Orlando City
Intelligence Report: Orlando City at Houston Dynamo
Orlando City (6-2-0, 18 points) finishes off its two-game road swing at the Houston Dynamo (4-3-1, 13 points) tomorrow night at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Orange have yet to lose at their home ground, going 4-0-1 in home games. The Lions couldn’t knock Toronto off at home on Wednesday so they’ll have to work some magic in Houston to bring home some points from this trip.
The Lions are just 1-2-0 on the road this season, but played pretty well overall at BMO FIeld on Wednesday — aside from finishing in the penalty area. They’ll need to be sharper and more clinical to get a result in Texas against a team they’ve never scored against. Tyler Deric’s own-goal in 2015 is the only ball to find the net through two matches in the series. After that 1-0 final in the first meeting, the teams drew 0-0 at Camping World Stadium in 2016 under interim coach Bobby Murphy.
Here to help us learn about the 2017 Dynamo is our good friend Derek Stowers, a co-editor over at SB Nation’s Houston blog, Dynamo Theory. I also answered Derek’s questions, and you can read my answers to their questions over at their place.
The Dynamo are off to a much better start in 2017. What changes has the club made this season in both personnel and tactics that have led to the turnaround?
Derek Stowers: Before I dive into this answer, I should open by saying we’ve been terrific at home and absolutely abysmal on the road so while we’re off to a good start, much of that is due to a strong home schedule and we still have work to do in order to reach the upper echelon of the Western Conference.
What has really been the difference has been how the club handled itself following the departure of Owen Coyle. The front office did not truly rebuild the way it could have when Coyle was announced as head coach, so we saw sweeping changes this off-season in order to get away from our years of missing the playoffs. That began with the hiring of Wilmer Cabrera as head coach, who built the team in a way that could play his style. We saw mainstay players like Will Bruin traded and many others had their options not picked up so that Cabrera could bring in quick attackers such as Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto to complement Cubo Torres.
Cabrera has largely utilized a 4-3-3 this season that meant relinquishing some possession and defensive responsibilities by forwards in favor of quick counter attacking soccer. We could defend an attack against us and within less than 10 seconds have a shot on goal at the other end of the field and that is not an exaggeration — that’s how this team plays. But, that hasn’t worked out in every game, notably against Portland, New England, and Minnesota. Teams that are quick or possess well tend to do better against this style which is why Cabrera has shown some growth as he’s expanded to a 4-4-2. That itself has its limitations (more on that in the next question), but the way that Cabrera has helped build this team and his attacking oriented style has helped get us to where we are. He still needs to figure out how to manage games better, but few teams can attack as well and quickly as this Dynamo team.
Like Orlando City, Houston has deployed the 4-4-2 diamond in 2017. How has this affected the team’s play and what do you expect to see if both teams use it against each other on Saturday?
DS: As I mentioned in the above question, we saw the effectiveness of the 4-3-3 fail against some clubs and our home draw against Minnesota United FC particularly felt bad. Far too often we would get an early lead only to sit back, except without our forwards supporting, (so that we can spring our counter attack) and we would see that lead evaporate. Enter the diamond 4-4-2. Cabrera realized at times he would need to have at least one extra player in the midfield in order to defend more. The flexibility of the diamond 4-4-2 also allowed the central attacking midfielder to push into the forward line at times while being able to lend his services to supporting the defense.
While the style offers flexibility it does hinder to some degree our team’s ability to attack relentlessly the way we have early in the season. I also think that one reason we saw the shift to the 4-4-2 was due to Romell Quioto’s injury he suffered with the Honduran National Team. Of the front three we usually trot out, Quioto defends the most and the best, and losing him hurt both the offense and the defense. He is too good to leave on the bench at full health and I think, since he is 100% healthy, we’ll see the 4-3-3 again to begin this game. What I like about the 4-4-2 is that it is easy for Cabrera to shift to it with a single substitution to manage the game as needed. That’s what I think we’ll see.
Cubo Torres has seen a dramatic improvement in form. Are Dynamo fans surprised by his resurgence and how would you go about defending the way he’s played this season?
DS: We’re surprised to some degree because this is the Cubo we thought we were getting when he first arrived in Houston. While he was with Owen Coyle and Wade Barrett, he looked uninterested — lazy to some extent — and he lost minutes to the younger Mauro Manotas. Wilmer Cabrera, who coached Cubo during his breakout year with Chivas USA, has put a lot of faith and confidence in him. This has really helped Cubo grow and play the way he wants to. Cabrera designed a system with Cubo as the fulcrum and Cubo has rewarded that faith. He came into preseason having lost some weight and he has seen just about all facets of his game improve. He’s pressuring defenders better, he’s passing better, showing improved vision on the field, he’s winning balls in the air, and he’s scoring from a variety of ways, showing the league he’s more than just a poacher.
