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Staff Roundtable: Orlando City at New York City FC Rewind and Pride Recap
Orlando City came back from the dead to steal a point at Yankee Stadium in the final game before the Copa America break. Taking five of a possible nine points from three matches in nine days was a positive entering the break, especially considering a number of injuries, suspensions and even the captain leaving for Brazil duty. Again.
Meanwhile, the similarly shorthanded Pride suffered its worst loss since entering the NWSL, falling flat at FC Kansas City to the tune of a 2-0 loss. Orlando never seemed a threat against a team that had entered the match without a win and with only two goals to its credit all season. Woof.
Joining us at the big purple table this week to talk about such things are Logan Oliver, Wade Williams, and Scott Crumbly. They've got takes on these topics (mostly).
Orlando City was largely outplayed on Sunday, which is not surprising given the circumstances (third game in nine days, on the road, missing several first-choice players, against a rested team that had been embarrassed the week before). Given that, are you satisfied with the single point? Why or why not?
Logan: With as many starters as we had out for one reason or another and being on the road in a difficult situation, it was a great comeback from a team that should have lost. The old adage for competing in soccer has always been win at home and draw on the road, and to that extent they were successful. Can't complain about the result from the team in those circumstances, they got the job done.
Wade: I'm satisfied with any result that brings points on the road, and given these circumstances, one point is a blessing. We were a David Villa slip away from being beaten — I'll take the point with a smile and a sigh of relief.
Scott: Heading into the weekend down five starters and playing on short rest, I'd have absolutely taken a point if you'd offered it before match time. When David Villa's chip gave NYC a 2-0 lead and then he went to the spot for a penalty kick later in the half, I couldn't help but think of last summer's five-goal outing for New York against Orlando in Yankee Stadium that featured a bevy of second-half goals. But the subsequent slip and miss gave the Lions new life, and along with a shot of adrenaline from Júlio Baptista off the bench, the Lions were able to steal another point. Playing on the road against a team that - despite coming off a 7-0 drubbing - is near the top of the East with so many unusual absences had me prepared for disappointment, so I couldn't help but feel pleased that the Lions salvaged the draw.
Cyle Larin failed to score in New York for the first time. He obviously had a couple of good opportunities, but how did New York City FC keep him from finding the net?
Wade: I don't know that they did anything markedly different to make a difference. Or maybe I'm just allergic to giving NYCFC praise. To me, the run had to end at some point. On a large enough sample size of data, the data will always regress towards the mean. As he played there more and more, there was no way he could keep up his rate of production. Like streaming hot streaks in fantasy baseball — eventually, every run has to end.
Scott: Could it have been some form of karmic retribution for the weirdo header Larin scored in his first game at Yankee Stadium this year? I suppose there's no way to know.
NYC has certainly seen its share of Larin goals on that tiny pitch, so holding him off the score sheet was certainly a priority. That being said, he still had a couple of chances that he could have put away, most notably the header off an Adrian Winter far-post cross early in the match that Josh Saunders made a big save on. His 60th-minute breakaway that was again stuffed by Saunders was another very good chance, and although he didn't find the net on this day, the fact that he got himself into those dangerous positions still shows his quality, not to mention his assist on the game-tying goal from Kevin Molino.
Add in the fact that he came to NYC having played 174 out of a possible 180 minutes in a two-game week and still went the distance on Sunday, and NYCFC was probably a bit fortunate that he didn't hurt them more than he did with the critical assist.
Logan: They had some great stops and last-ditch defending, coupled with denying him opportunities for most of the match. Limiting him to three shots total was key and any time a team can starve him for service, he'll struggle. Larin probably should have capitalized on the few chances he did have, but clutch stops by Saunders and the NYC defenders kept him out of the box score. Larin may never be the type of forward to carry the ball forward, but until he is he will be heavily reliant on his teammates to have any impact.
Obviously we've seen plenty of Servando Carrasco but this was our first look at Harrison Heath in 2016. What is your assessment of the defensive midfield in the absence of both Cristian Higuita and Darwin Ceren?
