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Orlando City vs. Sporting Kansas City: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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7 years ago

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Orlando City threw a homecoming party, and it was fun, but it wasn’t quite as fun as it could have been (or maybe should have been). The Lions drew Western Conference foe Sporting Kansas City, 2-2, at Orlando City Stadium on a night that could have seen the hosts take more, or fewer, points.

In the end, maybe a draw was fair.

Jason Kreis’ team certainly wanted to wash away the memories of a two-game road swing without taking a point. But instead of taking all three — which has been the norm at the club’s new stadium — the Lions got only one before they head to San Jose for a midweek meeting with the Earthquakes.

Here are my individual ratings for Orlando City’s participants in the match.

Starters

GK, Joe Bendik, 7 — There wasn’t much Joe could do about either of the goals, which simply pinged to the wrong person at the wrong moment. He finished the match with six saves. He found himself in a tangle of bodies on both and couldn’t do much other than get a touch. In the 32nd, he made a diving punch on an effort from Fernandes. made another big save in the 51st and punched a Feilhaber effort over the crossbar three minutes later. In the 90th, he stopped another Gerso effort.  

D, Donny Toia, 5.5 — Although he mostly played well, Toia can be partly culpable on both goals, as they originated on his side of the field. But his man appeared to come back from an offside position on the first and he was a bit unlucky to stumble on the second while tracking Gerso Fernandes. He finished with three tackles, two interceptions and three clearances, and passed at a 73.3% rate, but he didn’t have a single cross in a more defensive posture than we’ve seen in recent games.  

D, Jonathan Spector, 7 — His highlights started early when he made a saving tackle to break up an attack in the third minute. He conceded a free kick in a dangerous area in the eighth minute that led to the first SKC goal but it wasn’t a great call as he went shoulder to shoulder and we saw the first of many instances of a Sporting player going down easily. Prevented Feilhaber from getting onto a Fernandes cross on the goal but the ricochet fell perfectly for Latif Blessing. He recovered defensively after a Cristian Higuita turnover in the 36th to put out the fire. Spector led the team with six clearances, and tallied one tackle, a blocked shot, and two interceptions. His passing was good (86.7%) and seven of his 10 long balls were accurate.

D, Jose Aja, 6.5 — It was an eventful night for Aja, who was booked just 11 minutes in although it merely looked like he got tangled up with his man. If Ricardo Salazar was sending a message that he would put up with no nonsense on this night, well…he put up with a lot of nonsense after showing Jose yellow. He struggled to get back to help deny the first goal (more on this below). He lost his man on the second goal but thought he’d made up for it by scoring on a beautiful header two minutes later, but the play was whistled dead and a goal kick awarded. He passed well (95% with 5/6 accurate long balls), and finished with two interceptions, a clearance, and a blocked shot and was pretty good in the air.  

D, Scott Sutter, 6.5 — He couldn’t have made a more accurate cross than the one he served in to Kaká in the 26th minute. He had zero other options in the box but picked out the captain, who had three men on him, from way out on the right wing. It was a deserved assist. He got caught watching a bit on the first goal but got fooled by the deflection momentarily. He rightly tried to point out that just before the goal, this happened without a call:

Sutter had one interception and three clearances defensively, and passed at an 85.7% clip. Unlike his assist to Kaká, the accuracy on his long balls was off, only hitting one of five.

MF, Antonio Nocerino, 6.5 — It was a fairly quiet night for the Italian, which is what you want from your defensive midfielder. His passing rate was good (90.3%), He was dispossessed in his own end once but overall played a much safer game than he did last Saturday. He stepped in front of a shot in the 64th minute to block it and he finished with three tackles and a clearance. He even made a nice run into the box early but Cristian Higuita didn’t see him. 

MF, Will Johnson, 7 — Will’s service was good but came with an asterisk on this night. His 29th-minute corner found Spector at the back post but the whistle blew for an infraction. His late cross was perfectly placed for Aja but curled out before cutting back in for Jose…apparently. His shot in the 60th minute didn’t miss by much and would have been a great goal. His 93.2% passing rate was top notch for his team-high 44 passes, and he completed two key passes on the night, with 6/7 accurate long balls. He made one tackle, two interceptions and three clearances on defense, was not dispossessed and had no bad touches. A solid night for Will.

