ORLANDO – Martin Paterson is ready to end the “helplessness” of being an Orlando City SC spectator for the first two-and-a-half months of the season as he eyes a possible return against the LA Galaxy on Sunday (5 pm ET, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes).
The Northern Ireland international striker has been little more than a passenger in the Lions’ debut-making journey through the MLS, and he admits it has not been easy to sit and watch his teammates go through the rollercoaster ride of the first 11 games.
It should all have been very different for the 28-year-old, who was picked up on loan from Huddersfield Town in January and was expected to provide experience up front for Orlando from the get-go. He began with a goal in the team’s first preseason match, but then picked up a hamstring strain that ruled him out of Orlando’s inaugural regular-season game – and every one since.
He has thus had to endure the ups and downs of Orlando City’s inconsistent start to the season from the sidelines, and he admits it has been a trial.
“It is frustrating because you can’t do anything to help,” Paterson said. “There is a feeling of helplessness, and you have to learn to deal with it.
“Fortunately, when you get a bit older and more mature, you can deal with the frustration level a bit better, but it is still not easy to sit and watch, especially for that big first game of the season and all the excitement that there has been around the team.”
But Paterson is now back in full training and could well be in the squad that faces the Galaxy at the Citrus Bowl, good timing for Orlando with Honduran Bryan Rochez leaving on Saturday for U-20 World Cup duty. More importantly, Paterson is looking forward to getting back in the goal business.
“I always believe, if you consider yourself a goalscorer, that doesn’t change,” he said. “You need to get out there and get in the box. I obviously need to train hard and compete with the other members of the squad, but I feel like I just need to get back out there and the goals will come.
“It certainly hasn’t been the ideal introduction to MLS for me, but I feel I am very close to where I need to be and the only missing element now is games.”
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Paterson’s career arc to date is similar to that of Bradley Wright-Phillips of the New York Red Bulls, who was a prolific scorer at lower levels of English soccer before hitting a barrier through a combination of injury and loss of form.
Upon his arrival in MLS, Wright-Phillips has gone on to prove an inspired signing for the Red Bulls, demonstrating his striker’s instincts to the tune of 33 goals in 48 appearances. He is two years older than Paterson, who scored 29 goals from 2008-13 with Burnley, but has a similar slender stature and build.
“I am very aware of what Bradley has done so far,” Paterson said. “There’s no question you look at what others have done and look to do something similar. And, having had a chance to watch the league for a while now, there’s no doubt in my mind I can be a success here.”