Defending Cubo will not be easy, not necessarily because of what Cubo brings, but rather due to who he’s typically attacking with. This offense can hurt teams in so many ways. Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto, Cubo’s usual striking partners, have each scored three goals and will be there to capitalize on any extra attention Cubo may be getting. Instead of focusing on how to defend any of them, the best thing to do will be to keep the ball away from that group. That means possessing the ball in the Dynamo half of the field. Houston’s forwards will be reluctant to get back to defend and help the Dynamo possess.
Any injuries or suspensions we should know about? Your projected lineup and score line prediction?
DS: No injuries/suspensions that would affect the starting XI.
Projected lineup (4-3-3): Joe Willis; DaMarcus Beasley, Leonardo, Adolfo Machado, A. J. DeLaGarza; Alex Lima, Eric Alexander, Ricardo Clark; Romell Quioto, Cubo Torres, Alberth Elis
Predicted outcome: 3-2 Dynamo. We’re great at home and Orlando is coming into town from Toronto. I think we get it done, but old tendencies of struggling to protect leads will resurface and make this game closer than I’d like.
Big thanks to Derek from Dynamo Theory for stopping by and giving us a bit of a scouting report on Houston.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/12/24
Orlando City loses Heine Gikling Bruseth, Facundo Torres now linked with Cruz Azul, Orlando Pride sign goalkeeper Kat Asman, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? December is flying by and the clock is ticking to get things squared away before the holidays are fully upon us. I still have some shopping I need to knock out and then need to decide what I’m baking for when I visit my family in a couple of weeks. Let’s dive into today’s links.
Lions Lose Heine Gikling Bruseth in Expansion Draft
Midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth is no longer a Lion after San Diego FC selected him in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft. Orlando City signed the 20-year-old from Norwegian side Kristiansund BK in August as a U22 Initiative player, and he has yet to play in an MLS game. We won’t get a chance to see what impact Bruseth can have here in Orlando and he’s now part of San Diego’s plans on the other side of the country. Bruseth joins Kamal Miller, Nicholas Gioacchini, and Mikey Ambrose on the list of Lions taken in the MLS Expansion Draft, as Orlando just can’t seem to catch a break in these events.
San Diego also selected Colorado Rapids midfielder Jasper Loffelsend and Charlotte FC defender Hamady Diop as well. New York City FC forward Thiago Andrade was selected and promptly traded to Toronto FC. St. Louis City midfielder Hosei Kijima is on the move as well after being selected and traded to D.C. United.
Cruz Azul Joins Hunt for Facundo Torres
Orlando City forward Facundo Torres, who was linked with a move to Palmeiras earlier this week, is reportedly being courted by Cruz Azul of Liga MX as well. While Orlando and Palmeiras have reportedly agreed to terms on what would be a club-record deal, Cruz Azul has not yet submitted a bid to Orlando. If Torres does leave the club this winter, I’d personally rather see him head to Palmeiras in Brazil instead of Cruz Azul. The idea of the Lions going up against Torres in the Leagues Cup or another competition makes me sick to my stomach.
Orlando Pride Sign Kat Asman
The Orlando Pride are already making moves this off-season, signing goalkeeper Kat Asman to a two-year contract. Asman was drafted with the 39th overall pick by the Portland Thorns last year but didn’t make any appearances as a rookie. She now joins a Pride goalkeeping group that currently includes Anna Moorhouse, McKinley Crone, and Sofia Manner. While Asman may not make much of an impact next year, she’ll have the opportunity to grow her game and push the players ahead of her on the depth chart.
MLS Free Agency Opens Today
The MLS off-season is in full swing and the free agency officially kicks off today. There is plenty of talent across all positions available, which should make for an exciting flurry of wheeling and dealing as clubs prepare for 2025. It will also be interesting to see where former Lions wind up, as Ruan, Junior Urso, and Benji Michel are all free agents. As for other notable players to keep an eye out for, forwards like Josef Martinez and Jeremy Ebobisse could give clubs some additional firepower. Goalkeeper Tim Melia, center back Jack Elliot, and journeyman striker Kei Kamara are a few of the other interesting players out there.
Champions League Roundup
The latest round of Champions League matches wrapped up, but the standings remain a murky mess where only three points separate the team in third and team in 19th. The heavyweight match of the day Wednesday was between Juventus and Manchester City in Italy, with Juventus putting in a great defensive performance to win 2-0. Americans Weston McKennie and Tim Weah linked up for Juventus’ second goal after coming off the bench.
