Orlando City News Release -- www.orlandocitysoccer.com
Friday, February 24, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. – With a visit from MLS Commissioner Don Garber on the horizon, Orlando City is looking to make a statement at the 2012 Disney Pro Soccer Classic. The Lions open this year’s tournament on Saturday night against Toronto FC. City surprised the Canadian MLS club last year, winning 1-0 on a late goal by player/coach Ian Fuller.
Last year, Orlando City went in to the Disney Pro Soccer Classic as an unknown. The club had spent just over a week in training camp, but surprised the American soccer world with a 1-0 victory against the Philadelphia Union. After a strong showing against FC Dallas, the then-MLS Cup runner-up, the Lions faced a Toronto side who was in the midst of establishing a new system under first-year Head Coach Aron Winter. The situation looks to be different this year.
"I think that Toronto will be a lot better than they were last year,” said Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath. “It has been a complete overhaul of their squad during the off-season. There's some pressure on Toronto because they have the squad they want and it's time for them to start playing."
The wildcard for Toronto FC this year is their preparation for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. Their first CCL match is March 7 against reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy. The question remains: will TFC be focused on the tournament at hand, or the one down the road?
For Orlando City, the focus is clear. A strong showing in the tournament helped springboard the Lions to a league championship season. It also helped establish the club’s reputation for match fitness, an advantage gained by starting training camp two to three weeks earlier than any club in USL PRO.
“It's a bit of both training our new guys into the system while also wanting to win,” said Heath. “We want to get everybody fit for the start of the season. The beauty of that is that we have time, with our season starting on April 7. But I'm also mindful that we want to be competitive. We want to put a good show on. We just can't forget training our three new players in the central midfield, which is very important to our system here, with them (Anthony Pulis, James O'Connor and John Rooney) getting used to our game.”
Saturday’s match kicks off at 6 p.m. at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or at the WWoS box office. The match will be broadcast on MLSSoccer.com. For more information, visit www.orlandocitysoccer.com today.