After years of being the hunters, Adrian Heath and his Orlando City Lions will soon see what it’s like to be the hunted.
The Charleston Battery, currently third in the USL Eastern Conference, will host their old foes-turned MLS upstarts on Wednesday night at Blackbaud Stadium. Their goal will be to knock off yet another MLS club in their quest for the U.S. Open Cup.
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm and can be seen via live-stream at www.OrlandoCitySC.com/Live.
The Lions are entering the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the fourth round, courtesy of their newly earned MLS status. Charleston defeated Miami United FC and the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers to reach this stage.
Back when Orlando City was in the USL, these teams battled regularly for the top spot in the league table. The Lions have dominated the all-time series, though, accumulating an 11-2-1 record.
Orlando City Prepares to Face an Old Foe
MLS teams have been criticized in the past for not taking their opening round matchups seriously enough, often resting starters in favor of players who’d never even seen the pitch.
“I don’t want anybody to get the impression that we’re not taking (the U.S. Open Cup) seriously. I don’t understand other coaches that have done it,” Heath said on Tuesday in the buildup to Wednesday’s match.
Throughout the season, Heath has pointed to the importance of advancing in the tournament. The grand prize for the winner is an automatic spot in the CONCACAF Champions League and Orlando City fully intends to earn it.
“Four or five games from now, we could actually be playing at the Citrus Bowl in front of 60,000, which I have no doubt that we would have if we were to get to the (U.S. Open Cup) Final.”
But Orlando City does have two MLS games on the schedule this week – Saturday at Montreal and then at home Wednesday against Colorado – so Heath’s task for Charleston will be to field the most competitive team he can while still allowing his stars adequate rest ahead of their Eastern Conference showdown in Canada.
“Amobi will play (Wednesday) night,” Heath declared on Tuesday. It was the only definitive lineup move he announced, though he hinted at several other youngsters – namely Harrison Heath and Tyler Turner – getting a chance to play.
“It’s an opportunity for (Okugo) to show what he can do. As an old coach used to tell me, ‘I only pick the team. Players drop themselves by their performances’. They pick themselves [up] by their performances also,” said Heath.
The Lions know they’ll have to continue their recent trend of maintaining their focus for a full 90 minutes on Wednesday.
“I expect nothing more than the Charleston Battery to be extremely motivated and be getting after it. It will be the biggest game of their year so far. If we’re up, we’re going to be okay.”
