If the season opener between Orlando City and New York City FC lives up to Saturday night’s dress rehearsal at the Charleston Challenge Cup, MLS fans will have reason to celebrate in exactly two weeks' time.
We’ll celebrate because two World Cup winners and one former World Player of the Year will show they’ve still got the fire in their bellies to be dominant. Because one of the league’s most talented coaches will be back to bringing tactical nous on a week-to-week basis, while a new face introduces us to his own interpretation of the beautiful game.
Whether you watched the live stream or not, March 8’s clash at the Citrus Bowl (5 pm ET, ESPN2) ought to be a real treat. Here are my takeaways from a preseason scrimmage that seemed like so much more.
Kaká will make life miserable for right-sided defenders
Kyle Bekker wasn’t the first MLSer to be megged by a certain Brazilian, and he won’t be the last. Same as Josh Saunders won’t be the last MLS ‘keeper to pull the ball out of his own net from the foot of Kaká.
If you had any doubts about the former FIFA World Player of the Year’s ability to be a game changer in MLS, leave it at the door now. And if you’re an MLS right back or right-sided central defender, your head better be on a swivel when you face Orlando City.
While Kaká will be more than happy to drift all over the field as a second forward behind either Bryan Rochez, Martin Paterson or Cyle Larin, he seems especially content on the left flank, ghosting in behind Brek Shea to pick up the ball in space or to combine with Lewis Neal.
Orlando’s 32nd-minute opener will be watched by 19 other technical staffs with great interest because it’s a clear indicator of what’s to come this season from Adrian Heath’s attack-minded squad.
The ball started on the right side of defense, clever combination play allowing Orlando to rotate possession to the feet of Shea, who bombed down the left and drew a double team. Kaká, with the freedom to do as he pleases, rotated in behind, picked up the ball and embarked on a buccaneering run toward the top of the box, bringing Molino into play before rifling past Saunders.
It looked easy. It wasn’t.
With Shea – and eventually Carlos Rivas – running the left flank and drawing multiple defenders, expect Kaká to spend plenty of time taking advantage of imbalances to get on the ball and drive directly at central defenses.
He’ll do that with great effect for a couple reasons. First, his combination play is spectacular, no surprise there. But he’s also strong, Herculean in fact, on the ball, able to fight off defenders long enough to get his own shot off, slip someone else in or play the ball into space on the weak side for a cross or shot.
We knew Kaká was good, but it’s another thing to see it in person. If he stays healthy, backlines beware.
Kreis may favor the diamond, but he won’t be married to it
For 45 minutes, New York City FC picked up where Jason Kreis’ Real Salt Lake left off, as far as formation is concerned. With Chris Wingert and Ned Grabavoy running the left flank and Sebastian Velasquez installed at the point of the midfield diamond, you could be forgiven for experiencing a little déjà vu.
The difference? While RSL are now eight years into what has become Kreis’ signature setup, NYCFC are still learning the ropes. And they often looked like it, especially for the final for 35 minutes of the first half.
Apart from a nervous start from both sides – a 10-minute period that saw some guy name David Villa smack the crossbar from 20-some yards – Orlando City were the clear aggressors.
With the Lions’ pair of midfield destroyers (Amobi Okugo and Cristian Higuita) and three-man midfield front (Neal, Molino and Kaka) severing the connection between the backline and midfield, Josh Saunders, Andres Mendoza and Wingert were too often forced into lumping hopeful balls forward for Tony Taylor and Villa to chase.
Villa, in particular, had a few moments of frustration, but a planned second-half tweak brought equilibrium – and eventually an equalizer – to the match.
Off went Velasquez and on came first-round SuperDraft pick Khiry Shelton to act as a fulcrum up top and a threat in behind. The midfield, meanwhile, shifted into what generally looked a flat 4-4-2, and Villa, instead of drifting left into isolation, began picking up the ball in positions to turn and run at the Orlando City backline.
The result, as you might expect with Villa more involved and the connection between midfield and defense restored, was an uptick in possession and positivity.
Eventually, the goal came via a Villa through ball and tidy finish from Shelton, with Kreis saying after the match that he was pleased with the increased endeavor in the second, but also cautioning that observers shouldn’t read too much into the tweak in formation, a move that was always in the cards rather than a reaction to the state of the game.
So what does that mean for what we’ll see at the Citrus Bowl on March 8?
Well, it means NYCFC aren’t a one-trick pony. That there’s a Plan B (and almost certainly a C, D and E). While the diamond remains a core part of Kreis’ approach, don’t expect it to be only defining characteristic of NYCFC’s tactical identity.