Scott: Yankee Stadium is certainly a strange place to make your MLS (season) debut, but I thought Heath showed fairly well in the tight confines of that pitch while going against the likes of David Villa, Mix Diskerud, and company. It wasn't an all-world showing from the 20-year-old, but that is to be expected in a (season) debut, and especially one alongside a fellow midfielder who finds himself behind the two first-choice DMs in Higuita and Cerén. His 69% passing rate wasn't great, but that small pitch (again) has something to do with that number, and he lent a hand in breaking up play with two tackles and a pair of blocked shots. All things considered, it was a good day for Heath to get some experience under his belt and help fortify depth for the future while Orlando managed to snatch a point. Everyone's got to start somewhere.
Logan: Heath had a decent season debut. His passing percentage hovered around 70% and he did an admirable job on the defensive end. His yellow was for a professional foul, which is a lot more than I can say for Carrasco's. He's not a terrible option off the bench if we're going to consistently have one or both of Higuita/Cerén unavailable. Both Carrasco and Heath are solid passers but neither are defensive stalwarts like Higuita, which is something that would be nice to see in the second-choice pairing, but Higuita seems to be the only destroyer on the roster. The really interesting thing is that Heath has now pushed Antonio Nocerino to fifth choice and it will be interesting to see if the Italian sees the field again anytime soon.
Wade: Yikes. I mean, neither played particularly bad, and I've written before of my appreciation of Carrasco's ability to accurately send the forwards deep, letting them use their speed to get behind the defense. As for Lil H, he always seems to do better than I expect. Whether I set the bar too low for him is subjective but one thing that isn't — Orlando City needs Higuita and Ceren there in the long run.
What do the Lions need to work on over the Copa America break in order to start turning all these draws into wins?
Logan: Turnovers. Sloppy play in midfield has left the defense in precarious situations, often with the fullbacks nowhere near a position to defend and the defensive midfield chasing the opposition. The defensive line needs fixing too. Too many goals have been conceded because a defender was caught napping, but stopping the cheap giveaways is a quicker and simpler method to limit the defensive bleeding and provide a more consistent attack.
Wade: The defense has to be better. Joe Bendik has been outrageous, but he isn't 24 feet wide and eight feet tall — he can't block everything. Positioning along the back line, stepping up on attackers, these are the things the Lions need to improve from within.
Scott: The good thing is that many of these draws would have been losses a year ago. The obvious downside, however, is that City could have taken a full three points from several of its draws and those points left on the table can come back to haunt you later in the year. While perhaps obvious, consistency would go a long way toward curing the team's ills. The Lions have been most consistent this season in stoppage time, where they've netted five (!) goals. Not leaving their urgency for so late in matches would be nice, as would clamping down when holding onto a late-game lead, as we saw them cough up against Philadelphia last week.
With three months of the season down, what moves, if any, should the club make in the summer transfer window?
Wade: Defense. Center back would be nice. I love most of what I've seen from David Mateos this year, but I'm still not sold on Seb Hines and I think Tommy Redding needs more seasoning before being truly ready to be an every game player.
Scott: Orlando's improved depth has shone over the course of its three-games-in-nine-days stretch, which was good to see. It seems like another central defender could be on the way, so is there any way to reverse the Antonio Nocerino move in the summer window? That allocation money, not to mention his salary, could be put to more effective use, to say the least.
Logan: They need a defender. Dionatan Teixeira may be that answer, but he's a relative unknown. The Lions need a physical stopper who can break up attacks. The forward and midfield areas seem filled out, and with roster spots and cap space so tight they can really only afford to bring in one player, especially if he takes up an international spot. It's got to be the right guy.
Pride Time
This is where Wade tapped out, having not watched their match. SMH. #FireWade
We got our first look at the Pride without several key starters over the weekend, and the result wasn't pretty. Yet there were portions of the first half that were very positive. How did FC Kansas City get (and stay) on the front foot against Orlando?
