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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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9 years ago

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Orlando City’s winless drought continued as they fell 3-0 to a streaking New England Revolution side Saturday night. After a bounce back performance against the Chicago Fire that ended in 1-1 tie, but had fans wondering if the squad turned a corner, the Lions could not overcome the loss of Cyle Larin, Kaka, Darwin Ceren and Carlos Rivas.

After conceding shortly before the halftime, Orlando City pushed forward for the majority of the second half, but were never able to capitalize. Orlando City lost the possession battle and New England outshot the visiting Lions 21-8.

Let’s get to the grades and man of the match for Orlando City.

Starters

GK, Tally Hall (MOTM) —

OK, maybe it’s not actually a 10, but damn if he wasn’t impressive. Hall was by far the best player on the pitch, and the only player who kept Orlando City in the game. From his terrific saves in the 18th, 24th and 45th minutes to his thwarting of a deflected shot in the 57th minute, Hall’s effort was world class.

Without Hall’s performance we could have been looking at a 6-0 loss or even worse. We can settle on an 8.5.

D, Corey Ashe, 6 — Coming in to the match, many were interested to see how Ashe and Luke Boden would work together on the same side of the field with Boden playing left midfielder. They were unspectacular, but as Ashe went down with an injury, we didn’t get to see the two work together as long as we might have hoped. Ashe played well defensively and pushed forward when he could, but the Lions didn’t have a ton of opportunities going at goal.

D, Aurelien Collin, 6 — Collin was caught a little out of position on New England’s first goal as he pushed a little too far over to the sideline, allowing Diego Fagundez to get behind him and get the shot off. Other than that mistake, Collin was fine, but he didn’t stand out. Orlando was on its heels all game and Collin and the rest of the back four did a good job for the majority of the game keeping the Revolution from finishing on the opportunities they were getting.

D, David Mateos, 7.5 – Mateos was the best player on the field for Orlando City besides Tally Hall Saturday night. He did a fantastic job in a helping role on the back line covering for his teammates when New England players got behind them into attacking situations. His recovery on Charlie Davies in the first half was enough of a hindrance to cause Davies to mishit a header from a cross over the goal. Mateos has improved every match and he consistently cleared danger for the first 85 minutes of the match.

D, Rafael Ramos, 5.5 – Another unspectacular performance, Ramos at times disappeared in this one. His only memorable play is a bad giveaway in the 73rd minute when it looked like Orlando City could have had a dangerous attack building.

MF, Servando Carrasco, 4.5 – He had too many negative plays for me to give him any positive feedback in this one. From his bad foul in the 14th minute, giving New England a dangerous free kick, to a bad giveaway six minutes later that led to a flurry of chances, Carrasco really struggled on a night Orlando City could not afford to have him struggle.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 7 – Higuita is always solid defensively. He plays with a chip on shoulder and doesn’t back down from anyone. He had his hands full with the likes of Lee Nguyen, but before he subbed out in the second half, most of New England’s dangerous attacks turned out to be harmless in large part because of his tracking back defensively. He pushed forward heavily in the second and generated some decent chances for Orlando City. I would have liked to see him have more time with Rochez in the game.

MF/D, Luke Boden, 5 – Man, was he slow tonight. Boden, in my eyes, has never been known as a speedster, but he looked exceptionally slow getting to the ball tonight. He also failed to generate much attack for Orlando City, giving the ball away on two straight touches in the 40th and 41st minute, shortly before Orlando City conceded the first goal. Boden fits much better with this squad as a left back who occasionally pushes forward, rather than a midfielder who has more offensive responsibility.

MF, Lewis Neal – 4 – Neal had some big shoes to fill with Kaka being out on international duty, and he wasn’t able to do so. He spent more time in the match in the defensive midfield it seemed like, and generated no attack for the offense. It often seemed like Neal wasn’t even on the pitch. He had some bad giveaways in the first half, and aside from him always being available, one has to start wondering why he keeps finding his way into the lineup.

