ORLANDO, Fla. – Defender Luke Boden and midfielder Harrison Heath have been witness to the growth of the Orlando City Soccer Club since its inception. They officially became part of the club’s future on Monday as each finalized multi-year Major League Soccer contracts.
Boden, 25, has made 82 appearances with Orlando City at left back since the club moved to Florida in 2011. With each passing match, he became more interested in the possibility of earning a spot on an MLS roster, preferably with the club he’d had so much success playing for.
“During those four years I’ve just kept my head down and tried to do as well as I can in every training session and in every game,” Boden told MLSSoccer.com. “I’ve tried not to really concentrate on [a contract] because I feel if you think about things too much you put added pressure on yourself, and you have to enjoy it along the way.”
The Sheffield native is now focused on earning his place with a revamped first team during preseason training, while continuing to contribute among a group of new teammates he knows will raise expectation levels – and help make him a better player.
The 18-year-old Heath, son of Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath, arrived Stateside with his dad in 2008 in Austin, Texas when the elder’s MLS dream was barely in its infancy. He joined the Lions roster late in the 2014 USL PRO campaign after spending the previous two seasons with the Norwich City FC Academy.
It wasn’t until that stint in England that Heath realized teaming up with his dad in Orlando was a real possibility. Continuing his young career with the Lions holds special meaning for a number of reasons.
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“When I was in Austin I trained with the team every day, and I was training with the team here [in Orlando] every day before I went to England,” Heath said. “So for me it’s a great thing because I’ve been around it from Day 1, since the very first day in Austin, Texas.”
But it hasn’t been an easy ride, and it’s not likely to get any easier now that he’s signed with the Lions. Heath will have more to prove than ever before, while skeptics evaluate how worthy he is of a roster spot.
“For people that know my dad, they know what he’s like. He’s very intense.” Heath said. “I get it harder than anyone because I am his son and he doesn’t want it to seem like he’s letting me off with anything. Obviously there’s pressure, but I think it’s a good pressure. It keeps me on my toes and keeps me wanting to get on every day and be the best I can, and not take anything for granted.”
