There has been plenty of confusion for Orlando City this offseason.
Lots of players left and few seemed to come in. And by lots of players, that includes several players who were major contributors to the expansion club that fell just short of the Playoffs. Some attrition was expected considering the Lions fell short of their goal and had a deep midseason swoon. There were plenty of things learned in the first season.
No one expected Orlando City to make such sweeping changes though or to see such uncertainty in the front office.
Whatever the case, the release of goalkeeper Tally Hall was surprising but not without understanding. Having torn his meniscus at the end of the season a year after he returned from tearing his ACL, Orlando City had questions about him and a desire to cut cap.
Considering though Orlando City traded its other potential starting goalkeeper in Donovan Ricketts during the season and had only the unproven but promising Earl Edwards Jr. on the roster.
Shoring up goalkeeper all of a sudden became a pressing need in Orlando City’s offseason.
In December, Orlando City acquired Joe Bendik from Toronto to fill that need. And as the Lions arrive for practice and the start of their second season Monday, all eyes are getting squared on Bendik.
“I think a fresh start is really important,” Bendik told Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel. “We’ve got an excellent staff here, and like I said an unbelievable support here with the fans. I can remember coming here and being absolutely blown away by the amount of people in the stands and how loud it was, so I’m really excited.”
Bendik will have some familiarity in new goalkeeper coach Stewart Kerr. Kerr was with Toronto FC for the last several years as a goalkeeper coach and then as a consultant, so he had worked with Bendik.
Bendik played 70 games in the last three years with Toronto FC. He played and started in 13 games for Toronto FC last year, registering 45 saves and allowing 27 goals in picking up a 4-8-1 record.
None of that is super encouraging for a team that had solid goaltending from Hall once he was healthy. Bendik was passed for the starting job last year by Chris Konopka.
Orlando City’s defense was inconsistent at best despite solid play in the middle from Aurelian Collin and good attacking width from Brek Shea and Rafael Ramos. Injuries ravaged the unit and there was plenty of inconsistency from the group that remained — Collin was strong to start the season but faded, Shea had to move the midfield, Seb Hines was inconsistent and lost his starting job on occasion, and on and on.
The goalkeeper is in charge of keeping everyone in the right position and communicating the defense. Not to mention saving the day when it is called for. So this is a pretty major change.
A change that will be a key to Orlando City’s entire season.
The defense last year was inconsistent at best. The Lions allowed 56 goals last season, the fourth most in the league, and with their struggles on offense it was no surprise to see the team struggle. There were a few bad beats in there too.
With Orlando City making few moves on the defensive side of the ball, it will be much of the same crew hoping to show improvement and health this year.
That is except Bendik. He has been inconsistent as the full-time starter and will have to earn his time too even over the young Edwards. Orlando City should expect Bendik to start on opening day.
And Orlando City will need him playing at his best and organizing the defense at a high level for the team to accomplish its goals this season.
