This Sunday night, Orlando City takes on the Portland Timbers in a home match that is sure to be competitive. Orlando City is off to a strong start this season, and a good performance against the league’s defending champs will show that Orlando City is here to win.

“Obviously, they’re a good team and they’re a confident team,” Brek Shea said after Wednesday’s training. “They have a lot of threats and a lot of good players. So, we just gotta be ready for them.”

The Portland Timbers are a team playing at the top of their game. But they’re not unbreakable, as San Jose proved in their 2-1 win over the Timbers in Week Two. Still, there is no doubt that playing against teams like Portland is never easy. “They have a chip on their shoulder and… a lot of pressure to perform,” Shea said. “They’re a solid team.”

But the championship title does not intimidate Orlando City. As Kaká pointed out this week in training, Orlando City performed very well against last season against the defending champion LA Galaxy. “They’re former champions so it’s gonna be a very good game,” Kaká said with regards to the game against Portland. “They’re a very good team, it will be a very good atmosphere.”

With two weeks between games, Orlando City comes into Sunday’s match well rested and well prepared. “Gives us time to work on things,” Shea said. “People are back fit and just to get better as a team.”

After nearly two weeks, Orlando City is ready to play. “I’m excited,” Shea said. “I’m ready to get back out there.”’