MF, Adrian Winter, 5.5 – Winter did a really nice job tracking back defensively to help for most of the game. It seemed like he covered the most ground of any Orlando City player besides Higuita, but nothing he did offensively was all that dangerous until the 87th minute when he he took a shot from point blank range that was saved. His work rate in his young career at Orlando City has been solid, but Winter still hasn’t appeared to be a legitimate threat out wide.

F, Pedro Ribeiro, 6 – Everyone knows that when Ribeiro is on the field, you won’t get a ton of pace from him, and this game was no different. His lack of speed made it more difficult for Orlando City to make anything happen on a counter attack. However, he was strong on the ball each time he had possession and battled often times with multiple New England defenders. But ultimately, he lacked the speed to run by any of them and Orlando City didn’t have enough attacking players coming up to help.

Substitutes

MF, Eric Avila (60′), 4.5 – Despite playing for about 34 minutes, Avila was nearly invisible. I don’t remember hearing his name or seeing him do anything particularly positive or negative.

F, Bryan Rochez (67′), 7 – Rochez was one of Orlando City’s best players, despite being on the field for less than half the match. That says something in itself. He showed some terrific footwork and skill and power in the 72nd minute shaking off New England defenders and spinning more times than a ballerina before unleashing a shot that missed the target. He showed more solid work in the 84th minute to get a shot on goal.

MF, Danny Mwanga (79′), NA – Didn’t play long enough to register a grade, but he was solid when he was on the field. Orlando City’s mindset with him on the field was obviously much more offensively geared with them trailing, but Mwanga seemed to provide a legitimate threat to the defense. His work in the 87th minute helped to free Winter up for a shot that was stopped. He also sent a terrific ball to Rochez that provided some threat to the Revolution as well.

* * *

That’s how I saw it. Vote for your Man of the Match in our poll!

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Aurelien Collin0
David Mateos4
Tally Hall97
Pedro Ribeiro0
Brian Rochez6
Cristian Higuita4
Other (tell us who in the comments)1
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Lion Links: 10/22/24

Orlando Pride playoff date announced, Pedro Gallese up for Save of the Year, San Diego FC learns first two opponents, and more.

Published

16 hours ago

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October 22, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was a rough weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as all three sides came up short. Still, the only way out is up, and life goes on. That means that, as usual, we have plenty of things to talk over this morning, so let’s get into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Playoff Game Date Announced

There’s still one more game left to play in the NWSL regular season, but the Orlando Pride know when their quarterfinal matchup will take place. The Pride will host a quarterfinal match on Friday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m against whichever team finishes eighth in the standings. As things currently stand, it would mean a matchup against Bay FC, although the Portland Thorns or Chicago Red Stars could each realistically drop into that spot. The Pride are undefeated against both Bay and Chicago this year, and have beaten Portland once, but also had the team’s undefeated streak ended by the Thorns two games ago.

Pedro Gallese Nominated for Save of the Year

Despite perhaps not hitting his usual heights, Pedro Gallese has still had a pretty good year between the sticks for Orlando City, and he’s been nominated for the Save of the Year to boot. The stop in question came during Orlando’s fifth match of the year on the road against Atlanta United. With OCSC trailing 1-0 on the stroke of halftime, the hosts whipped in a corner which Stian Gregersen met with a strong header down into the ground. Not only did El Pulpo claw it off the line, but he also managed to make a fantastic double save when Xande Silva sent the rebound back towards the goal. Make sure you take the time to vote for Gallese to win!

