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Orlando City coach hints again at Kaka interest

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By MIKE GRAMAJO

Orlando City Soccer Club head coach Adrian Heath is ready to coach anyone, even if that includes a former FIFA World Player of the Year.

While the club has a year to go before entering Major League Soccer in 2015, speculation regarding their first Designated Player rose on Tuesday. Whether it’s AC Milan’s Ricardo Kaka or a European star, Heath said anything is possible.

“The way Kaka is playing at this minute, he’s playing out of his skin. Looks like he’s newly alive back in Milan,” Heath told SBI. “He’ll always be mentioned because his relation with owner Flavio Augusto Da Silva.

“If we could do that deal, I’m sure he would and it would be great for our Brazilian contingency here.”

Kaka’s deal with the Italian giants runs out in the summer of 2015, leaving his future after Milan up on the air. However, his close relationship with Lions majority owner Flavio Augusto Da Silva could potentially trigger a move to MLS’ newest franchise.

“The club always said they will bring a key marquee player, whether that’s Kaka or another big Brazilian name or European name, we will have to wait,” said Heath. “I know it’s proven for him (Kaka) since he’s been incredible in the last few weeks, he’s getting fit again after a bad time of injuries.”

Currently, the 31-year-old midfielder has four goals in six appearances in all competitions, three of which have came in his last five Serie A matches.

What do you make of this news? Do you think will Kaka join the Lions in 2015? Can you see another big-name player joining Orlando City?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. If kaka or any European goes to MLS then it is bad, America calls football soccer and has named a game copy of rugby and calls it football where the foot is never used at all.

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  2. This article is incomplete. It doesn’t mention anything about which of Kakas relatives Orlando is overpaying in the vain attempt to lure him over.

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  3. I gotta see kaka in purple to believe this. I also love this new MLS teams, putting pressure on those old teams with no ambition like DC, NE, Colorado, San Jose, Dallas, Crew, Chicago. MLS can easily get good players because the soccer talent is a global pool, not just an American talent pool.
    As for Orlando, they can be the shaktar donesk of MLS but I can wait for Miami to join, MIami wil be a strong team from day one.
    But I repeat, I gotta see kaka is MLS in order to believe this Orlando dream.
    For example, where is Ronaldinho, lampard, raul, owen, eto, forlan, robinho, pato,
    oh and galaxy sounders Miami red bull nycfc timbers Vancouver tfc will have DP competition

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    • none of those are fair comparisons. none of those players have one of their good friends owning a club.

      i agree that Ronaldinho and Forlan are disappointing because everyone thought those were done deals. but completely different situations.

      Lampard was always just a rumor and i never though it would happen before the WC. there was no way. Raul? who said they were gonna sign him? that was just a rumor because he was a player you would have thought an MLS team would go after. but not a single team had a chance when Raul said he wanted to stay in Europe after Schalke…ending up in Qatar. he flirted with the idea prior to Schalke, but that was it.

      Owen? that was all MLS trying to get him and in 2011 Vancouver stepped up but ultimately failed. they never promised anything though. he could still end up in MLS. as for Eto’o, the guy took a major pay day in Russia and then had Chelsea want him. hard to turn that down given he is now a part of Cameroon again. no MLS has ever said they will sign him until Toronto recently made it known they are tracking him.

      Pato?!?! why would a top 24 Brazilian player, even with his struggles, come to MLS? which MLS team ever said they could sign him? the guy is being linked with Arsenal now anyway.

      either way, the DP stories are going to be crazy after the WC. i wouldn’t be surprised if we see half of these players in MLS by 2015 (maybe 1-2 sooner):

      Kaka (Orlando), Ronaldinho (Miami), Drogba (LA), Sneijder (LA), Robinho (NYCFC), Eto’o (?), Xabi Alonso (NYCFC), Xavi (Miami), Lampard (?), Defoe (Toronto), Gilardino (Toronto), Klose (?)

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      • soccer god hear our prayers 😉
        its gonna be fun with seattle, timbers, Vancouver, galaxy, tfc, Miami, rb,nycfc, competeting for DPs and hopefully they open their wallet
        As for Orlando, a very mysterious team with a lot of confidence
        but dc, ne, crew, rapids, dallas, Houston, san jose, chivas usa, philly, skc ,rsl good luck when teams start spending.
        you gotta open your wallet, Houston and dallas can easily attract top south American and Mexican talent.

  4. i think everyone is over analyzing Kaka finding form and getting all these suitors. he’s fighting for a spot on the Brazilian team but once the WC is over, he will be done internationally without question. could he stay in Europe? if he keeps up his form, for sure. but i don’t think he will. he’s flirted with MLS for awhile now and his friend just got an MLS club in a city he owns a home in. if he is no longer fighting for a spot on Brazil, why not choose to come be a part of something like Orlando instead of re-signing for Milan?

    for me, i don’t think Orlando will have any problems getting him to sign. maybe i’m just optimistic.

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  5. Perhaps a more realistical pull for Orlando City would be Robinho, Michel Bastos, Dida, Vagner Love.

    All players with notoriety that would welcome the opportunity to once again become the star of the club. With Kaka finding his form again at a top club like Milan, there is no doubt there will be more suitors than MLS come 2015.

    Don’t get me wrong, please, I would absolutely LOVE seeing Kaka wearing purple in 2015, but at the moment, it would take some serious $$$ and a drop in form for Kaka to make that deal happen.

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    • From a football standpoint those players make sense but that’s not what MLS and Orlando are looking for. They want a famous player more than a good player.
      For the money they’re going to play Kaka they can bring much better overall talent but it wouldn’t sell as many shirts.

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      • MLS better be ready to pay because the Brazilian WAGS will bankrupt these guys living in Orlando. The town is basically one giant shopping mall and theme park. LOL.

    • out of those, Robinho is the guy who i see MLS teams willing to spend money on. i’d predict him for NYCFC though given he played for Man City.

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  6. Man this Orlando crew is great at PR. Already pimping that Kaka is coming over more than a year from now.

    Yes, he’s probably interested, but a lot can happen between now and then. What if he gets injured (not a far-fetched scenario)? or he tears it up at Milan and they want to up him again – and sorry Orlando – Milan > Orlando.

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    • If he stays in form and that form gets him into Scolari’s first eleven next summer at the WC, and Kaka’ does well there, it’d be even harder to envision him coming here (to Orlando), as much as I’d love it. He’d fit Heath’s system perfectly.

      If Kaka’ stays at Milan from 2015 on, I’m sorta hoping OC/DaSilva just go ahead and pursue Neymar instead…………………….

      😀

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  7. like the nick name and the aggressive attitude of the Orlando group. Also glad to see penetration in the south east…it is critical for Television Ratings viewership etc…..MLS is THE next super league of Soccer and the world will begin to take more and more notice when the salaries go up …ten to twenty yrs and MLS will be a top destination for players and the games will be incredible to see live…..way to go Garber….Great Job.

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    • Couldn’t agree more, but I am enjoying now and I wonder if I will enjoy it less when the casual fans who mainly follow Europe start watching.

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