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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Fall for Second Time at Home

Once again it was Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco ripping Orlando to shreds.

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8 years ago

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Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

Could some European team please come buy Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco? The Toronto duo has terrorized Orlando City for the last three seasons and did it again to lead the visiting Reds (11-3-5, 38 points) to a 3-1 win at Orlando City Stadium — just the second home game lost in league play by the Lions this year.

Altidore scored one, assisted Giovinco’s first, and drew the foul that led to the Italian’s second in a game where Orlando (8-7-5, 29 points) played mostly well but had a few bad moments undo a lot of good — at least defensively. On the offensive end, Orlando failed to get onto crosses and lost balls in the air time and time again to let Alex Bono have a relatively relaxed night in goal.

“Obviously really disappointed to lose at home, first and foremost. A result like that at home is never something that we want,” Head Coach Jason Kreis said after the match. “We’re a team that needs energy and when we don’t have that energy we suffer results, I think, like we did tonight. I thought we lacked a little bit of the energy to get ourselves back into this game.”

Carlos Rivas scored for Orlando City, which heads into the Gold Cup break in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto got the first good attempt on goal off a free kick nine minutes in but the cross was headed out of a sea of bodies right at Joe Bendik. A minute later, Jose Aja was forced to take on Giovinco one-on-one and he made a nice play to knock the ball away when the Italian star tried to cut inside for a shot. A minute after that, it was Antonio Nocerino blocking a Giovinco effort from above the box.

Minutes later, Giovinco shook free through the defense, and when four Lions converged, he fed a ball for Altidore to run onto in the box. Bendik got a piece of the USMNT striker’s shot but not enough of it and it was 1-0 to the visitors just 18 minutes in.

“We have to find a way to stop conceding goals early,” Kreis said. “When we do that I think we’ve really struggled. The first goal to me is a play where Giovinco’s floating in the space between our back four and our midfielders and is just given too much time and space there, and I think that’s something we’ve been trying to get our team to tactically sort out.

“For me it was a little bit about stepping at the wrong time and stepping late and we’re a little bit caught, and also how close we were to the players that were playing those balls through for [Altidore]. We weren’t close enough, we didn’t have enough pressure to those balls, and when you give a player like Giovinco time to slot those kinds of passes, he’s going to take full advantage of it.”

He added that he thinks the team’s current defensive personnel are good enough to get the job done.

“I think there’s just some small things that we’re not quite doing the same way were doing in the beginning of the season. ”

Five minutes later the Reds looked to double their lead as Altidore felt a shirt pull from Jonathan Spector and picked his feet up, going down easily and not only getting the call but also a booking on the Orlando City center back. Giovinco stepped up and blasted a free kick off the crossbar that the Lions were able to clear.

Much of Orlando’s first half offense was getting crosses into the box, only to watch Toronto defenders cut them out before they could find Cyle Larin. But the Lions finally got a decent opportunity at 36 minutes, when Will Johnson stepped into a shot at the top of the box, but he hit it directly at Alex Bono for the easy save.

In minute 39, the Reds got their last good look of the opening period when Oyvind Alseth sent a cross in that Giovinco volleyed wide. The Lions owned the rest of the half but struggled to find the final ball. There were several good crosses from Kaká, Scott Sutter, and Giles Barnes, but the Toronto defense was first to the ball each time, even if only to get a toe on a pass to knock it slightly off course. Orlando was still on the front foot when the halftime whistle blew.

The Lions held 64.9% of the first-half possession and a 12-1 advantage in crosses, but were out-shot, 7-5 (3-2 on goal).

But that good end to the first half was wasted when Toronto scored in the first minute after the break. Once again a well-timed run by Altidore had the U.S. international completely in behind the defense. He passed off to Giovinco for the tap-in when he was cut off in the box and it was quickly 2-0.

“Early in the second half was a back buster,” Kreis said.

