It took 49 days from the time Orlando City announced Uri Rosell would join the Lions, but Tuesday morning, the holding midfielder and 2013 MLS champion was finally a full participant in a training session.
Rosell spent weeks training with an athletic trainer away from the rest of the club. The club said Rosell was working on fitness, and after Tuesday’s training session, he said the same thing.
“I felt good,” he said. “I think every day is getting better. I’m very excited to be training with the team and to get some minutes.
“I’ve worked as hard as I can to be ready.”
Rosell’s journey to Orlando City was a bit complicated. After he was announced, it took a while to get him into the country from Portugal’s Portimonense Sporting Clube, where he was on loan. In fact, he didn’t get on a plane to Orlando until Feb. 18, after the club announced he was acquired on Jan. 30.
He was originally sold to Sporting CP from Sporting Kansas City, where he spent three seasons and established a reputation as one of the most accurate distributors in MLS.
“First of all, what is important to me is to help the team,” Rosell said. “Try to be the best that I can. I think I’m going to fit the way Jason and the staff thinks. That was one of the big reasons [I came] here, to make an impact and try to help the team as they want to accomplish their goals.”
Joining Orlando City means reuniting with former Sporting KC teammate Dom Dwyer.
“It’s great,” Rosell said. “He’s a great teammate. We’re great friends. To be able to be on the same team again is going to bring good things on the field, too. Probably, we’re expecting to get another ring here in Orlando.”
The league has grown in the years since he last played an MLS match, Rosell said. He added he returns to MLS as a “more complete” player.
“I think there are better players now than when I was here,” he said. “The teams are building big facilities. Bigger stadiums. Probably more fans. Bigger structure. At the end, it’s what we all want, right? To get more fans involved. To get more deals with television. To be out there with better conditions.”
Head coach Jason Kreis said he expects Rosell to be available for the club’s March 31 match against the New York Red Bulls. The Lions don’t have a match this week.
Watching from the sidelines as Orlando City struggled through its first three matches was a challenge, Rosell said.
“It’s always difficult when you’re outside, right?” he said. “I think you even feel nervous than when you are inside. But I’m excited because I think we have a great team and we’ll turn around these two bad results. Hopefully it’s going to be the next game.”
Plus, Rosell is excited to get in front of Orlando City’s supporters.
“I think the fans are amazing,” he said. “Probably the best in the league. That was one of the other [reasons why] I wanted to come here so badly. They really make an impact on us and really help us to be at the next level.”
Player updates
Center back Lamine Sané, who on Saturday played his first match minutes for Orlando City, is in France and will return to the club later this week.
Attacking midfielder Josué Colmán (quad contusion), midfielder Dillon Powers (ankle) and Dwyer were full participants in Tuesday’s training session.
Forward Justin Meram has been called up to Iraq’s national team. Midifelder Yoshimar Yotún has been called up to Peru’s national team.
Team captain Jonathan Spector (concussion) was not at Tuesday’s training session.