players was positive and you saw a bit of carry over with that in training, reinforcing some of the things I’ve been working on. I think the transition will go pretty smoothly on Monday.
“I’m grateful I’ve had the opportunity to do something not many people get the chance to do. It’s not like everybody who’s been in the league seven months gets handed a team for 10 days, so I made sure I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and did the best I could with it. What I’ve tried to do is show them what they’re good at."
Murphy also believes Kreis will have a relatively simple message for every player when he takes the reins full-time next week.
“I think we’re on to things like personal accountability, making sure you do your best every day and not worry about [what] other people [are doing],” Murphy said. “The message is, 'Take care of your job and be the best you that you can be every day, whether that’s playing, in the gym, or around the training ground.'”
Orlando will welcome back skipper Kaká for the trip to Ohio, while midfielders Brek Shea and Carlos Rivas will also be available again after sitting out the Vancouver game through suspension and visa issues, respectively.
Defenders Rafael Ramos and Tommy Redding, plus midfielder Harrison Heath, remain sidelined by injuries, but the squad will be boosted by new arrival and center back Jose Aja, whose visa paperwork from Uruguay arrived in time for him to be on the flight to Columbus.