MF, Cristian Higuita, 5.5 — The Colombian did a good job of recovering the ball, but he also had moments of sloppiness that were costly. He coughed up the ball in his own half in the 36th minute but Spector bailed him out. Four minutes later he was booked for a chop to the ankles. He made a fantastic — and utterly unexpected — run in the 48th minute and forced Graham Zusi to pull him back and take a yellow card, or he’d have been in on goal. He teamed up with Sutter to foil Jimmy Medranda’s attack in the 63rd. Higuita was dispossessed three times and had two bad touches, and recorded an uncharacteristically low one tackle. He added two clearances and completed 83.3% of his passes.

MF, Kaká, 7.5 (MotM) — The secondary goal scorer everyone was looking for during the first month of the season has arrived. The Brazilian calmly chested down Sutter’s cross in traffic in the 26th minute, took a dribble toward center, and stroked home a beautiful back-post goal to put the Lions ahead. His free kick in the 50th from just above the box didn’t sail high by much and his nifty moves earned a corner a minute later. His silky move in the 79th minute forced Ilie Sanchez to grab him and take a yellow card. He hustled back after taking a free kick in the 89th minute to break up a counter attack with a nice defensive play in space. His 81.3% passing rate was OK but not stellar, but he was two for two with long ball accuracy. He contributed a tackle and an interception, with one key pass.  

F, Carlos Rivas, 7 — Carlitos made an early impact with a tremendous defensive play off a short SKC corner to force a goal kick. Nearly got onto a long ball in the fifth minute but Tim Melia just got there first. His scrumptious cross in the 16th minute gave Cyle Larin little to do but stick out a toe to score. In the 28th minute, Rivas stole the ball right off the foot of Ike Opara, one of the best center backs in MLS, but his cross for Larin was deflected away. As usual, the stat sheet doesn’t show how much he influenced the game. He took a lot of attention of Opara on the night and was always a threat on the counter. He was dispossessed three times and had three bad touches, and completed only half his six (!) passes. He sent his lone shot high over the bar. His main contribution was the space he created for Larin and Kaká and the attack seemed to go nowhere after he was lifted for Giles Barnes, which kind of gives him a case for Man of the Match. Two of his three crosses were accurate.

F, Cyle Larin, 6.5 — The Canadian returned to the score sheet in the 16th minute, doing what he couldn’t do in Toronto by finishing a nifty cross from Rivas. Stole the ball with some good defensive work in the 21st minute and got into the box before being dispossessed by Roger Espinoza, who may have gone through his back before getting a foot to the ball. He nearly got a second goal in the 71st but couldn’t get his shot over Melia, and the two collided, which ended up requiring treatment for Larin. Both his shots were on target, he contributed a clearance, and completed 75% of his passes. He showed a good work rate but couldn’t consistently worry SKC’s back line. 

Substitutions

F, Giles Barnes (64’), 4.5 — After relieving a beat-up Rivas, Barnes came on but didn’t have much chance to get involved in the match. His 83.3% passing rate seems pretty good but he only attempted six passes. He didn’t attempt any shots or create any chances, and recorded no defensive statistics at all. Quiet night for the Jamaican, who just couldn’t leave his mark on the game. 

F, Luis Gil (65’), 6 — It was a steady performance in relief for Gil, who came on for Higuita, who was on a yellow. His passing rate wasn’t stellar (55.6%) but it was a small sample size. He finished with a tackle and a couple of crosses on the night. He sent a ball that put Larin in on goal for a scoring chance in the 71st and he fired on target off a corner in the 95th. 

That’s how I saw it. What did you think? Vote for your Orlando City MotM below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Jonathan Spector23
Joe Bendik10
Will Johnson0
Kaká84
Cyle Larin2
Carlos Rivas21
Other (tell us who in the comments)1

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Lion Links: 5/1/24

Mason Stajduhar was arrested, Orlando Pride play at home tonight, Colin Guske discusses his signing, and more.

