Orlando City assistant coach CJ Brown summed up the competition for starting jobs in one word: “Fierce.”
“I think we’re going to have some really hard questions to answer come [Opening Day],” Brown said Monday after training. “It’s been very intense.”
For Brown, the more defensive-minded of City’s assistant coaches, it’s the competition along the back line that captures his attention, especially at outside back. Scott Sutter and Donny Toia were mainstays for City in 2017 - each started at least 29 games and played over 2,500 minutes - but their spots on the starting XI are anything but secure.