Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Player Grades

Published

9 years ago

on

It felt like Orlando City was robbed once again, but all things considered, a 1-1 draw on the road against a solid San Jose side should really be considered a good result for the Lions.

Of course, Major League Soccer referee Allen Chapman may not want to visit Orlando any time soon. His questionable red card on Brek Shea early in the second half put the Lions at a disadvantage for nearly 40 minutes. Again, though, it was rookie Cyle Larin who stepped up to save the day for City.

Darwin Ceren also looked good again for Orlando, though it was his blunder that gave up the equalizing penalty to the Quakes. Kaká was better again as well, though the offense was mostly neutralized upon the early departure of Shea.

Here are the grades for the resilient Lions on the night:

Player Grades

G, Tally Hall, 7 — Not much to do again for Hall, in his second match back from ACL surgery. Made a huge save on Pérez García’s shot in the 72nd minute to keep Orlando in the game.

D, Luke Boden, 6 — A pretty quiet night for Bodz. He got forward well, but his final cross was uncharacteristically lacking on occasion. Avoided any defensive miscues.

D, Sean St. Ledger, 7.5 (MOTM) — Another steady evening for Aurelien Collin’s replacement, who Head Coach Adrian Heath may have a hard time taking off the pitch when Collin returns. Racked up six clearances for the Lions, and while Kaká and Larin were excellent, St. Ledger deserves credit for his quietly superb performance.

D, Seb Hines, 6.5 — Less visible than St. Ledger, but solid nonetheless. Used his quickness to cover well for Boden when he was up in the attacking third.

D, Rafael Ramos, 6.5 — Lots of close-but-not-quite in the first half, but the role of an attacking fullback decreases dramatically when a team loses a man. He avoided being beaten badly on defense, and his left-footed blast in the 61st nearly put Orlando up after the Shea red.

MF, Darwin Ceren, 5 — Ceren played well for 89 minutes, but to earn a high grade, you need to avoid needlessly conceding a game-tying penalty. No excuse for charging through Stewart in the area to allow San Jose to even the score.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 5.5 — An extremely quiet night for Higuita. It’s clear that the more experienced Ceren has taken control on the midfield without Okugo on the field, but it’s not quite clear what Higuita’s role will be. He got forward at times, and stayed back at times, but wasn’t particularly noticeable doing either.

MF, Brek Shea, 5 — Shea played fine in a relatively dull first half, and then was confusingly sent off for a tackle on which he appeared to make hardly any contact at all with Sanna Nyassi. A poor decision from the referee ruined Shea’s night, but fortunately for him, the Lions were still able to earn a point.

MF, Kaká, 7– Buried the penalty for the Lions’ lone goal of the match, and again looked consistently threatening on the offensive end. Would still like to see him be a little more aggressive and more quick to take shots on his own when he’s within scoring range. Hustled well for 90 minutes, and got back on defense often after Orlando went down to 10 men.

MF, Eric Avila, 6.5 — Passable is perhaps the best word to describe Avila. He progresses the ball forward well, moves it along, and at least makes his presence felt. At the same time, it seems unlikely that he’s going to score or directly create many goals for City in the right wing role. Is it only a matter of time until we see a nearly healthy Pedro Ribeiro reclaim his spot in the starting XI at the expense of Avila?

F, Cyle Larin, 8 — Though Kaká will claim it on the stat sheet, it was Larin’s hard work and clever header that earned the penalty for the Lions. Further, the rookie stayed in as the lone option up top for the 10-man Lions through the 84th minute. He hardly had any opportunities, but his play, hustle, and effort in a difficult situation was commendable.

Substitutes

D, Martin Paterson, 6.5 — Shout-out to Pato here. Despite only coming on in the 84th minute, he harassed San Jose, earned a yellow card, and played a significant role in allowing Orlando City to hold on for the tie. That was an important, veteran sort of nine minutes that the Lions will need to be a serious playoff contender this year.

MF, Amobi Okugo, N/A — Entered at 87′ and had little impact. The Lions were able to slow the game down sufficiently enough that there wasn’t much in the way of a last-gasp effort from the Quakes.

* * *

It was disappointing to lose Shea on such a poor red card decision, but in the end, the Lions should be happy to earn a point on the road despite the adversity.

