Josué Colmán didn’t expect a delayed start to his MLS career.
The 19-year-old Paraguayan attacking midfielder was hoping to make an immediate impact for Orlando City as a young designated player. Even after he was sidelined with a quad contusion early in preseason training, he hoped to make his MLS debut during Lions’ first match of the season.
Obviously, that didn’t happen. He didn’t return to full training until the week of Orlando City’s 2-0 loss to NYCFC in Yankee Stadium. Before that, he spent a much of his time training on his own. He also worked with striker Dom Dwyer, who is recovering from a quad strain.
Colmán made his MLS debut shortly after returning to full training. He took the pitch in the 76th minute of Saturday’s match against the Pigeons, coming on for R.J. Allen to boost Orlando City’s attack when the Lions were already down 2-0.
“I wasn’t expecting to go through an injury that early in the season,” Colmán said through a translator. “But now, luckily, I’m 100 percent fit thanks to the work of Silas [Waszczuk], Constantine [Demetriadis] and Pat [Tanner].
“I was very happy to make my debut. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the result, but we’ve been working very hard to make sure we get results moving forward.”
Colmán’s action was limited, but there were flashes of why Orlando City was so excited to sign the young playmaker. He found teammates in the penalty area easily – in the 86th minute, he set up midfielder Will Johnson, whose shot bounced off the crossbar – and took defenders one-on-one with confidence.
“Obviously, we’re going to get Colmán some more minutes now,” Johnson said. “I think he’s going to help us, big-time.”
Midfielder Sacha Kljestan added, “The quicker we can get him up to speed, the better for him and ourselves.”
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Orlando City players and coach Jason Kreis have all spoken with excitement about Colmán. They’ve all been anxiously anticipating the young attacker’s return to play, even though he’s the youngest player with the club – he’s got 19-year-old Pierre Da Silva beat by three days.
Colmán’s goals are pretty simple. They have nothing to do with individual success. He wants to see the Lions in the MLS playoffs, and he wants to be one of the reasons they get there.
Orlando City has picked up just one point through three games so far this season, so it’ll be an uphill battle.
“The pressure that people talk about, that people think I may have, I just turn it into motivation,” he said. “I try to give it all in training to make sure I earn a spot on the field and take advantage of the opportunities that the coaches provide me and who why they brought me here.”
Rehabbing from the quad contusion was tough, he said.
“It was a long time,” he said.
“I thought I was going to be ready for the first game, but obviously it didn’t happen that way. But now, I’m just looking forward to the future games. I’m recovered now and like I always say, I just want to give it all in training to make sure I help the team and make sure we get results.”
Colmán was acquired from Paraguay’s Cerro Porteño in January. He said he’s adjusted well to life in the United State so far, thanks to his teammates.
He gave some additional credit Guillermo Sánchez, Orlando City’s mental coach and video analyst.
Also, he mentioned his English is getting better. There’s still room to grow, he said with a laugh.
For now, he’s still adjusting to a new culture.
“I really like [MLS] a lot,” he said. “It’s style, it’s dynamics, it’s a very physical league and it has many good players. I think this is a league that is growing a lot in very aspect and I’m really looking forward to being more involved in this league.”