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Orlando City at Philadelphia Union: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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Well, Orlando City isn’t going undefeated in 2016. And the first loss of the season almost didn’t happen tonight. The Lions were staring down the barrel of a 1-1 road draw in icy Philadelphia tonight until Tranquillo Barnetta’s unstoppable free kick gave the hosts a 2-1 victory.

The Lions (2-1-2, 8 points) were just moments away from a vital point but just like last year, a set piece did them in. And you could see it coming, as they failed to defend set pieces well all night, although, in fairness, there was nothing anyone could really do about Barnetta’s kick. Philadelphia (3-2-0, 9 points) knocks Orlando out of the East’s top spot and improves to 2-1-0 against the Lions in three MLS meetings.

The question everyone will be asking is about substitutions. The obviously tired, but shorthanded, Lions (down four starters after midfielder Cristian Higuita picked up a groin injury) were in a good position but were decidedly outplayed after Jim Curtin made two midfield substitutions in the second half. Adrian Heath never countered and from that point on, the Union controlled the game.

Sports can be dumb and make you feel things you’d rather not feel, but here are our grades and Man of the Match from a tough loss in Philly.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 7 — There was nothing he could do about either Philadelphia goal. Was left out to dry by his defense on Sapong’s second-minute tally and would have had to have been Superman and Batman rolled into one to even get a touch on Barnetta’s late free kick. Despite people moaning on Twitter about how “he didn’t try,” Bendik is a professional keeper and knew he had no shot. He made a vital save on Chris Pontius in the 38th minute. He also punched away a cross late in the first half that could have created problems just moments after Orlando City tied the match. Second half he stopped a shot from point-blank range with his face. He worked hard for his paycheck tonight.

D, Luke Boden, 6 — Mixed night for Bodz, who didn’t do a whole lot wrong but yet didn’t do that much very well, either. Passed at only a 71.7% clip and managed three crosses. Made just one tackle but it was an important one, breaking up an attack by taking the ball from C.J. Sapong after he’d been beaten on the dribble.

D, Seb Hines, 6.5 — Was easily the best of a very nervy back line but that doesn’t mean he played up to the level of Sunday, when he was magnificent. Offensively, Seb got onto some crosses but couldn’t get any of his headers on target. On defense, he doesn’t look comfortable playing with Aurelien Collin and the two ended up in the same spot on multiple occasions, so perhaps there’s simply just not good communication between the two. Managed seven clearances and blocked two shots.

D, Aurelien Collin, 5.5 — Tied Hines with seven clearances and had a team high five interceptions but it was hardly a good outing for the Frenchman, who nearly duplicated Ramos’ early gaffe with a similar one in the second half. He had a few nervous moments with the ball in the box, in defending set pieces, passed at only a 71.1% clip, and and he doesn’t look comfortable, although he has only played one and a half games.

D, Rafael Ramos, 3 — Despite this grade, I feel like I’m being generous. Rafa’s early howler led to Sapong’s goal, as he touched a Keegan Rosenberry cross right onto the foot of the Union striker. An early cross went out of play on one of Orlando’s first forays into Philadelphia territory. His service was generally poor and he tried to bring down a ball in the box that nearly ended up in his own net in the second half. He continues to argue when calls don’t go his way, while the play is going on behind him. With his performance this season, it may only be a matter of time before we see Kevin Alston.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 3.5 — Wasn’t very sharp and gave away a few dangerous turnovers in his own half. At one point in the first half he was seen signaling back and forth with Carrasco, as the two are still learning to get on the same page. He’ll wear the goat horns for giving away the free kick late in the game (seconds after Ceren committed a similar foul 10 feet away but the ref played on), but he should have been subbed out as you could see the fatigue. Did send a marvelous ball forward for Kaká in the second half and you can see there is skill, but it’s all still coming together for the Italian. That doesn’t excuse his dreadful 69.2% passing accuracy, even if four of his seven long balls were accurate.

