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

Well, that was bad. Orlando City dropped a 1-0 match to the Montreal Impact, who were in a bad run of form coming into the match. One simple counter attack was all it took for a defensive-minded team to take the lead and sit back the rest of the game. Not for the lack of trying, Orlando tried to pull one back, but just could not find the back of the net.

With the loss, Orlando is now mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Let’s just get on with the grades.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 5 – Really didn’t have much to do in the game other than pass the ball around. The entire defense was caught out on the goal and left him on an island, so not entirely his fault on the only goal of the game. He did manage to come off his line to deny Montreal star Ignacio Piatti a good scoring chance.

D, Kevin Alston, 5 – Had some chances going forward, but his first touch let him down at times. At times he was in good position on the wings and tracked back fairly well on the counters. Had a cross in the 68th that almost led to a goal, but the ensuing shot from Baptista was skied over the bar.

D, Jose Aja, 5 – Put himself in decent position at times, but like with the rest of the defense, really wasn’t called on to do too much in the match. Part of the collective that was caught too high in the defensive line leading to the goal.

D, David Mateos, 5.5 – Had a solid outing defensively through the first half, maintaining the shape of the defense and shutting down the few chances going forward Montreal had. However, a clash in the early parts of the second half forced him to come out with a knee injury. Ended his day third in passing accuracy with 90%. He also spent some prolonged time in the attack after corner kicks, as there was little threat coming from Montreal.

D, Luke Boden, 5.5 – Overall, not a bad game from the fullback. Was able to get forward and put tantalizing balls into the area, but no one was able to score on the day. On the other end, tracked back well, except for playing Dominic Oduro onside and having to chase him down for the only goal of the game. Had an effort from the top of the box in the 54th that just flew over the bar. Shown a yellow card in the 78th minute after taking down Dominic Oduro. Led the team in interceptions. Best moment was a perfect one-time cross in for Cyle Larin, but Evan Bush made a spectacular point-blank save on it.

MF, Servando Carrasco, 5.5 – Wasn’t the best of matches for Carrasco. Seemed a bit slow in terms of moving the ball around the field, but still provided solid defensive depth. Subbed out in the 64th to go with a more attacking shape.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 8 (MOTM) – Arguably the best player on the pitch for Orlando. Completed all but two of his 73 passes, giving him a 97% passing accuracy. Looked like the only player for Orlando that actually cared to run around throughout the game and really pushed the offense forward as well as gave cover for the defense. Led the team in tackles, passing percentage and number of passes. He picked out Boden on the left with a perfect ball for the one-time cross mentioned above.

MF, Matias Perez Garcia, 6.5 – Attempted to create some offense in the final third, but found himself taking on two or three defenders with no outlet to pass. Found his groove a bit more in the second half and spread out more to the wing, taking on defenders one-on-one. Finished the match second on the team in key passes.

MF, Kevin Molino, 4 – A day to forget for the Trinidadian. Couldn’t get anything going on offense and constantly turned the ball over in bad positions. Subbed out after 45 minutes

MF, Kaka, 6.5 – The captain tried his damndest to get a goal for his team, but it just wasn’t his day. Constantly a threat going forward in the attack, taking on defenders and beating them on his way towards goal. The final product on the day, however, was severely lacking on all parts. Great run in the 17th minute to earn a corner. Kicked one right at Evan Bush

F, Cyle Larin, 5.5 – An extended down period for the striker, Larin has struggled recently to do a lot in the box. Jason Kreis talked about Larin’s lack of final product in the post-game press conference. The Canadian had an individual run in the 33rd to earn a corner with no one in the box. Decent try in the 42nd min from outside the box that went just wide. Had a golden chance in the 62nd but a great save from Bush denied him. Denied again in the 88th minute with a header off a corner which was parried over the bar by Bush. So, the chances were there, but the finish, just like everyone else, was missing. But it wasn’t through lack of effort.

Substitutes

F, Julio Baptista (45′), 6 – Had a solid game getting into the right positions to be dangerous, but his strike on the day was really off. Had a free header on the run into the box in the 68th, but the effort went wide. Another golden opportunity in the 70th minute in which his shot in the middle of the box was skied over the bar. Also hit a free kick into the wall and whiffed on the follow-up in the 76th, which forced Boden to take a tactical foul for a booking.

D, Seb Hines (52′), 5 – Forced to come in after the injury to David Mateos just after halftime. His first touch of the math sent Kaká down the left side, allowing the captain to get a dangerous cross into the box that Larin couldn’t quite get onto. Was unlucky on the Montreal goal as the ball played through by Mancosu skipped off his foot and deflected right to Oduro. Shut down a counter attack in the 65th. Other than that, another ‘meh’ day for Seb, although he was the only defender to register a shot on target.

F, Carlos Rivas (64′), 5.5 – Gave Orlando more chances after coming on with some of his services into the box. Had his usual long shot in the 67th minute that went all the way into row Z. Had a great cross in the 68th that Baptista headed wide. Free kick in the 72nd just missed the top corner and tipped over the bar. Tried another shot from outside the box in the 80th which again went high. Some of his latter crosses were over-hit, however, trying to find teammates at the back post.

Well, there you have it. Orlando is now eliminated from playoff contention. Still two more games to evaluate players and finish out the season. Vote for your player of the game below and let us know what you thought of the performances.

Polling Closed