The Orlando Predators season has gone very similarly to the way its first matchup with the Los Angeles KISS went a few weeks ago at Amway Center.
There were the signs of sheer dominance and talent. Randy Hippeard firing passes to Brandon Thompkins. Thompkins returning kickoffs. The defense creating turnovers and making stops at key moments. That is how a team builds a 43-21 lead in Arena Football and gets out to a 7-0 start.
Orlando is very much that team in terms of talent and ability. The team’s record is not a byproduct of luck but of skill.
But so too was the end of that game.
Turnovers from the offense allowed the KISS to get back into it before they ultimately ran out of time, failing to recover an onside kick with 30 seconds left. This game was seemingly the beginning of some trouble spots for the Predators even that early in the season. The problems bubbling under the surface were well hidden.
That has not been the case the last two weeks. The last two weeks — really the last three, including a frustrating performance in a win over the Tampa Bay Storm — the problems have all been laid bare.
For the first time all year, Orlando is facing true adversity and working to correct errors that are costing the team games.
“I don’t like losing, I don’t think any of the players like losing,” coach Rob Keefe said. “I’m excited to see what these players have in them. What are you going to do at your first sign of adversity? That’s really what makes the character of a man. I think We’ve all gone through hard times in our life. How you deal with it is what makes you who you are. Honestly, I’m excited. At the end of the day, I want to see what this team is made of.”
Hippeard said the focus in practice was getting back to executing all the small things, as he described it. Those things add up to the big things.
Coach Rob Keefe said the team was focused on getting back its big play ability on both sides of the ball. The team is assessing itself, Keefe said, and making sure the team communicates that holes that have now become bare in two straight defeats.
But among those little things the team is focused intently on fixing are the rash of penalties that have sprung up.
Orlando leads the league in penalties this year, not a sign of a disciplined or strong team. It has been one of the points of frustration for Keefe and the players as the Predators routinely have more than 10 penalties and have nearly two arena football field-lengths of penalties each games.
These are drive killers for the offense and drive savers for the defense. In Saturday’s loss to the Jacksonville Sharks, the Predators defense committed several penalties on fourth down and third down that gave the Sharks new life, allowing them to put the Predators away.
“I think as a player, you have to look yourself in the mirror and see if it is you coming up with a lot of penalty,” Predators quarterback Randy Hippeard said. “You’ve got to man up and correct them yourself. There is nothing a coach can do. He can tell you to stop jumping offside. But At the end of the day, he isn’t flinching or holding someone. We’ve got to look at ourselves and correct what we can correct on our own.”
Keefe said there was plenty of running to pay penance for the penalties the team has committed as he is tried of sounding like a broken record after games.
In games, he said all he can do is pull players for committing excessive penalties. That may be a tactic he uses in Sunday’s game against the KISS in Anaheim, Calif., should penalties again be an issue.
Keefe said it really comes down to focus. The penalties are silly mistakes that are costing the team in key moments. And the Predators need players who are going to finish the games off with the same intensity they start games. This team has been accused of sleepwalking somewhat through games.
Those errors and lapses are costing the Predators now too. Teams are gunning for the Predators after their hot start.
They are in a tie atop the American Conference with the Philadelphia Soul at 7-2, trying to get the guaranteed top seed that comes with winning the conference. The Predators would not want to have to ship out to Arizona Rattlers for a potential second-round matchup should they lose the conference.
But everyone in the league is looking up at the Predators right now. Teams are preparing differently for them. And Orlando has not always responded well to the pressure. The penalties and inconsistent play — the Predators have often bailed themselves out with a late turnover or big play this year — have been a sign of that poor response.
“Any time you are top dog or one of the top teams in the league, you are kind of the hunted,” Hippeard said. “Everybody comes in and don’t expect much and throw everything at you but the kitchen sink. It’s one of those things where you have to come ready to play because you are going to get everyone’s best.”
Orlando City-New York City FC game rakes in highest TV ratings of season
By Eric Lopez
Sunday’s dramatic 2-2 draw for Orlando City at New York City FC was the most-watched Orlando City Soccer game of the season nationally. Sunday’s telecast on ESPN was watched by 316,000 viewers according to SportsTVRatings.com.
It is the most viewed Orlando City Soccer game this season beating Orlando City’s win against the Portland Timbers on April 3, which garnered 261,000 viewers on FS1.
Orlando City’s draw with New York FC ranks as the fifth most-watched Orlando City game in the two seasons since Orlando City has been in the MLS. The most-watched Orlando City game ever was the team’s inaugural game in the MLS last season at home against the same New York City FC.
Most Watched Orlando City Soccer Games ever in the MLS
1- New York City FC at Orlando City, March 8, 2015: 539,000 viewers (ESPN2)
2- D.C.United at Orlando City, June 14, 2015: 378,000 viewers (Fox Sports 1)
3- Orlando City at Seattle, August 17, 2015: 345,000 viewers (ESPN2)
4- Orlando City at New York City FC , May 29, 2015 : 316,000 viewers (ESPN)
5- Orlando City at Houston, March 13, 2015: 310,000 viewers (UniMas)
Orlando Magic Christmas jerseys leaked
The Orlando Magic are not likely to play on Christmas this year since they are not one of the elite teams with one of the best players in the league. Still, they have a Christmas jersey if you care to purchase it.
UniWatch recently got a hold of the adidas catalog featuring some of the jersey designs that will be used next year. Giving the public a look at the Christmas uniforms for the NBA teams.
FIRST LOOK: This is the 2016 Christmas Day uniform for the @OrlandoMagic. Full details here: https://t.co/9WWJFPfGJE pic.twitter.com/P9ugJ6lkdV
— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) June 1, 2016
It is, in fact, the same design as last year. adidas simply changed the coloring from cream to black.
I, for one, think the cream jerseys look a lot better. The black with pinstripes does not go well with the Christmas card font.
