Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York City FC, Round 3: Player Grades and Man of the Match
The Lions grabbed their fifth consecutive win with a 2-1 decision over New York City FC, claiming the second-longest winning streak in Major League Soccer this season (tied with FC Dallas) — only New England Revolution’s six-game streak was longer. Orlando City did it in front of the second-largest home crowd of the season, with 43,179 screaming fans in the Citrus Bowl.
And they did it by battling adversity, coming from behind a goal that was scored in the final minute of first-half stoppage after a corner kick that should probably never have been allowed. A through ball appeared to completely cross the line before Thomas McNamara pulled it back and had his cross deflected out for the corner. Kwame Watson-Siriboe was the lucky recipient of a carom in the box on the ensuing corner and fired past Tally Hall to put the visitors in front with the last kick of the first half.
The Lions got a brace from Cyle Larin, and may have deserved a third goal that appeared to cross the line under the rear end of Jefferson Mena, but the same assistant referee who missed the ball over the line that set up the first half, could not get a clear view of the ball in the net. Still, Orlando City would face more adversity when Hall went down with a freak non-contact knee injury and had to come off at 84′. Josh Ford came on but did not get tested and the Lions held on.
Here are my player grades from Orlando City’s win that clinched a better record than NYCFC this season:
Starters
GK, Tally Hall, 6.5 – Hall didn’t have a lot to do, so his default setting is more or less at 7, but he had a couple distribution issues, including a goal kick that sailed out of play before reaching the midfield line. Did fine on crosses and balls in the air and stopped the one stoppable shot on target New York City FC mustered. Unfortunately left with a right knee injury in the 84th minute. If Hall is out for the season, making the playoffs will be even that much more difficult.
D, Luke Boden, 8 – Another solid outing for Bodz, who got half a point shaved for having some uncharacteristically meh free/corner kicks. Led the team with 80 touches (along with Cristian Higuita) and was involved throughout, whether working the ball up the left, or cutting into the middle to redirect the attack when his preferred outside lane got cut off.
D, Seb Hines, 7 – Just a solid, safe night for Seb, who managed one shot attempt and 78% passing. Wasn’t forced to make any tackles but his positioning was sound throughout the match and his partnership with Aurelien Collin in the middle of the defense kept all of the danger out wide and gave Hall a good view of everything happening in front of him.
D, Aurelien Collin, 8 – The big Frenchman put in quite a night of work, tracking David Villa’s movement and sniffing out danger before New York City could create anything from it. If there are any complaints, a few of his headers on crosses went straight to the opposition. Aside from that, he was solid, completing 80.5% of his passes with two tackles won and being a commanding presence on the back line.
D, Corey Ashe, 8 – For not having played in a month and a half, and playing on his weaker right side, Ashe was outstanding. He created the width that Brek Shea normally creates, using his speed to menace NYCFC’s back line all evening. His crosses were dangerous, including the right-footer that Cyle Larin headed home for the first goal in the 62nd minute. Had another that went just a tad over Adrian Winter that could have been another assist.
MF, Cristian Higuita, 8.5 – Started the game slowly and conceded a few too many fouls in the first half, including taking a silly yellow unnecessarily in the 36th minute. But the Colombian came more into the game it wore on and he was commanding in central midfield. Completed 91.1% of his passes with a co-team-high 80 touches , won eight tackles and created a chance that Cyle Larin really should have scored on. A very close runner-up for Man of the Match, for me.
MF, Darwin Ceren, 8 – The Salvadoran completed almost 85% of his passes and was nearly as strong in the middle as Higuita, although he took far fewer chances and committed fewer fouls. A solid night for Darwin, who was almost a quieter version of Higuita on this night.
MF, Carlos Rivas, 8.5 (MOTM) – The Colombian tortured New York City’s back line all evening and should have had at least three assists to show for his efforts. Cyle Larin was a bit out of sync in the first half and that kept him from finishing or getting to some outstanding Rivas crosses. Had an insane video game move in the 44th minute to shake a double team and get into the box, where he crossed one hard across the six-yard box but Larin couldn’t quite connect with it. Won three free kicks, tracked back on defense to provide support, and was dangerous all night.