Rivas, who came on at halftime, had an impact in his return from an ankle injury sustained at Chicago last week. He used his pace to break through a compact Toronto defense, which kept its three lines very tightly packed, and he eventually got on the score sheet in the 63rd minute. The Colombian took a beautiful through ball from Kaká and sent a shot that kissed the right post and went in to cut the lead to 2-1 with a lot of time left.

The good feeling from that goal didn’t last long, however. Altidore went down in a tangle of bodies and got his (I don’t know what number, I lost count) foul given by referee Alan Kelly. Giovinco, whose worst miss ever on a free kick against Orlando was probably the one in the first half that smacked the crossbar, found the upper 90 on an unstoppable shot to restore Toronto’s two-goal advantage at the 65-minute mark, just two minutes after Rivas had given the Lions a lifeline.

From that point on, it was mainly a series of near misses for both teams. Rivas just missed over the bar in the 68th minute. Barnes had a good opportunity on a Kaká cross but his shot was deflected out for a corner in the 71st.

Bendik made a great stop on second-half sub Jordan Hamilton in the 88th minute after Ashtone Morgan’s back-post cross found him on the break.

Eventually, Kelly blew the full-time whistle and the Lions had their second home loss in Orlando City Stadium history. The Lions finished with 64.6% of the possession, a 14-11 advantage on shots (but 3-6 on target), a 20-1 edge in crosses and 5-1 in corners, but the Reds won the only stat that matters.

The Lions are off until Atlanta United comes to town on Friday, July 21.

“Disappointed to go into a long break now to have to feel the suffering of losing three points now for the next two weeks. But it doesn’t change the fact that we know there’s some particular areas that we need to be really focused in on improving in the next couple of weeks and we’re going to take the opportunity with the extended period of time to train to really get after those things and get back to some of the things I think brought us a lot of success in the beginning of the season.”

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

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20 hours ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Striker Suddenly a Position of Need for Orlando City

Departures and a key injury mean Orlando City needs a striker heading into the 2025 MLS season.

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2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image Courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 2024, a milestone for the club. The core of the team was locked up through the 2025 season, so there was no reason to believe it needed to add much this off-season. Unfortunately, injuries and departures have created a serious problem for the team.

The group of forwards last year consisted of Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and Jack Lynn. McGuire scored 15 goals in 2023 and was expected to depart for Blackburn Rovers before a clerical error allowed the Lions to keep their target man. The team’s primary striker scored 11 goals in 37 games — the same number as the previous season — but split time starting with Enrique. The Argentinian improved greatly in 2024, increasing his total goal tally from four to 12. Even Lynn showed tremendous improvement last year, playing a greater role in the team and scoring his first two MLS goals.

The future also seemed bright for the Orlando City forwards because of their ages. Lynn is the oldest of the trio at just 25 years old. Meanwhile, McGuire and Enrique are only 23, so there was no reason to believe this group couldn’t produce this coming season.

The problem at striker began in the postseason when McGuire was pulled down by Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani in the final first round game of the playoffs. McGuire suffered a shoulder injury during the challenge that required surgery on Dec. 13. It’s expected that the striker could take four to five months to return to action, possibly leaving him out until May or June.

Another blow to Orlando’s attack occurred Saturday when Lynn surprisingly announced his retirement from professional soccer. In just over a month, Orlando City went from having three strikers to having just one as preseason training starts.

With McGuire injured and Lynn gone, one option would be to have Designated Player Luis Muriel play up top. However, the Colombian prefers to play a more withdrawn position and proved to be effective in that role last year. Since Head Coach Oscar Pareja prefers to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Lions need someone up top to control the ball and involve the midfielders in the attack. That’s not Muriel’s game.

The result of these issues is that nobody is currently behind Enrique when the season begins. If the Argentinian gets tired, hurt, or simply needs rest, Pareja is limited in his options. 

Whether there was a lack of strikers or a lack of goals from the position previously, that problem was resolved by the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. Facundo Torres scored 20 goals in 2024, becoming the first player in Orlando City’s MLS history and the second player in club history to do so. He went on to set a new club record for total goals of 47.

