As one star player seemingly bails out, another shows him exactly how a leader behaves | OneFootball

Alright, I've given myself a couple of days to think this one through so I don't blow this situation completely out of proportion, but somebody has to say something. If Marco Pašalić ends up leaving Orlando City this summer, then I'll be pretty disappointed in him.

On Sunday, just hours after he had initially been left on the bench as Orlando City fell to a humiliating 6-2 defeat away to FC Cincinnati, the 25-year-old posted a rather cryptic message on his Instagram account, leaving supporters fearing the worst.

"Grateful for every battle, every moment, and every person who supported us along the way," he wrote. "Thank you Orlando!"

No smoke without fire

If this doesn't read like a goodbye, then I don't know what does. If Pašalić innocently intended to thank those fans who travelled to support the team on Saturday and, more generally, those who have stuck by the team during an otherwise wretched start to the season, then why would you write in the past tense?

Of course, nothing has been confirmed yet, but there have been enough rumours in recent weeks to vindicate that horrible gut feeling that, almost certainly, our star winger will be leaving the club in the very near future.

And that's a real shame. Effectively signed as a like-for-like replacement the legendary Facundo Torres at the beginning of last season, Pašalić took to life in Orlando like a duck to water. Helping himself to 15 goals and 6 assists across all competitions during that debut campaign, his individual performances were one of the few shining lights as the team as a whole ultimately fell short of all its targets. If not for a hamstring injury this time around, he'd probably be on pace to at least match that tally.

Doing so, though, would also require him to remain in Orlando beyond this summer, which hardly seems likely at this point.

It wasn't supposed to end like this

I have watched football for long enough to understand that, all too often, your favourite players treat their one-time clubs as little more than stepping stones and are more than happy to jump ship whenever the time suits them.

Sadly, Pašalić looks to be just another of those players. Apparently doing enough during his first and only full season in Major League Soccer to convince potential suitors back in Europe that he is now good enough to make the cut, he is seemingly happy to give up on his Orlando career only a year-and-a-half into his initial three-year deal here.

The cynic in me fears that it's no coincidence his impending departure has coincided with a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to impress on the global stage with Croatia at the FIFA World Cup and, of course, his club's disastrous start to the new season.

I'm sure that Pašalić boasts the talent to make a name for himself back in Europe one day. However, jumping ship at the very first sign of trouble hints to me that he may not possess the necessary attitude to make the most of this talent, yet.

Lead by example

As Pašalić leaves his teammates high and dry, another of our star players is showing him exactly how to behave when the going gets tough.

Alright, recent performances may have made it pretty obvious that he is not a striker, but Martín Ojeda is almost single-handedly keeping afloat Orlando's chances of reaching the post-season for a seventh consecutive season by producing yet another individual campaign that rivals those of the very best players in this league.

If the 27-year-old wished to leave this summer, then he would probably go with our blessings. There were, of course, rumours of a potential return to Argentina during the most recent off-season, but unlike Pašalić there were no lengthy absences from training, unexplained stints on the bench ahead of his involvement in an international tournament, or cryptic social media posts to accompany any rumours.

This all points to a player who has already checked out mentally, even when his team needed him most. I hope it all works out for him, because he has given us some incredible memories during his short stint in Orlando. But, during our most challenging season in recent memory and with the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on the line shortly, we need players who want to be here.