Orlando City Kickoff Countdown Day 22: David Mateos
We are counting down to Orlando City’s kickoff of the 2016 MLS season against Real Salt Lake. Each of the remaining 25 days leading up to March 6th we will take a look at one player on the club’s first team roster and their potential role and impact for the coming season.
Day 4: David Mateos
David Mateos joined Orlando City during the summer transfer window of 2015. The Spaniard was transferred from Ferencvárosi TC in Hungary and the 28 year-old started 6 games at Centerback for the Lions.
So where do we see him fitting into the side in 2016?
Mateos will be in competition with Seb Hines for the starting CB position alongside Aurélien Collin. Mateos was thrown into the fire straight away after his arrival from Hungary last season and saw a dearth of goals scored on his watch. It’s a bit harsh to place that blame on Mateos as Orlando City was in the midst of their poorest run of form while dealing with red cards on a weekly basis.
The ex-Real Madrid man will now have had a full offseason and preseason to gel with Collin and the rest of the defenders. Mateos has already shown he can be dominant in the air, but is susceptible to players with pace as he’s certainly not the most athletic defender. Mateos will have every opportunity to win the starting job, and is probably a slight favorite at the moment. Either way, with three aging centerbacks, there should be plenty of minutes available for Mateos to either establish himself as the starter or carve out his role as a backup.