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Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja admitted following Saturday’s 1-0 win against Portland that his team may be starting to feel the effects of a heavy workload.

Saturday’s game was the Lions’ sixth across all competitions during May.

While Orlando walked away from Inter&Co Stadium with a win, Pareja noted the team’s low-energy performance in the second half was the result of ‘betting hard’ following last Wednesday’s Open Cup loss to Nashville SC.

"The cup game we played, we spent some important energy there, and we knew it," Pareja said. "As you know, we wanted to advance, not that we took it lightly. After the game, I felt like I could have done better on rotating some other players, and I was fearful of needing that energy tonight."

Pareja rotated a slew of players in the match against Portland. From the attacking end, Duncan McGuire earned a starting role while Martin Ojeda sat on the bench. Luis Muriel, who entered as a second-half sub in the previous game against Nashville, started in place of Ojeda.

Ivan Angulo, another second-half substitute in the Nashville game, was deemed fresh according to Pareja against Portland.

Eduard Atuesta, who made his first appearance since April 26, got the start and played the full 90 minutes, allowing rookie Joran Gerbet, who played three days earlier, to make an impact later in the second half.

Orlando City (7W-2L-6D, 27 points) plays two more games to cap the month, playing Wednesday at Atlanta United before returning home to host Chicago Fire on Saturday.

By the time the month ends, the Lions will have played eight games in four weeks, pushing the workload and possibly forcing Pareja to rotate more players ahead of the two upcoming games.

But amid a 12-game unbeaten streak in the regular season, Pareja says there’s a determination from the players to do more despite the heavy calendar.

"What happens is our defenders and other players are pushing a lot, but they’re prepared," Pareja said. "It’s good for our coaches that they’re preparing them well. We have an internal commitment, the boys have, they want to close this month of May at the top of the league, and it seems like they can do that."

Atuesta provided aligned comments earlier during Saturday’s post-game, saying the objective has been clear, and that the team wants more after reaching the Eastern Conference final in 2024.

Atuesta arrived during the offseason from Brazilian club Palmeiras via Los Angeles FC.

"I feel very happy to have arrived at a place where they have the same goals as me, which is to be better every day and win titles," Atuesta said. "We don’t want to be an Orlando side that only entertains in the league; we want everyone to talk about how Orlando plays and how Orlando wins every game and how coming here to play is a torture each time for any team."

Atuesta returned from an apparent neck injury during Saturday's game, playing the complete game and assisting Duncan McGuire in the game's lone goal.

The Colombian midfielder has been out since April 26, but in recent weeks has been training and fully integrated with the team during his recovery.

"Very tired, my friend. Because it is not the same, just training and running without the rhythm of the game," he said after the Portland match. "Even more difficult here in Orlando, because of the humidity. It’s always difficult, even for us who live here. But, very happy for those 90 minutes after a long period without games."

McGuire was full of praise for Atuesta on Saturday, saying he's an exceptional player who brings a lot of experience and an impactful presence on the field.

"We obviously look up to him, and he's a very good player who controls the midfield for us and moves a lot of pieces," McGuire said about Atuesta. "It's a blessing to have him on the team, and he does a great job facilitating the midfield, going down defensively and most importantly, going for forward passes, which he's a very good player at doing."

Pareja said he was apprehensive about how much playing time he would give Atuesta on Saturday, considering he’s missed the team’s four previous games.

"Eduard has a special characteristic that we can use in any game, which is his connection. The way he connects, he does it all in the pitch, it’s very clean," Pareja said. "I was doubtful about how much he could last. He hasn’t competed much but has been training. What the coaches have done with him in keeping his level of fitness, knowing he’s not playing, but I wasn’t worried too much, he has experience. He’s a player who’s fit and technical, and the way he sees the game is great."