KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Here we are, back again.
It feels like it was just a month ago that Orlando City SC was playing in the Eastern Conference Final, eying a possible trip to the MLS Cup.
Oh, wait. It was just a month ago.
In what feels like shorter and shorter breaks every year, the Lions have returned to Florida as they begin preparations for the 2025 season. Last year ended in disappointment, with Orlando falling a game short of making it to the championship for the very first time. That feeling has stuck with the players through their month away, leading them to feel re-energized for the new season.
"It's probably the first time in my career that I've finished the season and gone home and been straight away been like, 'I want to go back,'" Midfielder/Defender Dagur Dan Thorhallsson said at the Orlando Health Training Ground at Osceola Heritage Park on Monday. "It's so frustrating when you're so close to your goal and then you think you have to go back and do it all again, which is very nice. But when I went home, I thought, I want just to go home straight away to Orlando.
"It's two years that I've been playing in Orlando, and it's been two years where we have progressed. We did better each year, so now it's only going to the final and winning it. That's the next step."
While the team has mostly stayed the same, the biggest omission from the last few seasons is former Designated Player Facundo Torres, who was sold to Brazilian powerhouse Palmeiras at the end of last year. Torres finished 2024 with the most goals in club history, both in a season and in a career, and has the most production out of any Lions player ever.
Naturally, finding a replacement for him, either with new players or having current players step up into his role, will be one of the biggest talking points heading into the season.
"I think it's a great experience that we had with Facu," Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. "Having him here in the Club for that many years, and having that success with him, and proving that the boys come as a choice here to Major League Soccer, to take the next step somewhere else. What happened with Facu is a good example of the development in our Club, just letting him go to one of the best teams in Brazil. I think it's successful for our group and open the spaces for the youngsters that come in behind him, but our approach is not going to change much. We're going to keep pushing with the model of the game that you all know, but we'll try to replace Facu, whether with somebody else who comes in, or somebody within us as well."
Throughout the next few weeks, Pareja and his staff will be able to assess the roster as it stands, with a preseason match against Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro and coming up next weekend. Tickets are available for the Saturday, Jan. 25, match at 3:00 p.m. ET here.
Odds and Ends:
- There were still a few players missing from training after the first day, including Ivan Angulo, Jack Lynn and Shakur Mohammed.
- Goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar is training off to the side as he recovers from his season-ending injury last year.
- Striker Duncan McGuire is also training off to the side as he rehabs from offseason shoulder surgery.
