Know Your Enemy: Three questions about the LA Galaxy by Gavin Ewbank

May 13, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Orlando City FC defender Aurelien Collin (78) is looked at by a trainer prior to leaving the game with an apparent leg injury against the D.C. United during the second half at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial. D.C. United won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a rough start to the 2015 Major League Soccer season for the Orlando City Soccer Club.

Seemingly every week, another Lions payer goes down with an injury, as the pile of unable bodies just continues to mount. And with four players now away for three players now away for international duties, Orlando City’s depth is as thin as ever.

The latest name added to the list if Aurelien Collin, who suffered hamstring injury in the 64th minute of Orlando’s 2-1 loss to DC United on Wednesday night. Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Collin will be out for the Lions’ next match, against the LA Galaxy at home this Sunday.

Ticket sales for that game have already reached over 34,000.

To make things worse, Seb Hines was left out of Wednesday’s lineup with a quad injury, and he, too, is questionable for Sunday’s game. Worst case scenario: Amobi Okugo is forced to start at center back next to Sean St. Ledger, meaning Harrison Heath would get another start in the defensive midfield.

If Hines is unable to go, Adrian Heath will have just 16 players available for selection on Sunday. However, that number doesn’t include Martin Paterson, who could finally make his Orlando City debut this Sunday.

Some other notes from around O-Town…..

Phil Rawlins has stated on numerous occasions that he wants to make Orlando the Soccer Capital of the South, using Orlando City as the base of that foundation. With soccer’s growing popularity here in Florida, especially among the youth, where in Florida is considered a soccer hot-bed in this country, claiming that title is certainly possible, even with cities like Miami and Atlanta on the route to MLS franchises.

One question that has popped into people’s mind lately is the idea of bringing a Women’s pro team here to Central Florida.

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is just a couple of years old, and is already gaining plenty of traction as the top Women’s pro league in the United States. The league recently shared it’s plans to expand into other markets as it continues to branch out. So, why not Orlando?

While Orlando has been named to be on the league’s radar, I asked Rawlins what he thought about the idea of bringing a team to Orlando, and having it share the new downtown stadium, similar to the way the Houston Dynamo and Portland Timbers share their stadiums with the Dash and the Thorns.

“The NWSL is gaining in strength and doing a good job of promoting and also stabilizing the Women’s professional game in the USA.” he told otowns11.com via email on Wednesday. “It is something we are monitoring closely. We have always said that at the right time we would like to have a Women’s pro team here in Orlando.”

Well there you have it. Rawlins sounded as if bringing a team here is an actual goal, and within the next 5-10 years I think that dream could become a reality.

If Orlando really wants to become the Soccer Capital of the South, then a NWSL franchise would go a long way in bringing that title here.

In player news, sources told otowns11.com on Thursday that Orlando City U-23 player Andrew Brody declined a contract offer from Real Salt Lake in January, opting to stay another semester at the University of Louisville, where he will be a Junior this fall.

After spending last summer playing with Orlando City’s under-23 squad in the PDL, Brody will be back playing with his hometown club again this year.

“RSL did offer me and at the time it just wasn’t right. After discussing with my family we decided it was best to stay at Louisville another semester.” the young midfielder confirmed to O-Town’s 11. “I’m really excited to play with the Orlando 23’s this summer as Orlando is my hometown team.”

Paul Tenorio wrote an interesting profile on Brody last July in the Sentinel, and in it explained an interesting twist what could have the U-23 player tied to RSL, rather than Orlando.

When Andrew Brody left Orlando to join the Real Salt Lake Casa Grande Academy in 2011, playing for his hometown team was not yet a possibility. Orlando City was several months away from founding its youth program, a year away from joining the US Development Academy and two years out from being named as Major League Soccer’s 21st franchise. The timing has creating an interesting conundrum for one of Orlando’s most talented young soccer players. Brody, who has lived in Orlando since he was six years old, is entering his sophomore season at Louisville, where he starred as a true freshman. The midfielder has been called into the U.S. under-20 national team, and he’s trained with RSL’s senior team. He also spent this summer playing with Orlando City’s under-23 PDL team. But because Brody spent two years in the RSL residential academy and entered college before playing for the Lions’ under-23 team, his homegrown rights may be owned by a club that is nearly 2,000 miles away from his home.

You can read that full story right here.

Brody has also been drawing interest from a number of unnamed clubs overseas in Europe. While he would love to play at home in Orlando, he has not yet spoken with the Lions about any future contracts.