MF, Darwin Ceren, 5 — Not the usual performance we get from the Salvadoran. He turned the ball over far too cheaply, conceded two free kicks in his own half and nearly had a third but the ref played on. Didn’t come close to goal on his one shot. Generally passed well, but gave the ball up in bad spots a couple of times, too.

MF, Servando Carrasco, 6 — Spent a lot of the game tracking back and covering for his defenders, blocking crosses and helping clear the box. Made two interceptions, two clearances and passed at an 83% clip. It was a neutral sort of night for Servando, who quietly did his job but nothing spectacular.

MF, Kevin Molino, 6 — Set up Winter’s goal in the 43rd minute with the right pass. Earned free kicks and corners and linked up well both in the attacking half and with right back Rafael Ramos. Like Nocerino, he seemed to tire midway through the second half and was less effective. He passed fairly well at 83.9% but didn’t produce as much danger as we’ve seen so far this year, with only one key pass (on Winter’s goal).

MF, Adrian Winter, 7.5 (MOTM) — Put in his usual workmanlike shift and was rewarded, but also robbed. His finish on the tying goal in the 43rd minute was smooth and on another night he may have earned a lot more fouls for his efforts, but referee Jair Marrufo let the teams play through a lot of contact. Was denied by Andre Blake early in the second half and was absolutely robbed with a late rocket off the volley by a diving Blake. Look for that on your MLS Save of the Week candidates. Winter had five total shots and the only three shots on target for Orlando.

FW, Kaká, 7 — Lined up in the middle of the front line in a 4-3-3 and, while it’s clear he’s not a striker, the Brazilian was still vital in the attack, completing a team high 85.7% of his passes. His pass to Molino started the break that led to Winter’s goal. Set up Winter with a great chance early in the second. Was second to Winter with four shots but none were on frame. Just not enough help up top for the captain tonight, who worked hard, did a good job in possession and passed well but couldn’t produce a moment of true magic on a cold night in Philadelphia.

Substitutes

FW, Julio Baptista (90′), N/A — “The Beast” made his first appearance for Orlando City but it was far too late to do much of anything other than run a bit.

MF, Carlos Rivas (90′), N/A — Had one insanely good cross in his three minutes on the pitch, which Winter nearly converted, and would have, if not for a superhuman save by Blake.

Those are my grades. Feel free to yell at me or post your own below and vote in our poll for your Man of the Match.

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Player Votes
Joe Bendik 35
Seb Hines 3
Kevin Molino 2
Adrian Winter 152
Kaká 18
Other 5

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 0-0 road draw against CF Montreal?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City played its first international road match of the 2025 season as the Lions faced off against CF Montreal in the club’s third-longest road trip by distance (approx. 1,432 miles). For the third straight week, Orlando boasted a clean sheet, but after facing the bottom dwellers of the Eastern Conference, the Lions were only able to bring one point back to the Sunshine State following a 0-0 draw. In a match without much flow and produced another 10-man finish for OCSC, Orlando appeared to play without much gusto.

Let’s look at the Lions’ individual performances to see who made the grade and who can improve heading into the final match of April.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7.5 (MotM) — Gallese stood tall against extended pressure for much of the match against CF Montreal. Facing a desperate squad that had only scored four goals on the season, Montreal looked for multiple breakthrough moments, which El Pulpo was able to sniff out. His distribution left a bit to be desired, as he had a 68.6% passing rate on his 35 attempts while completing 13 of his 24 long balls. He racked up six total saves on the night and showcased quick reactions in the first half on a Dante Sealy attempt, and in the second half he was able to parry away a Caden Clark shot that likely was destined for the back of the net. The end result now marks three straight clean sheets for the Peruvian No. 1.