MF, Lewis Neal, 5.5 – Completed 86.7% of his passes but had the fewest touches of any of the starting midfielders and missed an absolute sitter, wasting a gorgeous feed from Adrian Winter. Neal plays safe, solid soccer and reads the game well, but he doesn’t seem to contribute a whole lot in the attack. Lost possession a number of times in traffic.
MF, Adrian Winter, 7.5 – Disappeared for some short stretches of the game, but Winter’s work rate was second to none. Harassed defenders with high pressure all night, fell back to cover for Corey Ashe on defense whenever needed and assisted on Larin’s second goal, after himself being robbed on a scoring chance by Josh Saunders. Should have had another assist on the chance Neal missed just wide.
F, Cyle Larin, 8 – The Canadian started slow, taking one golden scoring chance and missing so badly it resulted in a throw-in for NYCFC. He had trouble fighting through defenders to get onto Rivas crosses in the first half. But he got stronger as the game went on, finishing with seven shots, getting four on frame and scoring two goals to equal NYCFC Designated Player David Villa on 17 for the season. His play in the first 20-30 minutes was just a bit off, costing him my MOTM pick on this night.
Substitutes
MF, Servando Carrasco (76′), 5 – Came on for Lewis Neal and sat deep, helping fend off the NYCFC attack. Only had four touches in his 18+ minutes and completed only one of his three passes. Didn’t really have much impact on the game, but for playing as long as he did, he probably should have had more to show for his time.
F, Bryan Rochez (81′), 7 – The Honduran replaced Cyle Larin and immediately injected energy into the game, holding the ball in the corner to help waste time and generating multiple corner kicks. Only had six touches but made them all count and completed both of his passes. A good, albeit brief, outing.
GK, Josh Ford (84′), N/A – Came on in emergency relief for Tally Hall to make his long-awaited MLS debut, and wasn’t tested with a shot on target. He did claim one cross but didn’t honestly have much to do other than take a few goal kicks, one of which was a weak pop-up to shortstop. Not sure I can grade his work on such a short stint without much to do, but it was nice to see Josh get into a game, even if it wasn’t the way we’d like to see it happen.
Those are my player ratings. Vote below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.
Polling Closed
Player | Votes |
Adrian Winter | 27 |
Aurelien Collin | 11 |
Cristian Higuita | 25 |
Cyle Larin | 36 |
Carlos Rivas | 94 |
Luke Boden | 7 |
Other (tell us who in the comments section below) | 4 |
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/22/24
Emily Sams wins Defender of the Year, Orlando City’s turnaround, Barbra Banda nominated for African Woman Player of the Year, and more.
Happy Friday! Beyond working and catching some soccer here and there, I don’t have many plans for the weekend. I’m also hoping to find some time to trial some cranberry and brie bites I’m trying to perfect before Thanksgiving next week. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!
Emily Sams Awarded NWSL Defender of the Year
The Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams was named 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year after a fantastic season. The Pride only conceded 20 goals in a record-breaking season, and Sams played in all 13 of the team’s shutouts. Sams was one of the most impactful players for the Pride this year and had 163 recoveries, 76 clearances, and 16 blocks. She’s the first Pride player to win the award and it’s great to see her receive some deserved recognition in her second year in Orlando.
Analyzing Orlando City’s Revitalization
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the Lions to say the least. There were serious concerns over whether or not the Lions would even make the playoffs back in June and now they find themselves as the highest remaining seed in the Eastern Conference this postseason. Facundo Torres’ excellent run of play is a major reason behind the club’s turnaround, but the buy-in from all of Orlando’s attackers has helped create a dynamic and unselfish offense. Although expectations are rising once more for the Lions, Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi spoke on how the team is focused on Sunday’s playoff match.
