Orlando

City Star Kaká’s Recovery From Hamstring Injury Coming Along Well

Published

9 years ago

April 6, 2017

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — Jason Kreis admits Orlando City SC will have to treat captain Kaká with kid gloves for the rest of the year once the Brazilian returns from the current hamstring injury that has blighted his start to the new season.

The Lions’ ace is “on course” to be fit again later this month, having gone down in agonizing fashion in the first 10 minutes of the opening game of the new campaign against New York City FC on March 5. But Orlando City’s medical and physiotherapy units will be monitoring their star Designated Player extremely closely in the future and, more importantly, scaling back his training commitments on a week-to-week basis.

“His recovery is coming along very well,” Kreis said after training on Wednesday. “He is back out running on the field and I think we’ll see him out here again tomorrow on his own, so we feel like all that is going to plan.”

The initial diagnosis for his Grade 1 to 2 hamstring strain was a six-week spell on the sidelines, and the team is still hopeful he will be back on the field against New York again, this time for the return game at Yankee Stadium on April 23.

However, that will only happen with intensive medical oversight, and an almost day-to-day focus on his workload as Orlando look to keep their most important player involved for the rest of the final year of his current three-year contract with the club.

“When he comes back, he will be under the same protocol he has been since I’ve been here, which is that he doesn’t do all of the training every single week,” Kreis explained. “He typically will spend one extra day inside working with our physical therapist to work on his strength and keep the pounding off of his legs.”

Kaká had his battles with leg muscle issues for several periods of last season, missing half of the first 14 games. He was sidelined for 12 matches in all, but still chalked up nine goals and 10 assists, which both met and surpassed his first-season stats of nine and seven, respectively.

He also came back strong at the end of July, when he enjoyed a run of 15 straight starts, and that is a sequence Kreis is now looking to duplicate once his captain takes the field again this season.

“We felt like we had a lot of success with that [regime] in the second half of last season,” Kreis said. “I would say that the injury this year came about because in preseason he did almost all the work.”

That tacit admission that the team possibly allowed their star man to do too much too soon is now the key factor in how they proceed.

“We need to keep a mindful eye on the most important thing, which, of course, is having Ricky [Kaká] available for all the matches,” Kreis added. “Sometimes that means a little bit of a sacrifice in the training in the week, but ultimately we know that the benefit far outweighs that negative.”

Source: Orlando City Soccer

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Published

1 year ago

October 30, 2024

Mike Brodsky

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.