San Diego FC Announces Two 2025 Matches

San Diego FC will join MLS next season as the league’s newest franchise, and we now know who the team’s first two opponents will be. The expansion side gets an unenviable start to life in the league, as it will play its first game of the 2025 season on the road against the LA Galaxy on either Feb. 22 or 23. It will then play its first ever home match on March 1 against St. Louis City SC at Snapdragon Stadium in a battle of MLS’s two most recent expansion sides. San Diego will likely hope to emulate St. Louis City’s first season in the league, but probably won’t want a repeat of what the team did in 2024. The full league schedule is set to be announced in December, so we have to wait a while before seeing what the schedule holds for Orlando City.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The transfer rumor mill never stops churning out new stories, and there are certainly some interesting items to examine today. First up is the report from Calciomercato that Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee is open to leaving the club during the January window, despite having only signed in July. Then, there’s Juventus needing to make a statement that it was hacked on Monday following a fake announcement that was made on its social media that the club had signed Arda Guler from Real Madrid. Virgil van Dijk has confirmed that he’s begun talks regarding signing a new deal with Liverpool, but also stressed that he does not know if he’ll remain at the club next season. Finally, Bayer Leverkusen is reportedly worried about head coach Xabi Alonso leaving the club for a bigger challenge, with Manchester City and Real Madrid both said to be interested.

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

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 2-1 home loss to Atlanta United?

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1 day ago

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October 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

In a somewhat disappointing fashion, Orlando City closed out the 2024 Major League Soccer regular season at home with a 2-1 loss against rival Atlanta United. Following the most recent international break, Orlando City failed to recapture the form that had propelled the squad to three straight victories. After digging themselves an early two-goal hole, the Lions found a way to score before the half and then thought they’d equalized late, only for a Decision Day video review decision to go against them.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with Atlanta in the regular-season finale.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6.5 — Atlanta attempted nine shots in the match and was able to put five on target. In a blink-and-you-will-miss-it type of start to the match, the visitors found the back of the net twice before the game was even 20 minutes old. It is hard to fault the Peruvian for either of the first two goals as the defense allowed Saba Lobjanidze to walk right through before slotting a ball past the keeper and then failed to mark properly on a ball that Gallese had already parried away from point-blank range, though he might have been able to grab it or control the rebound a bit better. The highlight of Gallese’s night came just seconds after halftime when Dagur Dan Thorhallsson committed a foul in the box. Gallese chose correctly and made a huge save on Atlanta’s penalty to keep it a one-goal game. The Peruvian international completed 11 of his 12 passes for a 91.7% completion rate, including four of five long balls attempted.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — The match did not start well for Santos as he first conceded a corner that eventually led to Atlanta’s second goal, and then got caught ball-watching on the ensuing corner attempt, allowing Jamal Thiare to find the back of the net. He improved from there, leading the team with 110 touches while completing 68 of his 79 passes (86.1%) with three key passes. That included an assist on a good cross for Martin Ojeda’s header. Defensively, he recorded one interception, one clearance, and one tackle while winning a team-high four aerial duels. Offensively, Santos attempted one off-target shot and completed two successful dribbles.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The captain contributed a solid, if unspectacular, performance against a team that had been fairly anemic on offense down the stretch. He had 93 touches and completed 77 of his 83 passing attempts for a 92.8% rate, including six of eight long balls. On defense, he had one interception, a team-high four clearances, and a blocked shot. The Swede failed to contribute an offensive statistic against Atlanta.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Orlando fans know at this point that you have to take the good Schlegel with the bad Schlegel and unfortunately bad Schlegel showed up during the first Atlanta goal as he was caught flat-footed as Lobjanidze blew right by him. Aside from that, he was mainly solid in the match. Schlegel had 84 touches and won two aerials. He completed 78 of his 80 passes (97.5%), including eight of nine long balls. Defensively, he contributed one clearance while committing two fouls. He attempted one shot which was off target.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson returned to the starting lineup after missing several matches and looked the part early of someone trying to get back up to speed and match fitness. Considering Atlanta had only scored four goals in the first 30 minutes of a match the whole season, Thorhallsson and company allowed the Five Stripes far too much daylight, resulting in a goal just a few minutes into the game. He had 64 touches and completed 45 of his 49 passes (91.8%), including one key pass. Thorhallsson was accurate on both of his long ball attempts but only logged one successful cross on four attempts. Defensively, he recorded a team-high three tackles and three clearances. Things could have gone sideways quickly for Orlando after the halftime break, as Thorhallsson was whistled for a foul in the box, resulting in an Atlanta penalty kick. He was subbed off in the 80th minute and will look to get his offensive rhythm back during training this week as he failed to record a shot.