Orlando City is back in action next Saturday night, when the Columbus Crew come to town. The Lions will be looking to avenge a demoralizing 3-0 defeat at Columbus (also down to 10 men that night) in April. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Cyle Larin 43
Kaká 24
Sean St. Ledger 23
Tally Hall 5
Rafael Ramos 10
Other (tell us who in the comments below) 7
Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Three Keys to Victory

What does Orlando City need to do to ensure a victory over FC Cincinnati Saturday at home?

Published

10 hours ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City looks to bounce back from the disappointing 2-1 loss to Toronto FC Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Cincinnati has twice as many points as Orlando City and more than twice as many wins. FCC has only scored one more goal than Orlando City, but with only nine goals conceded compared to Orlando City’s 17, it’s easy to see why Cincinnati is sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference.

What I’m trying to say is that the task doesn’t get any easier this weekend. What does Orlando City need to do to secure all three points at home against FC Cincinnati?

Accost Acosta

Cincinnati’s attack revolves around Luciano Acosta. The attacking midfielder has four goals and five assists so far this season. To put that into perspective, Duncan McGuire — Orlando City’s leading scorer — also has four goals but only one assist. If we look at the Lions’ attacking midfielders, Facundo Torres has one goal and one assist, Ivan Angulo and Nico Lodeiro both have one goal and two assists, and Martin Ojeda has zero goals and only one assist. Luis Muriel is still at double zeroes.

The defensive midfield and the back line must do everything possible to mark him out of the match. It’s not enough to keep him from scoring, they must also keep him from setting up chances for his teammates. Most importantly, the defense must do that for 90 minutes plus stoppage time. There is no room for the mental lapses we’ve seen throughout the first part of this season.

Break Through

Cincinnati is stingy on defense. As I mentioned above, the club has only allowed nine goals this season. The back line is formidable with the likes of Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, and Ian Murphy. On the wings are DeAndre Yedlin and Luca Orellano. This is a tough defense, and whether it is McGuire or Muriel who gets the start, they must find the spaces in between.

Just as importantly, Torres, Angulo, Ojeda, and Lodeiro — depending on who is in at any given moment — must be able to thread the passes in for McGuire, Muriel, or each other to create quality chances. On top of that, the Lions must convert on those chances, which is not something that has been a strength so far this season. If the Orlando City defense continues to give up cheap goals, then the offense will need to one-up the competition when it comes to scoring.

Deal with an Unknown

FC Cincinnati recently signed Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy from Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. Kelsy comes in as an MLS U22 Initiative player and is eligible to play against Orlando City. Even though Kelsy is only 19, he has 68 professional appearances, including UEFA Champions Leagues matches. At 6-foot-3, he can be a challenge for defenders, especially in the air.

Kelsy hasn’t had much time with the team, but he could be a second-half substitution for Cincinnati. Given that Orlando City just gave up two late headers against Toronto FC, the back line will need to be careful that Kelsy doesn’t hurt the Lions in the same manner — especially if he comes on late when legs and minds are tired.

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

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/2/24

The Pride win big, OCSC celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month, USMNT news, and more.

Published

14 hours ago

on

May 2, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

It’s Thursday, Mane Landers. Of course, the name Thursday comes from Thor’s day, and as such, it isn’t a big leap for us to consider it Thorhallsson’s day. Though I suppose that is a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll just keep things the way they are, but do hold Dagur Dan close to your heart today. Also, let us wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Luana. Despite the devastating news that dropped about her health earlier this week, we hope that her spirits are high and we wish her nothing but happiness today. It’s also Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s birthday today, so we’re celebrating him as well. Let’s get to the links.

The Pride Dominate the Courage

The Orlando Pride defeated the North Carolina Courage 4-1 in a midweek match at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride did indeed dominate the Courage as much as the score line indicates. It was once again the Barbra Banda show, with the Pride’s newest player contributing a brace and an assist on the night. It is the Pride’s fourth straight victory and the undefeated run continues.

OCSC Celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month

Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are doing their part this May to observe Mental Health Awareness Month. The club is sponsoring and attending events and forums available to the general public, as well as holding club staff workshops around promoting mental health. I have to say my favorite is the therapy dogs visits that will be available to the staff. There’s nothing as good for my personal mental health as the joy and unconditional love a dog can bring. If I didn’t have dogs of my own, I’d be really jealous.

