Despite record, first-place Lions find much to work on in upcoming weeks

Here are three key facts of the 2012 season so far: One: The Lions are plus five in goal differential through two games; Two: In those two matches, Orlando City has only allowed a league-low one goal; Three: City is tied atop the USL PRO table with Charleston - a team that happens to have a loss accompanied with their two wins.

But when you tell the Orlando City coaching staff those stats, they say it’s not good enough.

Not even close.

“Even though we won 4-1 on Sunday, we’re not happy with our final third. Runs in the final third, sloppiness in the final third, the last ball in the final third all have to improve,” said player/assistant coach Ian Fuller.

In preparation of a back-to-back against the Richmond Kickers in the next two weeks, Fuller and Head Coach Adrian Heath are addressing those issues and more in this week’s practices.

“We believe they are (Richmond) one of the best teams in the league. We want to go up there and take care of business on Saturday. We’ve been consistent on getting back to the basics in each and every practice, and Saturday will provide a good test.”

The Kickers provide a great opportunity to see how far Orlando City has progressed in the 2012 season. When asked about the Richmond squad, Fuller warned they shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“What Leigh (Cowlishaw) and (Matthew) Delicate have been doing in Richmond all these years has definitely set the bar high for the teams in the league. If we want to do what we want to do the whole season – we need to do it against Richmond.”

“The next two weeks will tell a lot about where we are and where we want to go.”


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Teams GP Pts
Orlando City SC 28 62
Sacramento Republic FC 28 55
LA Galaxy II 28 51
Richmond Kickers 28 51
Charleston Battery 28 41