Orlando City has sent out a different starting lineup for every game so far this early season. It is hard for the team to develop any kind of rhythm.
Injury, of course, plays a role in all that and the constant starting and stopping has seemingly disrupted the flow and pace through the midfield for the Lions. A lot of that is because of the player who is absent for Orlando City.
Kaka has struggled this early season with a thigh injury and has missed five of the team’s eight games. When he has played, Orlando City has picked up three points in the three games he has played. So he has not been a total factor. Still, this is Kaka we are talking about.
And Orlando City seems to have the same thought process with Kaka. The team has been able to stay above the Playoff line for the most part, eking out some draws in controversial and non-controversial fashion and picking up a few wins, and so there is no hurry to throw Kaka into the mix while there is a chance they could lose him for much longer.
It was somewhat surprising that he did not even travel to Foxboro for the 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution since he had played the three previous games. But the injury had flared up and Orlando City is not going to risk him further injuring it.
Adrian Heath said before Saturday’s game, Kaka could have played if the game were in the Playoffs or late in the season for table positioning.
“We have erred on the side of caution so far this season,” Heath told Simon Veness of MLSSoccer.com. “It is a huge disappointment when he is not on the field, but we still have six months to go and we’re just trying to ease him through.
“We don’t want to push him and risk him being out for four or five weeks. He will be a big part for us this year and we don’t want him playing at the moment if he is not 100 percent.”
Kaka appears to be 100 percent now and is set to play in Friday’s game against the New York Red Bulls.
The Lions are relatively healthy. They should be getting Luke Boden back soon and Kevin Molino should be good for Friday too after suffering a knee strain in Saturday’s game before getting subbed out.
Kaka though is still the player that drives a lot of Orlando City’s success. There is no doubt the team is able to better sustain attack and is more threatening with Kaka on the pitch. He is still the best player on the team and the one defenses focus their entire attention on.
The Lions have to start accumulating wins more consistently. The Eastern Conference will begin to create some separation soon. And Orlando City certainly can be a team that starts to pull away. A healthy Kaka is the only way to do that.
Getting him more consistently on the field will make Orlando City all the more dangerous.
