"We need to trust the process": New season, same old story? | OneFootball

"When I say we need to trust the process, it's not about [...] always trying to evolve and change and to try to find an excuse for something that we're not accomplishing. That's not the aim of that. It's the process that, as Óscar [Pareja] said, we've been here for so long, me and him, and we've been through different stages of the club, right? So in the beginning, the demand was to bring a good roster and qualify for the play-offs, and then to win something, and we won the [Lamar Hunt U.S.] Open Cup. And now obviously the demands are higher, and we have to live with this pressure, this expectation [...] Every decision that we make is always with the aim to win because we know [what] the expectations are and we know where the bar is set for this club. And now we have to live with this and we are ready to continue this process to achieve what we want to achieve."

Look, losing games is part and parcel of football, but it's almost as if Ricardo Moreira was expecting a rocky start when he addressed local media during the week.

To put it bluntly, Orlando City's home opener against New York Red Bulls was a complete disaster. A lacklustre first half was deservedly punished as Julian Hall bagged a brace for the visitors, who then held firm even as we rallied in the second half with a much-improved display. Tiago's late strike, his first for the club, proved to be just a consolation as we lost on the opening day for the second season a row.

Yes, one defeat may not be the end of the world, but it certainly spells trouble. We now know, in all likelihood, that we aren't going to challenge for the Supporters' Shield, because our new-look team clearly needs a whole lot more time to gel. Once again, then, we're relying on turning up when it matters most, the post-season, and that's a worry when we've got a history of doing the exact opposite.

A baptism of fire

I want to make it clear, I'm a huge fan of all the additions our new sporting director made over the off-season. But, after letting so many players depart, he left himself a mountain to climb, and we still have a squad that looks unfinished and unready.

Griffin Dorsey, for instance, arrived just four days ago, even though we'd been in dire need of a right-back for two whole months. He probably doesn't know all of his teammates on a first-name basis yet, let alone how they play or what they want of him.

He wasn't poor by any stretch of the imagination, almost certainly owing to his wealth of experience in Major League Soccer. But it's no wonder why Marco Pašalić, his accomplice down that right-hand side, struggled to make any sort of impact on the game before getting hooked.

Iago Teodoro, on the other hand, really didn't enjoy his competitive debut in purple. But again, by the time his deal had finally been completed earlier this month, he'd already missed an entire month of pre-season. And it shows.

In his post-match press conference, Óscar Pareja insisted that he be the one held accountable for throwing the 20-year-old into the deep end. I admire his humility, but I don't buy it. Moreira may have made some excellent additions this off-season, but the key pieces to the puzzle came in too late.

Mad Max

Alright, when your goalkeeper is by far and away your standout player, you know you've probably had a stinker. But one thing we learned for sure is that there'll be no post-Pedro Gallese hangover with Maxime Crépeau between the sticks.

Let go at the turn of the year by Portland Timbers, the 31-year-old was at a bit of a crossroads in his career. He'd been without regular minutes for two years after fracturing his right leg, and there was no guarantee he'd ever be able to rediscover the sort of form that made him one of the best stoppers in the league earlier in his career.

But Orlando showed faith in him, and in return he's already repaid us. Without his mind-boggling eleven saves last night, most of which he had no right to ever make, we would've be on course for a simply embarrassing defeat.

Like I said, I fully anticipate our new defensive recruits to come good. Until then, though, Crépeau will have us covered.

If you're good enough, you're old enough

Our head coach doesn't exactly boast the best record of trusting younger players, particularly in defence, since he arrived at the club six years ago. That all looks set to change, though, even if it is partly out of necessity.

Nolan Miller, making his professional debut by entering play as a half-time substitute, went some way towards shoring up a defence that had been completely torn to shreds throughout the first half. David Brekalo suddenly looked more akin to his usual self, too, a testament to the 21-year-old's composure in the heat of battle.

Zakaria Taifi, who entered the fray late on, also left his mark in a big way. The game may already have been over at this point, but his penetrative run and deft, one-touch pass across to Tiago to open our tally for the year just looked so natural. I'm sure there'll be comparisons aplenty to his long-time teammate, Alex Freeman, in the very near future, but there's nothing to suggest these are unjustified at present.

Also, a big shout-out to Colin Guske, who was absolutely everywhere in the middle of the park during that second half. He should've enjoyed far more first-team minutes than he did last season, but with Wilder Cartagena potentially suffering yet another injury setback, his time will come sooner rather than later.