Amobi Okugo: The Odd Man Out
Things certainly change quick in MLS, especially for an expansion team.
Coming into the season, Amobi Okugo was one of about five players who most thought would be in the starting lineup every week. That rang true for the first 9 matches. But after the last two, he’s become almost an afterthought.
The unexpected turn of events started in week 6 against Portland. Many won’t remember, because Orlando City came away victorious, but Okugo was very poor. Unfortunately that trend continued for the next three matches. Eventually, after 5 yellow cards, he was forced to sit against DC United last week.
In his place came Cristian Higuita, finally healthy after missing half of Orlando City’s matches through various injuries. Higuita first replaced Okugo at halftime of the New England match and spearheaded a thrilling comeback for a crucial draw. Higuita would go on to miss the DC United match with another injury, but his effort against New England left a lasting impression and was enough to vault him into Okugo’s starting spot vs. LA Galaxy.
Then, 4–0 happened.
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The Lions put on a completely dominant performance where Orlando City announced to the rest of the league they’d arrived. Showing that when they’re locked in, they will beat the snot out of you. (Even if we’re still waiting on a bit of consistency.)
The question became, what exactly happened that caused Orlando City’s brilliant 4–0 win?
While there is more than one reason for their performance and there is plenty of praise to go around, the major difference maker was Cristian Higuita and Darwin Cerén teamed up from the start. Two explosive holding midfielders, who can provide tough tackling and offensive firepower, completely changed the dynamic of the starting eleven.
While the emergence of a Higuita/Ceren partnership has the potential to dazzle, they’ve only played together for three halves, so perhaps we should temper our enthusiasm. One injury or poor performance and we’re right back where we started.
Amobi Okugo simply doesn’t provide the offensive ability that Higuita or Cerén do, and lately he hasn’t even provided the defense. The defense which is the most basic responsibility of the holding midfielder. As of right now, it would seem that Okugo is the odd man out, but make no mistake, Orlando City will need him going forward.
I can sit here and ramble all day about the blossoming partnership of Higuita and Cerén, but that combination won’t always be available. We know Higuita has a hard time staying healthy and Ceren will depart for the Gold Cup in late June. Add in the potential for multiple US Open Cup matches and it’s not hard to see that Okugo still has a large role to play on this team. His return back to form will be necessary if Orlando City wants to stay in the playoff hunt.
Most coaches who use the 4–2–3–1 (as Orlando City does) will tell you the most important positions in the formation are the holding midfielders. Orlando City is blessed to have three quality players vying for two spots. Amobi Okugo might not be in Adrian Heath’s immediate plans, but life in MLS changes quick. Okugo needs to be ready because Orlando City is going to need him.
