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Orlando City Offense: Projecting Goals and Assists the Rest of the 2016 MLS Season
Well here we are at the break for the Copa America. It's the perfect time to take a look at where we are on offense, and project where we might be come season's end.
As one might suspect, Cyle Larin is topping the scoring charts with seven goals and three assists. However, Kevin Molino is right behind him with six goals and three assists. Let's take a look at the offensive stats this season.
| 2016 | Games Played | Pct. Games Played | Goals | Assists |
| Cyle Larin | 12 | 92% | 7 | 3 |
| Kevin Molino | 12 | 95% | 6 | 3 |
| Kaka | 7 | 54% | 2 | 5 |
| Adrian Winter | 11 | 85% | 2 | 0 |
| Julio Baptista | 8 | 62% | 1 | 2 |
| Brek Shea | 12 | 92% | 1 | 1 |
| Carlos Rivas | 10 | 80% | 1 | 1 |
| Seb Hines | 11 | 85% | 1 | 0 |
| Rafael Ramos | 10 | 80% | 0 | 2 |
| Darwin Ceren | 9 | 70% | 0 | 1 |
| Servando Carrasco | 12 | 92% | 0 | 1 |
| Hadji Barry | 4 | 31% | 0 | 1 |
So what can we take from this going forward? Well, if we were to project based on what has happened so far, here is what it would look like.
| 2016 | Games Played | Pct. Games Played | Goals | Assists |
| Cyle Larin | 33 | 97% | 20 | 8 |
| Kevin Molino | 33 | 97% | 17 | 8 |
| Kaka | 28 | 82% | 9 | 10 |
| Adrian Winter | 32 | 94% | 6 | 0 |
| Julio Baptista | 29 | 85% | 4 | 7 |
| Brek Shea | 33 | 97% | 3 | 3 |
| Carlos Rivas | 31 | 91% | 3 | 3 |
| Seb Hines | 32 | 94% | 2 | 0 |
| Rafael Ramos | 31 | 91% | 0 | 2 |
| Darwin Ceren | 30 | 88% | 0 | 1 |
| Servando Carrasco | 33 | 97% | 0 | 1 |
| Hadji Barry | 22 | 65% | 0 | 1 |
As we can see, the projections would put Cyle Larin with 20 goals this season. That's a good estimate given growth from his rookie year, but not getting crazy. Now Molino with 17? That remains to be seen. While I certainly hope that would be the case, I can't say for certain that he would be on pace with Larin's record breaking rookie season. Regardless, he will be a big contributor during the rest of the season.
As for Kaká, he scored more goals last season, but has been setting up this season to do what we really need him to do — create chances out of the midfield for Larin, Molino, and now Baptista.
Additionally, that would be a goal total of 64! That's two more than the top team in MLS scored last season. So let's dial back the expectations. However, Orlando City scored 46 goals last season, and the Lions are certainly scoring more this season. So, while 64 might be too much to hope for, 56 isn't.
Orlando City continues to score more goals, and tops 50 for the season. Additionally, Cyle beats his scoring record for the year, and Molino makes his presence known. Kaká scores some more, but has a much greater role in feeding the strikers this season, when he doesn't have to do so much himself.
What do you think? Does Orlando City score more this year? Does Cyle top his total? And is all of it enough to get the team into the playoffs?
Vamos Orlando!