ORLANDO, Fla. - Small steps, letting the emotions subside, and getting ready for the next game.
Those were all on Bobby Murphy’s ‘To-Do List' for Orlando City's gritty 0-0 draw at home vs. the Houston Dynamo in the Lions' first game since parting company with long-time head coach Adrian Heath.
Interim head coach Murphy was quietly encouraged after the game, despite Orlando chalking up their ninth draw of the season in a game where they out-possessed the visitors by 62.8 percent to 37.2 but failed to find the net for the second successive game.
“Right now, we are above the red line and we just kept our first clean sheet since Week 3 at New York [City FC], and that’s something we can build on,” Murphy insisted in the ‘Small Steps’ category. “The players gave me everything they had tonight and I couldn’t fault them for putting in an honest effort.
“I’m not naïve enough to think there are not areas we can improve on, but I’ll take it in light of the events of the last couple of days.”
Emotionally, it was a tough night for Orlando City, as fans unfurled banners in support of Heath amid regular chants for ‘Inchy’ and ‘The Gaffer.’ And Murphy admitted there was some ‘edginess’ among the players as they tried to settle down during an uneven first half.
“They wanted to do well but you could tell there was a little bit of a cloud over the place tonight, understandably,” Murphy said. “We needed to give the fans something to cheer for but we couldn’t get it across the line.
“The energy from the group was good but sometimes you get emotional and that kind of emotion is a difficult thing to manage. It can sap your energy a little bit and I don’t know if that played a part tonight, but I always had faith in the players and felt we might snatch something.”
Murphy also singled out Brek Shea for what he thought was one of the veteran's most dangerous outings of the season. Shea played consistently in the attacking third and caused Houston plenty of problems on the left flank.
“I told Brek I’m not going to fit square pegs into round holes, and I thought he was fantastic tonight,” said Murphy. “I thought Brek was one of the best players on the field and I think we’ll see a lot more of that going forward.”
Left back Luke Boden admitted the players had definitely been stunned by the midweek move to part ways with Heath, but stated that they needed to focus on the job at hand, with four games in 18 games coming quick.
“Personally, I have played under Adrian for five years, so it was really tough,” Boden insisted. “Football is a crazy game and crazy things happen. We have to move on and turn things around. We all have to prove ourselves as individuals and as a team.
“It was certainly a big surprise to everybody. Nobody had a clue and I only found out on Twitter. But he came in to the training ground the next day and spoke to everyone and it was a very emotional time. People don’t really see the guy behind the scenes, but we do and he is a great guy as well as a great manager, and I will definitely keep in touch with him to make sure he is alright.”