Atletico Madrid won its third straight Champions League match, beating Slovan Bratislava 3-1, thanks to a brace from Antoine Griezmann. Arsenal cruised past Monaco 3-0 to stay near the top of the standings, Ferran Torres scored twice in Barcelona’s 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, and Benfica and Bologna battled to a scoreless draw in Portugal.
Free Kicks
- Curt Johnson has resigned as the North Carolina Courage’s chief soccer officer after 14 years with the club in order to pursue other opportunities.
- San Diego FC sent up to $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to D.C. United in order to sign defender Christopher McVey, inking him to a contract through 2026. San Diego is also reportedly set to sign New York Red Bulls center back Andres Reyes for a hefty amount of GAM.
- Speaking of the Red Bulls, they announced a 13-year partnership with Sports Illustrated Tickets and their stadium will now be named Sports Illustrated Stadium. Starting in 2026, Sports Illustrated Tickets will also be the official ticketing partner for events at the stadium, including Red Bull and NJ/NY Gotham FC home matches.
- MLS announced the 44 players invited to take part in this year’s MLS College Showcase. The closed-door scouting event will take place over the next few days, with the MLS SuperDraft set for 3 p.m. Dec. 20.
- There will be two matches between MLS teams in the first round of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, with Sporting Kansas City facing Inter Miami and LAFC taking on the Colorado Rapids. The Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy won’t join the fun until the round of 16 after earning byes.
- 2024 MLS NEXT Pro MVP David Poreba will be joining the big leagues, with the Chicago Fire signing the 22-year-old to a contract that will run through 2025, with options for 2026, 2027, and 2028.
- Wolfsburg forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir came off the bench and put on a show, scoring four goals to help her team beat AS Roma in the Women’s Champions League.
- It’s official, Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. FIFA also confirmed that the 2030 edition of the tournament will have matches in six different countries.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Orlando City
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Jack Lynn
The young striker played a career high in minutes for Orlando City and played in all four
competitions.
Jack Lynn joined Orlando City through the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, when he was selected in the first round by the Lions with the No. 18 overall pick out of Notre Dame. He primarily played with OCB during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, scoring 15 goals in 2022 and 19 in 2023 while earning the MLS NEXT Pro MVP for that season. He was a depth player for most of the 2024 season with Orlando City, but late in the season he returned to playing more frequently with OCB, and quickly found his goal-scoring form once again with the Young Lions.
Let’s take a look back at Lynn’s 2024 season.
Statistical Breakdown
After two seasons of double-digit goal scoring in MLS NEXT Pro, the young forward looked to be a leading candidate to serve as the backup to Duncan McGuire, and in the opening few months he was frequently in the game day squad. However, the signing of Luis Muriel meant that he often was an unused substitute as the Lions used McGuire and Muriel as their strikers. Ramiro Enrique then returned from a prolonged absence and took over the starting spot with McGuire as the primary sub off the bench, and in the second half of the season, Lynn did not dress for Orlando City as frequently. He got some starts for OCB and scored four goals and had one assist in his eight games played with the Young Lions.
For Orlando City, Lynn appeared primarily in MLS regular-season games, making 11 appearances with two starts, playing 253 minutes. He took six shots, putting three on target and scoring two goals. He passed at a 66.7% completion percentage but did not have any key passes or assists. On the defensive side deuces were wild, as he won two tackles, made two blocks and had two clearances. He committed five fouls, drew two on the opposition, and was not booked.
Lynn also made one appearance late in the Lions’ final MLS playoff match, coming in for two minutes and recording just one touch of the ball, with no shots, passes attempted or defensive actions, and he did not receive a booking.
During Concacaf Champions Cup play, the Notre Dame product came off the bench in both games against Cavalry FC, playing 21 total minutes without a goal contribution, recording one shot that was off target, completing all three of his passes, and suffering one foul. He did not contribute any defensive actions or get booked.
Lynn participated in one Leagues Cup match, subbing in against CF Montréal. He played 12 minutes and did not have a goal contribution or take any shots, but he completed both of his passes, with one being a key pass. On the defensive side, he made two recoveries and committed one foul, but he wasn’t booked.
Best Game
The 24-year-old striker earned his first-ever starting nod for Orlando City on March 23 against Austin FC, and in the 42nd minute, he scored his first MLS goal. He timed his run perfectly to get wide open at the back post and finished with a powerful header off a cross from Dagur Dan Thórhallsson to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
Lynn went on to play 73 minutes, completing 10 of his 13 passes (76.9%) and adding one additional off-target shot. He contributed a tackle and a clearance on defense. Orlando City won the game 2-0, making Lynn’s goal in the opening half the game-winner. Head Coach Óscar Pareja said he was pleased with Lynn’s performance, praising him in the post-game press conference:
“(Jack) is a player who patiently has been waiting (for) his opportunity,” Pareja said. “I could say that maybe he should have more games at this point with the way he has performed in the second group and what he has achieved as an individual. He’s very lethal and he has goals. Today, he opened the game. Jack’s discipline and constant effort has paid off and we’re happy.”