D, Kyle Smith, 5 — With the suspension of Rodrigo Schlegel, Head Coach Oscar Pareja elected to bring Kyle Smith into the starting lineup at left back and shift David Brekalo to center back. Smith picked up a careless early yellow card early, which likely played a much bigger role in the outcome of the match than met the eye at the time of infringement. He was substituted off at halftime for Rafael Santos in a move designed to protect against picking up that second yellow…the move backfired as Orlando was not destined to finish the match with 11 men and Santos was the player picking up two yellows for aggressive fouls. In 45 minutes of action, Smith touched the ball 31 times and completed 87.5% of his 24 passes but failed to complete either of his two long-ball attempts. Prior to being pulled from the match, Smith recorded one tackle, one interception, and a clearance on the defensive side of the field.

D, David Brekalo, 7.5 — Brekalo was channeling his inner Schlehgel as he played the primary antagonist role to Prince Owusu throughout the match, getting under the forward’s skin and having to be separated from the German-born striker multiple times throughout the match. He logged 60 touches, completed 83.3% of his 48 passes, and completed two of his four long-ball attempts. To speak to the frustrating role that Brekalo played throughout the match, he was fouled a team-high four times while committing only one. Defensively, he added one tackle, three clearances, and blocked a shot. This now marks three straight full match appearances for Brekalo, which is a reassuring sign as the Slovenian has had issues in the injury department during his young tenure in Orlando. With Santos out next Saturday and Schlegel returning, I expect him to slot back into the starting left-back role against Atlanta.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The captain put in a solid effort in the middle of the back line, often functioning as the final safety valve to snuff out the “high-flying” Montreal attack. His body took the toll late in the match as American Caden Clark lowered his shoulder into the chest of the Beefy Sweede during an aerial challenge in front of Gallese. Jansson got back to his feet and was able to see out the match. He logged a team-high 70 touches and completed 80.3% of his team-high 61 passes and six of his 12 long-ball attempts, mirroring Brekalo’s 50% success rate in attempting to unlock the Orlando City attack over the top. Defensively, Jansson recorded two interceptions and a team-high five clearances. If I had one knock on his effort against Montreal, it’s that there were a few careless giveaways when facing the high press of the home squad, which luckily for Orlando City never amounted to much in terms of goal-scoring chances.

