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PRO Referees and Orlando City: Which Referees Were Kindest to the Lions in 2016?

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8 years ago

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Since joining MLS in 2015, Orlando City and the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) have had a strained relationship. 2016 was much better in certain respects, but there were still some calls from different referees that left fans scratching their heads.

Last year, I decided to figure out who did what by compiling all the ref performances that were head officials during the season. I dove into the games that they reffed, how many cards they gave out, and how they could have affected the Lions' games. This time around, I did the same thing, but I also combined the referees that have spanned both years in MLS and provided their combined stats over that time. The object here isn't to dump on the referees, so much as to draw some statistical data from their performances to see what, if anything, we can take away from the matches they've officiated so far.

Let's begin the fun, shall we?

Referees That Officiated Orlando City Games in 2016 and 2015

Alan Kelly (two games in 2016): Reffed the 4-1 drubbing of the Portland Timbers and the scoreless draw at Toronto FC. Gave out four yellow cards against Orlando. Kelly was named MLS Referee of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Through two seasons, Kelly has reffed five of City's games, from which Orlando has a 2-2-1 record. He has also given 10 yellow cards and one red card.

Chris Penso (two games): Reffed the crazy 2-2 home opener against Real Salt Lake and the 2-1 loss in the August match-up against Toronto FC. Gave out four yellow cards and a red card against Darwin Cerén in the opener.

Through two seasons, Penso has reffed five games, from which Orlando has a 1-3-1 record. He has also given a crazy 17 yellow cards and one straight red card.

Jorge Gonzalez (one game): Only reffed the wild 2-2 draw in the Bronx against New York City FC where Kevin Molino scored the equalizing goal in the 94th minute. Dished out five yellow cards in that game alone and awarded NYCFC a penalty, which David Villa missed in hilarious fashion.

Through two seasons, Gonzalez has reffed four games, from which Orlando has a 1-2-1 record. He has given nine yellow cards to Orlando players, while giving 13 to the opposition.

Ted Unkel (two games): Reffed the lame 1-1 draw against Chicago Fire in the second game of the season and the 1-1 draw against New York Red Bulls at home in May. Dished out seven yellow cards to Orlando players, including one straight red to Cristian Higuita against New York. He also gave out seven yellow cards to the opposing teams, including a straight red to Chicago’s Michael Harrington.

Through two seasons, Unkel has reffed four games, from which Orlando has a 0-0-4 record. He has given 14 yellow cards to Orlando players, while giving 15 to their opponents, as well as one red card.

Ricardo Salazar (one game): Only reffed the 2-0 win in Philadelphia in the penultimate game of the season. Only showed one yellow card to José Aja, while giving three yellow cards to the Union.

Through two seasons, Salazar has reffed three games, from which Orlando has a 2-1-0 record. He has given only three yellow cards to Orlando players as well as a straight red for Rafael Ramos in Columbus, while giving six yellow cards to their opponents.

Jair Marrufo (one game): Just reffed the 2-1 loss to the Union in April, in which Tranquillo Barnetta scored the game-winning free kick while his teammates were offside. No yellow cards issued to Orlando players in that game, while only giving one to the Union.

Through two seasons, Marrufo has reffed three games, from which Orlando has a 2-1-0 record. He has given only three yellow cards to Orlando players, one of them being against Kaká for putting on Molino’s jersey. Also sent off Dom Dwyer in the SKC match in 2015, which was later overturned. Marrufo finished second in MLS Referee of the Year voting this season, and was third last year.

Allen Chapman (two games): Reffed the 1-0 win against NYCFC in New York in March and the 3-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders in August. Gave out five yellow cards to Orlando players and gave out five to the opponents.

Through two seasons, Chapman has reffed five games, from which Orlando has a 2-1-2 record. He has given only nine yellow cards to Orlando players, as well as a straight red for Brek Shea in San Jose last year. He gave out six yellow cards to opponents, hardly ever going two per game.

Silviu Petrescu (three games): Reffed the 4-0 loss in Texas against FC Dallas, which was Adrian Heath’s last game. He also reffed the 3-1 win over New England in Jason Kreis’ first game and the 4-1 win in Montreal over the Impact. Only gave out six yellow cards to Orlando players, while giving out six yellow cards to the opponents, with a straight red to Evan Bush of Montreal for a denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Through two seasons, Petrescu has reffed six games, from which Orlando has a 3-2-1 record. He has given 11 yellow cards to Orlando players while giving out 14 yellow card to opponents, including two straight red cards to Bush and Michael Parkhurst of Columbus last year.

