As far as Phil Rawlins is concerned, there is no unrest at Orlando City right now. For him, this is just a natural part of the offseason.
Orlando City grabbed headlines last week with the stunning news that recently-introduced chief soccer officer Armando Carneiro had left the club. While personal reasons were cited for Carneiro's departure, the move left a hole in Orlando City's front office given that former general manager Paul McDonough had mutually agreed to part ways earlier in December.
Rawlins, Orlando City's team president, has insisted that too much is being made of it all. That what is being said on the outside does not reflect what is going on on the inside. That there is no chaos in the front office.
"People are putting two and two together and making seven," Rawlins told the Orlando Sentinel over the weekend. "What we are doing is being misconstrued. There's a lot of conspiracy theories out there."
Why the changes then? Rawlins cited the club's inability to reach the postseason in its inaugural year in MLS. Orlando City finished just outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference in 2015, and that means there is room for improvement across the board.
"We're accustomed to making the playoffs and winning championships," said Rawlins. "We did it in [USL] and we wanted to maintain that same level and make a mark in our first year in MLS. We had a good first season, but we didn't meet our goals. We want to insure that we build upon that first season and are more successful in 2016."