“There’s only one team that matters: Atlanta United,” Muzzi said. “The easiest way to lose a game is to look ahead. I’ll say we didn’t expect to be playing at home, but it’s welcomed. We’re focused on Atlanta, they’re playing great. They have a lot of confidence and momentum. It doesn’t matter they’re the No. 9 seed because they’re not playing like the No. 9 seed.”
Barbra Banda Up For African Woman Player of the Year
Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was one of 10 players nominated for this year’s African Woman Player of the Year award. The 24-year-old has done well for both club and country this year. She scored 13 goals in her first regular season with the Pride and has three goals so far in the playoffs. Banda also had a hat trick for Zambia in the Summer Olympics. She’s joined by fellow NWSL players Temwa Chawinga and Racheal Kundananji on the list of nominees. Bay FC striker Asisat Oshoala, who has won the award in five of the past six years, was not nominated for the first time in a decade. The nomination list will be trimmed to a three-player shortlist before the winner is announced on Dec. 16 in Morocco.
Croix Bethune Named NWSL Midfielder of the Year
Washington Spirit rookie Croix Bethune won NWSL Midfielder of the Year after recording 10 assists and five goals in 17 matches this season. A knee injury cut her season short in September, but she still tied Tobin Heath’s record for the most assists in a season. Bethune gave plenty of NWSL teams headaches this year and also won Rookie of the Year earlier this week. She’s the first player to ever receive NWSL Midfielder of the Year and she beat out the Pride’s Marta, the North Carolina Courage’s Ashley Sanchez, and Kansas City Current duo Lo’eau LaBonta and Vanessa DiBernardo.
Eastern Conference Clubs Making Moves
FC Cincinnati officially signed striker Kevin Denkey from Cercle Brugge on a deal that will last through 2028. The 23-year-old joins as a Designated Player on a reported $16.2 million transfer, which would be a league record. He won the Golden Boot in Belgium last year after scoring 27 goals and should give Cincinnati some considerable firepower next year.
Elsewhere in the league, CF Montreal declined the option on Josef Martinez’s contract, meaning the Venezuelan forward will be a free agent once again. The 31-year-old led Montreal with 11 goals this season and we’ll see where he winds up next. Charlotte FC did not trigger the purchase option on Pep Biel’s loan, opening up a Designated Player spot. Former Lion Junior Urso’s contract option was also declined by Charlotte. The Philadelphia Union signed defender Olivier Mbaizo to a contract extension that will keep him with the club through 2026, with options for 2027 and 2028 as well.
Free Kicks
- In preparation for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA named 26 new options across the country as “base camps” for participating teams to train and rest. Orlando was included, with OCSC’s training grounds at Osceola Heritage Park pitched alongside the Lake Nona Wave Hotel.
- ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf dove into how the NWSL stacks up to the biggest sports leagues in the U.S. Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Pride and Spirit should showcase just how entertaining the league is to plenty of viewers.
- Pep Guardiola will stick around as Manchester City’s manager for a couple more years after signing a two-year contract extension with the club. His contract was set to expire at the end of this season.
- Here’s a cool breakdown of the seven amateur teams that have qualified for the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup so far. None are from Florida, but there are some great logos to check out if you’re looking for a team to root for in the early rounds next year. Debutants Southern Indiana FC and the Virginia Dream are my personal favorites of the bunch.
- The draw for the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will take place today. Zambia is in the second pot, meaning it will be put in a group of four that will include one of Nigeria, South Africa, or Morocco. The tournament itself will be in July of next year.
- Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City all clinched a spot in the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals with two games still left to play.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!
Orlando City
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.
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:
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):
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:
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.
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!
Orlando City
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?
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!
-
Lion Links2 days ago
Lion Links: 11/20/24
-
Orlando Pride5 days ago
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks ago
Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars: Final Score 4-1 as Barbra Banda Brace Lifts Pride to First-Ever Playoff Win
-
Orlando Pride5 days ago
Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 3-2 as Pride Advance to NWSL Championship
-
Orlando City2 weeks ago
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City22 hours ago
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory
-
Orlando City2 weeks ago
Orlando City vs. Charlotte FC: Five Takeaways
-
Orlando City20 hours ago
How Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively