Orlando City midfielder Kevin Molino and his teammates were stunned after suffering a 1-0 USL-PRO playoff loss to Harrisburg late Saturday, abruptly ending their season.
"We expected to go a long way with home field advantage in front of these fantastic fans," Orlando City midfielder Kevin Molino said. "To not go on to win in the playoffs after all the things we've done, for me individually and for us collectively, is tough."
Molino set new league records in goals scored (20) and total points (49) during the season. He also led the league with nine assists, helping Orlando City stake claim to its third regular season championship.
But the dominating display by the club and record-setting performance by its first MLS signee were nowhere to be found against the Islanders. Orlando City appeared disjointed and disinterested throughout the first half Saturday and were unsuccessful at chasing Harrisburg City throughout the final 45 minutes.
Molino, who took a league-high 81 shots this season, was held without a single attempt against the Islanders. He set up Dennis Chin for a header near the 6-yard box in the 79th minute, but the effort zipped over the crossbar. It proved to be one of several missed opportunities in the final third for a team that led the league with 56 goals.
"Not singling Kevin out, or anybody else, but there's probably three or four of our better players who had the worst night tonight. And they're important pieces for us," Orlando City coach Adrian Heath said after the game. "No disrespect to all the other players, but the final third of the football field is probably the most important. That's why [those players] go for the most money. That's why they get paid the most money. That's why they get transferred for the most money. That's the important part of the field, and tonight, certainly our front three or four [did not have] a good night, and that happens. But we needed them to bring it to the table tonight and unfortunately we didn't."
The disappointment of unfulfilled expectations this season could be seen on Molino's face afterward as he came to grips with the club's lack of effort in the loss.
"I didn't think we deserved it," Molino said. "The team played better than us. They came out and showed that determination and the passion that they wanted to win. I'm a person that's fair with myself and I don't think it was possible for us to win this game because of the way we were playing."
Molino hopes he and his future MLS teammates will be judged more for how they rebound from the setback than the way 2014 ultimately ended.
"It's not how you fall, it's how you rise," Molino said. "It's important that you learn from losses like you learn from your wins. This is a learning process for each individual and for us as a team and club. We'll move on from here into next year and hopefully we'll move on and do good things for the club."