Juan Guzman (one game): Reffed the final game of the year, the 4-2 win over D.C. United. Did not hand out one disciplinary card in the match.

Through two seasons, Guzman has reffed three games, from which Orlando has a 2-1-0 record. He has given seven yellow cards to Orlando players, including a second yellow send-off to Luke Boden at the end of last year’s FC Dallas game.

Sorin Stoica (four games): Reffed the 2-2 draw against the Union in May, the 2-0 loss at Red Bull Arena in July, the scoreless draw in Colorado, and the 4-1 loss at D.C United in September. Gave out a whopping 12 yellow cards to Orlando players, with straight reds to David Mateos against the Union and Antonio Nocerino against D.C. Also gave out seven yellow cards to the opponents.

Through two seasons, Stoica has reffed five games, from which Orlando has a 0-2-3 record. He has given 14 yellow cards to Orlando players, and three red cards (Mateos, Nocerino and Kaká, his only career straight red card). Only gave eight yellow cards to opponents.

Baldomero Toledo (one game): Reffed the 2-2 draw against New England and called the very controversial total crap handball on Servando Carrasco in the 96th minute, which led to the game-tying penalty kick. Only gave one yellow card to each team in that game.

Through two seasons, Toledo has reffed only two games, from which Orlando has a 0-0-2 record. He has given three yellow cards to Orlando players, and three yellow cards to opponents. Toledo finished third in MLS Referee of the Year voting and second last year.

Mark Geiger (two games): Reffed the 2-1 win over Montreal in May and the 2-2 draw in Chicago in August. Gave out seven yellow cards to Orlando players and only two to opponents.

Through two seasons, Geiger has reffed three games, from which Orlando has a 1-1-1 record. He has given 10 yellow cards to Orlando players, and three yellow cards to opponents.

Fotis Bazakos (one game): Reffed the scoreless draw against Houston in the first game after Adrian Heath was fired. Bazakos showed no cards to either team.

Through two seasons, Bazakos has reffed only two games, from which Orlando has a 0-1-1 record. He has given only one yellow card to Orlando players, but red carded Larin (with the help of fourth official Ted Unkel) in the game against the Red Bulls last year, but that was eventually rescinded — not that it helped City retroactively against New York.

Officiated Orlando City Games for the First Time in 2016

Hilario Grajeda (two games): Reffed the 3-2 loss at Red Bull Arena in April and the 2-2 draw in Vancouver. Gave out four yellow cards to Orlando players and only one each to the Red Bulls and Whitecaps.

Robert Sibiga (three games): Reffed the 2-2 comeback draw at New England in April, the 2-2 emotional draw against San Jose after the Pulse shooting, and the 2-1 win over NYCFC at the end of August. Gave out seven yellow cards to Orlando players and six to the opposition.

Ismail Elfath (three games): Reffed the 2-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City, the dramatic 3-2 win over Toronto FC with Kaká’s 100th-minute penalty, and the 4-2 loss out in LA against the Galaxy. Gave out three yellows to Orlando players and six yellows to opponents, with a straight red to Toronto’s Josh Williams.

Drew Fischer (two games): Reffed both Columbus home and away games, finishing with a 4-1 defeat and 2-2 draw, respectively. Handed out six yellow cards to Orlando players and only one for Columbus' Gaston Sauro.

Armando Villarreal (one game): Reffed the 1-0 loss at home against Montreal that officially eliminated the Lions from playoff contention. Only gave out one card to each team.

Did Not Officiate an Orlando City Game in 2016

Kevin Stott (two games last year): Reffed the 2-0 win at the Portland Timbers and the 0-4 loss at the Seattle Sounders. A tale of two games for Stott. The Portland match was favored for Orlando City, but the Seattle game was very much against the Lions. A total of six yellow cards were given to Orlando, including a second yellow send-off to Tyler Turner in the Sounders game.

José Carlos Rivero (three games last year): Reffed two out of three games against Toronto FC (0-2 loss at home and 0-5 loss in Toronto) as well as the 1-0 victory at home against D.C. United. Gave out nine yellow cards, with two red cards (a straight red to Ramos and a second yellow send-off to Adrian Winter, both in Toronto).

