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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 1-0 as Late Rochez Goal Lifts Lions on Road

Second half subs Brek Shea, Darwin Ceren and Bryan Rochez combined for a game winner in the 86th to keep the Lions’ playoff hopes alive.

Published

9 years ago

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Austin Warren, The Mane Land

BRIDGEVIEW, IL — Orlando City snuck out of Toyota Park with a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire on Saturday night, proving the Lions don’t need Kaká in order to succeed. They didn’t even need their 11 starters, with substitutes Brek Shea, Darwin Cerén and Bryan Róchez combining for the winning goal in the 86th minute.

“Makes it look like I know what I’m doing huh?” Adrian Heath said. “We all thought of starting with Bryan Róchez because he gave us a lift last week. Brek’s the same, [because] he’s working really hard in the week. We don’t know how far we can go with him, but obviously in the end it was good that all three subs were involved in the goal.”

Despite the end result, this was a match the Lions (9-13-8, 35 points) were very lucky to win.

David Accam was active for Chicago (7-16-6, 27 points) in the early going, creating several scoring opportunities that tested Orlando City’s back line. He was defended well by David Mateos and Aurélien Collin, who prevented the Ghanaian striker from producing anything Tally Hall couldn’t deal with.

It was a particularly strong outing for Mateos, who showed signs of becoming the defensive stopper Orlando hoped they were getting during the summer transfer window. Whether he was the last man back on Fire counterattacks or roaming in the box off corners, his potential to succeed in MLS was obvious in the early going.

But with most of Orlando’s back line focused on stopping Accam, several other Fire players were allowed to roam freely in the final third. Kennedy Igboananike managed a nice header midway through the first that forced Hall to make a diving save (though the flag was up), while minutes later, Hall had to make a nearly identical stop on a Harry Shipp rocket from just inside the box.

The first-half offense for Orlando was provided by Carlos Rivas, who made a case for more minutes down the stretch this season in a very strong performance. His 19th-minute opportunity rattled the crossbar, as he kept Jeff Larentowicz and friends busy in front of the Fire goal. While not playing the central attacking role that he’s occupied at times this season, Rivas was certainly Orlando’s most active offense player, as even Cyle Larin seemed content to play a facilitating role.

The first half ended without a goal and both of Orlando’s shots on target coming from the club’s Colombian midfielder.

Chicago continued to pressure the Lions in the second half, as Shipp made a nice run to find Accam for a shot that trickled just past the left post. Neither team dominated possession, but it was the Fire that managed to string together passes and dictate the tempo of the match. Still though, the Lions failed to produce anything dangerous.

Kaká’s creativity was desperately missed at times in the central midfield, as Orlando’s offensive strategy consisted mainly of long balls to Larin or Rivas. Any attempt by the Lions to establish some kind of build-up play led to midfield turnovers, as Accam or Igboananike seemed always ready to pounce.

Heath said he believes Orlando City’s captain will be back on the field soon.

“We think that Ricky will be available next week,” he said. “He’s been working really, really hard the last two or three days, but we just felt there was no point risking it. Obviously, he’ll be available for selection next week, as will Corey Ashe.”

With the game still deadlocked late in the second half, Heath brought on Róchez and Shea in an attempt to jump-start the Orlando City attack. It began to pay immediate dividends, as Rafael Ramos found a streaking Róchez on the right post, only for his close-range header to be turned away by Jon Busch.

But just minutes later, the Honduran international would make good.

The play began on a cheeky pass from Shea into the box, where both Cerén and Róchez had snuck behind the Fire defense. Cerén controlled, then found Róchez for the 20-year-old’s second goal as a Lion.

It was Shea’s second assist in as many games since returning from injury.

“I turned around and all of a sudden the ball popped back to me,” Shea said. “I was going to cross it, but didn’t see many options in the box so I pulled it back and started dribbling in. I laid it off and they scored.”

There wasn’t much time for the Fire to work with after the Róchez goal, as the momentum had been sucked right out of Toyota Park. When the game went final a few minutes later, Orlando City had stolen more than just three points from their trip to the Windy City.

They also kept a most unlikely playoff bid alive for one more week, giving fans reason to believe this season might hold something more than just the four games left on the schedule.

“It’s getting to that stage in the season where we’ve got to step up,” Heath said. “We’ve got another huge game for us next week, but I’m confident in this group. When we play well, we can give anybody in the league a game.”

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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?

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9 hours ago

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May 2, 2024

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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!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/2/24

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

Published

13 hours ago

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May 2, 2024

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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!

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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

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May 1, 2024

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,
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!

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