Scott: The Pride's failure to capitalize on their strong start to the game was what left the door open for Kansas City, and Yael Averbuch's deflected free kick was a bit of luck that helped them close the door on Orlando and assert control on the match once that solid start faded for the Pride. The lack of firepower up front without Alex Morgan ultimately limited the danger Orlando could generate in attack, and Kansas City took advantage, to their credit.
Logan: Goals change games. It's a cliche, but after Averbuch's free kick deflected in the Pride seemed deflated. FCKC had only scored two goals all season before the match and the Pride made their offense look dangerous in the second half. Maybe all Orlando teams are going to be slump-busters this season. Pair that with a limited Pride attack and Orlando never really looked like getting back in it.
With Alex Morgan, Kristen Edmonds, Laura Alleway, and Ashlyn Harris all out, who was missed most and which player was missed least?
Logan: Morgan might have been the most missed, even if she hasn't had the greatest impact so far this season. The Pride needed someone to finish the decent chances they had in the first half and to provide any sort of threat in the second. Harris might have saved Erika Tymrak's curling shot, but I doubt even she gets to the deflection off Sanderson. Alleway was probably the least missed, Pressley has been a pretty good replacement in the last couple of matches.
Scott: As mentioned above, the Pride weren't able to turn possession into truly threatening chances, which leads me to believe Morgan was missed the most. Even when she's not scoring, she commands extra attention from defenses, and given the fact that Aubrey Bledsoe wasn't at fault for either FCKC goal, Ashlyn Harris wasn't missed quite as much on this day.
* * *
And thus concludes your roundtable discussion for this week as Orlando City and the Pride are off this week for the international window. OCB hosts Louisville City on Sunday and of course we've got Copa America Centenario to watch.
Feel free to add your answers to the questions above or explain why our staff is right/wrong in their predictions or analysis in the comments section below.
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 506: Cincinnati Rewind, OCB-Carolina Core, Columbus Preview, and More
The Lions claimed a late draw at Cincy and now host Columbus while OCB’s playoff hopes hang by a thread.
Orlando City left it late again. Tyrese Spicer reprised his role from the Nashville game by providing the assist for a goal late in stoppage time, but this time it was a different goal scorer and a road draw instead of a home win. Alex Freeman played great against FC Cincinnati, so it was fitting that he literally pulled a point out of thin air on a Sunday night that saw the Lions squander numerous good opportunities to score while allowing the hosts only one Kevin Denkey strike.
We look back at the key moments, players, and plays of a critical road match, check our score predictions, and make our selections for Man of the Match, splitting the vote
This week’s mailbagbox asked us a pair of trivia questions and added an individual question for each host. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.
OCB got two points at Carolina Core FC when it needed three, but it did enough to stay alive in the postseason race but there is no margin for error. The Young Lions fell behind by two goals, battled back to get level, conceded again, and once again equalized on the road. Carlos Mercado then helped his team win the penalty shootout on his birthday to claim the extra point. OCB must beat FC Cincinnati 2 on Sunday at home and get help to reach the postseason.
Finally, Orlando City returns home with another game against a good team from the Buckeye State, as the Columbus Crew visits Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday. Whether Diego Rossi plays or not, the Crew are always a difficult opponent. We break down the series history, look at the battle ahead, provide our key matchups, and make our predictions for the final score.
Be sure to rate and review our show wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, we’ll read any five-star reviews we get on Apple Podcasts on the next show.
If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.
Here’s how No. 506 went down:
0:15 – Orlando City didn’t seem to want to put the ball in the net, but maybe that’s because it wasn’t yet the death of stoppage time. Earlier goals are OK too, guys!
27:55 – The mailbagbox offers trivia, but no prizes if we get them right.
39:11 – OCB was listening to Meat Loaf and thinking two out of three ain’t bad, and the senior Lions prepare for Columbus.
