On a Thursday morning in the last week before the June international break, Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja sat down with two of his rookies to talk about the future.
Draft picks Rio Hope-Gund and Derek Dodson had been in Orlando for nearly two months. Most of that time was spent focused on learning how to be a professional athlete.
But at the end of the international break, Pareja said he believed both players were ready to take the next step in their roles in Orlando.
“It was time for us to have a deeper conversation about how we work, how we see them, and how we can get better,” Pareja said.