Last year, Orlando City benefited from the emergence of two of its defensive midfielders, Cristian Higuita and Darwin Cerén. Coming into the 2016 season, there was a lot of pressure for the both of them to repeat their performances from the previous year, and both have taken that responsibility to heart. While they may have each gotten off to a slow start to the season, their most recent performance in New York helped them get back on track to last season's form.
"Before the (NYCFC) game, I got into Darwin and Cristian a little bit and spoke about how I expect them to be a bit more tenacious, getting around the field and they both gave a great display of tackling and understanding when to close the ball," Head Coach Adrian Heath said on this past week's Orlando City Insider Show.