Podcasts
PawedCast Episode 502: Galaxy Rewind, Ramiro Enrique Transfer News, OCB Defeats Crown Legacy, and More
Lions leave Leagues Cup empty handed, Ramiro Enrique could be on the move soon, OCB gets a vital win, and more
I couldn’t tell you why this show is nearly an hour other than the fact that we are verbose. Orlando City crashed out of Leagues Cup with back-to-back losses in games that had a Concacaf Champions Cup berth on the line. The Lions did almost nothing in the first half against the LA Galaxy on the road, and threw Martin Ojeda’s second-half equalizer away just seven minutes after he scored it with a horrendous turnover in their defensive third.
We discuss Orlando City’s 2-1 road loss, which featured one of Pedro Gallese’s best-ever saves as a Lion, although it ultimately didn’t matter much, looked back at our score predictions, and made our selections for Man of the Match.
We also discussed Seattle’s 3-0 win over Inter Miami in the final and the shenanigans that the Herons pulled after losing.
Ramiro Enrique was not in uniform Sunday night in the wake of reports that he’s about to be sold for a reported $3 million to a Saudi team. Although the timing isn’t perfect, it would be a good return for the Argentine striker.
This week’s mailbagbox asked about ice cream, donuts, Carlos Mercado vs. Javier Otero, and more. Remember, if there’s anything — and we do mean anything — you want us to address on the show, just ask us by tweeting it to us at @TheManeLand with the hashtag #AskTMLPC, or hitting us up on Bluesky Social with that same hashtag.
OCB picked up a much-needed three points with a home win over Crown Legacy at the death that nearly immediately became a draw at the even more death. Mercado was sensational in the match for the Young Lions and Thalles scored the timely goal to push the club over the playoff line for the time being. I nearly started to preview an OCB game that is more than a week ago, but the important thing is I stopped myself, otherwise the show would have been even longer.
The senior Lions are also off this week, so we’ll see you next week!
Be sure to rate and review our show wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, we’ll read any five-star reviews we get on Apple Podcasts on the next show.
If you’d like to support our independent writing and podcasting efforts, we’d love to have you as a subscriber or donor over at our Buy Me a Coffee site.
Here’s how No. 502 went down:
0:15 – Orlando City looked to be following the same script as in the win at LA back in March, but then coughed up the ball in a dangerous spot to one of the Galaxy’s best scorers.
29:36 – The mailbagbox is trying to make us fat(ter).
46:38 – OCB has put together two consecutive late wins as the Young Lions try to get back into playoff contention after several rough weeks.
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Announcement: Change to The Mane Land’s Approach to Live Updates on Social Media
Here at The Mane Land, we were able to build a rather sizable following on social media early in our growth. We quickly surpassed a thousand followers while we were still a free independent WordPress site with just a few contributors posting about one new story per day. This helped us get the attention of SBNation, which we eventually joined.
When we joined SBNation’s roster of blogs, we quickly rose up the ranks to one of the most followed MLS team-specific accounts on Facebook and Twitter (especially the latter). We always had great engagement on Twitter, with mixed results on Facebook.
With all of that said, we take the relationship with our social media followers seriously, because our readers have helped our growth on those channels (and vice versa), and we know who our friends are. We’ve met a lot of our Twitter followers in person over the years, and we value those times we’ve spent with you.
All of this serves to preface that we’ve decided to change some things up, although it’s nothing too radical. Starting Friday, March 28, TML will no longer be live tweeting matches on Twitter (sorry, I’m still never going to call it X, because that’s dumb). We will also be reducing our already dwindling presence there. I want to emphasize that we are not deleting our account. We will continue to post new stories to the artist formerly known as Twitter. But that’s about all we’ll be doing there. This week’s OCB game will be the last match for which we’ll provide live updates on Twitter.
We will be moving all of our live game coverage to our Bluesky Social account.
