Orlando City-Crew Preview

Orlando City has shown promise in its first MLS season, and that has had a lot to do with an unbeaten start on the road.

The club has a chance to continue it Saturday night in Columbus with the Crew looking to end a three-match winless streak.

For Orlando City (2-2-2), having a former FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or winner helping generate an attack hasn't hurt. Kaka, the prizes' 2007 recipient, has played in all six matches with two of his three goals coming on the road and leading to a 2-0-1 record.

That includes one from the penalty spot in the 85th minute of Sunday's 2-0 win at Portland. Rookie Cyle Larin, who turned 20 on Friday, scored in the 30th minute as Orlando City snapped a three-match winless streak on which coach Adrian Heath thought results were a little short of effort.

"On the road, three points is always really valuable, and I thought that, certainly first half, we were well worthy of the score line," said Heath, whose club is looking for its first set of consecutive wins. "Rode our luck a little bit in the second half. But I think, overall, I'm a firm believer you get out of football what you put in. These guys have put so much in over the last few weeks, with not a lot of reward."

Kaka's play could be that much more important with fellow Brazilian midfielder Pedro Ribeiro out for the foreseeable future with a torn hamstring suffered in a 1-0 loss to D.C. United on April 3. Ribiero had started three straight matches and has scored one of the team's six goals - Kaka has half of them and one is an own goal.

With Ribeiro out against the attacking-minded Timbers, Heath shifted to three defensive midfielders.

"We managed to get the ball to Brek (Shea) and (Kaka) out there, which we had been working on all week," Heath told the club's official website. "I thought there was a little bit more space out there and if we can get two good players out there with time and space, you can create (opportunities)."

Columbus (1-2-2) hasn't allowed many in its recent home matches. Dating to last season, the Crew have won seven of nine at home with five shutouts and a 20-8 aggregate.

This season, they're yet to find any sort of rhythm after having two bye weeks mixed into the first month of the season. Last Saturday's scoreless draw in New England was their second match in four days, and coach Gregg Berhalter thinks progress is coming as they begin a normal weekly stretch that leads into June. Their next two come at home.

"I feel like we're still getting started," Berhalter told the club's official website. "We're still progressing and we're moving toward something. I wouldn't say we're there yet with our product, but the group's been tested in a number of ways so far. So we're doing fine."

Columbus has also had one player accounting for the majority of its scoring. Kei Kamara has three of the Crew's five goals in his first five games back with the club with which he began his MLS career in 2006.

Orlando's Shea, who has shifted from midfield to left back this season, will be available after playing the second half of the United States' 2-0 friendly win over Mexico on Wednesday.