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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Houston Dynamo: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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8 years ago

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In two meetings with Houston, no Orlando City player has scored a goal. That’s bad. But, no Dynamo player has scored against the Lions. That’s good.

It was a difficult game with all of the midweek distraction of Adrian Heath’s firing and a short turnaround on three days rest against a Houston team that has been much better in recent weeks. It would be easy for the Lions to simply roll over and get ready for the new coach that the club is searching for.

But, to Bobby Murphy’s credit, he had the lads in purple prepared to play. Despite a lack of precision in the final third, Orlando City played a pretty solid game from start to finish, ending the game with 62.8% of the possession and an 84.5% passing success rate. It was only in the final third where the field is most congested that things broke down a bit.

Houston was unable to mount much of an attack or keep the ball, but the Dynamo were occasionally dangerous on the counter. When they were, Joe Bendik was there, as was the post in the 88th minute. In the end, it was just another draw — the team’s ninth on the season.

Let’s get to tonight’s player grades.

Starters

G, Joe Bendik, 7.5 -€” He only finished with three saves but Bendik had to be sharp on all of them. From Alex’s 21st-minute effort to a pair of dangerous Will Bruin chances late in the first half, including a diving save that just brushed the ball a smidge wide. Second clean sheet of the season for Joe, and first since the third game of the year.

D, Luke Boden, 5.5 -€” Bodz got a bit better as the game wore on but he struggled with the quality of his set pieces, especially corner kicks. He completed a respectable 87.7% of his passes, but that can be misleading, as much of his distribution was across the back or short passes to Shea — many of which were immediately returned, which is illustrated by his game-high 96 touches. He was much better than Monday, however, so perhaps it’s something he can build on.

D, Seb Hines, 6 -€” With the exception of one horrendous giveaway that started a counter, and one long run by Boniek Garcia on which he and David Mateos didn’t communicate properly, it was a solid night for Seb. He completed 86.7% of his passes, got a head on a very difficult cross to at least get a shot attempt out of it, and made two tackles, while sticking to his mark on set pieces.

D, David Mateos, 7 -€” The Spaniard is a favorite punching bag for fans but it was a good night for David. He was second on the team with 90 touches, completed a game-high 94.7% of his passes (minimum 10 attempts), and played in several nice long balls that probably should have connected. He made three tackles to lead the defense.

D, Kevin Alston, 5 -€” Kevin had problems with his offensive delivery but he still managed a very solid 93.3% passing rate overall. He still has an issue or two per game with losing track of the weak side attacker although he did well to challenge players and force them to move laterally tonight, giving them a lower percentage shot.

MF, Harrison Heath, 7.5 -€” A very solid performance on what had to be an emotional night for H. He led all non-defenders in passing rate (88%), created a chance offensively, and made a few well-timed runs to try to get forward. He provided good coverage behind the attacking midfield and helped link the play in the middle of the pitch.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 7.5 (MOTM) -€” The Colombian led all Lions with five tackles and completed 81% of his passes. He was not only his usual effective presence in central midfield, but Higuita also did more of the heavy lifting in getting the ball forward into the attacking third. Although he usually struggles to complete passes on the offensive half of the field, tonight he was able to feed the ball in to Kevin Molino, Brek Shea, Cyle Larin and Darwin Ceren. Just slightly better defensively for me, so he edges H for my Man of the Match.

MF, Brek Shea, 7 -€” In the early going, Brek struggled to get going, but as the game wore on he got stronger. He made seven crosses on the night and several of those required timely and precise touches by the defense to keep them away from Larin running into the box. He struggled a bit with his passing (75%) but most of those were attacking attempts, as Brek seemed loathe to drop the ball backward.

MF, Kevin Molino, 6 -€” Provided a moment of magic that just about turned into the game-winning goal early in the second half, running through several defenders to get clear and attempt a chip shot on target. Unfortunately, Deric saved that shot. Aside from that, Molino completed 76.5% of his passes and could never quite find the final through ball for his teammates. He had two of Orlando’s six shots and the only one on target, but he lost the ball frequently in traffic and almost entirely disappeared after Julio Baptista came on, pushing the Trinidadian to the right side.

MF, Darwin Ceren, 5.5 -€” Darwin is a lot of things, but a right wing is not one of them. He lacked quality in the final third, though that is belied by his completing 83.3% of his passes. The main goal of having him play there was to put an additional difficult defender in front of Houston fullback DaMarcus Beasley, and that seemed to work, as the former U.S. international was fairly quiet all night on the attacking end.

F, Cyle Larin, 5 -€” The Canadian had 34 touches, which is 22 more than he had Monday night. Larin worked hard to get into dangerous positions but ran afoul of the offside flag several times, although I have an issue with at least one or two of those. He managed to get two shot attempts with an early dangerous opportunity that he fired wide with his left foot. Was forced to battle both David Horst and Raul Rodriguez most of the night in isolation, which limited his effectiveness.

Substitutes

D, Julio Baptista (60′), 4.5 -€” The Beast wasn’t able to leave much of a mark on the game after coming in for Ceren, although he did have one shot attempt and earned a free kick in a dangerous area. He had only 18 touches in his 30+ minutes and completed 77.8% of his passes.

MF, Servando Carrasco (88′), N/A -€” Serva came on for Harrison Heath near the end and registered only six touches. Not much time to get involved.

That’s how I saw the Lions’ performances tonight. Don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match in our poll below.

Polling Closed

Player Votes
Joe Bendik 41
Harrison Heath 44
Brek Shea 22
Cristian Higuita 25
David Mateos 9
Other 10
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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?

Published

5 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

9 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

1 day 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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