Edvin Jurisevic (two games last year): Reffed two games against the Montreal Impact. The 0-2 loss in Montreal and the 2-1 win in Orlando. Gave five yellow cards in those two games, two of them resulting in yellow card accumulation suspensions for Kaká and Brek Shea. Also missed the controversial goal scored by Dominic Oduro in the game in Orlando but that’s more on the assistant ref than the head ref, although his positioning could have been better.

* * *

The three finalists for MLS Referee of the Year officiated four OCSC games combined, with Kelly doing the most (two).

So, now comes the fun part, which I will leave up to you, the reader. Just like last year, which of the aforementioned referees were the best or worst for Orlando City? Let me know in the comments and, before you mention it, you cannot say that all of them were terrible. That wouldn't be any fun.

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Orlando City

How Orlando City’s Offense Stacks Up Against What Atlanta Does Defensively

How Orlando City has performed against teams playing with three or four defenders, and how that may influence the playoff game against Atlanta United.

Published

15 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The most famous quote about real estate is that “there are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” Soccer coaches also like to think in threes, especially when it comes to points, but for a soccer coach, the three things that matter might be the rhyming triplet “formation, formation, formation,” as that is where they will have the biggest influence on every game that their team plays.

Throughout his tenure as head coach, Óscar Pareja has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 as his formation (fbref.com’s lineup data shows that the Lions primarily played a 4-2-3-1 in 65% of their MLS matches this season, and 79% of their MLS matches during the last three seasons). The Lions have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 during each of their last 14 games, and my confidence level is strong to quite strong (can you believe Meet the Parents came out 24 years ago?) that they will do so once again on Sunday when they host Atlanta United.

Atlanta United also prefers to deploy a 4-2-3-1, but was less consistent than Orlando City this season during MLS play, as evidenced by the chart below that shows how Atlanta lined up this season:

The purpose of this image is a table to show how Atlanta United lined up in 2024 (mostly in a 4-2-3-1 but also in one of six other formations).

I am relying on the coders at Opta for their evaluation of the formation, as I do not watch a lot of Atlanta United matches (sounds terrible), but though Atlanta primarily played with four defenders in more than two-thirds of its matches, during the last two matches it played a 3-5-2, the only two matches all season in which interim coach Rob Valentino rolled out that formation. I suspect that the formation change was related partially to playing Inter Miami and trying to defend the Herons’ dynamic offense and partially due to an injury suffered by defender Brooks Lennon in the first game of that series. So, while Atlanta primarily played four in the back for most of the season, there is a good chance it will roll with what worked against Florida’s second-best MLS team when it plays Florida’s best MLS team this weekend.

Now, if you want to read more about Atlanta, then you can read our match preview, which will drop Sunday morning, but I want to look at how Orlando did against teams that play similar styles. Looking only at MLS games, the table below shows how Orlando City performed against different back line structures this season (the left side is how the Lions’ opponents lined up, the right side is how Orlando City performed against opponents in those formations):

Table embedded as an image showing Orlando City doing best in goal differential in 12 games against three-man back lines, second best against four-man back lines, and having played once against a five-man back line (a 1-1 draw).

Orlando City earned slightly more points per game — the stat that matters most — against teams that played four in the back, but the Lions had a better average goal differential when teams played three in the back. Atlanta will likely deploy one of those two formations. In both games against Orlando City this season, Sunday’s visitors went with a 4-2-3-1, but as mentioned earlier, they used three in the back in each of their last two matches, so it really could be either.

Soccer is not like baseball, where players primarily stay in the same spot throughout the game, so some of these stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, as players are not always rigidly in the same position throughout a match. A team may also primarily play with four in the back but switch to three when chasing a game, or five when trying to protect against a late goal.

That said, using the data around Orlando City’s opponents’ general formations, here are the attacking groups who played the most frequently against four defenders during the 24 MLS games where Opta coded the opponents as using a defensive group of four:

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy four defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus eight goal differential for the season.

It is a little ominous that the main starting group, shown in row one, has played 666 MLS minutes against back lines of four this season, but do I like that green goal differential of +8 in those minutes, which is a strong +1.08 per 90 minutes. I like that goal differential more than I like all the things that Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin like on their song that is creatively named “I Like It.” Coincidentally, when people ask me what I think about that song, I say, “I like it.” I am very creative.