2024 Final Grade
With only 288 minutes on the field across all competitions in 2024, Lynn did not play enough minutes to get a grade for the season, receiving an incomplete from The Mane Land staff. Still, he showed that he was capable of contributing when called upon to play first-team minutes.
2025 Outlook
After watching how prolific Lynn was in MLS NEXT Pro in 2023, and then once again this season when he returned to play a few matches with OCB, Lynn has clearly proven that he is above the level of play in that league. In limited minutes at the MLS level, he has shown flashes, but based on the substitution patterns as the season went along, it was clear that he was at best the third option at striker. Orlando City appears to be bringing back both Enrique and McGuire, so while they picked up Lynn’s option for 2025 season, I expect that it will be another season similar to 2024, where he is a depth player who primarily comes in off the bench, if he comes in at all.
I believe that Lynn is an MLS-caliber player, as he is an excellent finisher of the “fox in the box” ilk, but my projection is that 2025 will look similar to 2024 and he will be fighting for minutes off the bench at the MLS level.
Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/11/24
Orlando City’s protected players, Orlando Pride roster update, the USMNT is returning to Inter&Co Stadium, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. The season might be over, but there’s still plenty of news to be found. I’m glad that we have all the movies and specials to watch since there are no MLS or NWSL matches. There are quite a few that my family watch each year including Elf, Scrooged, and of course, Die Hard. Let me know your favorites in the comments below. Let’s get to the links.
Orlando City Protected List Released
The addition of San Diego SC to MLS means another expansion draft this off-season. Yesterday, Orlando City released its protected players list. There are a total of 19 players on the list, though seven of those are automatically protected due to either Homegrown or Generation Adidas status. San Diego will be able to pick up to five players from across the league, but only one from any given club. There aren’t many surprises in which players Orlando City chose to protect.
Pride End-of-Season Roster Update
Following a historic season that saw the club win both the NWSL Shield and the 2024 NWSL Cup, the Pride have released their end of season roster update. We already knew that Celia, Carrie Lawrence, and Megan Montefusco retired. Given how the club works its contracts, often re-signing players during the season, there weren’t a lot of surprises. Marta and Evelina Duljan were the two players out of contract, and we now know that Duljan won’t be returning, while the club is negotiating a deal that would keep Marta in Orlando.
USMNT Returning to Inter&Co Stadium
The USMNT is heading back to the City Beautiful, as the team will play Costa Rica Jan. 22 at Inter&Co Stadium. Kickoff for the match will be 7 p.m., allowing fans in the Orlando area to make it after work. It will be the second match in Florida, as the Americans will take on Venezuela Jan. 18 at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale. Pre-sale tickets went on sale Tuesday, and ticket sales for the general public start Friday.
USWNT vs. Brazil
If you were hoping for a rematch of the 2024 Women’s World Cup final between the USWNT and the Brazilian Women’s National Team, you are in luck. The two teams will square off on April 5 and April 8, 2025 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and at PayPal Park in San Jose, respectively. The match at SoFi Stadium will be the first soccer match played in the venue, which will also host matches for the 2026 World Cup.
Free Kicks
- It’s no surprise to those of us who work with the Pride regularly that Jackie Maynard, Lucas Medeiros, and the rest of Orlando’s comms staff was named the first-ever NWSL Communications Team of the Year winner. We congratulate Jackie and her team and look forward to continuing to work with a great group of professionals.
- Take a trip down memory lane with this compilation of Facundo Torres’ goals from 2024.
- Today, FIFA will award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia. The circumstances leading up to this “decision” are exactly as forthright, transparent, and without any hint of shenanigans as one expects from FIFA. Give me a minute, my eyes got stuck in the back of my head because of how hard I rolled them.
- In related news, Norway plans to protest the decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia and will abstain on the basis that not enough has been done to protect human rights at the event.
- Orlando City wasn’t the only team to drop its list of protected rosters. Here are the lists for every MLS club.
- Plenty of teams were in action in the UEFA Champions League Tuesday. Liverpool won its sixth consecutive first round match 1-0 over Girona, and Mbappe scored and got injured in Real Madrid’s 3-2 victory over Atalanta.
That will do it for today. Keep checking in for our Season in Review pieces for both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride. Vamos Orlando!
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