D, Alex Freeman, 6 — Freeman had a mostly quiet match against CF Montreal, but settled in throughout the match after being exposed on the outside early by Dante Sealy. He touched the ball 43 times and completed 81.5% of his 27 passes. He logged one key pass and was unsuccessful on all three of his long balls. Freeman did not attempt any crosses against Montreal. Defensively, the young Lion contributed one tackle and two clearances. Offensively, Freeman managed one shot, which was off target. As the offense has ground to a complete halt, there appears to be a clear need for Freeman and Marco Pasalic to regain their chemistry and how they run off of one another down the right side of the field.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson reprised his role in the midfield, filling in for Edward Atuesta. I thought after a strong outing last week by Thorhallsson and Joran Gerbet, this week’s match told a different tale, as Orlando struggled to maintain possession and allowed Montreal to control the middle of the pitch. Thorhallsson touched the ball 42 times and completed 87.9% of his 33 passes. Offensively, Thorhallsson did not record a meaningful statistic, and on the defensive side, he tied Gerbet with a team-high four tackles while also contributing two clearances and one blocked shot.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 6.5 — Gerbet, like his counterpart, is getting an extended run in the starting 11, which will hopefully pay off dividends as the season progresses. I thought Gerbet was the more effective of the defensive pivot duo, hence the 0.5 bump on his player grade compared to Dagur Dan. Gerbet logged 53 touches and completed 93.9% of his 33 passes. He logged one shot, which was off target, and he did his best impression of Araujo by suffering three fouls. He tied for the team high in tackles with four and logged an interception, two clearances, and a blocked shot. The part of his game that needs improvement is the next-level vision when it comes to his passing ability, a skill which will hopefully continue to develop throughout the season.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 — Angulo has now turned in back-to-back solid efforts, which is a massive improvement from where his form was just three to four weeks ago. His hustle hasn’t translated into goals yet, but he was the lone offensive piece who played with any type of edge against Montreal. He touched the ball 50 times and completed 82.4% of his 34 passes. He was unsuccessful on his two crosses, completed one of two long balls, and added two key passes. Offensively, he put one of his two shots on target and did well to track back on defense when Montreal looked to get out on the break, contributing two tackles.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Ojeda did a lot of little things right but failed to unlock the offense in any meaningful way and was not individually threatening offensively. He logged 47 touches and completed a team-best, 95.2% of his 42 passes. He tied Angulo for the team lead with two key passes and completed three of his four long-ball attempts. Defensively, he logged one clearance, and as mentioned above, offensively did not do much to strike fear into the Canadian club, failing to record a shot attempt. Ojeda was whistled for a team-high two offside infractions and seemed to express moments of frustration where it appeared that he was not on the same page as his teammates.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6 — The early Major League Soccer season has seemed to be all feast or famine for Pasalic, as he opened the season with a brace, failed to score against Toronto and New York City FC, then found the back of the net against the Red Bulls and D.C. United, and is now sporting a four-game drought in the goal-scoring department. It seems like the beginning of his tenure in MLS is progressing the way that many who come from overseas often do, with multiple adjustments needing to be made to gain comfort. Against Montreal, Pasalic touched the ball 40 times and completed a team-worst 58.3% of his 24 passes. Defensively, Pasalic contributed one clearance. Offensively, in 73 minutes of action, Pasalic still led the squad with three shot attempts but only managed to put one on target. I enjoyed seeing him cut the ball back outside and force a tight-angle shot with his right foot, as it is important to sprinkle in some attempts with the right to keep the defenders honest. Hopefully, a return to the friendly confines of Central Florida will help wash away his offensive drought next week against Atlanta.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 — Muriel, like many of his offensive counterparts, appeared to be just ever so slightly off in his timing and positioning, failing to either send in the correct pass or to get onto the end of things in a timely manner. He touched the ball 50 times and completed 69.7% of his 33 passes, which included one key pass. He was unsuccessful on all three of his crossing attempts. Offensively, he managed two shots, which both were off target. The statistics here don’t tell the whole story, as Muriel did not miss by much on one of his attempts, making a perfect delayed run into the box and running onto the end of a brilliant ball that was cut back into the middle of the danger area from the end line. Additionally, for what it’s worth, Muriel also likely earned a penalty kick which was neither called nor reviewed…PRO refs are going to PRO. Defensively, he contributed one clearance.

Substitutes

D, Rafael Santos (46′), 4.5 — I certainly wish I could avoid giving Santos a grade as his dreadful start to the season continued. He was the substitute who was supposed to protect Smith from picking up his second yellow…only to turn around and pick up two yellow cards in 16 minutes. Santos exited the match and forced Orlando to play with 10 men for the final 15 minutes of the game, plus stoppage time. He recorded 18 touches and completed 33.3% of his nine passes. Santos logged two tackles and one interception on defense, but it is his sending off that will be remembered from this match.

F, Duncan McGuire (73′), 5.5 — I thought we might see more of McGuire in this game than we did, but at the same time, the flow of the game took McGuire’s legs out from under him as Santos’ red card came three minutes after the American striker had entered. McGuire was only on the ball eight times and completed 33.3% of six total passes. He likely did far more defending than he planned on, with Montreal attacking to try to earn the win after securing the man advantage. He logged one clearance on defense.

D, Thomas Williams (80′), N/A — Williams made his 2025 season debut in the 80th minute, replacing Muriel as Pareja looked to solidify the defense and at least escape the Great White North with a draw. He played well enough over the final 10 and was not caught out of position while contributing a tackle, one interception, and three clearances.

D, Zakaria Taifi (85′), N/A — Taifi also made his season (and MLS) debut, recording four touches and one clearance, helping see out the match


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s latest scoreless draw. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montréal: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s scoreless draw on the road against CF Montréal.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Games with no goals are usually due to excellent defenses or misfiring offenses, and Saturday night’s game against Montréal was definitely more the latter. The Lions earned their third straight shutout on defense, a major improvement after starting the season defending much like a sieve, but on Saturday their opponents only rarely threatened and Orlando City looked no better, despite being amongst the league leaders in goals scored going into this game. Here are my five takeaways from the match.

