This week for the Orlando City organization has been a tough one if not dark.

Longtime head coach Adrian Heath was fired on Wednesday, and assistant Bobby Murphy took the helm as interim coach.

During Friday night’s scoreless draw against the Houston Dynamo, Murphy said it felt like a cloud was hanging over the players throughout the game. But in light of what has happened these last few days, his recent meetings with the members of the press has been lit with a shining light.

“You don’t really have a choice, do you? You can be either part of the problem or part of the solution, and I choose to live in the solution,” said Murphy. “There’s always a way… and if you haven’t found a way yet, you keep looking.”

The sacking of Heath came to a surprise to mostly everyone in the Orlando City locker room, especially Murphy who joined the team prior to the season from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.

Orlando City defender Luke Boden said Heath’s firing came as a surprise to him, saying he found out through social media of Heath’s departure. According to Boden, Heath visited the training ground at Sylvan Lake Park the day after his exit was announced to bid farewell to his former players.

Boden, who is called Bodz in the locker room, added that his former coach was a friend during their time spent together at Orlando City.

But Boden, who played under Heath for six seasons, praised Murphy’s positive attitude and how that could bring much-needed optimism for the time being.

“Bobby has been around us for a while now,” said Boden. “[He] knows what we’re about, what we’re like as players, knows what we’re capable of. He just wants us to go and express that, and I think we put our foot in the right direction tonight by getting our clean sheet in [13 games].”

Boden understands the changes happening within the club. But he also understands that’s how the business of sports really is.

“Changes have been happening, slowly but surely in the club,” he added. “That’s the way football is, people come in, people go. You have to keep your head up.”

As for Murphy, his job for now as interim coach is to keep the light shining in a dark locker room, but only time will tell for how long.

Whether he remains as coach for the rest of the season or not, his outside personality will continue to glisten.

“That’s just the way I try to live my life every day, whether it’s in my job, parenting, dealing with people in the street, you could either be one who sucks energy or gives energy, and I choose to try to be an energy giver and live in the solution. Whether that helps the guys or not, I don’t know, that’s just who I am.”

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(Photo courtesy of Orlando City Communications) 

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