MF, César Araujo, 6.5 — Missing his dynamic defensive partner, Wilder Cartagena, due to yellow card accumulation, Araujo was asked to do a little bit of everything against Atlanta and had an overall successful outing in front of the home crowd. He registered 107 touches and completed 81 of his 87 passes (93.1%). He tied Santos for the team lead in key passes with three and completed seven of his eight long ball attempts. He was unsuccessful on his lone crossing attempt. Defensively, he contributed one tackle, one interception, and three clearances. Offensively, Araujo was more involved than usual, logging two shots with one on target, and he was fouled a team-high five times.

MF, Felipe, 5 — Inserted for Cartagena due to his suspension, Felipe was also partly culpable on Atlanta’s first goal. The veteran from Brazil logged 47 touches in 52 minutes of action and completed 32 of his 38 passing attempts (84.2%), contributing two key passes. Felipe was unsuccessful in all three of his long ball attempts and defensively contributed one tackle and two interceptions. Offensively, Felipe recorded a shot but it failed to land on frame. He was subbed off in the 52nd minute for Kyle Smith.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 — Angulo did not play badly but he was more invisible than usual. The key to the Colombian speedster’s game is to create chaos and to blow by opponents. Against Atlanta, Angulo failed to do much of that, but he also did not create egregious errors. Angulo logged 62 touches and completed 43 of his 48 passing attempts (89.6%) and mainly avoided some of the turnovers in his own half that have plagued him in recent games. He was credited with one key pass and one shot attempt that was off target. His cross turned into the McGuire goal that was overturned in the 89th minute. The season leader in minutes played went the full 90 once again and chipped in one tackle on defense.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7.5 (MotM) — Ojeda was in full attack mode throughout the match and in my humble opinion was sacrificed far too early for how well he was playing. He scored Orlando’s lone goal in the 42nd minute with a glancing header and was credited with 56 touches. He completed 36 of his 39 passing attempts (92.3%), including two key passes. All three of his long ball attempts were successful and he completed one of his three crosses. Defensively, he failed to record a statistic but this match was all about Ojeda hunting his shot. The Argentine attacker led the team with eight total shots, four of which were on target, which was easily the best mark on the team. He might have had a hat trick had his right-footed attempts fallen instead for his preferred left foot. Ojeda picked up a yellow card in the 62nd minute — the only card shown to either team on the night — and was substituted out for Luis Muriel in the 68th minute of the match. With the way Ojeda was playing on offense, I would have much preferred that Muriel replace Angulo or Facundo Torres.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6 — With Ojeda hunting, fellow Designated Player Torres had an off night. He had 68 touches and completed 49 of his 56 passes (87.5%). Torres recorded one key pass, was unsuccessful on his lone cross, and completed one of his two long balls. Defensively, Torres failed to record a statistic, but he won three aerial duels. Offensively, he logged two shots, which were both off-target.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 5.5 — Enrique had a quiet night, logging only 18 touches which is simply not enough, considering the Lions were trailing essentially from the jump. He completed eight of his 10 passes (80%), including two key passes, and his lone shot attempt was on target. Defensively, Enrique did not contribute a statistic and was substituted off in the 68th minute for Duncan McGuire.

Substitutes

MF, Kyle Smith (52′), 6 —  After starting much of the last month for the injured Thorhallsson, Smith started on the bench against Atlanta, replacing Felipe in the early moments of the second half. Smith had 49 touches as a substitute, and he completed 45 of his 47 passes (95.7%). He logged one tackle on the defensive end and did not contribute an offensive stat.

F, Duncan McGuire (68′), 6 — The second-year attacker thought he’d scored a late equalizer, in the 89th minute, but it was disallowed as referee Rubiel Vazquez ruled the ball had clearly hit his hand before he scored. McGuire had just six touches and completed two of his three passing attempts. Besides the overturned goal, McGuire recorded a shot on target.