There’s No ‘O’ in Easter

Orlando City’s offense, if you can call it that, looked completely lackluster throughout the match. Playing down a man for the final 14 minutes contributed to the lack of offense at the end of the game, but the first 76 minutes were not that much better. The passing and crossing were not crisp, the offense was only able to generate two shots on target, and the decision making throughout the game was poor at best. None of the three Designated Players seemed really engaged in this game, and without much contribution from them — and with no Eduard Atuesta on the field once again — the offense just never really threatened, and a completely winnable game went begging. Our friends at fbref.com have been tracking expected goals (xG) since 2018 in MLS, and Orlando City’s 0.32 xG in this match is in the bottom 5% for the Lions during the past seven years. Not great, Bob.

Yellow, Unfortunately, is an Easter Color

Rafael Santos entered the game at halftime, and exited the game barely 30 minutes later after what was probably one of his worst games as a Lion. In between, he completed only 37.5% of his passes, lost his man several times on defense, and picked up two yellow cards, effectively ending any chance Orlando City had of getting a goal and coming home with three points. Montréal was aggressively attacking the right side of the field, with 45% of the hosts’ touches coming on the right third of the field, according to whoscored.com, and Santos was unable to defend without fouling, forcing Orlando City into bringing on Thomas Williams and Zakaria Taifi and go to five players in the back to try to hold off the lowest-scoring offense in MLS from getting a late goal.

El Pulpo Needed All His Limbs to Keep the Lions in the Game

I just wrote about how Montréal has scored the fewest goals in all of MLS, but the hosts had the better opportunities in this game and Pedro Gallese made several big stops to keep the score tied. Gallese denied Dante Sealy in the first half at full stretch, saved a shot that deflected in the opposite direction off of Joran Gerbet early in the second half, and then got a hand on a Caden Clark shot right after Santos had been dismissed. All of those very easily could have been goals if not for an excellent game by the Peruvian No. 1. Gallese commanded the box and was locked in throughout the night, looking every bit the stalwart goalkeeper he has been for the past six seasons.

Orlando City’s Bench Looked a Lot Like OCB

When the gameday roster was announced I did a triple take when I looked at who was listed on the bench, because I could not believe how thin Orlando City’s roster is that there were six players dressed who will likely play more minutes with OCB than Orlando City this year. It was no surprise that the first two players off the bench were Santos and Duncan McGuire, two established Lions, but after they entered, the rest of the bench had very little experience. However, with injuries and Rodrigo Schlegel suspended for this game, they were the only players available. I thought both Williams and Taifi played well during their limited minutes, helping the Lions kill off the game in their season (and in Taifi’s case, MLS) debuts.

Iván Angulo was Orlando City’s Best Offensive Player

Respectfully, this is not a good thing, considering the Lions played all three of their Designated Players and McGuire in the game, but of all the attacking players, I thought Angulo was by far the best against Montréal. His shooting was not great, but his playmaking was better than that of all of his teammates, and his speed created chances that none of his other teammates could have created. His work rate was unparalleled, as usual, and for the final minutes of the game he actually shifted more into a striker role at the top of what looked like a 5-3-1, and there were some counterattack chances that could have been created for him had any of his fellow attacking teammates also come ready to play a good ball forward.


Those are my takeaways from a game that bookended a terrible day for both of Orlando’s top teams, as the Pride lost at home to a Washington Spirit team missing six starters and then Orlando City came out and played a dud of a match in Canada. Keeping a clean sheet is nice, especially when playing down a player (again) for more than 10 minutes at the end of the game, but that is a game that Orlando City should have won going away with how poor Montréal is, and it feels much more like two points dropped than one point gained — even on the road and playing with 10 men.

All I can say is I hope the Easter Bunny brought some baskets filled with goal-inducing purple jelly beans for all the Orlando City players and the Lions get back on track at home against Atlanta next week.

