ORLANDO -- While short-handed Orlando City SC insist they are “close” to two new signings, interim head coach Bobby Murphy knows he is not going to get any reinforcements before Saturday’s game at Vancouver (10 pm ET, TSN, MLS LIVE in the US). Instead, he's counting on a siege mentality to get his men through a crucial phase of the season.
Sources at the club say they are hoping to have both players, one in midfield and one in defense – most likely Uruguayan center back Jose Aja – signed in the next two weeks. But that will not help a squad that is missing no less than seven first-teamers in Canada.
Kaká is still sidelined by his calf strain; Brek Shea is suspended; Carlos Rivas is ruled out by a visa problem. Tommy Redding, Rafael Ramos, Pedro Ribeiro and now Harrison Heath are all injured.
Murphy will need to juggle increasingly thin resources in the middle of a tough three-game road trip. But he thinks a backs-to-the-wall mindset will help to counter a three-game winless streak without a goal.
“I think there’s a sense around that there’s blood in the water when it comes to us right now, and people want to try to take advantage of that,” he said. “But I think that will help galvanize this group.
“We hear the place is sold out and it will be a hostile atmosphere, but sometimes that brings a group together. They have to walk out here and know there is nothing to be afraid of. It is just another game and, when you take the other stuff away, it is still 11 versus 11, and each guy needs to be better than the guy they’re playing against.”
Murphy still believes the team is close to a breakthrough after conceding both goals on set pieces in the midweek 2-0 defeat at New York Red Bulls.
“They’ve been able to filter out the result from the performance a little bit,” he insisted after training on Friday. “They recognize that the two goals we gave up were on set pieces and mistakes on our part, and they want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
“I have to remind them of the good stuff that happened and how close we are. But if you keep making mistakes, you are doomed to suffer the same fate, and I think we are almost at that point right now where people have had enough of the silly mistakes. We’ll see tomorrow night.”
Cyle Larin is one player relishing the opportunity, with the Canadian striker excited to be playing on home soil and eager to improve on his eight goals in 15 starts this season.
“It’s the same thing when I go to Toronto and play, I know a lot of the Canadian fans are there,” he said. “I love playing here in front of Canadian fans. I hope it motivates them and shows the younger kids that anything is possible and that you can get to this level.
“We have had a good practice and the vibe is good, so I think tomorrow will be a good game. Everyone wants to win and wants to put a good effort in to get three points, so it is all positive right now.”