The Billionaires Clubs

Orlando City and Orlando Pride owners, the Wilf family, are not the only billionaire owners in the NWSL. There are more and more owners and ownership groups that fall into that category. The influx of more money is a growth opportunity for the league and potentially for those owners. It’s a bit of a “rising tide lifts all boats” mentality for these owners as they do better when the league as a whole does better. It’s not just the owners who think so. The NWSL was ranked No. 5 on the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024. I’m just glad the Pride are in the club.

USMNT News

I hate starting off a section with bad news, but Sergino Dest tore his ACL in training with PSV Eindhoven and will miss the Copa America. Dest will require surgery though there is no time frame yet for when he may return. The loss of Dest is a blow to the U.S. defense heading into the competition this coming June. The USMNT plays Bolivia on June 23.

In better news, Tim Weah provided the assist for Juventus on Arkadiusz Milik’s goal against Lazio. Juventus entered the second leg of the Copa Italia semifinal up 2-0, but Lazio drew level before Milik’s goal. Juventus advanced 3-2 on aggregate and will play in the final.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. There’s plenty more soccer to come this weekend with all three teams playing. Check back for more as we get you ready for those matches. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/1/24

Mason Stajduhar was arrested, Orlando Pride play at home tonight, Colin Guske discusses his signing, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

,
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday and welcome to May, Mane Landers. Don’t forget that the undefeated Orlando Pride are in action tonight, so check back for our match preview and the latest episode of SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for additional pre-match coverage. In the meantime, let’s get to the links.

Mason Stajduhar Arrested Early Sunday

Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and his wife Tatiana Stajduhar were both arrested on disorderly conduct charges following an incident at a nightclub overnight Saturday in the early hours of Sunday morning. The couple were reportedly disrespectful to the club’s staff and got into an altercation with the security guards. Mason stated he was only resisting the security guards to re-enter the club because the bouncers allegedly hit his wife. Tatiana allegedly pushed the police officers after they arrived, and she was not charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. The couple were released Monday after posting a bond. Orlando City provided the following statement to WESH 2 News:

“The Club is aware that goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar was arrested early Sunday morning. We are currently gathering more information and will have no further comment at this time.”

Orlando Pride Host the North Carolina Courage Tonight

After a 3-2 win on the road last Friday against the Washington Spirit, the Orlando Pride are back in the City Beautiful and will take on the North Carolina Courage tonight. Unbeaten in their six games so far this season, the Pride have also won their past three games and sit fourth in the standings. They’re tied on points with a Courage team that beat the Seattle Reign Saturday. Orlando has scored at least one goal in every match this season. Forward Barbra Banda had a great performance in that win against the Spirit, so hopefully the scoring trend continues tonight for the Pride.

Orlando City/Pride Earn Golden Brick Awards

Have you enjoyed the new food options at the stadium? I know I have, and I’m looking forward to trying even more. The efforts made by Orlando City’s front office to feature more local food and beverage options did not go unnoticed, as the club won the Hospitality & Dining category in the Downtown Orlando Partnership’s 2023 Golden Brick Awards. The Orlando Pride’s 2023 Highway Woman Kit also won the award in the Arts & Culture category. The home jersey was inspired by the work of Mary Ann Carroll, the sole woman in the famed Highwaymen artists from decades ago.

Colin Guske Speaks On Signing First Pro Contract

Orlando City Development Academy player Colin Guske signed his first professional contract with the club last month and spoke on the importance of this moment in his career. The 17-year-old is now on an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B, and he has started in nearly every game for the Young Lions this year. Both of Guske’s brothers have also played for Orlando City’s academy over the years, and he thanked his family for helping him reach this point.

“It’s awesome to represent the Guskes,” Colin said. “Thanks to my brothers for always pushing me through early mornings and late nights, always putting in the work, doing video sessions, everything. My sister as well, for always being there for me and my parents, too. They’re always helping me and what was the best for me.”

Free Kicks

  • Enjoy all of the sights and sounds from the Pride’s big win over the Spirit in the nation’s capital.
  • The Champions League semifinals are underway and Real Madrid and Bayern Munich played to a 2-2 draw in Germany. The second leg will take place on May 8 in Madrid.

That will do it for today. If you can make it out to the stadium tonight to catch the Pride in action, I strongly suggest you do so. Barbra Banda is about to take the NWSL by storm and you’ll want to see it in person. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending