Duncan McGuire working back to the Orlando City SC pitch

Part of football is dealing with injuries. A physical team like Orlando City SC is guaranteed its share of them.

Valuable striker Duncan McGuire started coming off the bench almost immediately after coming off the pitch in the 16th minute vs. San Jose. He significantly injured his right shoulder, colliding while trying for a header.

It was substitute Jack Lynn’s big chance and he made the most of it. He scored late in the game giving Orlando 1-0 win.

Thankfully for Orlando City, he’s getting back to full strength quickly. As the MLS season goes on, they’ll need his scoring skills to make good on the rest of the squad’s efforts.

He’s comfortable in Orlando’s physical style of play. He’s not shy about risking a foul. But McGuire’s single strength that every scout agrees on is in finishing.

He’s not selfish when he gets the ball, either. With excellent focus, he has mapped where his teammates will be as he’s creating chances.

He has said his known targets for plays include Facundo Torres and Martin Ojeda. That works both ways. The way Torres and Ojeda start counter-attacks and execute build-up plays make McGuire’s job easy as long as he stays onside.

And he’s only gotten caught offside twice.

With this level of teamwork, McGuire has assembled five goals on 22 shots. He’s also carried out nine key passes while maintaining a passing accuracy of just over 75%.

While he enjoys playing physical as much as his teammates, he knows his value to the team means getting healthy again and staying on the pitch.

So while he’s committed nine fouls so far, he’s accumulated only three yellow cards.

McGuire says his method of playing hard while playing smart is the same as his teammates’. They, their coaches, and trainers pick what they need to improve. Then they practice with repetitions until they get it.

It’s not going to be easy. But they’re getting it.