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2020 Orlando City Season in Review: Mauricio Pereyra

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4 years ago

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Attacking midfielder Mauricio Pereyra’s arrival created some excitement in a dismal 2019 season. However, the Uruguayan maestro barely got on the field last year due to nagging injuries after being signed on July 30 from Krasnodar on a free transfer. His vision on the field was immediately apparent but all we knew other than that was that he looked good with his hair dyed blond.

Let’s take a look at his first full season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

After seeing the field just six times in 2019 for a total of 394 minutes, Pereyra managed 16 appearances (14 starts) during the pandemic-shortened 2020 regular season for 1,107 minutes. He still missed a chunk of the year (five games) with what appeared to be a hamstring issue at the time of occurrence — the club called it an “undisclosed injury.” Pereyra scored his first two MLS goals in the regular season and added a team-high eight assists, attempting nine shots and getting four on frame. One of his two goals was the game winner on Sept. 12 vs. Inter Miami.

Pereyra completed 25 dribbles and created 33 scoring chances. Based on chance creation, his eight assists indicate that his teammates owed him a little better finishing in the final third. He was tidy in possession, passing at an 83.5% rate. On the defensive side, the Uruguayan contributed 16 tackles, 10 interceptions, four clearances, and a block. He committed 18 fouls while drawing 20, but his tendency to lunge to win a ball back after losing control earned him six yellow cards during the regular season — but no reds — and a suspension for Orlando’s regular-season finale against Nashville SC.

In the MLS is Back Tournament knockout stages, Pereyra started all four games, playing 344 of the 360 available minutes. He scored a goal in the MLS is Back final against Portland but did not earn an assist in the four elimination games, attempting four shots with one on target. He also made his penalty attempt in the shootout against LAFC on Orlando’s first shot. Across those four matches, Pereyra completed five dribbles and created seven scoring chances, with a whopping six of those coming against LAFC. His passing rate for the knockout games was 82.7%. He contributed five tackles and four interceptions, committed four fouls, drew five free kicks, and saw one yellow card.

Pereyra started both of Orlando City’s playoff games, playing 105 minutes of the 120 against New York City FC but only 60 before being sent off against New England, for a total of 165 minutes. He did not score or assist on a goal in the postseason, attempting two shots but getting neither on frame. He created five scoring chances (all against NYCFC), passing with 83.5% accuracy, and completed nine dribbles (eight against NYCFC). He stepped up his defensive game in the postseason, compiling seven tackles, an interception, and a block, and the 30-year-old committed two fouls, drew two fouls, and was shown one straight red card for a horror tackle from behind against New England.

Best Game

The Lions’ midfield maestro had several big matches in 2020 but I’ll go with his two-assist performance against the Columbus Crew in a 2-1 win on Nov. 4. The Lions spent most of the second half down to 10 men due to Nani being wrongly sent off.

Orlando City took a 1-0 lead when Pereyra pounced on a wayward back pass from Harrison Afful that was intended for Artur. The Uruguayan took possession and bypassed a covered Tesho Akindele right in front, instead finding the perfect place to send the ball — a wide-open Chris Mueller, who was making a back post run. Mueller settled the ball and scored to give the Lions a deserved lead and Magic Mo had his first assist of the game.

Columbus equalized in the second half just moments after Nani’s sending off. The captain was initially shown a yellow and then referee Ramy Touchan changed his mind and gave a red after watching the replay. Since the red card was overturned in the midweek, it’s hard to imagine what Touchan saw upon review that made him believe he’d made a clear and obvious error, but the Lions were down to 10 men and level at 1-1 with nearly the full second half to play.

But Orlando City stayed compact in a 4-4-1 formation, held the Crew to hopeful long-range shots and crosses from the wings, and found some opportunities to counter. The game seemed destined to end in a tie when Pereyra pulled a little more magic out of his hat. He sent a perfect long ball forward to Benji Michel in the 84th minute that led to the winner.

Michel headed the ball up and behind himself, then turned inside the Crew defense and won the race to the loose ball before slotting it home between goalkeeper Eloy Room’s legs in what turned out to be the MLS Goal of the Week Award winner.

Pereyra’s second assist of the match was just about his last contribution, as he was subbed off moments later for Joey DeZart. Oscar Pareja had been planning the sub for a few minutes due to the Uruguayan sitting on a yellow card, but luckily there weren’t any stoppages in play before Pereyra was able to send the ball forward to Michel.

In addition to his two assists in the match, Pereyra attempted one shot and completed 63 of 67 passes for a 94% completion rate. He created six scoring chances in the match, equaling his season high, set twice previously vs. LAFC and at FC Dallas. He also completed two dribbles, five crosses, three long balls, and a through ball and drew four free kicks while committing just the one foul for which he’d been booked. In addition, he chipped in defensively with a tackle and an interception.

