Minnesota United on Tuesday will introduce Adrian Heath as the head coach to lead the club’s transition to Major League Soccer in 2017. He’s done it before.

Heath coached Orlando City through its inaugural MLS season in 2015 and narrowly missed the playoffs. In 2016, Orlando was 4-4-8 and leading the league in draws when he was fired in July.

Heath was part of the club’s transition from its home in Austin, Texas, to Orlando in 2008. Before being retained as the club’s MLS coach, he led Orlando to two United Soccer League playoff titles. Related Articles Minnesota soccer stalwart Amos Magee joins United

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Rob Valentino played for Heath from 2011-15 and returned as an assistant coach halfway through the 2015 season. We asked Valentino to name five things United fans need to know about their next coach.

HE’S A MOTIVATOR

“He was easy to fight for as a player,” Valentino said.

When Orlando was in USL, the third tier of American soccer, Heath stressed to players the need to play hard in front of the few thousand fans in attendance for home matches. In pregame speeches, he often would emphasize that supporters spent their hard-earned money to watch them and deserved a good show.

“It gave me a burning desire to want to go out and perform for the supporters,” Valentino said.

HE HAS REAL EXPERIENCE

In the 1980s, Heath was a forward with Everton, which now play at England’s highest level in the Premier League.

“When you don’t have the experiences, it’s difficult for the players to latch on,” Valentino said. “His player resume speaks for itself.”

In 1982, Heath signed with Everton for 700,000 pounds, then a franchise record. He went on to score 93 goals in 307 appearances for the Toffees. He left for Espanyol in La Liga, Spain’s top league in 1988, and played for a few other English clubs through the mid-1990s.

HE KNOWS DEFENSE

Given his playing career, it’s no surprise that Heath is an offense-minded coach with teams known for playing well in possession and on the attack.

Valentino was a center-back defender and worked quite a bit with Heath.

“He used to take us to the side when we were in USL,” he said. “He knew exactly what the defenders didn’t like. I got a good balance of how to defend against someone that was the type of player that he was, and what to look for in a forward that he could think more like.”

SLIP IN 2015

Orlando went 12-14-8 in 2015, missing the MLS playoffs by five points (fellow expansion side New York City missed by 12). Orlando’s narrow miss was, in part, due to a six-game winless skid Aug. 5 to Sept. 13.

“They were close,” Valentino said. “If they didn’t have that rough part in the middle as rough as it was, they would have been in the playoffs that year for sure.”

One of Heath’s talking points is on the little things.

“He goes, ‘These are the little margins that make a big difference,’ ” Valentino recalled. “He will definitely be more prepared for next year in this next role.”

HE WANTS A SAY

Heath wanted to help make roster decisions in Orlando, and his frustration at being left out is believed to have contributed to him being sacked.

In Minnesota, Heath is expected to be a welcome part of deciding the roster’s makeup with United sporting director Manny Lagos and new director of player personnel Amos Magee.

“At the end of the day, he needs to have people that he wants in the club, people that are believing in what he’s doing,” Valentino said. “I think he’s said this before, but ‘a cook needs his own ingredients.’ ”