Just eight days after arriving in Orlando, it was a trial by fire for City's newest acquisition, Carlos Ascues. Due to injuries and suspensions in the midfield, the 6-foot-2 Peruvian made his first start when the Lions look on league-leading Atlanta United on Friday.

"The idea, really, was to try to get him in a little slower than that but obviously with Sacha [Kljestan] not making it, we were forced really to throw him in,” head coach James O'Connor said following Ascues' debut. "All things considered, he can be pleased. He gave a very encouraging performance, for sure."

Ascues was a visible presence in the midfield for each of the 67 minutes he was on the pitch. His ability to win challenges while also pushing forward in the attack helped an Orlando City midfield that was missing Kljestan, Yoshi Yotún and Cristian Higuita.

"I feel very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the starting team," Ascues said. "I think that I had a good debut, but I'm not happy that we weren't able to get the result."

While Ascues has only been with the team for a little over a week, he seemed to fit right into the team's strategy and shape.

"I felt like the communication was very good," Ascues said. "All of my teammates were great with me. I personally don't fully understand English, but they're making a great effort to make sure that I'm getting all the information."

For Ascues, playing in front of his new home crowd was a pleasure.

"It was great, the fans were incredible. Unfortunately, we didn't give them the result and the three points that they deserved after they supported us and chanted the entire match. But we'll do it the upcoming game."

Ascues and the Lions will have another chance to play in front of the home crowd this coming Saturday when they take on the Philadelphia Union at Orlando City Stadium.