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18 hours 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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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s home loss to Toronto FC?

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2 days ago

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April 30, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City was on its way to three points Saturday night before a late collapse saw the Lions lose 2-1 to Toronto FC at home. It’s a tough loss in a season that has seen an unexpected start with the Lions sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Here’s how I saw the individual performances for the Lions in this difficult loss.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 5.5 — Gallese’s form has definitely dropped this year, though he was one of the best goalkeepers in the league over the past four seasons. He was solid for the first 87 minutes, saving the two shots he faced, but then the wheels came off for the Lions. Toronto scored two goals when defenders left players wide open in the box. Gallese probably could’ve done better with Prince Owusu’s winner, but there was a difficult change of direction on the bounce, and the forward should’ve had somebody on him. Apart from his goalkeeping, Gallese completed 61.9% of his 21 passes, including seven of his 15 long balls, and recorded a clearance.

D, Rafael Santos, 6 — Santos had a solid game against Toronto. His 62 touches were the fourth-most on the team and he completed 90.7% of his 43 passes. The starting left back didn’t complete his lone cross but connected on two of his four long balls. He had a shot of his own, putting it on target. Defensively, Santos recorded a tackle, interception, and clearance before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 71st minute.

D, David Brekalo, N/A — Brekalo had a short night as he was injured early in the game. In the fourth minute, he collided with Owusu and required treatment for his knee. The center back attempted to continue, but eventually had to come off in the 16th minute, replaced by Rodrigo Schlegel. He only had 12 touches in the game and completed 90.9% of his 11 passes. The only defensive stat he recorded was winning an aerial duel. He wasn’t on the field long enough to fairly give him a grade.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson was terrific for most of this game. He recorded a team-high 88 touches and completed 84% of his team-high 75 passes, which included six of 13 long balls. His excellent ball forward for Facundo Torres in the 37th minute led to the Lions’ goal. Defensively, he led the team with three tackles, three clearances, two blocked shots, and two aerial duels won.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — Thorhallsson took his regular spot at right back and recorded 53 touches on the night. He completed 88.6% of his 35 passes, but didn’t connect on either of his two crosses or three long balls. He took a shot in the game, but it was off target. Defensively, he added a tackle, a blocked shot, and a successful aerial duel. Unfortunately, his most impactful part of the game was failing to cover Owusu at the back post, leaving the forward wide open to head in the game-winning goal.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo had a solid performance against Toronto, recording 61 touches. He completed 83.7% of his 49 passes, including three of his six long balls and his lone through ball. Defensively, he added a team-high three tackles, an interception, a blocked shot, and an aerial duel won.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6.5 — Cartagena had one of his better games in this one, recording the second-most touches on the team with 71. He completed 88.7% of his 62 passes, including two of his three long balls. Defensively, he added a team-high three tackles, a clearance, and won an aerial duel, while taking one off-target shot.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo had 51 touches against Toronto and completed 91.7% of his 36 passes. He completed one of his two long balls, but didn’t connect on his only cross attempt. His lone shot was off target, and he helped defensively by intercepting a team-high two opposition passes.

MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 (MotM) — Torres had an excellent performance in this game, recording 51 touches. While he only completed 75% of his 32 passes, he connected on two of his three crosses and played a perfect ball for Duncan McGuire in the 37th minute, enabling him to tap home the opening goal. The attacking midfielder nearly got one for himself in the 73rd minute from distance, forcing Sean Johnson into a good save. Similar to Angulo, Torres helped out defensively with two tackles and an interception.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Ojeda had 36 touches in 60 minutes and completed 92.3% of his 26 passes. He connected on one of his two long balls, but neither of his two crosses. He took one shot in the game, but failed to hit the target before being replaced by Nico Lodeiro.

F, Duncan McGuire, 6 — McGuire scored the Lions’ lone goal in this game and was nearly the outright hero. He touched the ball 22 times and completed 63.4% of his 14 passes. However, strikers are judged on goals and McGuire scored the opener when he got on the end of Torres’ cross in the 37th minute. He nearly had a second in first-half stoppage time when he brought down an Ojeda cross well and slammed it into the far side netting. Unfortunately, he was just offside. He was replaced by Luis Muriel in the 71st minute.