It was a tour de force performance by the Uruguayan Designated Player when the Lions needed one. Orlando City clinched a home match in the playoffs and temporarily jumped over the Crew into third in the standings heading into the season’s final weekend.

2020 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Pereyra a composite rating of 7.5 for the season after he failed to qualify for a final season rating in 2019. Some staff members had him rated as high as an 8. I tend to think season grades that high and perhaps a half point higher should be reserved for MLS Best XI players. Pereyra was arguably Orlando City’s MVP for 2020 with his vision, ball control, and ability to pull defenders out of position and pick out the right pass to punish them for it. The club went 8-1-5 with a +13 goal differential in the 14 matches that he started.

However, he could look for his shot a little more often, which would make him an even more dangerous player, and he could stand to be a little smarter about making lunging tackle attempts in order to raise his grade next season. Still, a 7.5 for a midfielder is quite good.

2021 Outlook

Following the 2020 season, Orlando City signed the 30-year-old to a one-year contract extension on Dec. 1, that runs through the end of the 2021 MLS season.

“We are very excited to have Mauricio continue with us in Orlando for another year,” Orlando City Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He has shown himself to be incredibly creative and a driving force behind our attack. Mauricio is a very important piece on our roster and we look forward to seeing how he continues to elevate his game with the club next season.”

While Pereyra isn’t getting any younger or faster, it’s reasonable to expect a similar performance from the Uruguayan in 2021, provided he can avoid the injury issues he has suffered through the last two seasons. Not having so many matches so tightly scheduled as MLS had during this pandemic year would help save him some wear and tear, but a normal schedule also means more travel and more different climates in which to play. When healthy, Pereyra is as good as anyone in MLS at connecting the lines and sending attacking players into threatening positions. That shouldn’t change next year and Orlando will be better for it.

Previous Seasons in Review (Date Posted)

We hope you’ve enjoyed the 2020 Season in Review series, as we rated all players who saw action for the Lions during the most recent MLS campaign. The only rostered players from the year not covered were Josué Colmán — on loan all season and subsequently had his option declined — and Homegrown Players Michael Halliday and Mason Stajduhar, neither of whom made an appearance.

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How Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively

How Orlando City has performed against teams playing with three or four defenders, and how that may influence the playoff game against Atlanta United.

Published

17 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The most famous quote about real estate is that “there are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” Soccer coaches also like to think in threes, especially when it comes to points, but for a soccer coach, the three things that matter might be the rhyming triplet “formation, formation, formation,” as that is where they will have the biggest influence on every game that their team plays.

Throughout his tenure as head coach, Óscar Pareja has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 as his formation (fbref.com’s lineup data shows that the Lions primarily played a 4-2-3-1 in 65% of their MLS matches this season, and 79% of their MLS matches during the last three seasons). The Lions have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 during each of their last 14 games, and my confidence level is strong to quite strong (can you believe Meet the Parents came out 24 years ago?) that they will do so once again on Sunday when they host Atlanta United.

Atlanta United also prefers to deploy a 4-2-3-1, but was less consistent than Orlando City this season during MLS play, as evidenced by the chart below that shows how Atlanta lined up this season:

The purpose of this image is a table to show how Atlanta United lined up in 2024 (mostly in a 4-2-3-1 but also in one of six other formations).

I am relying on the coders at Opta for their evaluation of the formation, as I do not watch a lot of Atlanta United matches (sounds terrible), but though Atlanta primarily played with four defenders in more than two-thirds of its matches, during the last two matches it played a 3-5-2, the only two matches all season in which interim coach Rob Valentino rolled out that formation. I suspect that the formation change was related partially to playing Inter Miami and trying to defend the Herons’ dynamic offense and partially due to an injury suffered by defender Brooks Lennon in the first game of that series. So, while Atlanta primarily played four in the back for most of the season, there is a good chance it will roll with what worked against Florida’s second-best MLS team when it plays Florida’s best MLS team this weekend.

Now, if you want to read more about Atlanta, then you can read our match preview, which will drop Sunday morning, but I want to look at how Orlando did against teams that play similar styles. Looking only at MLS games, the table below shows how Orlando City performed against different back line structures this season (the left side is how the Lions’ opponents lined up, the right side is how Orlando City performed against opponents in those formations):

Table embedded as an image showing Orlando City doing best in goal differential in 12 games against three-man back lines, second best against four-man back lines, and having played once against a five-man back line (a 1-1 draw).

Orlando City earned slightly more points per game — the stat that matters most — against teams that played four in the back, but the Lions had a better average goal differential when teams played three in the back. Atlanta will likely deploy one of those two formations. In both games against Orlando City this season, Sunday’s visitors went with a 4-2-3-1, but as mentioned earlier, they used three in the back in each of their last two matches, so it really could be either.

