In preparation for Orlando City’s entry into the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Head Coach Adrian Heath says resting in the middle of a busy regular season is key. And as Orlando returned from a weekend trip where they won both matches against a scrappy Antigua Barracuda squad, rest now is more important than ever.

“We worked very hard in our time in Antigua,” Heath said. “When we got back (from Antigua) we gave the boys a few days off. I realized that we needed the rest and regeneration for the upcoming couple of weeks which happen to be extremely busy.”

That rest will play a factor into how the league-leading Lions do in a stretch of three matches in five days, starting with the KC Athletics in U.S. Open Cup play tomorrow. Heath commented on how they will treat the match against the amateur team from Kansas City, Kansas.

“We know that we can’t treat the other team lightly. We will give them the respect they deserve. It’s a chance for them to play against a professional team and for us it’s a chance to maybe get a chance to play a Major League Soccer (MLS) team.”

Players who don’t normally get as many minutes in the regular season will see action on Tuesday against the Athletics, which he says will be importnat in the upcoming week.

“We have to bare in mind that we play the LA Blues on Thursday. People who haven’t gotten a lot of minutes will be getting an opportunity on Tuesday. We’re hoping we get the result the want against KC (Athletics) and play our main guys again on Thursday against the LA Blues.”

If the Lions win against KC Athletics on Tuesday, that means they will travel to LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City to face the MLS’ Sporting Kansas City in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. Even though the opportunity is there, Heath says it’s not what the team is focused on.

“We know it’s a huge opportunity for us. We’re also aware that the team we’re playing (KC Athletics) – we happen to be a huge opportunity for them. The focus is on whatever match is up next. That just happens to be our Open Cup match.”