Please note: This move should in no way be construed as a political one. There are several factors at play, and while some of our writers may not share political alignment with Twitter’s owner, that is not why I’ve chosen this course — with the support of the TML staff. If this was a political choice, we’d simply delete the account and quit using the platform entirely.
Once upon a time, Twitter used to drive a decent-ish (but, if I’m being honest, never great) amount of engagement to our website, which we could see in our analytics. It was also a place where we could engage with our followers, exchanging thoughts on the club and its players, and occasionally arguing a little bit about those topics.
Before you could simply buy a blue checkmark, Vox Media assisted us in getting vetted by the former ownership, which helped legitimize us as a reliable outlet covering Orlando City SC. That too helped us grow our follower base, but it all went away when the current owner decided to overpay for the platform and tried to monetize it by letting anyone buy a blue checkmark, flooding the non-checkmarked accounts with ads. That was the start of when we began seeing Twitter become less useful as a marketing tool for TML and when it started driving a lot less traffic to our website and podcasts.
Most of our post engagement on Twitter has dried up because of people leaving (or spending less time on) the platform. More likes and retweets are coming from bot accounts than ever before. Typically, we have been seeing a high percentage of post likes coming from obvious bot accounts. And it’s just not a pleasant place to be. There are far too many ads, and most of the “ads” we see in our feed aren’t advertising any service or product. They seem to be individual tweets boosted by…I don’t know, some algorithm, or maybe the account’s owner is actually paying for things like this to be boosted. Most, but not all, of those “ads” are political in nature, and many of the political ones feature easily disprovable lies.
But sometimes it’s random stuff like this:

When every fourth or fifth post is something like the above (or often something worse), it’s just not an enjoyable user experience. We’re not going to give the world’s richest man more money just to cleanse our timeline of it and have the old Twitter experience back (that’s the entire point of “premium,” to get us to pay to go ad free). That’s as valid a choice for a business model as any, I guess, but it’s not one we’re interested in boosting just to get things to go back to how they were.
Between the drop in engagement, the rise of unchecked bot activity, and the weirdness and frequency of the “ads,” it’s a place we’d like to spend less time. Again, we aren’t leaving. We’ll continue to let people on Twitter know when new stories drop. That’s always been our basic approach to Facebook, where we’ve never received a whole lot of engagement.
Bluesky Social, on the other hand, has been quite enjoyable in all the same ways Twitter used to be. With less than a third of the followers that we have on Twitter, our replies, likes, and reposts have been much higher on average over the past year, than those same posts on Twitter. Our podcast listeners submit far more questions there than on Twitter (but you can still ask on Twitter and we’ll answer them on the show). The Bluesky interface is slightly more clunky on desktop than Twitter (desktop is an important part of how I provide live updates during games), but it feels pretty much like Twitter used to. I have been trying to post on both Twitter and Bluesky for OCSC games, but doing both is problematic and more than a little stressful. By limiting live updates to Bluesky, it’ll make things easier for those of us doing this in our spare time for no real financial gain. I’m not asking the staff to start Bluesky accounts, but some of our writers already have them.
Our ask of you on this subject is…nothing. If you’re not on Bluesky, and you decide you don’t want or need another social media account, that’s a valid choice. If you want to join us on Bluesky, we’d love to see you. Our posts about our stories will be (and have been for some time) identical on both platforms (and on Facebook). The only change will be that we (mainly I) will spend more time on Bluesky, less on Twitter, and our live game coverage will be on Bluesky. You can still @ us on Twitter if you like. We may just be a bit less responsive.
Things change, especially technology and social media. Some of you remember MySpace. Or even AOL. It’s entirely possible that a future Twitter with better control of bots and ads may one day be worth egaging with more often again. That’s another reason for us not to delete the account.
At The Mane Land, our main reason for existence continues to be that we love telling the stories of our favorite MLS, NWSL, and MLS NEXT Pro soccer teams. That won’t change — even if the way we promote those stories does from time to time.
Feel free to reach out with any comments or questions you have. And, as always, thank you for your support over the last 11 years.
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