Soccer is not like baseball, where players primarily stay in the same spot throughout the game, so some of these stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, as players are not always rigidly in the same position throughout a match. A team may also primarily play with four in the back but switch to three when chasing a game, or five when trying to protect against a late goal.

That said, using the data around Orlando City’s opponents’ general formations, here are the attacking groups who played the most frequently against four defenders during the 24 MLS games where Opta coded the opponents as using a defensive group of four:

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy four defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus eight goal differential for the season.

It is a little ominous that the main starting group, shown in row one, has played 666 MLS minutes against back lines of four this season, but do I like that green goal differential of +8 in those minutes, which is a strong +1.08 per 90 minutes. I like that goal differential more than I like all the things that Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin like on their song that is creatively named “I Like It.” Coincidentally, when people ask me what I think about that song, I say, “I like it.” I am very creative.

If we look at the lineups that Orlando City has used against back lines of three defenders then there are some pretty major differences in personnel groupings, but it must be noted that more than half of the games against teams playing three in the back came early in the season, when Ramiro Enrique was unavailable to play. Enrique, my presumed starter at striker, has played fewer than three games’ worth of minutes (265 total) against back lines of three this season, and only 28 minutes with the main starting group, which ranks 13th among all the attacking lineups for minutes played against three defenders. That group scored one goal in their 28 minutes together though, for a robust 3.21 goals-scored-per-90-minutes average.

While the team as a whole has been successful against three-man back lines, I do not expect any of the lineups shown in the table below to play more than a few minutes together this weekend, though the first row and the last row are strong groups and had a lot of success.

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy three defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus three goal differential for the season.

I am sure that all week long the Orlando City coaching staff has been going back and forth on whether it is more likely that Atlanta reverts to its most commonly used four in the back, or if the Five Stripes try for three wins in a row with three in the back. I would prefer that Atlanta plays with zero defenders and goalkeeper Brad Guzan wears a blindfold, but I think that is unlikely to be the case.

Even though Atlanta defeated Orlando City both times while in a 4-2-3-1, based on available personnel and recent results, I believe that the team will come out in a 3-5-2 in Inter&Co Stadium in the conference semifinal. Good things come in threes, and Orlando City’s best offensive production this season has been against three defenders, so I am going to be hoping that this continues, and in the third game against Atlanta the Lions grab the three points. Three’s company!

Well, it is a playoff game, so there are no actual points at stake, but you know what I meant.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to get a victory to advance to the Eastern Conference final?

Published

19 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continues its playoff journey against Atlanta United Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions are coming off an emotional penalty shootout win over Charlotte FC in their best-of-three, first-round series. Likewise, Atlanta United stunned everyone by taking out Inter Miami to advance in its own best-of-three matchup. Now, the rivals meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What does Orlando City need to do to get past Atlanta United to advance to the Easter Conference final?

Beat Guzan

Brad Guzan made 16 saves over Atlanta’s three matches against Inter Miami, including seven in the 3-2 win on the road in Game 3. The 40-year-old former USMNT keeper is in excellent form and is a big reason why the Five Stripes are facing Orlando City. Converting chances against Guzan will be crucial to earning a result. There have been times this season when the Lions have struggled to convert their chances. Despite that, the team has done enough offensively to get to this point. Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and others have contributed and will need to do so this weekend.

Cartagena is Essential

Orlando City lost twice to Atlanta United during the regular season. What is interesting, and perhaps relevant, is that Wilder Cartagena was out for both of those matches. Cartagena was shown a straight red in the match against Minnesota United prior to the first match against Atlanta way back in March. He was shown a yellow card in the match against FC Cincinnati and then served a yellow card accumulation suspension for the final match of the season against Atlanta. Fortunately for Orlando City, Cartagena will be available for the match this weekend. I’ve mentioned before the importance of Cartagena to Orlando City’s success. When he and Cesar Araujo are on the field together, the defense is simply better. Cartagena is frankly one of the better defensive midfielders in MLS. Atlanta scored five goals in the series against Miami, and Orlando will need to keep the visitors from having that kind of offensive success.

Overcome the Past

That darn international break in the middle of the playoffs is something I don’t love. More precisely, I don’t like it because Orlando City often struggles after a break. It would have been nice if Orlando City could have ridden the momentum from the penalty kick victory into the Atlanta match, but that’s not to be. Now is the time for Orlando City to break some bad habits, including turning around its historical lack of success against Atlanta, and tendency to struggle in the first match after a break. Oscar Pareja needs to have the players in the right frame of mind, and the players need to execute the plan. A full house of supporters can also make a difference. Given it’s a Sunday afternoon match, there’s no reason not to pack the house.

That is what I will be looking for Sunday afternoon. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 11/21/24

Marta’s chance to shine in NWSL Championship, NWSL and MLS award winners announced, 2025 SheBelieves Cup details, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

  • District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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