Let us know your thoughts about the Montréal match in the comments below.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Final Score 0-0 as 10-Man Lions Toothless Yet Again

It was Rafael Santos’ turn to get sent off this week as the Lions played to their third consecutive scoreless draw.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

For the third consecutive match, Orlando City had enough chances to score to win a game, but failed to be clinical enough to do so. The Lions (3-2-4, 13 points) also saw a defender sent off in the second half with a second yellow card for a second consecutive game as they drew CF Montreal (0-6-3, 3 points) 0-0 at Stade Saputo tonight. While it ran Orlando City’s unbeaten run to six games (2-0-4), it was also the team’s third straight without a win.

Orlando continued to either miss the net or fire at the goalkeeper for the third consecutive game, while Rafael Santos was the man who put his team in a bad spot during a game in which Rodrigo Schlegel was suspended for doing the same a week ago.

“I seriously(saw) in the first half, 20 minutes, of the intention that we brought here to play against Montreal, where we sequenced it well and we created some chances,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “And the second half, it was the same until the red card came.”

Pareja’s lineup was again shorthanded, as Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith — entering the starting XI in place of the suspended Schlegel — Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Alex Freeman. Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson once again started in central midfield, with neither starter on the bench after both were available a week ago. The attacking line was made up of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Marco Pasalic, with Luis Muriel up top.

Orlando played well for the first five minutes of the first half and the final 10 minutes of the opening period, but most of what came in between consisted of turnovers, poor passing, and a general lack of rhythm. Muriel got the game’s first shot away in the second minute as he found space just outside the area, but he was leaning back when he shot and his effort was always rising wastefully over the bar. Three minutes later, Freeman got on the ball in the box, shook off his defender, and smacked his shot into the outside netting.

Dante Sealy was a threat down the left for Montreal throughout the first half. That started early when he got down the left but slipped as he tried to send in a shot or a cross that ended up on top of Gallese’s net in the sixth minute. Two minutes later, Montreal tried to work a give-and-go in the Lions’ box but Gallese was able to pounce on the loose centering pass before a Montreal player could arrive.

Angulo cut in from the left in the 13th minute and tried his luck from the top of the area, but the Colombian sent his shot straight at goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.

Montreal nearly scored in the 19th minute when Sealy fired a shot from just outside the left corner of the box. Gallese got a fist to it to knock it wide for a corner.

Sealy scored on the recycle of the ensuing corner but the flag came up immediately. Samuel Piette was offside and stayed in Gallese’s line of vision, preventing the Peruvian from getting a look at Sealy’s shot. The play was reviewed and the no-goal call was upheld.

Nathan Saliba sent a shot well over the bar on a free kick in the 26th minute after Gerbet turned over the ball and Thorhallsson compounded the problem by fouling near the right corner of the box. Sealy and Prince Owusu each got half chances moments later but couldn’t get shots on frame out of them. Gallese then made an acrobatic catch on a corner kick cross in the 32nd that likely prevented a tap-in at the back post for Montreal.

The Lions started creating again at the end of the half after a spell of not giving the ball away cheaply. Muriel took a nice pass from Ojeda in the 43rd minute but missed the target from inside the left side of the box.

Pasalic then fired with his weaker right foot in the 44th minute but Sirois was able to fight it off.

Angulo fired wide from the top of the box in stoppage time, as the Lions continued to waste opportunities. After a poor corner kick cross was cut out by the back line, the fifth consecutive wasteful half by the OCSC attack was over.

The hosts held the halftime advantage in possession (53.8%-46.2%), passing accuracy (85%-83.4%), and corners (4-0, although Orlando literally ended the first half with a corner that was cleared by Montreal, so I’m not sure what the official scorer was doing late in the half). The Lions mustered more shots (6-2) and shots on target (2-0 — again, Gallese made a good save in the first half on Sealy, so it’s anyone’s guess what the statisticians were doing during the first period).