If we look at the lineups that Orlando City has used against back lines of three defenders then there are some pretty major differences in personnel groupings, but it must be noted that more than half of the games against teams playing three in the back came early in the season, when Ramiro Enrique was unavailable to play. Enrique, my presumed starter at striker, has played fewer than three games’ worth of minutes (265 total) against back lines of three this season, and only 28 minutes with the main starting group, which ranks 13th among all the attacking lineups for minutes played against three defenders. That group scored one goal in their 28 minutes together though, for a robust 3.21 goals-scored-per-90-minutes average.

While the team as a whole has been successful against three-man back lines, I do not expect any of the lineups shown in the table below to play more than a few minutes together this weekend, though the first row and the last row are strong groups and had a lot of success.

Table embedded as an image showing the most frequently used lineups against teams who deploy three defenders. The most frequently used attacking group has a plus three goal differential for the season.

I am sure that all week long the Orlando City coaching staff has been going back and forth on whether it is more likely that Atlanta reverts to its most commonly used four in the back, or if the Five Stripes try for three wins in a row with three in the back. I would prefer that Atlanta plays with zero defenders and goalkeeper Brad Guzan wears a blindfold, but I think that is unlikely to be the case.

Even though Atlanta defeated Orlando City both times while in a 4-2-3-1, based on available personnel and recent results, I believe that the team will come out in a 3-5-2 in Inter&Co Stadium in the conference semifinal. Good things come in threes, and Orlando City’s best offensive production this season has been against three defenders, so I am going to be hoping that this continues, and in the third game against Atlanta the Lions grab the three points. Three’s company!

Well, it is a playoff game, so there are no actual points at stake, but you know what I meant.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Lions need to do to get a victory to advance to the Eastern Conference final?

Published

17 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City continues its playoff journey against Atlanta United Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions are coming off an emotional penalty shootout win over Charlotte FC in their best-of-three, first-round series. Likewise, Atlanta United stunned everyone by taking out Inter Miami to advance in its own best-of-three matchup. Now, the rivals meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What does Orlando City need to do to get past Atlanta United to advance to the Easter Conference final?

Beat Guzan

Brad Guzan made 16 saves over Atlanta’s three matches against Inter Miami, including seven in the 3-2 win on the road in Game 3. The 40-year-old former USMNT keeper is in excellent form and is a big reason why the Five Stripes are facing Orlando City. Converting chances against Guzan will be crucial to earning a result. There have been times this season when the Lions have struggled to convert their chances. Despite that, the team has done enough offensively to get to this point. Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Duncan McGuire, Ramiro Enrique, and others have contributed and will need to do so this weekend.

Cartagena is Essential

Orlando City lost twice to Atlanta United during the regular season. What is interesting, and perhaps relevant, is that Wilder Cartagena was out for both of those matches. Cartagena was shown a straight red in the match against Minnesota United prior to the first match against Atlanta way back in March. He was shown a yellow card in the match against FC Cincinnati and then served a yellow card accumulation suspension for the final match of the season against Atlanta. Fortunately for Orlando City, Cartagena will be available for the match this weekend. I’ve mentioned before the importance of Cartagena to Orlando City’s success. When he and Cesar Araujo are on the field together, the defense is simply better. Cartagena is frankly one of the better defensive midfielders in MLS. Atlanta scored five goals in the series against Miami, and Orlando will need to keep the visitors from having that kind of offensive success.

Overcome the Past

That darn international break in the middle of the playoffs is something I don’t love. More precisely, I don’t like it because Orlando City often struggles after a break. It would have been nice if Orlando City could have ridden the momentum from the penalty kick victory into the Atlanta match, but that’s not to be. Now is the time for Orlando City to break some bad habits, including turning around its historical lack of success against Atlanta, and tendency to struggle in the first match after a break. Oscar Pareja needs to have the players in the right frame of mind, and the players need to execute the plan. A full house of supporters can also make a difference. Given it’s a Sunday afternoon match, there’s no reason not to pack the house.

That is what I will be looking for Sunday afternoon. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 11/21/24

Marta’s chance to shine in NWSL Championship, NWSL and MLS award winners announced, 2025 SheBelieves Cup details, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

  • District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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