On January 23 2015 Orlando City Soccer held a media day event in central Florida. Members of the press were given the opportunity to preview the team during a 1-hour light practice session, followed by a press conference featuring Orlando City Soccer’s Phil Rawlins (Owner and President), Alex Leitão (CEO), Coach Adrian Heath, and multiple Orlando City Soccer players including the team’s first Designated player on the roster: Brazilian football (soccer) phenom, Kaka.
During the press conference, Coach Heath was pleasant as he began to reflect on the potential of the upcoming season.
When Phil Rawlins addressed the media, he remarked that he felt the pillars of the organization were in place to move the organization forward – further citing that the front office, a well-staffed minor league from the previous year, and the additional staffing would help to transition the team into the MLS. He further identified that corporate sponsorships and the operations team were going well and that ‘we’ (Orlando City Soccer) just needed to keep the momentum going.
As Kaka spoke, he stated that one of the first impressions he had of his squad was that there was ‘good talent on the team’. He went on to say that Coach Heath would be trying him out in different positions on the field in order to determine which one would best suit the team and Kaka. Kaka was asked about fellow Brazilian player, Ronaldo, who Kaka identified as one of the best players in the world because ‘he can envision a play and execute it… (he) has a great vision of the field.” A reported asked Kaka about his comfort level of being the ‘face of the team’ to which he said he was eager to lead, and that being in such a role was a ‘big responsibility’ but that it also served as being ‘big motivation’ further stating that he hoped ‘to be the face of Orlando for many years.’
The humble Kaka is well poised to be the leader of this team. He identified that despite his numerous ‘wins’ throughout his career, he wanted to demonstrate to the younger players that he was still motivated to win, and that he wanted to show his teammates everyday how much he wanted to win and be successful. When asked about his vision for the first game, he said, “It won’t be easy… hope we can enjoy the game and draw the win.”
Best wishes to the Orlando City Soccer team. It seems that this team has all the right components to having a very successful inaugural year.
During the press conference, Coach Heath was pleasant as he began to reflect on the potential of the upcoming season.
When Phil Rawlins addressed the media, he remarked that he felt the pillars of the organization were in place to move the organization forward – further citing that the front office, a well-staffed minor league from the previous year, and the additional staffing would help to transition the team into the MLS. He further identified that corporate sponsorships and the operations team were going well and that ‘we’ (Orlando City Soccer) just needed to keep the momentum going.
As Kaka spoke, he stated that one of the first impressions he had of his squad was that there was ‘good talent on the team’. He went on to say that Coach Heath would be trying him out in different positions on the field in order to determine which one would best suit the team and Kaka. Kaka was asked about fellow Brazilian player, Ronaldo, who Kaka identified as one of the best players in the world because ‘he can envision a play and execute it… (he) has a great vision of the field.” A reported asked Kaka about his comfort level of being the ‘face of the team’ to which he said he was eager to lead, and that being in such a role was a ‘big responsibility’ but that it also served as being ‘big motivation’ further stating that he hoped ‘to be the face of Orlando for many years.’
The humble Kaka is well poised to be the leader of this team. He identified that despite his numerous ‘wins’ throughout his career, he wanted to demonstrate to the younger players that he was still motivated to win, and that he wanted to show his teammates everyday how much he wanted to win and be successful. When asked about his vision for the first game, he said, “It won’t be easy… hope we can enjoy the game and draw the win.”
Best wishes to the Orlando City Soccer team. It seems that this team has all the right components to having a very successful inaugural year.