Santos replaced Smith to start the second, as the veteran was on a yellow card since the third minute. Nothing much changed, as Orlando continued to give the ball away cheaply and spend time absorbing pressure. The Lions conceded a long-range free kick just seconds after the restart but Gallese caught the long entry ball.

Owusu nodded down a ball for Caden Clark moments later but Orlando’s defense cleared. After a failed corner by Orlando, Montreal came back on the attack but George Campbell got frustrated and tried a shot from extreme range that Gallese caught on a hop in the 59th minute.

A minute after that attempt, the Lions had a legitimate call for a penalty. A wayward pass was picked off by Angulo, who knocked it toward Muriel. Campbell took Muriel completely out from behind but referee Fotis Bazakos made no call, and the hosts took the free kick quickly to get away with the foul in the box.

“I’m so angry and I’m so frustrated,” Pareja said about the lack of a call or a review. “How, with our technology, and with the VAR…how is it not a PK? Please! I mean, it is so clear. And when I came back to the locker room and I saw the play, that increased our frustration. It was not right. It was a clear PK against Luis.”

In the 62nd minute, Gerbet was left in space outside the area. The rookie fired a shot that fizzed over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Pasalic missed the target again from the top of the box.

Gallese made a difficult save in the 69th minute on a Clark shot that bounced off of Gerbet and changed directions. The goalkeeper was able to maintain his balance just enough to stay on his feet and make the stop.

The game dramatically changed in Montreal’s favor in the 76th minute when an Orlando attack evaporated and Sealy looked to counter. There was some contact from behind by Santos and Bazakos gave the left back a second yellow, putting Orlando down a man for the second consecutive game. Santos was three-quarters of the field away from his goal and had no business making contact, but he made the selfish play trying to win back the ball. While Sealy did a good job of selling it, the Brazilian knew he was on a yellow card and had to be careful — and he wasn’t.

“Very frustrating, because that’s not what you plan during the week, playing with ten,” Pareja said. “And at some point, especially when you’re going away, they get an advantage that is not necessary.”

Shortly after the sending off, Orlando City had a golden opportunity on the counter. Angulo took the ball up the left and had second-half sub Duncan McGuire breaking toward goal on the other side. The Colombian tried to pick out McGuire, but could not get his final pass correct, and Montreal broke the other way. That led to a shot by Clark that was denied by a good save by Gallese.

“Very happy with the confidence that Pedro is acquiring again, is getting back to it,” Pareja said. “Not that we want to let the other team take too many shots, but when we need him the most, he appears, and that’s great for us.”

Orlando sacrificed attacking players for defensive ones, trying to preserve a road point. Thomas Williams entered the match for Muriel and Zakaria Taifi came on for Ojeda down the stretch.

The Lions gave up a couple of half chances and a few set pieces, but they did not break down in the end. The whistle finally blew on the club’s third consecutive scoreless draw — a frustrating one considering it came against a team with two points on the season.

Montreal finished with the advantage in possession (55.2%-44.8%), shots (13-9), shots on target (7-2), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (83.7%-78.1%).

“I mean little bit frustrated, if I’m completely honest,” Thorhallsson said about his thoughts on the match overall. “It’s always good to have clean sheet. But we were scoring a lot and conceding a lot at the same time, but now we’re keeping the goal clean and not scoring a lot, so we need to find the balance. But a good point on the road since we got a red card. Of course, zero-zero’s fine on the road, but we have to start winning games.”

“I saw the team fighting a lot, and obviously we’re concerned about not scoring goals, but the other side is a good balance defensively, and we want to keep that,” Pareja said. “But in order to add three points, we have to score goals. We have to get back to that. But I like the attitude of the team. I thought we fought hard. I like the youngsters that are coming and helping us, also the guys that are occupied in the midfielder positions that help us a lot. So, a bunch of positive things. I know it seems like one point is not enough at this stage, but I know where we going, and we will keep pushing.”


The Lions return home a week from tonight to host Atlanta United in the first of two meetings against their northern neighbors this season.

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