However, Orlando City sold its best player to Brazilian side Palmeiras on Dec. 20. It was a gut punch to fans as Torres had signed a new contract on Jan. 10, 2024 that ran through the 2026 season. There had been talk for the last couple of years that the attacker would look for a move to Europe and rumors of a move to South America arose this off-season. Still, it created a huge gap the club has to fill.

There are players on the roster that can make up for the injury and departures. Martin Ojeda had a strong season in 2024, finishing with seven goals and 13 assists. His seven goals ranked fourth on the team and his 13 assists topped the squad alongside Nico Lodeiro. Muriel came on strong later in the season, finishing with five goals and eight assists. But those numbers are a long way from the 20 goals that Torres tallied last year.

Even if you consider all goal contributions, Ojeda and Muriel fall well short of Torres. Ojeda had a total of 20 goal contributions in 2024 while Muriel had 13. In addition to Torres’s 20 goals, he added nine assists for a team-leading 29 goal contributions.

All of this information leads to one undeniable fact — Orlando City needs to sign a striker prior to the season. And there’s not much time for Luiz Muzzi to act. The European transfer window closes on Feb. 3 and many MLS teams have already been filling similar needs. With the season starting in just over a month, the options will be limited if the Lions don’t do something soon.

After the best postseason finish in Orlando City’s MLS history, things were looking good heading into 2025. While the back line and most of the midfield is returning, McGuire’s injury and the departure of Torres and Lynn have left the Lions in a tough spot offensively. If they don’t do something in the next couple of weeks, it could be a long 2025.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/20/25

Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you’re all having a good holiday weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Over the past week, I’ve been working and covering high school ice hockey. It will be a busy week in Orlando, with the United States Men’s National Team’s match against Costa Rica on Wednesday and Orlando City’s first preseason match against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Signs Nicolas Rodriguez

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF in Colombia’s top flight. The deal is through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028, and Rodriguez will occupy a MLS U22 Initiative slot. Rodriguez made 19 appearances for Fortaleza, recording 1,607 minutes, five goals, and three assists during the 2024 Primera A Clausura season. The Lions add a young attacking player the club can develop and Rodriguez can play on the right wing, the right side of a three-man midfield, or in the No. 10 spot.

Jack Lynn Announces Retirement

Orlando City forward Jack Lynn announced his retirement from professional soccer on Saturday. Lynn was drafted by Orlando in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He became a regular starter for Orlando City B, scoring a team-record 38 goals in over three seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side. Lynn also won the Golden Boot with 19 goals during the 2023 season and became the first OCB player to be named MLS NEXT Pro MVP. He played sparingly with the first team, but he scored twice last season as his role increased. The Lions will likely look to add another striker for more depth up top.

Orlando Pride Acquire Allocation Money in Trade

On Friday, the Orlando Pride announced that the club has acquired $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Washington Spirit. In exchange, the Pride sent the Spirit a 2025 international roster spot. The Pride will face the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on March 7 at Inter&Co Stadium.

USMNT Defeats Venezuela in Friendly

The USMNT defeated Venezuela 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday in a friendly. Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored in the first half to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead just before halftime. Matko Milijevic scored the third goal for the Americans in the second half, with Venezuela pulling one back thanks to a goal from Jorge Yriarte. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has led the USMNT to winning four out of its first five matches since he took charge last September. The USMNT’s next match will be against Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

On Saturday, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Naeher won 40% of the vote, while defender Naomi Girma finished in second with 32%. In her final year with the USWNT, Naeher ended 2024 with 18 starts, playing 1,170 minutes and only conceding 11 goals. She played a crucial role with clutch saves to help the USWNT win the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, and gold at the Olympics in Paris. Naeher is the second goalkeeper to win the award since Hope Solo won it in 2009.

Free Kicks

  • Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has reached an agreement with the club on a record-breaking contract that extends his deal through 2034.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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