MF, Luis Muriel (68’), 6 — Muriel entered the match for Ojeda with a little more than 20 minutes left in the match, and Orlando down a goal. He had 20 touches and completed 14 of his 17 attempts (82.4%), including two key passes, and was accurate on both of his long ball attempts. Muriel was credited with two successful dribbles but did not attempt a shot.

MF, Nicolas Lodeiro, (80’), N/A — Lodeiro entered the match late with Orlando hunting for the equalizer. He had 23 touches and completed 14 of his 18 passes (77.8%). Lodeiro attempted two shots, putting one on frame, and did not contribute a defensive statistic.

That’s how I saw the individual performances from the final match of the regular season. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/21/24

Orlando City and Orlando Pride lose, Orlando City B eliminated from playoffs, Seb Hines discusses diversity in soccer, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

October 21, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I just finished setting up broadcasting for the NISA championship match in California over the weekend. This week, I’m back to staying busy at Under Armour and covering high school sports. It was a rough weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, and we have plenty to cover today. Let’s get to the links!

Lions Fall to Atlanta United at Home on Decision Day

Orlando City fell 2-1 to Atlanta United on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium on Decision Day. The Lions trailed 2-0 early in the first half before Martin Ojeda pulled one back for Orlando just before halftime. The Lions thought they had a late equalizer from Duncan McGuire, but the referee overturned the goal after a video review. The loss ended Orlando’s three-match winning streak, but it still clinched fourth place in the Eastern Conference as New York City FC lost to CF Montreal. Orlando’s next match will be in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs at home against Charlotte FC on Sunday.

Orlando Pride Lose to NJ/NY Gotham FC on the Road

The Orlando Pride lost their second straight match with a 3-1 defeat on the road to NJ/NY Gotham FC on Sunday at Red Bull Arena. The Pride were down 1-0 early in the first half before Adriana converted a penalty to tie things up. Gotham added two goals from Rose Lavelle and Ella Stevens to seal the victory and extend its unbeaten streak to seven matches. The Pride’s next game will be on Nov. 2 at home when they face the Seattle Reign in their final match of the regular season.

Seb Hines Speaks on Diversity in Soccer

BBC Sport interviewed Pride Head Coach Seb Hines after the club won its first NWSL Shield. Hines discussed how he’s helped reshape the club’s culture and advocates for more opportunities for black coaches in the sport alongside assistant coaches Giles Barnes and Yolanda Thomas.

“Being a trailblazer comes with a big responsibility because I want to advocate for more black coaches and diversity within the sport.

“It’s a responsibility to fight for more equality globally. It’s less about winning and more about breaking those barriers. I want to continue to give hope to others.”

Thomas, who joined the Pride’s coaching staff in 2023, also spoke on her passion to drive change and how she was inspired by former England manager Hope Powell.

OCB Eliminated from MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs

Orlando City B was eliminated from postseason play after losing 5-4 on penalties to Chicago Fire FC II following a 1-1 draw at SeatGeek Stadium in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs . The Young Lions got off to a great start with a goal from Jack Lynn to take the lead in the first half. However, scored an equalizer just before halftime. After 90 minutes and extra time, the game went to penalties, where both teams exchanged goals until sudden death. OCB’s Favian Loyola missed his penalty, while Jean Diouf scored to send Chicago into the conference semifinals. OCB missed out on a chance to get its first postseason win and its 2024 season came to an end.

Orlando City and Pride Announce Hurricane Relief Efforts

Orlando City and the Pride announced hurricane relief effort plans over the weekend so fans can get involved and support those in need following Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. The club also announced that the Wilf Family Foundations contributed $450,000 towards relief efforts, with $350,000 going to the American Red Cross and $100,000 to Heart of Florida United Way, a charity partner for the Pride.

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  • Check out Orlando City’s hype video on social media leading up to its playoff match.

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

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