Substitutes

D, Rodrigo Schlegel (16’), 6.5 — Schlegel came on in the 16th minute when Brekalo went off injured and, despite not expecting to play that many minutes, was very good. His 71 touches were tied for the second most on the team and he completed 88.1% of his 59 passes, including two of his four long balls. Defensively, he had a team-high three tackles, an interception, and a team-high six clearances.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (60’), 6 — Lodeiro came on for Ojeda in the 60th minute and recorded 31 touches in a half hour of action. He completed 76.5% of his 17 passes, including a key pass and both long balls, but none of his three crosses. He also had a tackle defensively and didn’t take any shots.

D, Kyle Smith (71’), 5.5 — Smith came on in the 71st minute to help see out the game, replacing Santos. He touched the ball 19 times and completed 88.9% of his nine passes, including a key pass, his only cross, and his only long ball. The purpose of his inclusion was to help defensively and he recorded three tackles, an interception, and a clearance. However, he allowed clean crosses on both late Toronto goals and struggled to track Kobe Franklin and Federico Bernardeschi on Orlando’s left flank.

F, Luis Muriel (71’), 6 — Muriel came on for McGuire in the 71st minute, playing a deeper role. He recorded 21 touches and completed 64.3% of his 14 passes, including a key pass. He had two tackles defensively, but didn’t take any shots in 19 minutes of action.

That’s how I saw the performances for Orlando City in its 2-1 loss to Toronto FC Saturday night. Let us know how you saw the game and vote on your Man of the Match below.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/30/24

Luana’s season ends with Hodgkins Lymphoma diagnosis, San Diego linked with Chucky Lozano, U.S. and Mexico withdraw 2027 World Cup bid, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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April 30, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was another busy weekend of Orlando soccer, and things aren’t going to slow down anytime soon. May is an absolutely packed month for all three teams, and the games will be coming thick and fast. We have a lot to discuss this morning, so let’s jump into the links.

Luana Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

This week started off with some very sad news, as the Orlando Pride announced on Monday that midfielder Luana has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury list as a result of her being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The Brazilian international is starting chemotherapy treatments with the Orlando Health Cancer Institute. In a statement, Luana thanked both the Brazilian National Team and the Pride for the support she’s been receiving. Seb Hines and Rafaelle also spoke about how the team has been supporting Luana.

San Diego Reportedly Nears Deal for Chucky Lozano

The Athletic’s Tom Bogert has reported that San Diego FC is in advanced talks to sign Chucky Lozano ($) from PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch team is expected to receive a transfer fee in the area of $12 million, and Lozano would likely be the highest-profile player for the expansion team ahead of its maiden Major League Soccer season in 2025. While nothing is official, San Diego is said to be hopeful of getting a deal done before Copa America kicks off this summer.

U.S. and Mexico Withdraw 2027 Women’s World Cup Bid

The United States and Mexico have announced their decision to withdraw a joint bid for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, and instead focus on bidding for the 2031 edition of the tournament. The bid had made it to the final three of the selection process, in addition to a bid from Brazil and a joint effort from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlowe Cone cited a desire to have more time to prepare while also having the opportunity to learn from the experience of the joint effort of hosting the 2026 World Cup. As far as who will host in 2027, the decision will be made on May 17, with Germany having hosted a Women’s World Cup back in 2011, while Brazil would be the first South American nation to host the tournament.

English Premier League Approves Spending Cap

Premier League teams took the first step towards implementing a spending cap on Monday. While a final vote is still needed to ratify the proposed changes, Monday’s vote gave the green light to start the legal and economic studies needed to change to a spending cap model. The proposed cap would be based on how much the lowest earning Premier League team earns from television rights, and could be implemented for the 2025-2026 season. There were 16 teams that voted in favor of continuing the process of moving towards a salary cap, while Chelsea abstained from voting, and Manchester United, Manchester City, and Aston Villa voted against the motion.

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That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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